Discovering Emerging Topics from WWW

Discovering emerging topics from WWW has been attracting attention of business professionals, especially marketing researchers. For this purpose, WWW can be a valuable source of information because it reflects the dynamics of human society. In this paper we aim at revealing the structure of WWW by using KeyGraph, a visualization method of hidden structure behind data, for understanding emerging topics.     

Chance discoveries for making decisions in complex real world

Chance discovery is to become aware of a chance and to explain its significance, especially if the chance is rare and its significance is unnoticed. This direction matches with various real requirements in human life. This paper presents the significance, viewpoints, theories, methods, and future work of chance discovery. Three keys for the progress are extracted from fundamental discussions on how to realize chance discovery: (1) communication, (2) imagination, and (3) data mining. As an approach to chance discovery, visualized data mining methods are formalized as tools aiding chance discoveries on the basis of these keys. Yukio Ohsawa, Ph.D.: He received Bechelor of Engineering (1990) from Faculty of Engineering, Master of Engineering (1992) and Ph.D. (1995) from Graduate School of Engineering, respectively of The University of Tokyo. In the doctoral course he began artificial intelligence research, especially of abductive inference. He was a research associate (1995–1999) in Osaka University on studies of text mining and related issues, and moved to the current position, associate professor in the University of Tsukuba in 1999. From 2001, he is also a researcher of TRESTO (changed to PRESTO) in Japan Science and Technology Corporation. He received best paper awards in two Annual Conferences of Japasese Society of AI (1994 and 1998), and a Journal Paper Award from JSAI in 1998. His social activities are committees of conferences e.g., International Conference of Multi-Agent Systems (ICMAS) since 1998 and Discovery Science (DS) since 2001, program chair of MultiAgent and Cooporative Computations (MACC, in Japan) in 1999, and committes of meetings including ones on Chance Discovery.     

Role of intracellular calcium in modification of mu and delta opioid receptor-mediated antinociception by diabetes in mice

We examined the effects of calcium modulators on mu and delta opioid receptor agonist-induced antinociception in both diabetic and nondiabetic mice. In nondiabetic mice, intracerebroventricular (i.c. v.) pretreatment with calcium and thapsigargin, which increase intracellular calcium, reduced [D-Ala2,N-MePhe4,Gly-ol5]-enkephalin (DAMGO)-induced antinociception by shifting its dose-response curve to the right. However, in diabetic mice i.c.v. pretreatment with calcium and thapsigargin did not affect DAMGO-induced antinociception. In contrast i.c.v. administration of agents that decrease intracellular calcium, such as EGTA and ryanodine, enhanced DAMGO-induced antinociception in both diabetic and nondiabetic mice. In contrast with DAMGO i.c.v. pretreatment with calcium and thapsigargin enhanced (-)-TAN67-induced antinociception in nondiabetic mice by shifting its dose-response curve to the left. However, (-)-TAN67-induced antinociception in diabetic mice was not affected by pretreatment with calcium or thapsigargin. Moreover i.c. v. pretreatment with EGTA, but not with ryanodine, reduced (-)-TAN67-induced antinociception in nondiabetic mice. In diabetic mice i.c.v. pretreatment with both EGTA and ryanodine reduced (-)-TAN67-induced antinociception. These results suggest that cytosolic calcium has different effects on mu and delta opioid receptor agonist-induced antinociception. Further, these results suggest that the modification of mu and delta opioid receptor agonist-induced antinociception by diabetes in mice may be due to increased levels of intracellular calcium.     

The separation of reflected and transparent layers from real-world image sequence

This paper presents an optimal method for the separation of reflected and transparent layers from real-world scene images. Whereas past research has been applied to indoor environments and static cameras, our technique can be used for outdoor scenes and motion cameras. The method is based on spatio-temporal analysis, especially using epipolar plane images (EPI). The edge and color information of EPI has been used to segment the areas on EPIs efficiently and separate the reflected and transparent layers. This method can be used for refining building textures by removing reflections from captured images for the purpose of city modeling.     

An experimental evaluation of spatial distribution for deeply penetrating protons in carbon material

The peak profile of the 4.8-MeV resonance by the ¹²C(p,p)¹²C reaction in backscattering geometry has been analyzed to examine two kinds of stragglings of proton, i.e. the depth straggling in the incoming path and the energy loss straggling in the outgoing path. The analysis, which is combined with existing theoretical treatments for the stopping process and the energy loss straggling, has made it possible to deduce the penetration depth and its spread at the resonance position in carbon materials. The present method, as a new tool for direct inspection of ion beams inside target material, is explained in detail.     

