bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In vitro transcription assay with the purified 40kDa NF1‐like protein binding to the rat p53 promoter
Authors: Lee Minhyung , Song Haisun , Lee Kyunghee , Park Jong‐sang
Published: July 2007

The rat p53 promoter has several potential transcription factor‐recognition motifs. They inculde NF1‐like, bHLH family, and AP1‐like proteins binding sites. The binding protein to NF1‐like motif was previously identified. The protein has about 40kDa of molecular mass, which is smaller than that of NF1. Anti‐NF1 polyclonal antibody does not recognize the protein. In this study, we isolated the 40kDa protein by sequence‐specific DNA affinity chromatography. The isloated protein was assayed by DNase I footprinting analysis. To determine the transactivation effect of the protein, in vitro transcription with the purified 40kDa protein was carried out. After the addition of the purified 40kDa protein into the transcription reaction mixture, the transcription level of the p53 promoter was increased. This suggests that the 40 kDa NF1‐like protein is a transcription activator for the rat p53 gene.
Sphingomyelinase Activity of Livers from Control and NCTR‐BALB/c Mice
Authors: Bhuvaneswaran Chidambaram , Morris Manford D.
Published: July 2007

NCTR‐BALB/c mice have an autosomal recessive disorder involving storage of sphingomyelin and unesterified cholesterol in their tissues and reduced tissue sphingomyelinase activity. With [N‐methyl‐14C]sphingomyelin as substrate, Vmax for the enzyme in livers from control and mutant mice were, respectively, 29.6 and 11.6 nmol of substrate hydrolyzed h‐1 mg‐1 protein, and the corresponding K values were 94.6 and 132.3 mu M. The control and m mutant enzymes showed similar pH profiles and temperature sensitivities. When the control and mutant liver homogenates were mixed in various proportions, the resulting activities were 70 80% of the theoretical values. Cross and straight addition of total lipid extracts ofcontrol and mutant livers had minimal effect on their enzyme activities. The results suggest that the reduced sphingomyelinase activity of mutant liver is not due to the presence of inhibitors or absence of activators in this tissue.
Insulin‐Induced Oxidative Neuronal Injury in Cortical Culture: Mediation by Induced N‐Methyl‐D‐aspartate Receptors
Authors: Noh Kyung‐Min , Lee Jong‐Cheol , Ahn Young‐Ho , Hong Seung Hwan , Koh Jae‐Young
Published: July 2007

While effectively attenuating neuronal apoptosis in mouse cortical culture, insulin paradoxically induced neuronal necrosis with 48 h of exposure. The insulin neurotoxicity was blocked by an antioxidant but not by caspase inhibitors. Exposure to insulin led to tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor and the insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) receptor and activation of protein kinase C (PKC) and phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3‐kinase). Inhibitors of tyrosine kinase and PKC, but not PI3‐kinase, attenuated the insulin neurotoxicity. Conversely, the inhibitor of PI3‐kinase but not PKC reversed the antiapoptotic effect of insulin. Suggesting that the gene activity‐dependent emergence of excitotoxicity contributed to insulin neurotoxicity, macromolecule synthesis inhibitors and N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) antagonists blocked it. Consistently, exposure to insulin increased the level of the NR2A subunit of the NMDA receptor without much altering NR1 or NR2B levels. The present study suggests that insulin can be both neuroprotective and neurotoxic in the same cell system but by way of different signaling cascades.
Use of Chimeric Forms of Neuronal Nitric‐Oxide Synthase as Dominant Negative Mutants
Authors: Phung Yume T. , Black Stephen M.
Published: July 2007

Because the functional form of neuronal nitric‐oxide synthase (nNOS) is a homodimer, we investigated whether we could disrupt dimer formation with inactive nNOS chimeras acting as dominant negative mutants. To test this hypothesis, we either expressed the heme and reductase regions of rat nNOS as single domains or produced fusion proteins between the rat nNOS heme domain and various other electron‐shuttling proteins. A dominant negative potential of these constructs was demonstrated by their ability to reduce NOS activity when transfected into a cell line stably expressing rat nNOS. In the presence of these nNOS mutant proteins, cellular levels of inactive nNOS monomers were significantly increased, indicating that their mechanism of action is through the disruption of nNOS dimer formation. These dominant negative mutants should prove valuable in analyzing the role of nNOS in biological systems.
Exploring the development of supply chain international joint ventures
Authors: Tokman Mert , Banu Elmadag Ayse , Uray Nimet , Glenn Richey R.
Published: July 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically explore how prior exchange relationships may impact a local firm's decision to participate in a supply chain international joint venture (SC‐IJV).

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory study of the influence of prior working relationships using a sample of 32 US and European‐based SC‐IJVs. First, a cluster method was used to determine the two categories of local firms' motivation to form SC‐IJVs with foreign partners. Next, a discriminant analysis revealed the differences between the two categories in terms of the emphasis put on prior exchange relationships when forming SC‐IJVs.

