bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of garlic oil on ethanol induced gastric ulcers in rats
Authors: Khosla P. , Karan R. S. , Bhargava V. K.
Published: January 2004

Garlic oil was evaluated for gastroprotective activity against ethanol induced ulcers. Reactive oxygen species are involved in the pathogenesis of these ulcers. The possible involvement of garlic oil in restraining the oxidation process produced in gastric tissue was also investigated. The ulcer index, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activity (GPx, catalase, SOD) were determined. Pretreatment with garlic oil in doses of 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg, 30 min before administration of ethanol (1 mL of 100%) caused a decrease in ulcer index and lipid peroxidation and ameliorated the decrease in antioxidant enzyme levels caused by ethanol. The result suggests that garlic oil possesses antioxidant properties and provides protection against ethanol induced gastric injury. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Vasodilating properties of the stem bark extract of Mitragyna ciliata in rats and guinea pigs
Authors: Dongmo A. , Kamanyi M. A. , Tan P. V. , Bopelet M. , Vierling W. , Wagner H.
Published: January 2004

Mitragyna ciliata is commonly used in traditional medicine for the treatment of inﬂammation, hypertension, headache, rheumatism, gonorrhoea and broncho‐pulmonary diseases. In the present study, the vascular relaxant effect in the rat and guinea‐pig was investigated. The extract induced aortic relaxation in a concentration‐dependent manner, with an EC50 of 1.3 and 7 µg/mL for the noradrenaline‐ and KCl‐induced contractions, respectively. The relaxant effect of the extract on KCl‐induced contractions was ﬁve times greater than on noradrenaline‐induced contractions. Moreover, the relaxant effect of the extract was higher in rat aortic rings with endothelium (104.67%) than without endothelium (49.44%). Chemical analysis of the extract showed the presence of alkaloids and ﬂavonoids which may be responsible for the antihypertensive properties. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antiproliferative activity of Copaifera duckei oleoresin on liver regeneration in rats
Authors: Castro‐e‐Silva Orlando , Zucoloto Sérgio , Ramalho Fernando S. , Ramalho Leandra N. Z. , Reis José M. C. , Bastos Álvaro A. C. , Brito Marcus V. H.
Published: January 2004

Copaiba oleoresin is widely used in folk medicine as an antiinﬂammatory, healing and antiseptic agent. Wistar rats received Copaifera duckei oleoresin (CDO) or saline solution (SS) from 7 days before surgery until killing. Partial hepatectomy (PH) or sham‐operation was performed. Hepatocellular proliferation and liver mitochondrial respiration were evaluated 24 h after the procedure. The proliferating cell nuclear antigen labelling index was signiﬁcantly lower in CDO‐treated plus PH rats than in SS‐treated plus PH rats, suggesting that CDO inhibited cell proliferation. The state 3 and state 4 respiration rates were greater for CDO‐treated groups, and the stimulation of state 4 respiration was more expressive. These data resulted in a signiﬁcant decrease in the respiratory control ratio observed for CDO‐treated groups, demonstrating the ability of CDO to uncouple oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria, a fact that may be one explanation for the inhibition of hepatocellular proliferation observed in the CDO‐treated plus PH group. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reproduction in male rats is vulnerable to treatment with the flavonoid‐rich seed extracts of Vitex negundo
Authors: Das Suwagmani , Parveen Seema , Kundra Chander Parkash , Pereira Ben M. J.
Published: January 2004

A partially puriﬁed ﬂavonoid‐rich extract was prepared from the seed of Vitex negundo. The effect of this extract on the reproductive system of male rats was investigated at four different concentrations. All the major accessory sex organs shed weight when the preparation was administered at doses of ≥15 mg/rat/day after 15 days of treatment. The drop in weight was also reﬂected in disturbed tissue biochemistry. Secretory products such as citric acid in the prostate, fructose in seminal vesicles and epididymal α‐glucosidase activity, indices of accessory sex organ function in males, diminished. Microscopic examination of the sperm derived from the cauda epididymides of treated animals showed only a marginal change in vitality. However, sperm numbers dwindled and slackness in their motility was observed, factors that may impede fertility. Toxicity testing in blood did not point to distress in any of the vital organs. Taken together, it is inferred that the seed extracts of V. negundo interfere with male reproductive function without producing adverse toxicity in other vital organs. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chemical analysis and antifungal activity of Thymus striatus
Authors: Couladis M. , Tzakou O. , Kujundzic S. , Sokovic M. , Mimica‐Dukic N.
Published: January 2004

The essential oil composition from Thymus striatus collected from Mountain Orjen (Montenegro) has been investigated by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. Thymol, γ‐terpinene and p‐cymene were found to be the major components. Furthermore, the oil and its major component, thymol, were analysed for potential antifungal activity against plant, animal and human pathogenic fungi from different genera by a macrodilution test. The oil exhibited a strong inhibitory effect against all fungi investigated. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Methanol extract of the oyster mushroom, Pleurotus florida, inhibits inﬂammation and platelet aggregation
Authors: Jose Nayana , Ajith T. A. , Janardhanan K. K.
Published: January 2004

