bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Genetic Polymorphisms of the Endocannabinoid System
Authors: Norrod Allison G. , Puffenbarger Robyn A. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractDisturbances in the endocannabinoid system has been linked to diseases and conditions such as Parkinson's, schizophrenia, pain, energy metabolism, immune modulation, and bone density. Since the early 1990s, a number of genetic polymorphisms in the genes and proteins of the endocannabinoid system have been characterized. Currently identified genetic polymorphisms of the endocannabinoid system are reviewed here with particular consideration given to polymorphisms linked to drug and alcohol abuse, schizophrenia, other mental disorders, and energy metabolism.
The N‐Acylethanolamine‐Mediated Regulatory Pathway in Plants
Authors: Kilaru Aruna , Blancaflor Elison B. , Venables Barney J. , Tripathy Swati , Mysore Kirankumar S. , Chapman Kent D. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractWhile cannabinoids are secondary metabolites synthesized by just a few plant species, N‐acylethanolamines (NAEs) are distributed widely in the plant kingdom, and are recovered in measurable, bioactive quantities in many plant‐derived products. NAEs in higher plants are ethanolamides of fatty acids with acyl‐chain lenghts of C12C18 and zero to three CC bonds. Generally, the most‐abundant NAEs found in plants and vertebrates are similar, including NAE 16 : 0, 18 : 1, 18 : 2, and 18 : 3. Like in animal systems, NAEs are formed in plants from N‐acylphosphatidylethanolamines (NAPEs), and they are hydrolyzed by an amidase to yield ethanolamine and free fatty acids (FFA). Recently, a homologue of the mammalian fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH‐1) was identified in Arabidopsis thaliana and several other plant species. Overexpression of Arabidopsis FAAH (AtFAAH) resulted in plants that grew faster, but were more sensitive to biotic and abiotic insults, suggesting that the metabolism of NAEs in plants resides at the balance between growth and responses to environmental stresses. Similar to animal systems, exogenously applied NAEs have potent and varied effects on plant cells. Recent pharmacological approaches combined with molecular‐genetic experiments revealed that NAEs may act in certain plant tissues via specific membrane‐associated proteins or by interacting with phospholipase D‐α, although other, direct targets for NAE action in plants are likely to be discovered. Polyunsaturated NAEs can be oxidized via the lipoxygenase pathway in plants, producing an array of oxylipin products that have received little attention so far. Overall, the conservation of NAE occurrence and metabolic machinery in plants, coupled with the profound physiological effects of elevating NAE content or perturbing endogenous NAE metabolism, suggest that an NAE‐mediated regulatory pathway, sharing similarities with the mammalian endocannabinoid pathway, indeed exists.
Evidence that PAR2‐triggered prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) formation involves the ERK‐cytosolic phospholipase A2‐COX‐1‐microsomal PGE synthase‐1 cascade in human lung epithelial cells
Authors: Nagataki Mami , Moriyuki Kazumi , Sekiguchi Fumiko , Kawabata Atsufumi 
Published: August 2007

AbstractWe investigated possible involvement of three isozymes of prostaglandin E synthase (PGES), microsomal PGES‐1 (mPGES‐1), mPGES‐2 and cytosolic PGES (cPGES) in COX‐2‐dependent prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) formation following proteinase‐activated receptor‐2 (PAR2) stimulation in human lung epithelial cells. PAR2 stimulation up‐regulated mPGES‐1 as well as COX‐2, but not mPGES‐2 or cPGES, leading to PGE2 formation. The PAR2‐triggered up‐regulation of mPGES‐1 was suppressed by inhibitors of COX‐1, cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) and MEK, but not COX‐2. Finally, a selective inhibitor of mPGES‐1 strongly suppressed the PAR2‐evoked PGE2 formation. PAR2 thus appears to trigger specific up‐regulation of mPGES‐1 that is dependent on prostanoids formed via the MEK/ERK/cPLA2/COX‐1 pathway, being critical for PGE2 formation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis in perfused liver of rats submitted to short‐term insulin‐induced hypoglycaemia
