bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Planar cell polarity genes and neural tube closure
Authors: Ueno Naoto , Greene Nicholas D.E. 
Published: December 2003

AbstractClosure of the neural tube is essential for normal development of the brain and spinal cord. Failure of closure results in neural tube defects (NTDs), common and clinically severe congenital malformations whose molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. On the other hand, it is increasingly well established that common molecular mechanisms are employed to regulate morphogenesis of multicellular organisms. For example, signaling triggered by polypeptide growth factors is highly conserved among species and utilized in multiple developmental processes. Recent studies have revealed that the Drosophila planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway, which directs position and direction of wing hairs on the surface of the fly wing, is well conserved, and orthologs of several genes encoding components of the pathway are also found in vertebrates. Interestingly, in vertebrates, this signaling pathway appears to be co‐opted to regulate “convergent extension” cell movements during gastrulation. Disruption of vertebrate PCP genes in Xenopus laevis or zebrafish causes severe gastrulation defects or the shortening of the trunk, as well as mediolateral expansion of somites. In Xenopus, in which the neural tube closes by elevation and fusion of neural folds, inhibition of convergent extension can also prevent neural tube closure causing a “spina bifida‐like” appearance. Furthermore, several of the genes involved in the PCP pathway have recently been shown to be required for neural tube closure in the mouse, since mutation of these genes causes NTDs. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms underlying the establishment of cell polarity in Drosophila may provide important clues to the molecular basis of NTDs. Birth Defects Research (Part C) 69:318–324, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Biology of platelet‐derived growth factors in development
Authors: Betsholtz Christer 
Published: December 2003

AbstractPlatelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF) was one of the first growth factors to be characterized, and the PDGF family of ligand and receptors has remained an archetype system for studies of the mechanisms of action of growth factors and receptor tyrosine kinases for more than two decades. The small size of the family has also facilitated genetic studies and, in particular, manipulations of the mouse PDGF and PDGF receptor genes have given important insights into the role of this family during mammalian development. These studies have shown that discrete populations of mesenchymal and neuroectodermal progenitor cells depend on PDGF signaling for their growth and distribution within developing organs. Other studies suggest that the same, or similar, cells may be targeted by exaggerated PDGF signaling in a number of pathological processes, including different types of cancer. The present review summarizes current views on the roles of PDGFs in developmental processes, and discusses the critical importance of the amount, spatial distribution, and bioavailability of the PDGF proteins for acquisition of the correct number and location of target cells. Birth Defects Research (Part C) 69:272–285, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ventral striatopallidal oxytocin and vasopressin V1a receptors in the monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster)
Authors: Lim Miranda M. , Murphy Anne Z. , Young Larry J. 
Published: December 2003

AbstractOxytocin receptors (OTR) and vasopressin V1a receptors (V1aR) in the ventral forebrain play critical roles in the formation of pair bonds in the monogamous prairie vole. Previous reports have been inconsistent in the identification of the specific brain regions in the ventral forebrain that express these receptors. To delineate more clearly the neuroanatomical boundaries of the OTR and V1aR fields in this species, we compared OTR and V1aR binding in adjacent brain sections and also with markers that delineate neuroanatomical boundaries in the ventral forebrain. OTR binding displayed an overlapping distribution with substance P mRNA and preproenkephalin mRNA, both markers for the shell and core of the nucleus accumbens. V1aR binding was nonoverlapping with each of these markers but colocalized with iron accumulation as shown by Perls' iron stain as well as leucine‐enkephalin immunoreactivity, both markers for the ventral pallidum. OTR and V1aR mRNA were also restricted within the nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum, respectively. Furthermore, destruction of ventral striatal dopaminergic terminals with 6‐hydroxydopamine infusions into the nucleus accumbens did not alter OTR binding. Immunocytochemical analysis of oxytocin and vasopressin in the ventral forebrain demonstrated the presence of oxytocin‐immunoreactive fibers in the nucleus accumbens and vasopressin‐immunoreactive fibers in the ventral pallidum, with males showing a greater density of vasopressin fibers than females, but there was no such sex difference in the oxytocin system. Based on these results, we discuss potential neural mechanisms by which receptors in these brain regions mediate pair bond formation in this monogamous species. J. Comp. Neurol. 468:555–570, 2004. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Morphology and molecular organization of the adult neuromuscular junction of Drosophila
Authors: Rivlin Patricia K. , St. Clair Ryan M. , Vilinsky Ilya , Deitcher David L. 
Published: December 2003