The antiinﬂammatory and platelet aggregation inhibiting activities of the methanol extract of Pleurotus florida Eger, an edible and commercially grown mushroom, were investigated. The extract showed signiﬁcant activity in ameliorating acute inﬂammation induced by carrageenan and chronic inﬂammation by formalin at 500 and 1000 mg/kg body weight. The effect was comparable to the standard reference drug, diclofenac. The extract also showed signiﬁcant platelet aggregation inhibiting activity of washed human platelets. Adenosine 5′‐diphosphate (ADP) induced platelet aggregation was inhibited by 88% to 95% at a concentration of 500 µg/mL of the extract after a preincubation time of 5, 10 and 20 min. The marked antiinﬂammatory and platelet aggregation inhibiting properties of this mushroom suggest its potential therapeutic use against vascular disorders. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Active components from Artemisia iwayomogi displaying ONOO− scavenging activity
Authors: Kim Ae Ra , Zou Ya Ni , Park Tae Hyun , Shim Kyung Hee , Kim Min Sun , Kim Nam Deuk , Kim Jong Deog , Bae Song Ja , Choi Jae Sue , Chung Hae Young
Published: January 2004

Peroxynitrite (ONOO−) is one of cytotoxic species produced by the reaction between superoxide (•O2−) and nitric oxide (NO). The main aim of this study was to identify ONOO− scavenging constituents from herbs. Methanolic extracts derived from one hundred thirty eight herbs were screened out for their ONOO− scavenging activities. Twenty herbs showed excellent ONOO− scavenging activity in a dose dependent manner. Of them, Artemisia iwayomogi, which showed the highest activity, was fractioned with several solvents. The ONOO− scavenging activity of fractions was in order of ethyl acetate (EtOAc) > n‐butanol (BuOH) > dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) > water (H2O) fraction. The EtOAc and the n‐BuOH fractions were further puriﬁed to isolate active principles by column chromatography. Apigenin 7‐methylether (genkwanin), apigenin 7,4′‐di‐O methylether, jaceosidin, and scopoletin from the EtOAc fraction and chlorogenic acid, 2,4‐dihydroxy 6‐methoxy acetophenone 4‐O‐β‐D‐glucoside, quebrachitol, and scopolin from the n‐BuOH fraction were identiﬁed. The scavenging activities of chlorogenic acid (IC50 = 0.52 ± 0.04 µM), genkwanin (IC50 = 1.01 ± 0.10 µM), and scopoletin (IC50 = 1.03 ± 0.15 µM) were higher than or comparable to a well‐known ONOO− scavenger, penicillamine (IC50 = 1.76 ± 0.18 µM), suggesting that those compounds might be developed as effective ONOO− scavengers for, prevention of the ONOO−‐involved diseases. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparative controlled study of Andrographis paniculata fixed combination, Kan Jang® and an Echinacea preparation as adjuvant, in the treatment of uncomplicated respiratory disease in children
Authors: Spasov A. A. , Ostrovskij O. V. , Chernikov M. V. , Wikman G.
Published: January 2004

A three‐arm study comparing the efﬁcacy of Kan Jang, a ﬁxed herbal combination containing standardized Andrographis paniculata (N.) SHA‐10 extract, with Immunal, a preparation containing Echinacea purpurea (L.) extract, in uncomplicated common colds was carried out in 130 children aged between 4 and 11 years over a period of 10 days. The study was designed as an adjuvant treatment of Kan Jang and Immunal with a standard treatment. The patients were assigned to one of the three groups. In control group C; 39 patients received only standard treatment. Kan Jang and Immunal were used as an adjuvant to this therapy in the other two groups. Adjuvant group A; 53 patients treated with Kan Jang tablets concomitant to standard treatment, and adjuvant control group B; 41 patients treated with concomitant Immunal. It was found that the adjuvant treatment with Kan Jang, was signiﬁcantly more effective than Immunal, when started at an early stage of uncomplicated common colds. The symptoms of the disease were less severe in the Kan Jang group. The effect of Kan Jang was particularly pronounced in two objective parameters, amount of nasal secretion g/day and nasal congestion. Kan Jang also accelerated the recovery time, whereas Immunal did not show the same efﬁcacy. The use of standard medication was signiﬁcantly less in the Kan Jang adjuvant group than in either the Immunal or standard treatment group. Kan Jang treatment was well tolerated and no side effects or adverse reactions were reported. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Emblica ofﬁcinalis causes myocardial adaptation and protects against oxidative stress in ischemic‐reperfusion injury in rats
Authors: Rajak S , Banerjee S. K. , Sood S , Dinda A. K. , Gupta Y. K. , Gupta S. K. , Maulik S. K.
Published: January 2004