Effects of sea surface temperature accuracy on offshore wind resource assessment using a mesoscale model

Offshore wind simulations were performed with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model driven by three different sea surface temperature (SST) datasets for Japanese coastal waters to investigate the effect of the SST accuracies on offshore wind simulations. First, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Final analysis (FNL) (1° × 1° grid resolution) and the Operational Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Ice Analysis (OSTIA) (0.05° × 0.05° grid resolution) datasets were compared with in situ measurements. The results show a decrease in accuracy of these datasets toward the coast from the open ocean. Aiming at an improved accuracy of SST data, we developed a new high‐resolution SST dataset (0.02° × 0.02° grid resolution). The new dataset referred to as MOSST is based on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) product, provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). MOSST was confirmed to be more accurate than FNL and OSTIA for the coastal waters. Then, WRF simulations were carried out for 1 year with a 2 km grid resolution and by using the FNL, OSTIA and MOSST datasets. The use of the OSTIA dataset for a WRF simulation was found to improve the accuracy when compared with the FNL dataset, and further improvement was obtained when the MOSST dataset was applied. The sensitivity of wind speed and wind energy density to SST is also discussed. We conclude that the use of an accurate SST is a key factor not only for realistic offshore wind simulations near the surface but also for accurate wind resource assessments at the hub height of wind turbines. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Collateral occurrence of deimination of keratins with differentiation of an immortalized newborn rat keratinocyte cell line cultured at air-liquid interface

Familial male-limited precocious puberty (FMPP) is a form of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH)-independent isosexual precocious puberty caused by gain-of-function mutations of the luteinizing hormone/chorionic gonadotropin receptor (hLHR). The most common mutation is 1733 A>G, which causes substitution of Asp-578 by Gly. In this study, a male infant presented at the age of 20 months with accelerated sexual development was analyzed for the presence of activating mutations of the hLHR. Analysis of exon 11 of the hLHR gene by genomic polymerase chain reaction (PCR), asymmetric PCR, and dideoxy sequencing identified a single base substitution, 1734 T>A, which led to the replacement of Asp-578 by Glu. The same mutation was found in the mother. Expression of the mutated hLHR in HEK 293 cells demonstrated elevated basal levels of intracellular cAMP in the transfected cells confirming the constitutive activating nature of the mutated hLHR. A possible genotype-phenotype relationship of the hLHR mutations was examined by a comparison of the in vitro activities of the hLHRs carrying the Asp578Gly, Asp578Tyr, Asp578Trp, and Asp578Glu mutations in HEK 293 cells. A positive correlation between the size of the substituting amino acid and the basal level of intracellular cAMP of cells expressing the mutated receptor was demonstrated.     

The effect of a secreted form of beta-amyloid-precursor protein on intracellular Ca2+ increase in rat cultured hippocampal neurones

1. The effects of secreted forms of beta-amyloid-precursor proteins (APP(S)s) on the intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) were investigated in rat cultured hippocampal neurones. APP695S, a secretory form of APP695, attenuated the increase in [Ca2+]i evoked by glutamate. In addition, APP695S itself evoked an increase in [Ca2+]i in 1 or 2 day-cultured hippocampal cells, but not in 7 to 13 day-cultured cells. 2. Eighty-one percent of neurones which were immunocytochemically positive for microtubule-associated protein 2 responded to APP695S with an increase in [Ca2+]i. 3. APP695S induced a transient rise in [Ca2+]i even in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ and produced an elevation in inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) in a concentration-dependent manner from 100 to 500 ng ml(-1). In the presence of extracellular Ca2+, APP695S caused a transient rise in [Ca2+]i followed by a sustained phase at high [Ca2+]i, suggesting Ca2+ entry from the extracellular space. 4. The [Ca2+]i elevation was mimicked by amino terminal peptides of APPs, but not by carboxy terminal peptides. 5. These results taken together suggest that APP695S induces an increase in [Ca2+]i in hippocampal neurones through an IP3-dependent mechanism that changes according to the stage of development.     

Site-specific localization of Epstein-Barr virus in pharyngeal carcinomas

Electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry has been used to characterize heterotetrameric corynebacterial sarcosine oxidase. By using a conventional quadrupole mass spectrometer, no spectra for the intact complex could be obtained (i.e., electrospraying protein at neutral pH), but spectra showing the four protein subunits were obtained when electrospraying from acidic solution. Initial low resolution ESI-FTICR mass spectra of the intact heterotetramer revealed a typical narrow charge state distribution in the range 6000 < m/z < 9000, consistent with retention of a compact structure in the gas phase, and gave a mass measurement about 1000 u higher than predicted. Efficient in-trap clean up, based upon low energy collisionally induced dissociation of adducts, allowed significant improvement in mass measurement accuracy. The present results represent the largest heteromultimeric protein complex successfully analyzed using FTICR mass spectrometry, and clearly illustrate the importance of sample clean up methods for large molecule characterization.