Findings

Results confirm two major types of motivations for a local firm to participate in a SC‐IJV: exploration and exploitation. Moreover, the motivation types are varied in terms of the emphasis placed on a prior working relationship with the SC‐IJV partner. While exploitation‐oriented firms consulted a previous working relationship experience before forming a supply chain IJV, exploration‐oriented firms did not.

Originality/value

This study shows that Eastern European firms can be separated into two categories in terms of SC‐IJV goals: those focused on learning (exploration) and those focused on strategic behavior (exploitation). Second, the study shows that the firms favoring exploitation prefer a past working relationship with the potential partner, while those favoring exploration did not. The study is exploratory in nature, but provides a solid platform on which to base future research.
Values‐based service quality for sustainable business
Authors: Enquist Bo , Edvardsson Bo , Petros Sebhatu Samuel
Published: July 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to present a model for values‐based sustainable service business grounded in the concept of values‐based service quality.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a literature review and interpretations of five narratives from a values‐driven company, IKEA, the paper proposes a model of values‐based service quality for sustainable service business.

Findings

The study distinguishes four dimensions of values‐based service quality and five dimensions of sustainability. These are all incorporated in the proposed model.

Originality/value

This is a fundamental study of the role of values‐based service quality in creating sustainable service business based on value‐in‐use for customers and the desirable values of corporate culture with which products and services are associated.
Pharmacogenomics and serotonergic agents: research observations and potential clinical practice implications
Authors: Camilleri M.
Published: July 2007

Abstract  Pharmacogenomics of serotonin are potentially relevant in research and clinical practice. There are few proven examples of the importance of pharmacogenetics of serotonin‐modifying agents used in functional gastrointestinal or motility disorders. Drug metabolism is dependent on function of the cytochrome P450 enzymes, such as 2D6 and 3A4. Genetic variations in transporters and translation mechanisms have been associated with responses to treatment in irritable bowel syndrome and in obesity. Research on the impact of polymorphisms of key proteins on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs that alter serotonin‐mediated signalling will assist in explaining diverse responses to those drugs and ultimately improve clinical practice, individualizing medicine.
Temperature-Dependent Kinetic Model for Nitrogen-Limited Wine Fermentations
Authors: Coleman Matthew C. , Fish Russell , Block David E.
Published: July 2007

A physical and mathematical model for wine fermentation kinetics was adapted to include the influence of temperature, perhaps the most critical factor influencing fermentation kinetics. The model was based on flask-scale white wine fermentations at different temperatures (11 to 35°C) and different initial concentrations of sugar (265 to 300 g/liter) and nitrogen (70 to 350 mg N/liter). The results show that fermentation temperature and inadequate levels of nitrogen will cause stuck or sluggish fermentations. Model parameters representing cell growth rate, sugar utilization rate, and the inactivation rate of cells in the presence of ethanol are highly temperature dependent. All other variables (yield coefficient of cell mass to utilized nitrogen, yield coefficient of ethanol to utilized sugar, Monod constant for nitrogen-limited growth, and Michaelis-Menten-type constant for sugar transport) were determined to vary insignificantly with temperature. The resulting mathematical model accurately predicts the observed wine fermentation kinetics with respect to different temperatures and different initial conditions, including data from fermentations not used for model development. This is the first wine fermentation model that accurately predicts a transition from sluggish to normal to stuck fermentations as temperature increases from 11 to 35°C. Furthermore, this comprehensive model provides insight into combined effects of time, temperature, and ethanol concentration on yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) activity and physiology.
The use of fluorescence enhancement to improve the microscopic diagnosis of falciparum malaria
Authors: Guy Rebecca , Liu Paul , Pennefather Peter , Crandall Ian
Published: July 2007

Background

Giemsa staining of thick blood smears remains the "gold standard" for detecting malaria. However, this method is not very good for diagnosing low-level infections. A method for the simultaneous staining of Plasmodium-parasitized culture and blood smears for both bright field and fluorescence was developed and its ability to improve detection efficiency tested.

Methods

A total of 22 nucleic acid-specific fluorescent dyes were tested for their ability to provide easily observable staining of Plasmodium falciparum-parasitized red blood cells following Giemsa staining.

Results

Of the 14 dyes that demonstrated intense fluorescence staining, only SYBR Green 1, YOYO-1 and ethidum homodimer-2 could be detected using fluorescent microscopy, when cells were first stained with Giemsa. Giemsa staining was not effective when applied after the fluorescent dyes. SYBR Green 1 provided the best staining in the presence of Giemsa, as a very high percentage of the parasitized cells were simultaneously stained. When blood films were screened using fluorescence microscopy the parasites were more readily detectable due to the sharp contrast between the dark background and the specific, bright fluorescence produced by the parasites.