The fruits of Emblica ofﬁcinalis (Amla) are widely used in the Indian System of Medicine and are believed to increase defense against disease. In the present study, the effects of chronic oral administration of fresh fruit homogenate of Amla on: (i) myocardial antioxidant system and (ii) oxidative stress induced by ischemic‐reperfusion injury (IRI) in rat heart were investigated. Fresh amla fruit homogenate, in three different doses (250, 500 and 750 mg/kg) and normal saline (C) were administered orally to Wistar albino rats (120–150 gms) of either sex daily for 30 days. There was reduction in basal myocardial lipid peroxidation, as evidenced by decreased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) level, and augmentation of myocardial endogenous antioxidants, like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the treated rats. Hearts were also subjected to in vitro IRI (9 min of global ischemia, followed by 12 min of reperfusion, Langendorff's mode). Signiﬁcant myocyte injury and rise in myocardial TBARS along with depletion of SOD, catalase, GSH (reduced glutathione) and GPx occurred in the control group. No signiﬁcant increase in myocardial TBARS and depletion of antioxidant enzymes were observed in the treated groups. Myocyte injury was evident only in 250 mg/kg group. The results indicate that chronic Emblica ofﬁcinalis administration causes myocardial adaptation by augmenting endogenous antioxidants and protects rat hearts from oxidative stress associated with ischemic‐reperfusion injury. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Inhibitory activity of flavonoids from Lychnophora sp. on generation of reactive oxygen species by neutrophils upon stimulation by immune complexes
Authors: Kanashiro A. , Kabeya L. M. , Polizello A. C. M. , Lopes N. P. , Lopes J. L. C. , Lucisano‐Valim Y. M.
Published: January 2004

Formation of circulating immune complexes (ICs) is essential for clearance of invading agents. In some circumstances ICs might deposit on host tissues, leading to an inﬂammatory process that involves massive activation of neutrophils (PMNs), release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lysosomal enzymes and damage to the host tissue. Extracts of plants from Lychnophora sp. are used in Brazilian folk medicine as antiinﬂammatory agents. In this study, we evaluated the effect of eight ﬂavonoids isolated from L. granmongolense, L. salicifolia and L. ericoides on the generation of ROS by rabbit PMNs stimulated with two kinds of ICs: particles of serum‐opsonized zymosan (OZ) and insoluble ICs (ICIgG). ROS production was measured by chemiluminescence (CL) assay. We observed that 5‐ and 7‐ dihydroxylated compounds at 5 µmol/L inhibited almost totally ICIgG‐ and OZ‐triggered luminol‐CL and OZ‐triggered lucigenin‐CL. The degree of inhibitory effect among the other ﬂavonoids was different, depending on the kind of ICs used to trigger ROS generation by PMNs and the number and position of methoxy groups. Moreover, under the conditions assessed, the studied ﬂavonoids were not toxic to the rabbit PMNs. These results suggest that the actions of ﬂavonoids on ROS generation by stimulated PMNs are highly dependent on their structures. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cytotoxic activity of Hypericum perforatum L. on K562 erythroleukemic cells: differential effects between methanolic extract and hypericin
Authors: Roscetti Gianna , Franzese Ornella , Comandini Alessandro , Bonmassar Enzo
Published: January 2004

The influence of a methanolic extract of Hypericum perforatum L. and of puriﬁed hypericin has been comparatively tested on the growth of a human erythroleukemic cell line (K562). After 1 h exposure to increasing concentrations (as hypericin content) of both agents in the dark, leukemic cells were grown for 24 h and 48 h. The effects on cell growth were determined by viable cell count, flow cytometry analysis and fluorescence microscopy. Our data show that puriﬁed hypericin has only a weak inhibitory effect on cell growth and no effect in inducing apoptotic cell death. In contrast, the Hypericum flower extract shows a signiﬁcant concentration‐dependent and long‐lasting inhibition of cell growth, and induces apoptotic cell death. This work conﬁrms the interesting role of Hypericum perforatum L. in cancer therapy and strongly supports the hypothesis that agents, other than hypericin, present in the total extract can impair tumor cell growth acting separately or in a combined manner. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effect of medicinal plants of Islamabad and Murree region of Pakistan on insulin secretion from INS‐1 cells
Authors: Hussain Zakir , Waheed Abdul , Qureshi Rizwana Aleem , Burdi Dadu Khan , Verspohl Eugen J. , Khan Naeema , Hasan Mashooda
Published: January 2004

In vitro testing of the extracts of medicinal plants collected from Islamabad and the Murree region on insulin secretagogue activity was carried out. Dried ethanol extracts of all plants (ZH1‐ZH19) were dissolved in ethanol and DMSO, and tested at various concentrations (between 1 and 40 µg/mL) for insulin release from INS‐1 cells in the presence of 5.5 mM glucose. Glibenclamide was used as a control. Promising insulin secretagogue activity in various plant extracts at 1, 10, 20 and 40 µg/mL was found, while in some cases a decrease in insulin secretion was also observed. Artemisia roxburghiana, Salvia coccinia and Monstera deliciosa showed insulin secretagogue activity at 1 µg/mL (p < 0.05) while Abies pindrow, Centaurea iberica and Euphorbia helioscopia were active at 10 µg/mL (p < 0.05). Extracts of Bauhinia variegata and Bergenia himalacia showed effects at 20 µg/mL (p < 0.05), and Taraxacum ofﬁcinale and Viburnum foetens at 40 µg/mL (p < 0.05). Insulin secretagogue activity could not be detected in the extracts of Adhatoda vasica, Cassia ﬁstula, Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, Morus alba, Plectranthus rugosus, Peganum harmala and Olea ferruginea. The results suggest that medicinal plants of Islamabad and the Murree region of Pakistan may be potential natural resources for antidiabetic compounds. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Anti‐inﬂammatory activity, cytotoxicity and active compounds of Tinospora smilacina Benth.
Authors: Li Rachel W. , Leach David N. , Myers Stephen P. , Leach Gregory J. , Lin G. David , Brushett Donald J. , Waterman Peter G.
Published: January 2004

