Sorting system, sorting method and program

Abstract

A lactic acid bacteria strain suitable for the target individual is selected. [Solution] A selection system is provided, comprising an index acquisition unit that acquires a stress index indicating the stress state of a target individual, and a selection unit that selects a supply lactic acid bacteria strain to be supplied to the target individual from multiple types of candidate lactic acid bacteria strains based on the stress index. The index acquisition unit may acquire the stress index for at least one type of candidate lactic acid bacteria strain after the target individual has ingested each of the candidate lactic acid bacteria strains, and the selection unit may select the supply lactic acid bacteria strain suitable for the target individual based on the stress index.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sorting system, a sorting method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses "a stress response reducing agent characterized by containing the lactic acid bacterium Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris H-61 strain (NITE P-92)." Patent Document 1: JP 2023-091935 A Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a selection system. The selection system may include an index acquisition unit that acquires a stress index indicating the stress state of a subject individual. Any of the selection systems may include a selection unit that selects a supply lactic acid bacteria strain to be supplied to the subject individual from multiple candidate lactic acid bacteria strains based on the stress index.

[0004] In any of the above selection systems, the index acquisition unit may acquire the stress index for at least one type of candidate lactic acid bacteria strain after the subject individual has ingested each of the candidate lactic acid bacteria strains. In any of the above selection systems, the selection unit may select the supply lactic acid bacteria strain suitable for the subject individual based on the stress index.

[0005] In any of the above selection systems, the index acquisition unit may acquire the stress index for at least two of the candidate lactic acid bacteria strains after the subject individual has ingested each of the candidate lactic acid bacteria strains. Any of the above selection systems may determine the candidate lactic acid bacteria strains for which the stress index of the subject individual should be re-acquired based on the respective stress indexes.

[0006] In any of the above selection systems, the index acquisition unit may acquire the stress index by analyzing a portion of the subject individual collected after the subject individual has ingested the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain.

[0007] In any of the above selection systems, the index acquisition unit may acquire the stress index based on a stress hormone value indicating a concentration of a stress hormone contained in a portion of the subject individual.

[0008] In any of the above-described selection systems, the part of the target individual may be body hair of the target individual.

[0009] In any of the above selection systems, the index acquisition unit may analyze portions of the subject individuals collected at different times to acquire time-series data on changes in the stress index.

[0010] In any of the above-described selection systems, the index acquisition unit may acquire the stress index for each of a plurality of analysis ranges in the length direction of the body hair, and acquire time-series data of changes in the stress index.

[0011] In any of the above selection systems, the index acquisition unit may further acquire intake time information regarding a time when the subject individual ingested one or more of the candidate lactic acid bacteria strains. In any of the above selection systems, the selection unit may select the supplied lactic acid bacteria strains based on the intake time information and the time-series data.

[0012] In any of the above-described selection systems, the index acquisition unit may acquire the time-series data from which components of the change in the stress index that are equal to or lower than a predetermined frequency are extracted.

[0013] Any of the above selection systems may include a database that stores identification information of the target individual and the type of the supplied lactic acid bacteria strain in association with each other.

[0014] In any of the above selection systems, the selection unit may select the supply lactic acid bacteria strain suitable for the stress state indicated by the stress index from a plurality of types of candidate lactic acid bacteria strains.

[0015] In any of the above selection systems, the index acquisition unit may acquire the stress index based on a stress hormone value indicating a concentration of a stress hormone contained in a portion of the subject individual.

[0016] In any of the above selection systems, the index acquisition unit may acquire time-series data of changes in the stress index. In any of the above selection systems, the selection unit may select the supplied lactic acid bacteria strain based on the time-series data.

[0017] In any of the above selection systems, the selection unit may select the supplied lactic acid bacteria strain further based on attribute information of the target individual.

[0018] In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a selection method. In the selection method, a stress index indicating the stress state of a subject individual may be obtained. In the selection method, a supply lactic acid bacteria strain to be supplied to the subject individual may be selected from a plurality of candidate lactic acid bacteria strains based on the stress index.

[0019] In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to execute the selection method according to the second aspect.

[0020] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the features of the present invention, and subcombinations of these features may also constitute inventions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a selection system 100 for selecting a supply lactic acid bacteria strain to be supplied to a target individual 110. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between stress state and cortisol levels in humans. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a graph showing the relationship between stress state and cortisol levels in dogs. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a graph showing the relationship between stress state and cortisol levels in cats. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a stress index according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a database 30. [Figure 7] 1 shows an example of analysis of an individual sample. [Figure 8] 3 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a stress index according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in a database 30 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of information stored in the database 30 in the second embodiment. [Figure 12] 12 illustrates an example computer 1200 in which aspects of the present invention may be embodied, in whole or in part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention according to the claims. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0023] FIG. 1 shows an example of a selection system 100 for selecting a supply lactic acid bacteria strain to be supplied to a target individual 110. The target individual 110 is a human or an animal. The animal may be a mammal, rodent, bird, or other species. Lactic acid bacteria is a general term for bacteria that produce lactic acid. There is a wide variety of lactic acid bacteria, and their effects vary widely.