Conclusion

The dual staining method reported here allows fluorescence staining, which enhances the reader's ability to detect parasites under low parasitaemia conditions, coupled with the ability to examine the same cell under bright field conditions to detect the characteristic morphology of Plasmodium species that is observed with Giemsa staining.
Organic Farming, Gender, and the Labor Process*
Authors: Hall Alan , Mogyorody Veronika
Published: July 2007

Abstract  This paper seeks to explain variations in gender participation in farm production and decision‐making through an analysis of organic farm types, sizes, and orientations. Based on both survey and case study data, the analysis shows that female farmers on vegetable farms and mixed livestock/cash crop farms are more likely to be involved in farm production and management than women on field crop farms, where mechanization and capital intensive production is much higher. The links to ideological orientations and motivations are also examined, suggesting that farmers with more conventional orientations to organic farming are also less likely to support gender equality.
A model of an average recession and recovery
Authors: McLaughlin Robert L.
Published: July 2007

This paper proposes an Average Recession/Recovery Model (ARRM). It discusses the reasons why such a model is needed and how it can be developed. Major utilities of the model are (1) it is an extremely simple way to display complex forecasts to management graphically, (2) it can be applied to a single time series–with monthly or quarterly data–and is applicable to a large proportion of time series, both macro and micro, (3) it is easy to calculate, to understand, to program and to communicate with it and (4) it employs widely accepted statistical and economic methods.
The political process of decentralization in Peru, 1985–1990
Authors: Kim Sung Han
Published: July 2007

This paper, using Peru as a case study, argues that the most potent factor in the implementation of decentralization in developing countries is ‘political’ in nature and operation. The legislative process of decentralization under President Alan García's regime went through three major steps, controlled by his party, APRA (Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana,): (1) The 1986 Bill of the Basic Law of Regionalization; (2) The 1987 Basic Law of Regionalization; and (3) The 1988 Modified Law of Regionalization. Why did Alan García push for decentralization, unlike his predecessors? The 1985 elections produced García, a populist demagogue, and a loose political party system dominated by APRA. However, the legislation of decentralization was possible paradoxically because García, who was desperately looking for a political issue to distract people's minds from his misgovernment, needed to control APRA for a regional power base after 1990. Thus, the whole decentralization process was highly politicized, and García's strategy was ‘successful’ in that regional governments came to be controlled by APRA after the 1989 and 1990 regional elections. The Peruvian case shows how far decentralization can be used for personalistic or partisan interests in a fragile democracy.
The role of the public sector in introducing operations research/management science within developing countries
Authors: Papageorgiou John C.
Published: July 2007

This article examines the role the public sector has played in introducing operations research/ management science (OR/MS) in developing countries. To this end, some of the difficulties in applying OR/MS within the environment of a developing country in general, and within their public sector in particular, are briefly discussed, and the first applications of OR/MS in some such countries are reviewed. In spite of the fact that the application of OR/MS in the public sector is generally more difficult than that in the private sector, it is shown that OR/MS has, in most cases, entered countries through the public sector. Possible reasons for this phenomenon are discussed and an assessment of the contribution of OR/MS to public sector decision‐making is made.
Compositeness Conditions for Particle Poles in Partial Wave Scattering Amplitudes I
Authors: Kaschluhn F.
Published: July 2007

Compositeness conditions for particle poles in partial wave scattering amplitudes are studied with particular regard to various dynamical limits connected with a continuous transition from elementary to composite particles. The first part is concerned mainly with some simple, but non‐trivial models whereas in the second part the present considerations are generalized and also the question of analytic continuation in the angular momentum and the manychannel case is treated.
The Maxwell Group and the Quantum Theory of Particles in Classical Homogeneous Electromagnetic Fields
Authors: Schrader Robert
Published: July 2007

Covariant solutions of the Dirac (and Klein‐Gordon) equation in a homogeneous classical electromagnetic field are constructed. This is done using the symmetry group of the equation, the Maxwell group. These covariant solutions are obtained starting from solutions in the frame where the electromagnetic field is described by a magnetic field pointing in the 3‐direction and then using the theory of induced representations.
Dual Amplitudes with Mandelstam Analyticity
Authors: Bugrij A. I. , Cohen‐Tannoudji G. , Jenkovszky L. L. , Kobylinsky N. A.
Published: July 2007

A class of dual amplitudes with Mandelstam analyticity (DAMA) is studied. A detail analysis of the analytic and asymptotic properties of the amplitudes in the complex s and t plane is carried out. The role of the amplitudes for the construction of an analytic S‐matrix theory is discussed. Applications to physical processes are also presented.
Medium Energy Inelastic Hadron Scattering and Nuclear Structure
Authors: Weber H. J.
Published: July 2007