Tinospora smilacina Benth. has been used in Australian indigenous medicine for the treatment of headache, rheumatoid arthritis and other inﬂammatory disorders. As part of an investigation into the anti‐inﬂammatory potential of plants using an ethnopharmacological approach, the present study sought to evaluate the efﬁcacy and safety of Tinospora smilacina. An ethanol extract of this plant was evaluated in vitro for anti‐inﬂammatory activities on cyclooxygenase‐1 (COX‐1), cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2), 5‐lipoxygenase (5‐LO) and phospholipase A2 (PA2). The ethanol extract of Tinospora smilacina showed inhibitory activities on COX‐1, COX‐2, 5‐LO and PA2 with the IC50 values of 63.5, 81.2, 92.1 and 30.5 µg/mL respectively. Cytotoxic effect of the extracts of Tinospora smilacina was investigated in vitro using ATP‐based luminescence assay and the results showed no cytotoxic effect on cell lines of skin ﬁbroblasts (1BR3), human Caucasian hepatocyte carcinoma (Hep G2) and human Caucasian promyelocytic leukaemia (HL‐60). This paper also describes the results of fractionations and bioassay guided chemical studies, suggesting that the anti‐inﬂammatory activity is due to triterpene‐fatty acid esters and free fatty acids. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ab initio analysis of some fluoride and oxide structures doped with Pr and Yb
Authors: Rivas‐Silva J. F. , Flores‐Riveros A. , Durand‐Niconoff J. S. , Aquino N.
Published: January 2004

Doping effects are analyzed by means of the ab initio perturbed ion (aiPI) method via substitution of the fluorides and oxides of zirconium, hafnium, and thorium. Lattice relaxation is simulated through the calculation of vibrational breathing modes and substitutional effects on the compound are thereby analyzed. In addition, the band gaps (in the pure species) and impurity levels (where substitutional ions Pr+4 and Yb+3 are considered in the doped species) of the fluorides are estimated via the transition energy calculated at the aiPI‐optimized geometry of the pure and doped crystal clusters by means of the configuration interaction with single excitations (CIS) method that accounts for electronic correlation. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2004
Experimental validation of theoretical potassium and sodium cation affinities of amides by mass spectrometric kinetic method measurements
Authors: Tsang Yuet , Siu Fung Ming , Ho Chung Shun , Ma Ngai Ling , Tsang Chun Wai
Published: January 2004

In this study the theoretical Gaussian‐2 K+/Na+ binding affinities (enthalpies) at 0 K (in kJ mol−1) for six amides in the order: formamide (109.2/138.5) < N‐methylformamide (117.7/148.6) < acetamide (118.7/149.5) < N,N‐dimethylformamide (123.9/156.4) < N‐methylacetamide (125.6/157.7) < N,N‐dimethylacetamide (129.2/162.6), reported previously (Siu et al., J. Chem. Phys. 2001; 114: 7045–7051), were validated experimentally by mass spectrometric kinetic method measurements. By monitoring the collision‐induced dissociation (CID) of K+/Na+‐bound heterodimers of the amides, the relative affinities were shown to be accurate to within ±2 kJ mol−1. With these six theoretical K+/Na+ binding affinities as reference values, the absolute K+/Na+ affinities of imidazole, 1‐methylimidazole, pyridazine and 1,2‐dimethoxyethane were determined by the extended kinetic method, and found to be consistent (to within ±9 kJ mol−1) with literature experimental values obtained by threshold‐CID, equilibrium high‐pressure mass spectrometry, and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance/ligand‐exchange equilibrium methods. A self‐consistent resolution is proposed for the inconsistencies in the relative order of K+/Na+ affinities of amides reported in the literature. These two sets of validated K+ and Na+ affinity values are useful as reference values in kinetic method measurements of K+/Na+ affinity of model biological ligands, such as the K+ affinities of aliphatic amino acids. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Increasing throughput of parallel on‐line extraction liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry system for GLP quantitative bioanalysis in drug development
Authors: Hsieh Showchien , Tobien Tom , Koch Kevin , Dunn John
Published: January 2004