[0024] Even when the same type of lactic acid bacteria strain is ingested, the stress-reducing effect differs for each subject 110. Generally, lactic acid bacteria act on the immunity of the subject 110 to provide health benefits. However, the immune state differs from one subject 110 to another. For this reason, the effect of ingesting lactic acid bacteria varies greatly from one subject 110 to another, depending on the immune state of the subject 110. As such, because the immune state differs from subject 110 to another and there is a wide variety of lactic acid bacteria, it is difficult to determine which lactic acid bacteria will be effective for which subject 110.

[0025] The selection system 100 selects a supply lactic acid bacteria strain suitable for the subject individual 110 based on the stress index of the subject individual 110. The stress index and the method for selecting the supply lactic acid bacteria strain will be described later. The selection system 100 may notify the delivery system 120 of information identifying the selected supply lactic acid bacteria strain. In this example, the selection system 100 and the delivery system 120 are computers. Each system may be realized by a single computer or by multiple computers working together.

[0026] The delivery system 120 is a system that manages the storage and delivery of products containing lactic acid bacteria strains, for example. The delivery system 120 delivers products containing the supplied lactic acid bacteria strains notified by the selection system 100 to the target individuals 110.

[0027] The sorting system 100 and the delivery system 120 may be managed by the same company. For example, if the same company selects the supplied lactic acid bacteria strains and stores and delivers products containing the lactic acid bacteria strains, the sorting system 100 and the delivery system 120 are managed by the same company. In this case, the same computer may function as the sorting system 100 and the delivery system 120.

[0028] The sorting system 100 and the delivery system 120 may be managed by different companies. For example, if different companies select the lactic acid bacteria strains to be supplied and store and deliver the products containing the lactic acid bacteria strains, the sorting system 100 and the delivery system 120 may be managed by different companies. In this case, the sorting system 100 and the delivery system 120 may be implemented by different computers.

[0029] The sorting system 100 includes an index acquisition unit 10 and a sorting unit 20. The sorting system 100 may further include a database 30. The index acquisition unit 10 and the sorting unit 20 may be realized by different hardware or by the same hardware (computer). In this example, the index acquisition unit 10 and the sorting unit 20 are functional blocks realized by the same computer.

[0030] The index acquiring unit 10 acquires a stress index that indicates the stress state of the target individual 110. The index acquiring unit 10 may acquire the stress index based on an individual sample that the target individual 110 or the manager of the target individual 110 sends to the business operator that manages the selection system 100.

[0031] The individual sample may be a part of the subject individual 110, or may be a bodily fluid or excrement of the subject individual 110, or may include two or more of these. A part of the subject individual 110 is an object that was once part of the body of the subject individual 110, such as hair, nails, skin, etc.

[0032] The stress index may be an index indicating at least one of the following information: the magnitude of stress, the magnitude of change in stress between multiple timings, the change in stress per unit time (i.e., the slope of the change), and the length of time during which stress above a threshold continues. The index acquiring unit 10 may calculate the magnitude of stress of the target individual 110 from the concentration of a specific substance contained in the individual sample.

[0033] The specific substance may be, for example, a stress hormone, but is not limited to this. The stress hormone may be at least one of cortisol and corticosterone. For example, if the target individual 110 is a human or a mammal, cortisol may be used. If the target individual 110 is a rodent or a bird, corticosterone may be used. In this specification, an example in which cortisol is used as the stress hormone will be described. The cortisol value in this specification is an example of a stress hormone value indicating the stress hormone concentration. The index acquisition unit 10 may acquire a stress index based on the cortisol value indicating the concentration of cortisol contained in a portion (or individual sample) of the target individual 110.

[0034] The selection unit 20 selects a supply lactic acid bacteria strain to be supplied to the target individual 110 from multiple types of candidate lactic acid bacteria strains based on the stress index acquired by the index acquisition unit 10. The multiple candidate lactic acid bacteria strains may be lactic acid bacteria strains that can be delivered by the delivery system 120 or lactic acid bacteria strains contained in a deliverable product.