Some aspects of medium energy (∼ 150 MeV to 1 GeV) proton and pion scattering theory from complex nuclei are reviewed with emphasis on inelastic scattering as a tool to extract nuclear structure information.
Reliability behaviour of electronic components as a function of time
Authors: Campbell D. S. , Hayes J. A. , Jones J. A. , Schwarzenberger A. P.
Published: July 2007

Considerable attention has been paid recently to the behaviour of the hazard rate function h(t) as a function of time. This discussion has led to a lot of speculation as to the shape of the traditional ‘bathtub’ curve showing failure or hazard rate as a function of time. Studies at the International Electronics Reliability Institute (IERI) at Loughborough University of Technology, in the United Kingdom, have recently been examining in detail the database created from field failure returns on a wide spectrum of electronic components. These components are in equipment subject to a spread of environmental conditions. The database created has been exercised with particular reference to the behaviour of MOS Ics, rectangular connectors, bipolar transistors and pn‐junction diodes. Data has been analysed using pooled information from a wide variety of sources and also from two specific environmental conditions, ground benign and ground mobile.

The results of this analysis are presented and the failure intensities as a function of time are given at 1000 hour intervals up to a total time of 21,000 hours. Confidence limits at the 95 per cent X2 level are also given. The results show a rapidly falling failure intensity for the first few thousand hours and after this time the failure intensity appears to be relatively constant given the accuracy obtainable with the data available.
The Japanese point of view on the ISO 9000 standards
Authors: Kume Hitoshi
Published: July 2007

On the whole, Japanese quality management sits rather uneasily with a certification system based on ISO standards. This is because, whereas the certification system is constructed from the purchaser's standpoint, the main stream of Japanese quality activities is from the supplier's standpoint. However, the ISO system has many advantages also for suppliers, and reassessing Japanese quality management in comparison with ISO standards and reconstructing it on the firm foundation which these standards provide, Japanese quality management will be raised to even higher levels internationally.
Low frequency noise and reliability analysis of avalanche photodiodes
Authors: Jones B. K. , Kozlowski D. A.
Published: July 2007

Non‐destructive electrical and optical analysis of discrete electronic components can both reveal the details of the operating mechanisms and indicate comparative quality and hence imply reliability. The measurement of low frequency noise as a method of grading quality has been found to differentiate between samples of avalanche photodiodes, and there exists a clear correlation with the subsequent findings of a conventional destructive accelerated life‐test.
A reduced sampling approach for reliability verification
Authors: Allmen Charles R. , Lu Ming‐Wei
Published: July 2007

Reliability demonstration tests frequently require large sample sizes which are objectionable from both a cost and time standpoint. The approach presented, referred to as bias sampling, offers a means to demonstrate conformance to reliability objectives with reduced test samples and test time. The reduction is achieved by selection and test of samples from the lower‐median sub‐population of a random sample. The prediction assumes that the entire population of samples was tested. Rationale for the approach is presented along with guidelines for sample selection. Two application examples illustrate how the methodology is being employed at Chrysler Corporation.
Robust design of a polysilicon deposition process using split‐plot analysis
Authors: Cantell Brenda S. , Ramírez José G.
Published: July 2007

The technique used for the analysis of experimental data must be appropriate for the design and treatment structures of the experiment; failure to take this into account can produce misleading results. This paper illustrates how split‐plot designs can be used for the analysis of robust design experiments. In particular, the polysilicon deposition process data presented by Phadke1 is analysed, and comparisons are made between the split‐plot analysis of the raw data and the analysis conducted using signal‐to‐noise ratios. In addition, we demonstrate how the split‐plot analysis provides information about interactions between control and noise factors, and how interaction plots can be used to assess the performance of the control factors across the levels of the noise factors. This information is particularly important to select the settings of the control factors that minimize the variation in the response induced by the noise factors.
A CDM‐only reproducible field degradation and its reliability aspect
Authors: Gieser H. A. , Egger P. , Reiner J. C. , Herrmann M. R.
Published: July 2007

Simulated electrostatic discharges (ESD) according to the human body model (HBM) and the charged device model (CDM) were compared in their ability to reproduce a leakage degradation observed in the field. Only CDM successfully reproduced the electrical and the physical failure signature in the input inverter of the active circuitry. A home‐built CDM tester was used to degrade a significant number of input pins for a reliability or latency study. An experimental investigation of the impact of this degradation on reliability showed that the degraded devices are latently damaged. They have input leakage currents still within specification, but show a highly increased sensitivity to electrical overstress and to ESD stress according to the human body model with a 100 per cent correlation to the CDM degradation. A standard burn‐in test showed that they can cause early failures. The degradation is caused by a damage in the gate oxide of an input transistor, and the latent failure is caused by a ‘breakdown’ of the damaged oxide. Latency was shown to appear systematically.
Frequency dependence of degradation and breakdown of thin SiO2 films
Authors: Nafria M. , Yelamos D. , Suñe J. , Aymerich X.
Published: July 2007