An approach is described with turbulent flow on‐line extraction liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐ESI‐MS/MS) for GLP quantitative bioanalysis of a drug candidate. Two systems were built in‐house with standard laboratory parts and equipments. One system consisted of one gradient HPLC pump, one isocratic pump, one ten‐port valve, two turbulent flow columns, one analytical column, one autosampler and one mass spectrometer. Using this system, an injection‐to‐injection cycle time of 0.8 min was achieved. By adding an additional valve, another analytical column and an isocratic pump, the injection‐to‐injection cycle time decreased to 0.4 min. Validation results from the two systems showed that precision and accuracy were acceptable for GLP quantitative analyses. The system was utilized to support sample bioanalysis of a drug candidate in a first‐time in‐human clinical trial. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quantitative determination of the polypeptide motilin in rat plasma by externally calibrated liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry
Authors: Delinsky David C. , Hill Kimberly T. , White Catherine A. , Bartlett Michael G.
Published: January 2004

We present a method for the quantitation of motilin from rat plasma by protein precipitation and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Using external calibration, the method was linear over the concentration range 10–1000 ng/mL with an initial sample volume of 150 μL. The LC system included a C18 column with a 300 Å pore size. A linear gradient was used with a mobile phase consisting of water and acetonitrile, each with 0.2% acetic acid and 0.02% trifluoroacetic acid. Motilin was detected with the mass spectrometer in positive ion mode monitoring the 4+ charge state at m/z 675.5. The approximated limit of detection was less than 1 ng/mL and the lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) was 10 ng/mL. The method showed a high degree of precision and accuracy both within and between runs at five validation points, including the LLOQ. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Flexible Software Architecture for Hybrid Tracking
Authors: Ribo Miguel , Brandner Markus , Pinz Axel
Published: January 2004

Fusion of vision‐based and inertial pose estimation has many high‐potential applications in navigation, robotics, and augmented reality. Our research aims at the development of a fully mobile, completely self‐contained tracking system, that is able to estimate sensor motion from known 3D scene structure. This requires a highly modular and scalable software architecture for algorithm design and testing. As the main contribution of this paper, we discuss the design of our hybrid tracker and emphasize important features: scalability, code reusability, and testing facilities. In addition, we present a mobile augmented reality application, and several first experiments with a fully mobile vision‐inertial sensor head. Our hybrid tracking system is not only capable of real‐time performance, but can also be used for offline analysis of tracker performance, comparison with ground truth, and evaluation of several pose estimation and information fusion algorithms. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An Inertial and Visual Sensing System for a Small Autonomous Helicopter
Authors: Corke Peter
Published: January 2004

This paper describes the design and architecture of a low‐cost and light‐weight inertial and visual sensing system for a small‐scale autonomous helicopter. A custom 6‐axis IMU and a stereo vision system provide vehicle attitude, height, and velocity information. We discuss issues such as robust visual processing, motion resolution, dynamic range, and sensitivity. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Navigation Aided Image Processing in UAV Surveillance: Preliminary Results and Design of an Airborne Experimental System
Authors: Nygårds Jonas , Skoglar Per , Ulvklo Morgan , Högström Tomas
Published: January 2004

This paper describes an airborne reconfigurable measurement system being developed at Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), Sensor Technology, Sweden. An image processing oriented sensor management architecture for UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) IR/EO‐surveillance is presented. Some preliminary results of navigation aided image processing in UAV applications are demonstrated, such as SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping), structure from motion and geolocation, target tracking, and detection of moving objects. The design goal of the measurement system is to emulate a UAV‐mounted sensor gimbal using a stand‐alone system. The minimal configuration of the system consists of a gyro‐stabilized gimbal with IR and CCD sensors and an integrated high‐performance navigation system. The navigation system combines dGPS real‐time kinematics (RTK) data with data from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) mounted with reference to the optical sensors. The gimbal is to be used as an experimental georeferenced sensor platform, using a choice of carriers, to produce military relevant image sequences for studies of image processing and sensor control on moving surveillance and reconnaissance platforms. Furthermore, a high resolution synthetic environment, developed for sensor simulations in the visual and infrared wavelengths, is presented. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fusion of Vision and Inertial Data for Motion and Structure Estimation
Authors: Chroust S. G. , Vincze M.
Published: January 2004

This paper presents a method to fuse measurements from a rigid sensor rig with a stereo vision system and a set of 6 DOF inertial sensors for egomotion estimation and external structure estimation. No assumptions about the sampling rate of the two sensors are made. The basic idea is a common state vector and a common dynamic description which is stored together with the time instant of the estimation. Every time one of the sensor sends new data, the corresponding filter equation is updated and a new estimation is generated. In this paper the filter equations for an extended Kalman filter are derived together with considerations of the tuning. Simulations with real sensor data show the successful implementation of this concept. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Vision Based Intelligent Wheel Chair Control: The Role of Vision and Inertial Sensing in Topological Navigation
Authors: Goedemé Toon , Nuttin Marnix , Tuytelaars Tinne , Van Gool Luc
Published: January 2004