AbstractWhile the larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ) of Drosophila has emerged as a model system to study synaptic function and development, little attention has been given to the study of the adult NMJ. Here we report an immunocytochemical and morphological characterization of an adult NMJ preparation of the prothorax. All muscles examined were innervated by small, uniform type II terminals (0.5–1.5 μm), a subset of which contained octopamine. Terminals classified as type I varied in their morphology across different muscles, ranging from strings or clusters of boutons (0.8–5.5 μm) to an elongate terminal (80–100 μm long) with few branches and contiguous swellings (3–15 μm) along its length. Analysis of the molecular composition of the NMJs during the first 5 days after eclosion revealed four major findings: 1) type I boutons increase in size during early adulthood; 2) Fasciclin II‐immunoreactivity is not detectable at type I terminals, while DLG‐immunoreactivity is observed at the synapse; 3) a Shaker‐GFP fusion protein that localizes to all type I boutons in the larva is differentially localized at adult prothoracic NMJs; and 4) while all type I terminals contain glutamate, the glutamate receptor subunits, DGluRIIA and DGluRIIB, are expressed and clustered in only a subset of muscles. These findings suggest that maturation of the adult NMJ occurs during early adulthood and that muscle‐specific properties may play a role in organizing synaptic components in the adult. Furthermore, these results demonstrate that there are major differences in the molecular organization of the adult and larval NMJs. J. Comp. Neurol. 468:596–613, 2004. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Types of bipolar cells in the mouse retina
Authors: Ghosh Krishna K. , Bujan Sascha , Haverkamp Silke , Feigenspan Andreas , Wässle Heinz 
Published: December 2003

AbstractWe studied the morphology of bipolar cells in fixed vertical tissue sections (slices) of the mouse retina by injecting the cells with Lucifer Yellow and Neurobiotin. Nine different cone bipolar cell types and one rod bipolar cell type were distinguished. The major criteria for classifying the cells were the branching pattern and stratification level of their axon terminals in the inner plexiform layer (IPL). To assess this, the IPL was subdivided into five strata of equal width. The slices were immunostained for calretinin, which labels three horizontal bands serving as a standard measure for the precise localization of the axon terminals. Immunostaining the retina with antibodies against the G‐protein Gγ13, a marker for ON‐bipolar cells, made it possible to separate OFF‐ and ON‐bipolar cells. At least two OFF‐cone bipolar cells (Types 1 and 2) were immunolabeled with antibodies against the neurokinin 3 receptors (NK3R). A further OFF‐ and an ON‐cone bipolar cell (Types 3 and 5) were immunostained with antibodies against the calcium‐binding protein CaB5. The bipolar cell types described here were compared with previous schemes of rat and primate bipolar cells. Homologous types between the three species are discussed. J. Comp. Neurol. 469:70–82, 2004. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A design of reflection‐type polarization control device using ferroelectric liquid crystals
Authors: Ogawa Noriyuki , Machida Kosuke , Okada Yusuke , Nakagami Takakiyo 
Published: December 2003

AbstractFor a planar polarization control optical switch proposed by the authors for optical communication networks, a reflection‐type liquid crystal polarization control device (PCD) that can emit the incident wave in the same direction as the incident after totally reflected on the back side and can accurately switch the polarization direction of the optical wave by 90° in response to an applied voltage is needed. The authors have previously derived and reported a design theory for accurate switching of the polarization direction for an obliquely incident ferroelectric liquid crystal polarization control device (FLC‐PCD) in which the light wave is obliquely incident upon the device surface at an arbitrary angle and transmits to the back side. In the present paper, based on this theory, the polarization control characteristics are theoretically analyzed by means of the Jones matrix with respect to the reflection‐type FLC‐PCD, in which the incident wave is totally reflected at the back side of the device and is returned to the incident side. The condition for accurate switching of the polarization direction of the output wave by 90° is derived. Based on this condition, a method for derivation of the optimum design values of the liquid crystal layer thickness and liquid crystal optical axis angle is presented. The polarization control characteristics of the device fabricated for trial are measured, demonstrating the validity of the present design method. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 87(1): 43–53, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.10038
Monolithic integration of lasers and passive elements using selective QW disordering by rapid thermal annealing with SiO2 caps of different thicknesses
Authors: Shimada Naoyuki , Fukumoto Yutaka , Uemukai Masahiro , Suhara Toshiaki , Nishihara Hiroshi , Larsson Anders 
Published: December 2003

AbstractWe have investigated the use of rapid thermal annealing of InGaAs strained quantum well structures through SiO2 caps with two different thicknesses to selectively disorder the quantum well, as a way to implement the monolithic integration of low‐loss passive devices such as optical waveguides with quantum well lasers. In these investigations, we first selectively disordered a quantum well by depositing a 300‐nm SiO2 cap in one region and a 30‐nm SiO2 cap in another region, followed by rapid thermal annealing. We then fabricated lasers in the two regions, and found that the oscillation wavelengths of lasers fabricated in the region with the 300‐nm SiO2 cap differed from the oscillation wavelengths of those in the region with the 30‐nm SiO2 cap. By using this technique to integrate passive waveguides with a Fabry‐Perot laser, we were able to evaluate the optical loss in the passive waveguides. We found that we could reduce the loss by a large amount, from 40 cm−1 for the case of no disordering to only 3 cm−1. We also fabricated a distributed Bragg reflector laser using selective disordering of the quantum well in the grating region, and succeeded in obtaining a remarkable improvement in the laser characteristics compared to those of an undisordered laser. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 87(1): 34–42, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.10039
Fabrication and electrical properties of ferroelectric‐gate FETS with epitaxial gate structures
Authors: Migita Shinji , Sakamaki Kazuo , Xiong Si Bei , Ota Hiroyuki , Tarui Yasuo , Sakai Shigeki 
Published: December 2003