Thin oxide MOS capacitors are subjected to bipolar voltage stresses of different amplitudes and frequencies. According to a previously proposed breakdown model, the evolution of the current with the stress time has been considered to be due to the degradation of the oxide, i.e. to the generation and partial occupation of electron traps. When log(J) is represented versus the stress time, the slope of the plot and the magnitude of the current (which tends to decrease during constant‐voltage tests) are taken as indicators of the oxide degradation rate and degradation level, respectively. Our results suggest lower degradation rates, and consequently lower degradation levels for the same stress times, at high frequencies. This is consistent with the increase of time‐to‐breakdown with stress frequency observed by other authors, and confirms that, also for dynamic stresses, the relation between degradation and breakdown is fundamental to understand the physics of these phenomena. The slower degradation rates confirm the improvement of oxide reliability under dynamic AC stress conditions.
A list‐processing‐oriented data flow machine architecture and its evaluation
Authors: Hasegawa Ryuzo , Mikami Hirohide , Amamiya Makoto
Published: July 2007

This paper describes some issues of parallel list processing under data flow control. Also a new type of list‐processing oriented data flow machine is presented which achieves pipelined processing among activated functions. Performance evaluation through software simulation gave the following conclusions.

(1) This machine can utilize a high degree of parallelism even for simple programs due to the partial function‐body execution and lenient cons effects.

(2) Parallel processing overhead does not affect the processing time.

(3) Memory contention is reduced by dividing the structure memory into many banks and by uniformly distributing cons operations in each bank.
A high‐performance architecture for variable length instructions
Authors: Matsumoto Hidekazu , Bandoh Tadaaki , Hirasawa Kotaro , Kato Takeshi
Published: July 2007

This paper considers a high‐performance architecture for Variable Length Instructions (VLI) and its evaluation. The VLI studied here are characterized by a multioperand which can treat several independent operands, and orthogonality which can specify the operand address independently of the operation code. This architecture consists of the pipeline processing method suitable for multioperand instruction format, instruction/data separate‐type dual cache memory configuration to obtain memory throughput necessary for efficient operation of pipeline, and the operand location‐free microprogramming method with virtualized operand interface. The basic ideas of the pipeline processing method are the operand specifier (OSP) based pipeline processing which is realized by Inter‐OSP based pipeline processing and two simultaneously processing OSPs. From the mixed value analysis and the simulation result, it is clarified that this architecture makes it possible to improve the performance 1.8 times faster than without it. The additional hardware increase for this architecture is 33%.
A coding method of gray‐valued pictures using density contour lines
Authors: Nakajima Masayuki , Agui Takeshi , Takeda Masahiro
Published: July 2007

First, the concept of density contour lines is introduced for gray‐valued pictures. Its application for pattern recognition has already been reported. However, in this paper it is considered for description and restoration of gray‐valued pictures via the extraction of density contour lines as well as for coding gray‐valued pictures by assigning priority to the density contour lines. Furthermore, a method for sequential restoration of pictures from general information is described.

In this paper, sequential restoration from the main contour' lines and experimental restoration of gray‐valued pictures using only a part of the density contour lines are demonstrated. These results illustrate a new coding method of gray‐valued pictures which facilitates the coding of the high information content of original pictures by only about 20% of the contour lines. Finally, the effectivity of the present method is shown for the fast search of pictures.
A border‐following algorithm of three‐dimensional digitized binary pictures
Authors: Matsumoto Tetsuya , Toriwaki Jun‐Ichiro , Yokoi Shigeki , Fukumura Teruo
Published: July 2007

This paper proposes a border‐following method for three‐dimensional digitized pictures. The method is applied to actual data and the results are discussed. Then the proposed algorithm is applied to the analysis of pictures. Up to now, of the few researches and proposals concerning the border‐following algorithms for three‐dimensional binary pictures, that by Herman et al. has as its goal the display of a three‐dimensional picture. Here the pair of 0‐ and 1‐voxels is traced in a way which is an extension of the edge‐tracing in the border‐following for two‐dimensional pictures. However, in their method, the number of voxels to be traced becomes larger, compared with the method which traces only 1‐voxel. The connective relations among voxels are also difficult to extract in a direct way. The method proposed here adopts the procedure corresponding to the pixel‐tracing in the border‐following of two‐dimensional picrures, i.e., tracing of border‐voxels of value 1. The paper includes the border‐following algorithm applicable to any of 6‐, 18‐, and 26‐connected figures, together with the algorithm to reconstruct the original picture from the list of border voxels. These algorithms are compared with the algorithm by Herman et al. A method is also shown which can extract the surrounding relations among three‐dimensional figures during execution of the proposed algorithm.
Reduced‐gate design of totally self‐checking checkers for unordered codes
Authors: Izawa Nobuyoshi
Published: July 2007