[0035] In the first embodiment, the index acquisition unit 10 acquires stress indices for at least one type of candidate lactic acid bacteria strain after the target individual 110 ingests each candidate lactic acid bacteria strain. The selection unit 20 selects a supply lactic acid bacteria strain suitable for the target individual 110 based on the acquired one or more stress indices. That is, the selection system 100 of the first embodiment selects a supply lactic acid bacteria strain suitable for the target individual 110 based on the track record of stress reduction when the target individual 110 ingests the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain. In this case, the delivery system 120 may periodically deliver products containing the selected supply lactic acid bacteria strain to the target individual 110. The database 30 may store identification information of the target individual 110 in association with the type of supply lactic acid bacteria strain. The delivery system 120 may deliver products containing the supply lactic acid bacteria strain registered in the database 30 to the target individual 110. The selection unit 20 may re-estimate the supply lactic acid bacteria strain when a new stress index is acquired after the target individual 110 has acquired the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain. When a new supply lactic acid bacteria strain is discovered, the selection unit 20 may add the supply lactic acid bacteria strain to the database 30, or may update the supply lactic acid bacteria strain registered in the database 30 with the new supply lactic acid bacteria strain.

[0036] In the second embodiment, the selection unit 20 selects, from multiple types of candidate lactic acid bacteria strains, a supply lactic acid bacteria strain suitable for the stress state indicated by the stress index. For example, the selection system 100 of the second embodiment selects a supply lactic acid bacteria strain suitable for the current or most recent stress state of the target individual 110. The supply lactic acid bacteria strain in the first embodiment described above is not necessarily optimal for the current or most recent stress state of the target individual 110. The database 30 may store supply lactic acid bacteria strains to be selected for each stress state. The supply lactic acid bacteria strain to be selected for each stress state may be preset by an administrator of the selection system 100, may be specified by the target individual 110, or may be determined by the selection system 100.

[0037] In the second embodiment, the selection system 100 may determine the supply lactic acid bacteria strain to be selected for the current or most recent stress state based on the actual value of the stress index after the target individual 110 ingests the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain, as in the first embodiment. As an example, the index acquisition unit 10 may acquire the actual value of the magnitude of stress reduction for each candidate lactic acid bacteria strain. The selection unit 20 may select the supply lactic acid bacteria strain based on the current or most recent magnitude of stress (stress state) of the target individual 110. For example, the selection unit 20 may select a supply lactic acid bacteria strain with a greater stress reduction effect the greater the stress of the current or most recent target individual 110.

[0038] Figure 2 shows the relationship between a person's stress state and cortisol levels. Figure 2 shows the cortisol levels (cortisol weight / hair weight) of body hair samples taken daily. Figure 2 also shows the person's resting heart rate, measured during the same period as the cortisol levels. This period includes periods when the person had a fever and periods when they suffered from gastritis. The periods when the person had a fever and periods when they suffered from gastritis are presumed to be periods when the person was under a lot of stress.

[0039] As shown in Figure 2, cortisol levels are higher during the fever and gastritis periods than during other periods. For this reason, cortisol levels can be used as an index that quantitatively indicates a person's stress state. Furthermore, resting heart rate is also higher during the fever and gastritis periods than during other periods. Since the resting heart rate increases when the stress state is high, a comparison with the resting heart rate also confirms that cortisol levels quantitatively indicate a person's stress state.

[0040] Figure 3 shows the relationship between stress levels and cortisol levels in an animal. The animal in this example is a dog. Figure 3 shows the cortisol levels (cortisol weight / hair weight) of hair collected at each specified sample period. The sample period is approximately half a month, and the data covers a total of more than a year and a half. The period shown in the first half of Figure 3 includes a period of seasonally low temperatures and a period during which the dog suffered from a herniated disc. The low temperature and herniated disc periods are presumably periods of high stress for the dog.

[0041] As shown in Figure 3, cortisol levels were higher during the low temperature and hernia periods than during other periods. Therefore, cortisol levels can be used as a quantitative indicator of the stress state of animals. However, in the following periods, the animals' physical and mental health remained relatively stable, and stress levels remained within a certain range.

[0042] Figure 4 shows the relationship between stress levels and cortisol levels in cats. Figure 4 shows the cortisol levels (cortisol weight / hair weight) of hair samples taken at each specified sample period. The sample period was approximately one week, covering a total of approximately one year of data. The cat was kept indoors in a stable temperature environment, and there was no notable history of poor health, medication, or hospital visits during the sample period. Cortisol levels remained stable within a certain range throughout the year, suggesting that the cat's stress level did not fluctuate significantly.

[0043] The index acquiring unit 10 may acquire a stress index using biological information such as the resting heart rate of the target individual 110. As shown in FIG. 2, the index acquiring unit 10 may acquire the magnitude of the resting heart rate as the stress index. The index acquiring unit 10 may acquire the stress index solely from the biological information, or may acquire the stress index together with the analysis results of the individual sample. As an example, the index acquiring unit 10 may compare time-series data of the resting heart rate with time-series data of the cortisol level, and calculate the stress index using data for a period in which the correlation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. For example, the index acquiring unit 10 may determine that the target individual 110 is in a high-stress state when both the time-series data of the resting heart rate and the time-series data of the cortisol level indicate a high-stress state. The biological information may also include the body temperature, sweating, and shivering of the target individual 110.