Authors: Albuquerque G. G. , Gazola V. A. F. G. , Garcia R. F. , Souza K. L. A. , Barrena H. C. , Curi R. , Bazotte R. B. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractGluconeogenesis and ketogenesis of in situ rat perfused liver submitted to short‐term insulin‐induced hypoglycaemia (IIH) were investigated. For this purpose, 24‐h fasted rats that received intraperitoneal (ip) regular insulin (1.0 U kg−1) or saline were compared. The studies were performed 30 min after insulin (IIH group) or saline (COG group) injection. For gluconeogenesis studies, livers from the IIH and COG groups were perfused with increasing concentrations (from basal blood concentrations until saturating concentration) of glycerol, L‐lactate (Lac) or pyruvate (Pyr). Livers of the IIH group showed maintained efficiency to produce glucose from glycerol and higher efficiency to produce glucose from Lac and Pyr. In agreement with these results the oral administration of glycerol (100 mg kg−1), Lac (100 mg kg−1), Pyr (100 mg kg−1) or glycerol (100 mg kg−1) + Lac (100 mg kg−1) + Pyr (100 mg kg−1) promoted glycaemia recovery. It can be inferred that the increased portal availability of Lac, Pyr and glycerol could help glycaemia recovery by a mechanism mediated, partly at least, by a maintained (glycerol) or increased (Lac and Pyr) hepatic efficiency to produce glucose. Moreover, in spite of the fact that insulin inhibits ketogenesis, the capacity of the liver to produce ketone bodies from octanoate during IIH was maintained. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tuning the Stacking Properties of C3‐Symmetrical Molecules by Modifying a Dipeptide Motif
Authors: van den Hout Kelly P. , Martín‐Rapún Rafael , Vekemans Jef A. J. M. , Meijer E. W. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractC3‐symmetrical molecules are described which consists of a 1,3,5‐benzenetricarboxamide core extended with dipeptide fragments bearing peripheral mesogenic groups. Small structural modifications in the dipeptide fragment have been performed to demonstrate their influence on the stability of the stacks and on the order within the self‐assemblies formed. Seven C3‐symmetrical discs have been investigated, all with different combinations of glycine, L‐ and/or D‐phenylalanine in the dipeptide fragments. Characterization of these discotics in the neat state using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and polarized optical microscopy (POM) and in solution with circular dichroism (CD), UV‐visible spectroscopy, low‐concentration proton nuclear magnetic resonance and IR spectroscopy reveals that there is a clear trend in the stack stability, going from the glycine–phenylalanine motifs to the phenylalanine–phenylalanine ones. The combination of a larger hydrophobic core, more confinement of space and the possibility of additional π–π interactions leads to more stable stacks. Surprisingly, the weakest stacks consist of discotics of which the center is extended with L‐phenylalanyl–glycines and not of discotics of which the center is extended with the glycyl–L‐phenylalanine sequences. Furthermore, the XRD investigations show that it is difficult to form well‐ordered self‐assemblies in the neat state. And, CD measurements point out that some of the discs have a very complex energy landscape in solution. These observations suggest that small differences in the balance between the secondary interactions originating from the benzenetricarboxamide core and the dipeptide fragments, have a strong influence on the order within the stack. From these results it can be concluded that subtle modifications in the peptide fragments of the discs cause significant changes in the stacking properties, stressing the importance of understanding the self‐assembly mechanism of each discotic in order to clarify its self‐assembly behavior.
Carbohydrates as Synthetic Tools in Organic Chemistry
Authors: Boysen Mike M. K. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractWhile amino acids, terpenes and alkaloids have found broad application as tools in stereoselective organic synthesis, carbohydrates have only lately been recognised as versatile starting materials for chiral auxiliaries, reagents, ligands and organocatalysts. The structural diversity of carbohydrates and the high density of functional groups offer a wide variety of opportunities for derivatization and tailoring of synthetic tools to a specific problem.