Self‐checking logic has been proposed as a means of highly efficient fault‐detection in a logical circuit. As the checking circuit (checker), the design of a totally self‐checking checker (TSCC) has been investigated for various kinds of codes. The author has considered the unordered codes which include M‐out‐of‐N codes and Berger codes, and proposed a design method by the transformation, from the logical function with code‐disjoint (CD) derived based on the property of the unordered codes, to the logical function with self‐testing (ST) based on the design conditions of the entire codewords. This paper is based on the above transformation of a logical function, and presents a design method for the unordered codes TSCC with a reduced number of gates. In the proposed method, the absorption law for the logical function is applied to eliminate the redundant terms in the logical function with CD, and the function is transformed into the logical function with ST, utilizing a new condition defined for the codeword sets obtained by bi‐partitioning the code. It is shown that by this method, the number of gates is reduced in correspondence to the small strictness of the condition for ST. By extending the method, the number of gate levels is also reduced, leading to the design of 2‐ and 3‐level TSCC, which is conjectured as the minimum possible number of levels structure.
A graphical structure extracting method from an urban map using parallel vector tracers
Authors: Nakajima Masayuki , Agui Takeshi , Iituka Hisato
Published: July 2007

We have been studying computer processing of urban maps. As a first step of data processing of urban maps, we proposed an automatic extraction algorithm for built‐up areas using topological variances by pyramid structures. In this paper we propose an algorithm for extracting road information using parallel vector tracers as a second step.

A graph structure extracting method for urban maps is introduced using parallel vector tracers and an analysis method for intersection structures. Results obtained from experiments applying the proposed method to real urban maps are given. From the experimental results it became clear that a search could be done correctly even for an intersection with eight edges. This method is efficient for extracting graph structures from various figures.
Network analysis by hierarchical tearing method
Authors: Asai Hideki , Mori Shinsaku
Published: July 2007

Diakoptics is a kind of hybrid analysis. It has a problem wherein the calculation of the inverse of the admittance sparse submatrix for the subnetwork produces a non‐sparse impedance submatrix and the sparsity of the submatrix is not utilized effectively for a large‐scale network. From such a viewpoint, tearing methods have recently been proposed which consider the sparsity of sub‐matrices. In the methods proposed till now, however, a complex sparsity technique is required for the processing of submatrices, which is different from the tearing algoriithm. For these kinds of algorithms, the computational complexity is difficult to evaluate, and the optimal tearing based on evaluation has not been considered. This paper avoids the hybrid analysis and proposes a method of network analysis which provides a nonsingular hierarchical tearing of subnetworks so that the decomposed sub‐matrix is always of admittance type. As a result, the node conductance matrix is of a block diagonal structure with bordered block‐diagonal matrices as the blocks. By iterating the hierarchical tearing, each block is reduced further to the bordered block‐diagonal structure with denser sub‐matrices as blocks. By this method, the preprocessing of tearing and LU decomposition can be separated, making the sparsity technique of the submatrices unnecessary. Based on the evaluation of the computational complexity, almost optimal tearing can be performed.
An in‐betweening method of gray‐valued images using density contour lines
Authors: Agui Takeshi , Saito Minoru , Nakajima Masayuki
Published: July 2007

Some studies have been made on the generation of in‐between images, by interpolating two different images. However, most of those methods consider the line figure or binary image, and there has been little study on in‐between gray‐valued images. This paper proposes a method of generating the in‐between gray‐valued image by interpolating the density contour lines extracted from the two gray‐valued images. The density contour line is defined as a boundary of a black area and a white area of a binary image, which is made from a gray‐valued image using a threshold. It is a description of the density distribution of the gray‐valued image by a binary line image. As an actual generation of the in‐between image from two gray‐valued images, an in‐between image was obtained for the rotating plaster statue.
Interframe tri‐level differential coding technique on narrow band transmission for video conference system
Authors: Tominaga Hideyoshi , Takeuchi Shohei , Kondo Hiroaki
Published: July 2007

This paper describes the “Interframe Tri‐Level Differential Coding Technique,” where two thresholds are prepared for interframe pixels. A differential trinary plane is constructed, and the information volume is suppressed by transmitting its boundary line information. The proposed coding technique incorporates a dynamic threshold setting algorithm and a coding algorithm for expressing the boundary line of the differential trinary plane by a tree structure. The simulation results are shown. Since this coding method smoothes the source information in capacity‐limited narrow‐band transmission line, its resolution worsens when the image is moving. However, accurate images soon are obtained when a still image is input. This method is suitable for a TV‐conference and a TV‐lecture integrated in the telematique service of 64 × N Kbps ISDN.
A bottom‐up parsing method for complete context‐free tree languages
Authors: Aoki Kyota , Matsuura Kazumi
Published: July 2007