[0044] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a stress index according to the first embodiment. The index acquiring unit 10 in this example acquires stress indices for at least two candidate lactic acid bacteria strains after the subject individual 110 has ingested each of the candidate lactic acid bacteria strains. The stress index in this example is a cortisol level. The index acquiring unit 10 in this example generates time-series data of cortisol levels as shown in FIG. 5. The index acquiring unit 10 may acquire a stress index by analyzing a portion of the subject individual 110 collected after the subject individual 110 has ingested the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain. "After ingestion" may refer to, for example, a period within one day (within 24 hours) after ingestion, a period within one week, or another period. The index acquiring unit 10 may acquire a stress index by analyzing a portion of the subject individual 110 collected during a period in which the subject individual 110 repeatedly ingests the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain.

[0045] The index acquiring unit 10 may acquire time-series data of changes in stress indexes by analyzing portions of the target individual 110 collected at different times. For example, the index acquiring unit 10 may analyze the cortisol level of the target individual 110's whiskers collected daily. The whiskers may be sent by the target individual 110 or the manager of the target individual 110.

[0046] The index acquiring unit 10 may further acquire intake time information relating to the time when the subject individual 110 ingested one or more candidate lactic acid bacteria strains. In the example of Fig. 5, the subject individual 110 ingests one of the candidate lactic acid bacteria strains every day. In this case, the index acquiring unit 10 acquires intake time information indicating the period during which the subject individual 110 repeatedly ingested the same candidate lactic acid bacteria strain. The intake time information may be notified to the index acquiring unit 10 by the subject individual 110. In the example of Fig. 5, the period during which the subject individual 110 repeatedly ingested each of candidate lactic acid bacteria A, B, and C is shown.

[0047] The selection unit 20 in this example selects the supply lactic acid bacteria strains based on intake time information and time-series data of stress indexes. The selection unit 20 may select the supply lactic acid bacteria strains based on changes in stress indexes during the intake period of each candidate lactic acid bacteria strain. If stress decreases during the intake period of the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain, the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain can be estimated to be suitable for the subject individual 110. The intake period of each candidate lactic acid bacteria strain may be one week or more, or may be one month or more. By setting the intake period to a certain length or longer, the stress-reducing effect can be observed even if the period from the start of intake of the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain to the onset of the stress-reducing effect is long. The intake period may be two months or less.

[0048] The selection unit 20 may select the supply lactic acid bacteria strains based on the difference ΔC (also referred to as a compatibility value) between a feature extracted from the time-series data of cortisol levels and a predetermined reference value. For example, the feature may be the minimum cortisol value during the intake period of each candidate lactic acid bacteria strain, or may be an average value, or may be another value. The reference value may be, for example, the cortisol value at the start of intake of each candidate lactic acid bacteria strain, or may be a value determined by the attributes of the subject individual 110, or may be another value. The selection unit 20 may select the supply lactic acid bacteria strains based on how much the feature is smaller than the predetermined reference value.

[0049] In the example of FIG. 5, the cortisol value at the start of ingestion of each candidate lactic acid bacteria strain is used as the reference value, the minimum cortisol value during the ingestion period of each candidate lactic acid bacteria strain is used as the feature, and the value obtained by subtracting the feature from the reference value is used as the fitness value (difference ΔC). The selection unit 20 may select, as the supply lactic acid bacteria strain, a candidate lactic acid bacteria strain whose difference ΔC is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value. This reference value may be set in advance by an administrator of the selection system 100. Alternatively, the selection unit 20 may select, as the supply lactic acid bacteria strain, the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain with the largest fitness value. Although FIG. 5 only shows the fitness value (difference ΔC) during the ingestion period of candidate lactic acid bacteria strain B, the selection unit 20 may also calculate fitness values ​​during the ingestion periods of other candidate lactic acid bacteria strains.

[0050] The attributes of the target individual 110 include the species, sex, age, weight, etc. of the target individual 110. Information such as a formula for calculating the reference value from the attributes of the target individual 110 may be set in advance in the selection unit 20 by an administrator, etc. The information may be generated based on the cortisol level measured for each attribute of the target individual 110.

[0051] The selection system 100 may determine candidate lactic acid bacteria strains for which the stress index of the target individual 110 should be re-obtained based on the respective stress indexes corresponding to the respective candidate lactic acid bacteria strains. For example, the selection system 100 may identify candidate lactic acid bacteria strains whose difference ΔC satisfies a predetermined condition and re-obtain the stress index for the candidate lactic acid bacteria strains. In this case, the delivery system 120 may deliver the candidate lactic acid bacteria strains to the target individual 110 and encourage the target individual 110 to ingest them. The selection system 100 may re-evaluate the stress reduction effect of the candidate lactic acid bacteria strains and determine whether the candidate lactic acid bacteria strains should be used as supply lactic acid bacteria strains. This reduces the possibility of selecting a candidate lactic acid bacteria strain whose stress index has improved due to factors other than the lactic acid bacteria strain itself as the supply lactic acid bacteria strain. In the example of Figure 5, the stress index of candidate lactic acid bacteria strain B is re-obtained.