This paper describes ongoing research on vision based mobile robot navigation for wheel chairs. After a guided tour through a natural environment while taking images at regular time intervals, natural landmarks are extracted to automatically build a topological map. Later on this map can be used for place recognition and navigation. We use visual servoing on the landmarks to steer the robot. In this paper, we investigate ways to improve the performance by incorporating inertial sensors. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Delayed reward‐based genetic algorithms for partially observable Markov decision problems
Authors: Yamashiro Yoshihide , Ueno Atsushi , Takeda Hideaki
Published: January 2004

Reinforcement learning often involves assuming Markov characteristics. However, the agent cannot always observe the environment completely, and in such cases, different states are observed as the same state. In this research, the authors develop a Delayed Reward‐based Genetic Algorithm for POMDP (DRGA) as a means to solve a partially observable Markov decision problem (POMDP) which has such perceptual aliasing problems. The DRGA breaks down the POMDP into several subtasks, and then solves the POMDP by breaking down the agent into several subagents. Each subagent acquires policies adapted to the environment based on the delayed rewards from the environment, and these policies are evolved using a genetic algorithm based on the delayed rewards. The agent adapts to the environment by combining effective policies that remain after natural selection. The authors apply this method to maze search problems in which perception is limited in order to demonstrate its validity. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 35(2): 66–78, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10230
Deriving multiplication‐type FVQ/HMM from a new information‐source model and a viewpoint of information theory, and the relation of the model to discrete and continuous HMMs
Authors: Tsuboka Eiichi
Published: January 2004

In this paper the author formulates HMM from the standpoint of information theory. Based on this formulation, a multiplication‐type FVQ/HMM previously proposed by the author is derived from the inevitable results. In addition, conventional discrete and continuous HMMs can also be derived from this formulation, and are shown to represent special cases of the multiplication‐type FVQ/HMM. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 35(2): 59–65, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10233
Monitoring internal body heat using water proton chemical shift during a fast spin echo pulse sequence
Authors: Ishihara Yasutoshi , Okamoto Kazuya , Kanamatsu Tomoyuki , Tsukada Yasuzo
Published: January 2004

With the advancements in high‐speed imaging technology in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), clinically useful images have become obtainable within a short time. On the other hand, internal body heating due to many radio‐frequency magnetic field pulses applied in a short time has become a problem. In efficient data acquisition while ensuring the safety of a test subject, monitoring its internal body temperature during data acquisition is desirable. In this paper, a method of measuring real‐time information regarding temperature changes during image data acquisition that incorporates a temperature measuring method using the temperature dependence (−0.01 ppm/°C) of the water proton chemical shift with a high‐speed imaging method is proposed. The efficacy of the proposed method is demonstrated by showing that it can measure temperature changes with an error of less than 0.5 °C in laboratory experiments using agar phantoms. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 35(2): 49–58, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10376
Multiroute planning for aircraft using genetic algorithms
Authors: Tanaka Masaharu , Mizoguchi Masanobu , Tange Toshiaki , Takami Isao , Suzuki Shinji
Published: January 2004

This paper proposes a scheme for generating multiple flight routes using genetic algorithms (GAs). In obtaining multiple routes or multiroutes by GAs simultaneously, there is a problem of collisions or near‐misses occurring due to interference between the routes (closeness or intersecting of the routes) when similar routes are generated. The proposed scheme realizes a scheme for searching multiple flight routes without interference by incorporating a method for correcting their fitness on the basis of the neighborhood density for maintaining the variety and the degree of interference or the interference degree for obtaining routes that do not come close to or intersect one another. In addition, this paper proposes a priority candidate preserving strategy that preserves superior multiple individuals for each generation in order to improve the search performance. Computer simulation results confirm that the scheme proposed generates multiple flight routes without interference, indicating its efficacy. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 35(2): 39–48, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10428
A method for detecting conceptual differences based on correlation between decision trees
Authors: Ohnishi Kensuke , Yoshida Tetsuya , Nishida Shogo
Published: January 2004

When several people are engaged in cooperative work, conceptual differences resulting from differences in background knowledge or specialized fields can impede the flow of ideas. Previously, the authors have represented user knowledge as a decision tree for when different symbols are used with the same meaning for conceptual differences, or when the same symbols are used with a different meaning. They then worked on detecting conceptual differences by using the differences in the structure of the decision trees. In this paper, the authors describe the problems with conventional methods to detect differences by generating virtual knowledge based on each user's knowledge and then creating a decision tree. As a solution to these problems, they propose a method to detect differences by finding correlations between decision trees in a bottom‐up fashion based on class classification in the decision trees. The authors create a prototype using their proposed method, and then confirm in experiments on a case involving the diagnosis of a motor failure that detection precision rises. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 35(2): 25–38, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10430
Approximation of probability distribution functions by Coxian distribution to evaluate multimedia systems
Authors: Sasaki Yukie , Imai Hiroei , Tsunoyama Masahiro , Ishii Ikuo
Published: January 2004

It has been reported in several studies that the probability distribution functions for interarrival times of tasks in multimedia systems cannot be represented by traditional probability distribution functions, such as exponential ones.