This paper proposes a bottom‐up parsing method for complete context‐free tree grammar. The complete context‐free tree grammar is an extension both of one‐dimensional context‐free grammar and regular tree grammar. This parsing method is an extension of the parsing method of Cocke‐Kasami‐Younger for one‐dimensional context‐free languages, and is the base of an error‐correcting parser for complete context‐free languages. The parsing method is divided into two steps. In the first step, the structure of the parsing table is generated. In the next step the input tree is parsed using the structure of the parsing table and a complete context‐free tree grammar. Both time and space complexities of generating the structure of a parsing table are fourth order of the number of nodes of the input tree. Those in step two are fourth and third order of the number of nodes of the input tree, respectively. This parsing method includes the use of the right‐hand context‐free tree grammar as a special case. Here, both complexities decrease by one order. Also, both complexities are the same as those of a top‐down parsing method for right‐hand context‐free tree grammar. Finally, this paper shows implementation of the parsing method and experimental results.
Correction method for collimator effect of ECT
Authors: Iwata Satoshi , Yoshida Chiaki , Nakajima Masato , Ogawa Koichi , Yuta Shinichi
Published: July 2007

One of the factors in the deterioration of the reconstructed image of the single‐photon emission CT (SPECT) is the respective characteristics of the collimator used in the detection of the γ‐ray. The characteristics depend on the shape and material of the collimator, and produce shiftvariant blurs on the reconstructed image. This kind of error cannot be eliminated by the deconvolution, which regards the blur as shift‐invariant. This paper discusses the effect in the spatial frequency domain, and it is shown that the effect of the blur by collimator can be approximated analytically by a shift‐invariant blur on the annular ring determined for each frequency. A method of improving the quality of the reconstructed image is proposed utilizing this property. By the numerical simulation using a computer, it is verified that the proposed method is effective independently of the attenuation and quantization noise.
Photomask pattern data processing system of bit‐map method
Authors: Koide Hideki , Kim Choi , Shono Katsufusa
Published: July 2007

This paper describes the photomask pattern data processing system (MAPPS‐III) for MOS IC, using a general‐purpose microcomputer, MAPPS‐III is composed of figureinput and edit program, check program using design rules, logic extraction and simulation program, and conversion program into drawing format. Photomask patterns for layers are stored in the main memory as bit‐maps, and the major data processings are performed by bit operation, logic operation and counting. As a result, a systematic real‐time data processing of the photomask pattern is realized by a microcomputer. MAPPS‐III was developed for MOS IC with four photomasks, but it can be expanded to the process using a larger number of masks and to bipolar or CMOS IC.
Reconstruction of object on outdoor scene based on vanishing point
Authors: Nakatani Hiromasa , Kitahashi Tadahiro
Published: July 2007

When we analyze outdoor scenes in which there are distant objects, their shape and spatial relations are distorted perspectively in two‐dimensional images. In this paper, we will discuss the reconstruction of three‐dimensional information such as shape and size of objects by exploiting the knowledge about perspective projection. We will present a process that reconstructs, the frontal view of a building from its perspective image as a practical application of the three‐dimensional shape reconstruction. We use the location of a vanishing point as a cue to calculate the distance of a point on a planar surface. In addition to that, we will show that we can determine the three‐dimensional shape of corners on the object plane by using the constraints imposed by vanishing points. That means we can do more than reconstruct a frontal view from a monocular image, although partially at this stage, we can analyze three‐dimensional structure of an object.
Detection of auditory evoked potentials in human sleep
Authors: Ueda Yoshikazu , Ishii Naohiro , Terashima Masayoshi
Published: July 2007

Due to background noise and other factors, the biological signal is always accompanied by the fluctuations of signal amplitude and time. The waveform extraction problem in the biological signal is to estimate the signal in the fluctuations. This paper considers the signal extraction in the brain wave evoked by auditory stimulus during sleep, aiming at describing the relation between the evoked potential and the sleep stage. An adaptive averaging method is proposed which can extract the evoked potential in the fluctuations by a simple procedure, compared with the traditional averaging method and adaptive correlation filter. The effectiveness of the signal extraction by the proposed method was verified by simulation, and the method was applied to the evoked potential signal extraction in the actual brain wave during sleep. As a result, a quantitative relation was indicated between the evoked potential and the sleep stage.
A visibility—oriented construction system for logic diagrams
Authors: Hasegawa Takumi , Kadokura Toshio , Fukazawa Yoshiaki
Published: July 2007

The automation of each stage in the design and manufacture of computer systems is now being considered. The design language simulators, physical design systems and test systems are already in practical use. At present, however, the required verification of each stage is mostly performed manually. In consideration of this, the authors designed and developed an automatic system for constructing logic circuit diagrams (RADICS) aiming at easy manual verification and documentation. Seven criteria are specified for the visibility, which include the signal flow from input to output as well as the criteria adopted in the previous placement and routine system. This paper describes the aims and outlines of each algorithm in RADICS. The algorithms are then analyzed and evaluated.
Performance analysis of the acknowledging ethernet
Authors: Shen Zaiming , Muro Shojiro , Hasegawa Toshiharu
Published: July 2007