[0052] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the database 30. The database 30 stores the identification information (I1, I2, ...) of the target individual 110 and the type (A, B, C, ...) of the supplied lactic acid bacteria strain in association with each other. The type of the supplied lactic acid bacteria strain may be the academic classification name of the lactic acid bacteria strain, or may be distinguished by other methods. The selection unit 20 registers the selected supply lactic acid bacteria strain in the database 30 for each target individual 110. The database 30 may store one supply lactic acid bacteria strain for one target individual 110, or may store multiple supply lactic acid bacteria strains. The database 30 may further store the stress reduction effect of each supply lactic acid bacteria strain on the target individual 110 (for example, the fitness value and difference ΔC shown in FIG. 5).

[0053] The delivery system 120 delivers products containing the supply lactic acid bacteria strains registered in the database 30 to each of the target individuals 110. The delivery system 120 may deliver the products in response to a request from each of the target individuals 110, or may deliver the products periodically. The delivery system 120 may deliver supply lactic acid bacteria strains registered in the database 30 that are in stock.

[0054] 7 is a diagram showing an example of analysis of an individual sample. The individual sample in this example is a body hair 112 of a target individual 110. The index acquisition unit 10 in this example acquires the above-mentioned time series data or partial time series data from one body hair 112.

[0055] The index acquisition unit 10 of this example acquires a stress index for each of a plurality of analysis ranges R1, R2, ... in the length direction of the body hair 112. In each analysis range of the body hair 112, cortisol is accumulated according to the stress state of the subject individual 110 at the time when the analysis range grew. In other words, a large amount of cortisol is accumulated in the part of the body hair 112 that grew during a time of high stress. On the other hand, little cortisol or no cortisol is accumulated in the part of the body hair 112 that grew during a time of low stress.

[0056] Therefore, by dividing the hair 112 into multiple sections along its length (i.e., the growth direction of the hair 112) and analyzing the cortisol levels in each section, time-series data on cortisol levels can be obtained. The index acquiring unit 10 may acquire time information on when the hair 112 was separated from the target individual 110 (when it was collected). The target individual 110 may notify the index acquiring unit 10 of this time information. The growth rate of the hair 112 is determined by the type of the target individual 110. The index acquiring unit 10 may determine to which period each analysis range corresponds based on the time information and the type of the target individual 110. For example, in human hair, an analysis range of 1 cm corresponds to one month. Therefore, the cortisol level in an analysis range 1 cm to 2 cm from the root of the hair indicates stress from one month ago to two months ago. By adjusting the length of the analysis range, the amount of cortisol accumulated over a predetermined period can be analyzed. For example, by setting the length of the analysis range to about 0.3 mm, it is possible to analyze the amount of cortisol accumulated over one day. The analysis range may be one day long or may be longer than one day long.

[0057] The index acquiring unit 10 may acquire time-series data from which components of changes in the stress index that are below a predetermined frequency are extracted. As described above, by dividing the body hair 112 into multiple analysis ranges and analyzing them, components of changes in the stress index that are below a frequency corresponding to the length of the analysis range can be extracted. For example, if the length of the analysis range corresponds to the growth length of the body hair 112 in one day, fluctuation components of the stress index with a period shorter than one day are removed from changes in the stress index, and fluctuation components with a period longer than one day are extracted. Similarly, if body hair 112, such as beard, is collected once a day, one day's worth of cortisol accumulates in the collected body hair 112. In this case, fluctuation components of the stress index with a period shorter than one day are removed from changes in the stress index, and fluctuation components with a period longer than one day are extracted.

[0058] When a subject individual 110 experiences stress, the cortisol level in bodily fluids such as blood or saliva increases. However, the cortisol level in bodily fluids fluctuates significantly, for example, within a day. Furthermore, the cortisol level in bodily fluids fluctuates rapidly because it is strongly influenced by the stress at that time. Meanwhile, cortisol diffuses from capillaries and accumulates in individual samples such as body hair as it grows. Therefore, by analyzing the cortisol level accumulated in an individual sample, continuous stress can be accurately evaluated.

[0059] The index acquiring unit 10 may acquire a stress index based on a substance derived from the subject individual 110. The substance derived from the subject individual 110 may include bodily fluids such as blood, tears, and sweat, and may also include excrement such as urine and feces. The index acquiring unit 10 may acquire a stress index based on the cortisol levels contained in these substances.