Flow cytometric method for determining folate receptor expression on ovarian carcinoma cells
Authors: Forster Martin D. , Ormerod Michael G. , Agarwal Roshan , Kaye Stanley B. , Jackman Ann L. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThe α‐folate receptor (α‐FR) is a folate transporter with restricted expression levels in normal tissues. It is over‐expressed in several cancers, particularly epithelial carcinomas, including nonmucinous ovarian carcinoma. It offers a novel therapeutic target for selective imaging and cytotoxic agents. Measurement of the receptor could be a valuable tool in selecting patients more likely to respond to new drugs that target the α‐FR, and monitoring them while on treatment. While tumor samples are often unavailable, a number of patients who relapse develop ascites, which are often rich in tumor cells. We have therefore developed a triple antibody flow cytometric method to assess α‐FR expression on tumor cells from ascites. An antibody to BerEP4, an epithelial cell marker expressed on >90% ovarian cancers, labeled with fluorescein, and an α‐FR antibody labeled with antimouse‐phycoerythrin have been used to label tumor cells, with a CD45‐phycoerythrin‐cyanine5 antibody used to exclude white blood cells from the analysis. The method was optimized using human carcinoma cell lines (JEG‐3, IGROV‐1, and KB cells). Calibrated beads were used to quantify the number of antibodies bound per cell. The triple antibody protocol successfully measured α‐FR expression levels in cell lines spiked with blood. Tumor cells were obtained from ascites in 25 patients with relapsed ovarian cancer. In each case sufficient cells were harvested to identify an epithelial cell population to estimate the number of binding sites/cell. All the samples contained a single population of BerEP4, α‐FR positive cells between 5 × 103 and 5 × 105 antibody binding sites/cell. The method can be used to determine the number of anti‐α‐FR antibodies bound per epithelial cell in ascites from patients with ovarian carcinoma. The results obtained were reproducible and the method could be applied to specimens that had been stored at −80°C. © 2007 International Society for Analytical Cytology.
A feasibility study for reducing common‐mode current on the wire harness connected to electronic control units
Authors: Mabuchi Yuichi , Nakamura Atsushi , Hayashi Tohru , Ichikawa Koji , Uno Takanori , Mizuno Hiroshi 
Published: August 2007

AbstractWith the recent progress in high‐speed and high‐density implementation, EMI (electromagnetic interference) by the electronic equipment in operation with other equipment by electromagnetic wave emission is a problem. In vehicular electronic equipment, the radio frequency (∼100 MHz) is a particular problem, and the common‐mode current flowing in the wire harness connected to the electronic control unit is considered to be a major factor in radiating interference electromagnetic waves. This study investigates the common‐mode current of electronic control units as a major source of EMI. A double‐layer printed board, which forms the mainstream of vehicular electronic control units, is assumed, and the mechanism of the problem and effective means of combating it are investigated. It is found that, for the odd harmonic frequencies of microcontroller operation, the common‐mode current due to voltage fluctuation is the dominant factor, and for the even harmonic frequencies, the common‐mode current due to current fluctuation is the dominant factor. In particular, for the common‐mode current produced by current fluctuation, analysis shows that the generation of the common‐mode current can be reduced by adequately balancing the parasitic inductances and capacitances of the wiring patterns on the printed circuit board. The results of analysis are verified by measurements using an evaluation board. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 90(9): 19–31, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.20337
Dimensionality reduction by simultaneous low‐rank approximation of matrix data
Authors: Inoue Kohei , Urahama Kiichi 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThe authors propose a method of obtaining a direct solution of a simultaneous low‐rank approximation of multiple matrices by using a tensor–matrix product relation to derive a method of obtaining an approximate solution of an optimization problem for performing a simultaneous low‐rank approximation of multiple matrices from a higher‐order singular value decomposition of a tensor. Since the proposed method is a direct solution method, it is faster than a generalized low‐rank approximation algorithm, which is an iterative solution method. They apply the proposed method to face image recognition to show experimentally that its recognition rate is higher and its processing is faster than the eigenface method. They also applied it to an image similarity search to show experimentally that its precision is higher than a dimensionality reduction method for simply reducing the image size. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 90(9): 42–49, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley. com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.20379