In this paper we propose an approximation method, based on the Coxian distribution function, to calculate the probability distribution functions used in analyzing multimedia systems. Although the Coxian function can represent arbitrary distribution functions, it is difficult to determine their parameters directly from a given distribution function. In this work, this drawback is remedied by first approximating the given distribution function with a linear combination of Erlang function, and then converting it to a Coxian function. We also present examples of the approximation and evaluate its accuracy. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 35(2): 16–24, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10446
Machine translation using recursive chain‐link‐type learning based on translation examples
Authors: Echizen‐Ya Hiroshi , Araki Kenji , Momouchi Yoshio , Tochinai Koji
Published: January 2004

Rule‐based machine translation analyzes source‐language sentences using large‐scale linguistic knowledge that is given by the developer beforehand. However, it is difficult to give complete linguistic knowledge to the systemex antebecause natural language has various linguistic phenomena. Therefore, we worked to develop learning‐based machine translation. In learning‐based machine translation, a system acquires translation rules automatically from translation examples that are pairs of source and target language sentences. However, existing learning‐based machine translation presents the problem that it requires a large number of similar translation examples. Consequently, it cannot acquire enough useful translation rules from sparse translation examples. This paper proposes a method of machine translation using Recursive Chain‐Link‐type Learning, which can acquire many useful translation rules from sparse translation examples. Our system, based on this method, efficiently acquires translation rules from each translation example without requiring two similar translation examples. Translation rules are acquired by extracting corresponding parts between source and target language sentences in translation examples. Our system determines those corresponding parts using previously acquired translation rules. Therefore, the system engenders a chain reaction in acquisition of new translation rules. Evaluation experiments using our system demonstrated an effective translation rate of 61.1%. Moreover, the effective translation rate was 85.0% when sufficient learning data were given to our system. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 35(2): 1–15, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10511
Real‐time human tracking system with multiple omnidirectional vision sensors
Authors: Sogo Takushi , Ishiguro Hiroshi , Trivedi Mohan M.
Published: January 2004

We propose a real‐time human tracking system that uses multiple omnidirectional vision sensors. This system estimates and tracks the locations of multiple persons from omnidirectional 360‐degree images captured by multiple omnidirectional vision sensors using N‐ocular stereo, which is obtained by extending conventional trinocular stereo, and without using image characteristics. In N‐ocular stereo, robust real‐time target location estimation can be achieved by taking into account human model errors and human azimuth observation errors, as well as the problem of measurement precision of target locations in stereo based on omnidirectional images; and by further simplifying these factors and correcting them. Using this method, we created a prototype system and verified its effectiveness based on a human tracking experiment. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 35(2): 79–90, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.1228
A method of generating seamless texture using GA
Authors: Yamada Tatsumi , Hashimoto Akihiko , Adachi Fumio , Shimohara Katsunori , Tokunaga Yukio
Published: January 2004

This paper proposed a method of generating seamless textures by means of a genetic algorithm (GA). When the texture of a large region is built up from textures in regions of finite size, textural discontinuities usually arise at the boundaries between these regions. A seamless texture is one in which such discontinuities do not occur. A fractal method has been proposed for the generation of seamless textures, but in that method it is difficult to predict what seamless texture will be generated. Pattern generation cannot be controlled in such a way that a texture similar to an already generated seamless texture will be produced. In this paper an attempt is made to solve this problem by applying the GA to texture generation, yielding seamless textures that are similar to seamless textures previously generated. This method can also be used to generate multiple seamless textures. By using the proposed method, a texture with a user‐selected pattern can be generated from simultaneously displayed seamless textures. In addition, to avoid monotonous behavior due to the arrangement of textures of a single kind, a method of generating seamless textures with the same boundary but with different internal pattern (group texture) is proposed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 35(2): 91–99, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.1229
A Bayesian analysis of the 4‐year follow‐up data of the Wisconsin epidemiologic study of diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Angers Jean‐François , Biswas Atanu
Published: January 2004

The Wisconsin epidemiologic study of diabetic retinopathy (WESDR) is a population‐based epidemiologic study carried out in Southern Wisconsin during the 1980s of the last century. The resulting data were analysed by different statisticians and ophthalmologists during the last two decades. Most of the analyses were carried out on the baseline data, although there were two follow‐up studies on the same population. In this present paper, we provide a Bayesian analysis of the first follow‐up data which were taken 4 years after the baseline study. Our Bayesian analysis provides estimates of the associated covariate effects. Choice of the best model in terms of the covariate inclusion is also performed. The baseline data were used to set the prior for the parameters. Extensive numerical computations illustrate our present methodology. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Parametric randomization‐based methods for correcting for treatment changes in the assessment of the causal effect of treatment
Authors: Walker A. Sarah , White Ian R. , Babiker Abdel G.
Published: January 2004

We develop parametric maximum likelihood methods to adjust for treatment changes during follow‐up in order to assess the causal effect of treatment in clinical trials with time‐to‐event outcomes. The accelerated failure time model of Robins and Tsiatis relates each observed event time to the underlying event time that would have been observed if the control treatment had been given throughout the trial. We introduce a bivariate parametric frailty model for time to treatment change and time to trial endpoint. Estimating equations which respect the randomization are constructed and compared to maximum likelihood methods in a simulation study. The Concorde trial of immediate versus deferred zidovudine in HIV infection is used as a motivating example and illustration of the methods. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Clarifying the fundamentals of HTTP
Authors: Mogul Jeffrey C.
Published: January 2004

The simplicity of HTTP was a major factor in the success of the Web. However, as both the protocol and its uses have evolved, HTTP has grown complex. This complexity results in numerous problems, including confused implementors, interoperability failures, difficulty in extending the protocol, and a long specification without much documented rationale.