[0060] 8 is a flowchart showing an overview of the processing in the first embodiment. In the intake step S702, the target individual 110 takes in a product containing a candidate lactic acid bacteria strain. A delivery system 120 may deliver the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain to the target individual 110. The selection system 100 may select the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain based on the attributes of the target individual 110. For example, the selection system 100 may select a supplied lactic acid bacteria strain that has already been selected for an individual with attributes similar to those of the target individual 110 as the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain.

[0061] In the index acquisition step S704, the index acquisition unit 10 acquires the stress index of the subject individual 110 after ingesting the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain. In the effect analysis step S706, the selection unit 20 analyzes the stress reduction effect of each candidate lactic acid bacteria strain. The stress reduction effect is, for example, the fitness value (difference ΔC) described in FIG. 5.

[0062] In a determination step S708, the selection system 100 determines whether any candidate lactic acid bacteria strains for which a stress index should be obtained remain. If any candidate lactic acid bacteria strains remain, the delivery system 120 delivers a product containing the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain to the target individual 110. Then, the process from S702 is repeated. If no candidate lactic acid bacteria strains remain, in a determination step S710, the selection unit 20 determines the supply lactic acid bacteria strain. The selection unit 20 may determine the supply lactic acid bacteria strain based on the fitness value.

[0063] In the shipping step S712, the delivery system 120 delivers the product containing the supplied lactic acid bacteria strain to the subject 110. As described above, the delivery system 120 may periodically deliver the product. By this process, each subject 110 can be provided with a product containing the supplied lactic acid bacteria strain that has a stress-reducing effect. The product may be a food, a drink, a tablet, a powder, or in another form.

[0064] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a stress index according to the second embodiment. The stress index in this example is the cortisol level in an individual sample, as in the example of FIG. 5. As described above, in the second embodiment, the selection unit 20 selects, from multiple types of candidate lactic acid bacteria strains, a supply lactic acid bacteria strain that is suitable for the current or most recent stress state indicated by the stress index. In this example, the stress index is obtained using an individual sample from a subject individual 110 who has not ingested a candidate lactic acid bacteria strain.

[0065] The index acquisition unit 10 may acquire time-series data of changes in stress indexes. As described above, the time-series data can be acquired by analyzing multiple individual samples collected at different times or multiple analysis ranges of body hair. The selection unit 20 selects a supply lactic acid bacteria strain suitable for the stress state of the target individual 110 based on the time-series data.

[0066] The selection unit 20 may detect, as a stress state, at least one of the following characteristic quantities: the magnitude of the latest cortisol value, the degree of deviation between the latest cortisol value and a threshold value, the duration over which the cortisol value remains above the threshold value, and the change in the cortisol value per unit time (i.e., the slope of the change). The threshold value may be set according to the attributes of the target individual 110, similar to the reference value described above. The degree of deviation is an index indicating how much the latest cortisol value exceeds the threshold value. The degree of deviation may be the difference between the threshold value and the cortisol value.

[0067] The database 30 may store a supply lactic acid bacteria strain to be selected in each stress state. The supply lactic acid bacteria strain to be selected in each stress state may be preset by an administrator of the selection system 100, may be specified by the subject individual 110, or may be determined by the selection system 100.

[0068] For example, similar to the first embodiment, the selection system 100 may determine the supply lactic acid bacteria strain to be selected for the current or most recent stress state based on the actual value of the stress index after the target individual 110 ingests the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain. As an example, the index acquisition unit 10 may acquire the actual value of the magnitude of stress reduction for each candidate lactic acid bacteria strain. The selection unit 20 may select the supply lactic acid bacteria strain based on the current or most recent magnitude of stress (stress state) of the target individual 110. For example, the selection unit 20 may select a supply lactic acid bacteria strain with a greater stress reduction effect the greater the stress of the current or most recent target individual 110.

[0069] The selection unit 20 may select, as the supply lactic acid bacteria strain, a lactic acid bacteria strain with a greater stress-reducing effect (e.g., ΔC) the greater the magnitude of the latest cortisol value or the greater the deviation between the latest cortisol value and the threshold. The selection unit 20 may select, as the supply lactic acid bacteria strain, a lactic acid bacteria strain with a longer duration of the stress-reducing effect the longer the above-mentioned duration is. The selection unit 20 may select, as the supply lactic acid bacteria strain, a lactic acid bacteria strain with a faster onset of the stress-reducing effect the greater the slope of the change in cortisol value.