Estimating the pitch of polyphonic vocal music using comb filters connected in parallel and singular value decomposition
Authors: Yamaguchi Michiru , Miwa Taeko , Tadokoro Yoshiaki 
Published: August 2007

AbstractPitch estimation processing is an essential process in the automatic scoring of music. In this paper we propose a method for estimating the pitch of polyphonic vocal lines, an area that has received almost no research. The proposed method estimates pitch by using 12 comb filters connected together in parallel (corresponding to the 12 notes of an octave) together with singular value decomposition (SVD). The approach is based on the fact that a comb filter (H(z)=1−z−N) is able to eliminate all the harmonic components of the note to which it corresponds and also that the SVD of the matrix of signal samples enables us to distinguish the number of harmonic components in the signal from the number of singular values obtained. In other words, together with the above‐mentioned structure we are able to use the SVD to detect outputs in which the number of harmonic components has been reduced and thereby estimate the pitch of a note. We confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method by presenting the results of estimating pitch using the proposed method on polyphonic vocal music with both two and three voices singing at the same time. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 90(9): 62–74, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.20381
Authentication mechanisms in LIN6 and HLIN6
Authors: Tanaka Yasuyuki , Kunishi Mitsunobu , Ishiyama Masahiro , Teraoka Fumio 
Published: August 2007

AbstractIn this paper, the authors propose a mobile node authentication mechanism in LIN6 and HLIN6, which are protocols that guarantee mobility transparency. The proposed method enables authentication that does not depend on IPsec to be performed between a mobile node and an unspecified node such as a communication node or an intermediate router. The proposed method, which is resistant to interception by an attacker, has sufficient strength for practical use. Also, its authentication between a communication node and mobile node is stronger than Return Routability, which is utilized by Mobile IPv6. The authors implemented the proposed method on NetBSD 1.6.1‐RELEASE and compared the processing time with that of the conventional LIN6 or HLIN6. The results indicated that introducing the proposed method had little effect on communication and that the proposed method was effective. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 90(9): 50– 61, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.20382
An adjustment method of the number of states on Q‐learning segmenting state space adaptively
Authors: Hamagami Tomoki , Koakutsu Seiichi , Hirata Hironori 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThe results of imposing limitations on the number of states and of promoting the splitting of states in Q‐learning are presented. Q‐learning is a common reinforcement learning method in which the learning agent autonomously segments the environment states. In situations where the designer of an agent is unable to explicitly provide the agent with the boundaries of states in the environment in which the agent is acting, the agent needs to simultaneously learn while autonomously determining the internal discrete states that are needed in order to take the appropriate actions. A simple method of segmenting states based on a reinforcement signal (QLASS) has been proposed for this purpose. However, the original method suffers from the problem that the number of states grows excessively large as learning proceeds. A method is therefore proposed that defines temperature and eligibility attributes for each of the internal discrete states of the agent, and that limits and adds to the number of internal discrete states, and promotes random actions depending on the values of these attributes. The results of applying the proposed method to a number of tasks, including tasks that incorporate a dynamic environment, are compared to the QLASS method when only the reinforcement signal is used, and a similar level of learning results is found to be achieved using a fewer number of states. Furthermore, it is found that tasks are able to be completed in a small number of steps even when only a small number of trials are used for learning. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 90(9): 75– 86, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.20383
Learning of real robot's inverse dynamics by a forward‐propagation learning rule
Authors: Mori Hiroki , Ohama Yoshihiro , Fukumura Naohiro , Uno Yoji 