Many of the problems with HTTP can be traced to unfortunate choices about fundamental definitions and models. This paper analyzes the current (HTTP/1.1) protocol design, showing how it fails in certain cases, and how to improve these fundamentals. Some problems with HTTP can be fixed simply by adopting new models and terminology, allowing us to think more clearly about implementations and extensions. Other problems require explicit (but compatible) protocol changes.

This paper explains that HTTP needs a clean and consistent data‐type model, and in particular needs an explicit ‘instance’ data type; that HTTP needs a clear data access model, and that resources and instances should carry explicit access‐model labels; and that HTTP needs a simple name space for implementations to declare sets of supported extensions. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High‐performance benchmarking with Web Polygraph
Authors: Rousskov Alex , Wessels Duane
Published: January 2004

This paper presents the design and implementation of Web Polygraph, a tool for benchmarking HTTP intermediaries. We discuss various challenges involved in simulating Web traffic and in developing a portable, high‐performance tool for generating such traffic. Polygraph's simulation models, as well as our experiences with developing and running the benchmark, may be useful for Web proxy developers, performance analysts, and researchers interested in Web traffic simulation. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A large‐scale study of the evolution of Web pages
Authors: Fetterly Dennis , Manasse Mark , Najork Marc , Wiener Janet L.
Published: January 2004

How fast does the Web change? Does most of the content remain unchanged once it has been authored, or are the documents continuously updated? Do pages change a little or a lot? Is the extent of change correlated to any other property of the page? All of these questions are of interest to those who mine the Web, including all the popular search engines, but few studies have been performed to date to answer them.

One notable exception is a study by Cho and Garcia‐Molina, who crawled a set of 720 000 pages on a daily basis over 4 months, and counted pages as having changed if their MD5 checksum changed. They found that 40% of all Web pages in their set changed within a week, and 23% of those pages that fell into the .com domain changed daily.

This paper expands on Cho and Garcia‐Molina's study, both in terms of coverage and in terms of sensitivity to change. We crawled a set of 150 836 209 HTML pages once every week, over a span of 11 weeks. For each page, we recorded a checksum of the page, and a feature vector of the words on the page, plus various other data such as the page length, the HTTP status code, etc. Moreover, we pseudo‐randomly selected 0.1% of all of our URLs, and saved the full text of each download of the corresponding pages.

After completion of the crawl, we analyzed the degree of change of each page, and investigated which factors are correlated with change intensity. We found that the average degree of change varies widely across top‐level domains, and that larger pages change more often and more severely than smaller ones.

This paper describes the crawl and the data transformations we performed on the logs, and presents some statistical observations on the degree of change of different classes of pages. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of acute acetylcholinesterase inhibition on the cerebral cholinergic neuronal system and cognitive function: Functional imaging of the conscious monkey brain using animal PET in combination with microdialysis
Authors: Tsukada Hideo , Nishiyama Shingo , Fukumoto Dai , Ohba Hiroyuki , Sato Kengo , Kakiuchi Takeharu
Published: January 2004

This study demonstrated the effects of acute acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition by donepezil (Aricept) on the cerebral cholinergic neuronal system in the brains of young (5.2 ± 1.1 years old) and aged (20.3 ± 2.6 years old) monkeys (Macaca mulatta) in the conscious state. Donepezil at doses of 50 and 250 μg/kg suppressed AChE activity, analyzed by metabolic rate (k3) of N‐[11C]methyl‐4‐piperidyl acetate ([11C]MP4A), in all cortical regions in a dose‐dependent manner in both age groups. However, the suppression degree was more marked in young than in aged monkeys. AChE inhibition by donepezil resulted in a dose‐dependent increase in acetylcholine levels in the prefrontal cortex of young animals as measured by microdialysis. Binding of (+)N‐[11C]propyl‐3‐piperidyl benzilate ([11C](+)3‐PPB) to cortical muscarinic receptors was reduced by donepezil, probably in a competitive inhibition manner. Aged monkeys showed less reduction of [11C](+)3‐PPB binding than young animals. As evaluated by an oculomotor delayed response task, aged monkeys showed impaired working memory performance compared to young monkeys, and the impaired performance was partly improved by the administration of donepezil, due to the facilitation of the cholinergic neuronal system by AChE inhibition. These results demonstrate that the PET imaging technique with specific labeled compounds in combination with microdialysis and a behavioral cognition task could be a useful method to clarify the mechanism of drugs in the living brains of experimental animals. Synapse 52:1–10, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.