[0070] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the database 30 in the second embodiment. The database 30 stores, for each identification information (I1, I2, ...) of the target individual 110, a stress state (S1, S2, ...) and a type of supplied lactic acid bacteria strain (A, B, C, ...) in association with each other. The stress state may be determined based on the magnitude of each feature value in the time-series data of the stress index, as described above. The stress state may indicate a range of the magnitude of each feature value. The correspondence between the stress state and the supplied lactic acid bacteria strain may be different for each target individual 110, or may be the same for each target individual 110. In the latter case, the database 30 does not need to store the identification information of the target individual 110.

[0071] The selection unit 20 may determine which stress state registered in the database 30 the feature quantities of the time-series data of the stress index correspond to. The selection unit 20 may obtain a supply lactic acid bacteria strain corresponding to the relevant stress state from the database 30. The delivery system 120 of this example delivers a product containing the supply lactic acid bacteria strain obtained from the database 30 to the corresponding target individual 110. Through this processing, it is possible to provide the target individual 110 with a lactic acid bacteria strain suitable for the current or most recent stress state of the target individual 110. Instead of delivering a product by the delivery system 120, the selection unit 20 may notify the target individual 110 of information regarding the supply lactic acid bacteria strain or product that the target individual 110 should currently ingest.

[0072] 11 is a diagram showing another example of information stored in the database 30 in the second embodiment. The selection unit 20 in this embodiment selects a supply lactic acid bacteria strain based on the stress state of the target individual 110 and the attributes of the target individual 110.

[0073] Lactic acid bacteria strains may have similar effects on target individuals 110 with similar attributes. The database 30 in this example stores the relationship between the stress state and the supply lactic acid bacteria strain for each attribute of the target individual 110. The selection unit 20 may extract, from the database 30, a supply lactic acid bacteria strain that corresponds to the attribute and stress state of the target individual 110. This process makes it possible to select a supply lactic acid bacteria strain that is suitable for the current or most recent stress state of the target individual 110.

[0074] The sorting system 100 described in Figures 1 to 11 may be implemented by installing a program on one or more computers, which may be recorded on a computer-readable medium.

[0075] Various embodiments of the present invention may be described with reference to flowcharts and block diagrams, where the blocks may represent (1) stages of a process in which operations are performed or (2) sections of an apparatus responsible for performing the operations. Particular stages and sections may be implemented by dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, and / or a processor provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. Dedicated circuitry may include digital and / or analog hardware circuitry, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. Programmable circuitry may include reconfigurable hardware circuitry, including logical AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, memory elements such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), and the like.

[0076] A computer-readable medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions that are executed by an appropriate device, such that the computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon comprises an article of manufacture containing instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of computer-readable media may include electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, and semiconductor storage media. More specific examples of computer-readable media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray (RTM) disc, memory stick, integrated circuit card, and the like.

[0077] The computer readable instructions may include either assembler instructions, Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or source or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, JAVA®, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages.

[0078] The computer-readable instructions may be provided to a processor or programmable circuit of a programmable data processing device, such as a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or another computer, either locally or via a wide-area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN) or the Internet, which executes the computer-readable instructions to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Here, the computer may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a smartphone, a workstation, a server computer, a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or the like, or may be a computer system in which multiple computers are connected. Such a computer system in which multiple computers are connected is also called a distributed computing system, and is a broad definition of computers. In a distributed computing system, multiple computers collectively execute a program by each executing a portion of the program and passing data between computers as needed during program execution.

[0079] Examples of processors include a computer processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a processing unit, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor, a controller, a microcontroller, etc. A computer may have one or more processors. In a multiprocessor system with multiple processors, each processor executes a portion of a program and passes data between processors as needed during program execution, allowing the multiple processors to collectively execute a program. For example, in multitasking, each of the multiple processors may execute a portion of each task in small chunks by switching tasks at time slice intervals. In this case, which portion of a program each processor executes changes dynamically. Which portion of a program each of the multiple processors executes may also be statically determined by multiprocessor-aware programming.

[0080] 12 illustrates an example of a computer 1200 in which aspects of the present invention may be embodied, in whole or in part. Programs installed on the computer 1200 may cause the computer 1200 to function as or perform operations associated with an apparatus or one or more sections of the apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention, and / or to perform a process or steps of a process according to embodiments of the present invention. Such programs may be executed by the CPU 1212 to cause the computer 1200 to perform specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks of the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0081] A computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 1212, a RAM 1214, a graphics controller 1216, and a display device 1218, which are interconnected by a host controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 1222, a storage device 1224 such as a hard disk drive, a DVD-ROM drive 1226, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 1210 via an input / output controller 1220. The computer also includes legacy input / output units such as a ROM 1230 and a keyboard 1242, which are connected to the input / output controller 1220 via an input / output chip 1240.

[0082] The CPU 1212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 1230 and the RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphics controller 1216 acquires image data generated by the CPU 1212 into a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 1214 or into the graphics controller 1216 itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 1218.