Published: August 2007

AbstractA forward‐propagation learning rule (FPL) has been proposed for a neural network (NN) to learn an inverse model of a controlled object. A feature of FPL is that the trajectory error propagates forward in NN and appropriate values of two learning parameters are required to be set. FPL has only been simulated to several kinds of controlled objects such as a two‐link arm in a horizontal plane. In this work, we applied FPL to AIBO and showed the validity of FPL on a real controlled object. At first, we tested a learning experiment of an inverse dynamic of a two‐link arm in a sagittal plane with viscosity and Coulomb friction by computer simulation. In this simulation, a low‐pass filter (LPF) was applied to realized trajectories because coulomb friction vibrates them. From the simulation results, we found that the learning process is stable by some adequate sets of the learning parameters although it is more sensitive to the values of the parameters owing to friction and gravity terms. Finally, we tested applying FPL to motor control of AIBO's leg. The inverse dynamics model was acquired by FPL with only about 150 learning iterations. From these results, the validity of the FPL was confirmed by the real robot control experiments. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 161(4): 38–48, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20456
Quantum fluctuation in affine optimal control systems
Authors: Itami Teturo 
Published: August 2007

AbstractQuantum mechanical wave functions are shown to approximate optimal feedback laws of affine control systems, when we set the absolute values of the terminal wave functions positive and with no singular dependence on a control constant HR, which is similar in position to the action constant $\hbar$ introduced by Planck to explain quantum phenomena. Calculation of the wave functions makes use of the path integral representation that we approximate at stationary phase. The phases of the wave functions approximate in HR→0 to Hamilton–Jacobi value functions, because quantum mechanical fluctuation vanishes in the limit. It is simple to take the terminal absolute value function that meets the condition of having no singularity at HR=0. The terminal absolute value function without any dependence on the constant HR apparently satisfies the no‐singularity condition. Although we restrict ourselves to scalar systems, generalization to systems with higher dimensionality is straightforward. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 161(4): 29–37, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20521
Propagation of inverter surge and voltage distribution in motor winding
Authors: Tsuji Kosei , Wada Kotaro , Muto Hirotaka , Otsuka Hisashi , Yashiro Osamu , Nagaoka Naoto 
Published: August 2007

AbstractA new simulation technique was developed, which allows the estimation of motor winding voltages in inverter motor system. We developed a cable surge analysis method that takes into account the frequency‐dependent effect of the dielectric characteristics of the cable insulator and mutual induction between cable wires. A motor winding model that takes into consideration the frequency‐dependent effect of winding impedance and mutual coupling between slots is also proposed. With the simulation technique, motor winding voltages driven by an inverter are investigated, including propagation characteristics of a cable connecting the motor and the inverter. The accuracy of the proposed model is confirmed to be satisfactory enough for the estimation of winding voltages by comparisons between measured and calculated results. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 161(4): 70– 79, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20549
A method for designing CDO conformed to investment parameters
Authors: Nakae Tatsuya , Moritsu Toshiyuki , Komoda Norihisa 
Published: August 2007

AbstractWe propose a method for designing CDOs (Collateralized Debt Obligation) that meets investor needs regarding CDO attributes. It is demonstrated that adjusting the attributes (credit capability and issue amount) of CDOs to investors' preferences causes a capital loss risk that the agent takes. We formulate a CDO optimization problem by defining an objective function using the above risk and setting constraints that arise from investor needs and a risk premium that is paid for the agent. Our prototype experiment, in which fictitious underlying obligations and investor needs are given, verifies that CDOs can be designed without opportunity loss and dead stock loss, and that the capital loss is not more than a thousandth part of the amount of annual payment under guarantee for small and medium‐sized enterprises by a general credit guarantee institution. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 161(4): 20– 28, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20581