AbstractWe have fabricated ferroelectric‐gate FETs with an epitaxially grown insulator‐ferroelectric gate structure. Our prior success in growing epitaxial layers of SrBi2Ta2O9 with the c‐axis oriented at a 45° angle to the normal of the substrate plane enabled us to grow diode structures whose C–V characteristics exhibited memory effects arising from the ferroelectric's remanent polarization. We confirmed that data encoded as capacitance changes arising from the layer's ferroelectricity could be preserved for periods of over 10 days. We then grew FET structures, and examined their Id–Vg characteristics. Our examination revealed a five‐order‐of‐magnitude value for the on/off drain current ratio, as well as memory characteristics. We confirmed that data encoded as drain current changes based on ferroelectricity could be stored for over 2 hours. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 87(1): 24–33, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.10043
Low‐voltage, 208 contiguous subfield addressing of AC PDPs by using erase address technique with space charge priming
Authors: Ishii Makoto , Shiga Tomokazu , Igarashi Kiyoshi , Mikoshiba Shigeo 
Published: December 2003

AbstractBoth low‐voltage addressing and high‐speed addressing are achieved in AC plasma display panels (PDPs) by using the priming effect due to space charges and the wall charges generated by erase addressing. When we set the interval between the priming pulse and the scan pulse to 1 µs and the widths of the scan pulse and the data pulse to 0.33 µs, the lowest address voltage decreased to 75 V. Furthermore, we developed a drive technique capable of a 208 contiguous subfield display for VGA panels. Thus, high‐image‐quality, low‐cost plasma displays could be implemented. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 87(1): 16–23, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.10106
Formation of β‐FeSi2 with electron beam evaporation
Authors: Misaki Takashi , Ohsawa Jun 
Published: December 2003

AbstractIn the formation of β‐FeSi2 by means of FeSi2 alloy evaporation, there are problems that the vapor pressure of Fe and Si is low and that there is a vapor pressure difference of close to one order of magnitude between Fe and Si. In this paper, by using electron beam (EB) evaporation equipment, these problems are resolved and the success of β‐FeSi2 formation is reported. First, the Fe and Si composition ratio of the EB evaporated film of FeSi2 alloy is analyzed by XPS. It is confirmed that the ratio is almost 1 to 2. Next, a sample with FeSi2 alloy EB evaporated on a Si substrate is annealed within a nitrogen environment by using an infrared heating furnace (at 700 to 900 °C) so that β‐FeSi2 is synthesized. Also, it is found that the β‐FeSi2 layer is made thicker and the optical absorption characteristic is improved by vapor‐depositing an Fe layer between the FeSi2 alloy layer and a Si substrate. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 87(1): 9–15, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.10118
Numerical analysis of a modified rooftop mirror using mode interference
Authors: Ando Takashi , Fukuda Daisuke , Takeuchi Masanori , Yamauchi Junji , Nakano Hisamatsu 
Published: December 2003

AbstractIn this paper, an improved rooftop mirror is proposed and its characteristics are evaluated by numerical analysis. First, it is shown by FDTD analysis that it is not easy to obtain a high reflection characteristic with fundamental mode incidence in the conventional structure. Next, the reflection characteristics are analyzed for an improved structure in which the incident single‐mode waveguide is connected to a multimode interference waveguide inside the rooftop. In such a process, comparison with the results obtained by FDTD analysis demonstrates that the simple guided mode propagation method neglecting the radiation mode is effective for design of a mode interference section. A reflectivity of 96% is attained by introduction of the mode interference section for both fundamental TE and TM mode incidence. Further, the wavelength characteristics of the reflection coefficient are studied. The effects of misalignment of the waveguide axis and shift of the apex angle of the rooftop on the reflection characteristics are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 87(1): 1–8, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.10172
A statistical language model for conventional speech reflecting the previous utterance of the other participant
Authors: Yamamoto Hirofumi , Tanigaki Koichi , Sagisaka Yoshinori 
Published: December 2003