A modified Ethernet designated “Acknowledging Ethernet,” which essentially provides higher reliability, was proposed by Tokoro et al. They evaluated its performance by means of simulation. In this paper, the performance of the Acknowledging Ethernet is analyzed theoretically. The average throughput, the average number of times of retransmission, and the average data packet transmission delay are approximately obtained. The accuracy of the approximation analysis is examined by comparison with the simulation results. It was found also that the performance of the Ethernet is only slightly degraded with the introduction of the acknowledging mechanism in the Acknowledging Ethernet.
Evaluation of the chromatin for cell images
Authors: Kondo Akira , Taniguchi Keiji
Published: July 2007

This paper describes a method of evaluating the difference in chromatin content of cervical cancer cells and normal cells by applying image processing techniques. Among the various methods for texture analysis, this paper adopts structural analysis to achieve high accuracy. The analysis procedure is as follows. (1) The location of chromatin is determined by extracting the pixel where the gray level is locally maximum. (2) The image is segmented by any of Volonoi neighborhood, area expansion by a difference direction, or directed tree. (3) Threshold processing is applied to the segmented subimages. (4) The size and gray level of the extracted areas are determined. A feature extraction experiment for the cell is perormed by the above procedure. From these results, the following observations are obtained. (i) The method of local maximum is useful in determining the chromatin location. (ii) The extraction can be improved by local thresholding. (iii) The mean, variance and mean gray level of the cell in the extracted chromatin area, as well as the mean and variance of the minimum distance among local maxima, are seen to be useful feature parameters in the discrimination of normal and malingnat chromatins.
Relaxation operators
Authors: Ejima Toshiaki , Kimura Masayuki
Published: July 2007

This paper discusses the correction (relaxation) operator in the stochastic relaxation model. The purpose is to arrive at a more useful relaxation operator by examining the relaxation process. Numerous studies have been made on the relaxation method in relation to the image processing and image interpretation. However, only a few studies have been made on the relaxation operator itself, which plays an important role in the relaxation method. This paper defines first the relaxation operator in general in the stochastic relaxation model. A concept is then introduced whereby the relaxation operator is adaptive, and the necessary and sufficient condition is shown for the operator to be adaptive. By constructing the actual relaxation operator satisfying the condition, it is shown that the relaxation operator proposed by Rosenfeld can also be derived as a special case of the operator satisfying the condition. The relaxation mechanism is described using the principle of spring force. Finally, using various kinds of adaptive relaxation operators, the evaluation experiment for the stochastic model is presented, arriving at the relaxation operator, which is more useful than those in the past.
A design approach to self‐checking processors
Authors: Nanya Takashi , Kawamura Toshiaki
Published: July 2007

A self‐checking system in general denotes a logic system which has the fault‐detection function for concurrent faults in its own system. Especially, a self‐checking system is called strongly fault‐secure (SFS) if it continues to produce correct code words even though a fault occurs, until a noncode word is produced as the output. This paper proposes a new construction of the SFS processor considering the fault‐secure property and error propagation of the internal interfaces. The result of applying this concept to an SFS processor is described with an 8‐bit i8080 microprocessor considered as the target architecture. In this construction no part of the processor is duplicated and only four checking circuits are required for the whole processor. In terms of gates, the hardware complexity is increased by only 38% compared with the processor with the same architecture without SFS. It is theoretically shown that the processor is SFS against a single fixed fault of the gate output. It is also verified that the system is actually SFS for most unilateral multiple fixed faults.
Organization of the two‐dimensional omega network
Authors: Kumagai Takeshi , Ikegaya Kazuo
Published: July 2007

Local parallel processing is effective for such fields as image processing where problems are essentially two‐dimensional. Here, we propose the two‐dimensional Omega network as an interconnection network suitable for SIMD multiprocessor systems used in such fields. The two‐dimensional Omega network is an interconnection network devised to apply two‐dimensional permutation to local data obtained in parallel from a two‐dimensional array. The structure of inputs and outputs is an N × N two‐dimensional array, and the number of levels is log2N. Here, we will define two‐dimensional permutation as one‐to‐one mapping on the set whose elements are pairs of indices of a two‐dimensional array. Among possible two‐dimensional permutations, are two‐dimensional shift and rotation. We will show the conditions for admissible permutations on the two‐dimensional Omega network. As for hardware, the complexity is N 2/4 m log2N and the delay time is log2N; of the same order as conventional Omega networks. Furthermore, we will discuss the case where the two‐dimensional Omega network has computing capability. We show that sum, maximum, and minimum of elements in two‐dimensional arrays, and two‐dimensional Fourier transformation can be obtained by one pass.