[0083] The communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The storage device 1224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 1212 in the computer 1200. The DVD-ROM drive 1226 reads programs or data from a DVD-ROM 1227 and provides the programs or data to the storage device 1224 via the RAM 1214. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0084] The ROM 1230 stores therein a boot program or the like that is executed by the computer 1200 upon activation, and / or programs that depend on the hardware of the computer 1200. The input / output chip 1240 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 1220 via a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, etc.

[0085] The programs are provided by a computer-readable medium such as a DVD-ROM 1227 or an IC card. The programs are read from the computer-readable medium, installed in the storage device 1224, RAM 1214, or ROM 1230, which are also examples of computer-readable media, and executed by the CPU 1212. Information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 1200, and causes cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or a method may be configured by implementing information manipulation or processing in accordance with the use of the computer 1200.

[0086] For example, when communication is performed between the computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 may execute a communication program loaded into the RAM 1214 and instruct the communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer processing area provided in the RAM 1214, the storage device 1224, the DVD-ROM 1227, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes reception data received from the network to a reception buffer processing area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0087] The CPU 1212 may read all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored on an external recording medium such as the storage device 1224, the DVD-ROM drive 1226 (DVD-ROM 1227), an IC card, etc. into the RAM 1214, and perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 then writes back the processed data to the external recording medium.

[0088] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on the recording medium and may undergo information processing. CPU 1212 may perform various types of processing on data read from RAM 1214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequences of the programs, and write the results back to RAM 1214. CPU 1212 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. on the recording medium. For example, if multiple entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored on the recording medium, CPU 1212 may search for an entry that matches a condition specified by the attribute value of the first attribute from among the multiple entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0089] The above-described programs or software modules may be stored in a computer-readable medium on or near the computer 1200. A recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can also be used as a computer-readable medium, thereby providing the programs to the computer 1200 via the network.

[0090] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0091] It should be noted that the execution order of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that the processes can be performed in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a subsequent process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, this does not mean that the processes must be performed in this order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 10. Index acquisition unit, 20. Sorting unit, 30. Database, 100. Sorting system, 110. Target individual, 112. Body hair, 120. Delivery system

Claims

1. A computer that functions as a sorting system, an index acquisition unit that acquires a change in a stress index indicating a stress state of a subject individual caused by the subject individual's ingestion of each of a plurality of candidate lactic acid bacteria strains by analyzing time-series data of at least one of a portion of the subject individual and biological information of the subject individual; a selection unit that selects, for each subject individual, a supply lactic acid bacteria strain suitable for the subject individual from a plurality of candidate lactic acid bacteria strains based on the change in the stress index; Equipped with The selection unit registers the selected supply lactic acid bacteria strain in a database for each subject individual. computer.

2. The stress index is an index correlated with the stress hormone level of the subject individual. The computer of claim 1.

3. The stress index includes at least one of the stress hormone level of the subject individual and the resting heart rate of the subject individual. The computer of claim 1.

4. The selection system determines the candidate lactic acid bacteria strains for which the change in the stress index of the subject individual should be re-obtained based on the change in the stress index caused by the subject individual's ingestion of each of the candidate lactic acid bacteria strains. The computer of claim 1.

5. The part of the target individual is body hair of the target individual. A computer according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The index acquisition unit analyzes the portions of the subject individual collected at different times to acquire time-series data of the changes in the stress index. The computer of claim 5.

7. The index acquisition unit acquires the stress index for each of a plurality of analysis ranges in the length direction of the body hair, and acquires time-series data of the change in the stress index. The computer of claim 5.

8. the index acquisition unit further acquires intake time information regarding a time when the subject individual ingested one or more of the candidate lactic acid bacteria strains; The selection unit selects the supply lactic acid bacteria strain based on the change in the stress index indicated in the time-series data corresponding to the intake period of the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain indicated in the intake time information. A computer according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

9. The index acquisition unit acquires the time-series data from which components of the change in the stress index that are equal to or lower than a predetermined frequency are extracted. A computer according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

10. The database further comprises: A computer according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

11. The selection unit selects the supply lactic acid bacteria strain already selected for the first target individual as the candidate lactic acid bacteria strain for the second target individual based on attribute information of the first target individual and the second target individual. A computer according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

12. A change in a stress index indicating a stress state of a subject individual caused by the subject individual's ingestion of each of a plurality of candidate lactic acid bacteria strains is obtained by analyzing time series data of at least one of a portion of the subject individual and biological information of the subject individual; selecting a supply lactic acid bacteria strain suitable for the subject individual from the plurality of candidate lactic acid bacteria strains for each subject individual based on the change in the stress index; The selected supplied lactic acid bacteria strain is registered in a database for each subject individual. A sorting method in which the processing is performed by a computer.

13. A program for causing a computer to execute the selection method according to claim 12.

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