AbstractThis paper proposes the construction of a language model for speech recognition in speech translation. The proposed language model is intended to improve speech recognition performance by taking account of the previous utterance content of the counterpart speaker. The previous utterance content of the counterpart speaker is represented by the intermediate language which is generally used by C‐star (Spoken Language Translation Research Group). The proposed model is based on a language model that is dependent on the intermediate language representation. An experiment concerning the conversation of hotel reservations shows that the rate of incorrect word recognition is reduced by approximately 5.4% (from 14.7% to 13.9%), and the usefulness of the proposed model is demonstrated. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 87(1): 54–62, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.10211
Task scheduling method considered the communication time by critical path: Application to various kinds of network topology
Authors: Iijima Nobukazu , Suwa Kazunori , Sone Mototaka 
Published: December 2003

AbstractIn parallel processing in a multiprocessor system, it is necessary to partition the user program and data to be distributed to the processors, that is, to apply scheduling. It is difficult to realize the scheduling under arbitrary conditions without any restriction of precedence constraints, number of employed processors, the multiprocessor configuration, and the communication time, by an algorithm with optimized polynomial time. Thus, the application of a heuristic algorithm is considered. This paper is based on the critical path (CP) method, and proposes a scheduling method which can be used in multiprocessor systems with various topologies, including perfect and imperfect connections. The proposed method resembles the existing method in that the task is assigned, but has the feature that the assignment is corrected and optimized from the viewpoint of the communication time. The allocation of processors and adequate modification of hopping are also considered. The effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated through comparison to existing methods using the same task graph. In order to evaluate its effectiveness when applied to a large‐scale system, the method was implemented on a real system (a system with 32 DSP), and an analysis program for an electrical power system was run. The proposed method was demonstrated to be uniformly useful for various topologies, and exhibits sufficient performance in practice. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 87(1): 63–75, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.10212
Eye movement based on 3D image of short‐term memory
Authors: Morita Satoru , Oosaki Mituharu , Ishihara Yukio 
Published: December 2003

AbstractHumans perceive a wide range of space by moving their eyes quickly with an essentially narrow view field, but there is no feeling that the viewpoint is moved quickly. This phenomenon is interpreted as follows. Even though the image of the gaze point moves greatly, the image stored in short‐term memory does not change much. Consequently, this paper proposes a model in which the gaze point can be moved over a wide range by moving the gaze point based on a 3D image stored in short‐term memory. A method is also proposed which generates a 3D image that looks like a human view, using both eyes. Based on the features of the 3D image in short‐term memory, movement of the gaze point over a wide range is actually realized. Movement of the gaze point by both eyes based on the 3D image in short‐term memory is simulated in a virtual world constructed by CG. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 87(1): 76–85, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.10213
Unsharp masking based on the multiscale gradient planes
Authors: Okazaki Hidetoshi , Nakashizuka Makoto 
Published: December 2003

AbstractIn this paper, control of emphasis by the multiscale brightness gradient is introduced for unsharp masking. This provides an improved image emphasis method for realizing effective emphasis for any image with superposed Gaussian noise and low‐contrast images. Unsharp masking is a method of obtaining an enhanced image by applying a high‐pass filter to blurred images so that the obtained high‐pass components are superposed on the original image. However, unsharp masking has the deficiency that the noise is also enhanced due to its principle of operation when noise is superposed on the blurred image. In order to alleviate this problem, this paper proposes a characteristic quantity of image edges (edge information) using the amplitude shift between the scales of the multiscale brightness gradient, and applies it to the control of the emphasis of unsharp masking. The proposed edge information takes a positive value on the image edge and the amplitude is proportional to the smoothness and brightness difference of the edges. Since the proposed edge information takes a positive value at the smoothed edges regardless of the variance of the superposed Gaussian noise and the image contrast, it is possible to reduce the effect of noise in the emphasis result by controlling the image emphasis by discriminating positive or negative values. In the experiment, the proposed edge information is introduced into unsharp masking using a fuzzy rule and into third‐order unsharp masking. The effectiveness of the proposed edge information is confirmed by image emphasis. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 3, 87(4): 40–54, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjc.10113
Method of evaluation of fractal dimensions in terms of fractional integro‐differential equations
Authors: Koga Hiroyuki , Nakagawa Masahiro 
Published: December 2003

AbstractIn order to evaluate fractal dimensions based on the self‐affine characteristics of time series signals, a method of estimation of fractal dimensions by using fractional integro‐differential equations is proposed. The time series of fractional Brownian functions can be converted to uncorrelated random noise by fractional integro‐differentiation of an appropriate order. By comparing the correlation characteristics of the converted data and the reference data by the maximum likelihood estimation method, the fractal dimension can be evaluated from the minimum of the likelihood function. The estimation accuracy of the proposed method is improved by a factor of about 1.5 in comparison with the maximum likelihood estimation method in which the dimension of the reference data is varied. The standard deviation of the estimation results per reference datum is reduced by a factor of about 0.8. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 3, 87(4): 30–39, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjc.10136