Optimization of the Gaussian and Jeffreys Power Priors With Emphasis on the Canonical Parameters in the Exponential Family

Behaviormetrika - Optimal powers of the Gaussian and Jeffreys priors are obtained so that they minimize the asymptotic mean square error of the linear predictor and the sum of the asymptotic mean...     

Flavor production from edible oils and their constituents by Penicillium corylophilum

Production of volatile substances from edible oils and their constituents by Penicillium corylophilum was studied to clarify the mechanism of flavor production from a non-stick oil by the organism in a rice cake system. First, edible oils from plant and animal origins were tested for flavor production. Among the oils tested, coconut oil was the only one from which the flavor was produced. Second, triacylglycerols consisting of fatty acids with various lengths of carbon chain (C6 to C13) were studied for flavor production. Among the triacylglycerols tested, flavors were produced from those consisting of fatty acids with carbon chains of C6 to C11. The flavors consisted of methylketones and secondary alcohols, whose carbon chains were one carbon shorter than the precursor fatty acid molecules of the triacylglycerols. Flavors similar to that from the non-stick oil were produced from tricaprylin (C8), trinonanoin (C9), and tridecanoin (C10) among the triacylglycerols tested. Formation of mould spores was more strongly suppressed by triacylglycerols with shorter chain fatty acids. Third, fatty acids with various lengths of carbon chain (C7 to C15) were studied for flavor production. Among the fatty acids tested, flavors were produced from decanoic (C10) and undecanoic (C11) acids only. The flavors also consisted of methylketones and secondary alcohols one carbon shorter than the precursor fatty acids. Fatty acids with short carbon chains (C7 to C9) completely inhibited the mould growth. Our study showed that the range of carbon chain length of fatty acids capable of the flavor production (C10 to C11) was narrower than that of triacylglycerols (C6 to C11). It was also found that the non-stick oil and coconut oil contain tricaprylin and tridecanoin as triacylglycerols and decanoic acid as fatty acid.     

An Improved 6-μm Green Sheet for a High-Capacitance Multilayered Ceramic Capacitor

Binder systems for 6-m green sheets to be used for high-capacitance multilayered ceramic capacitors (MLCs) have been examined. Green sheets with a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) binder consisting of only a single molecular weight (52,000) are unsuitable for such MLCs because extreme deformation occurs during the shaping of green MLC blocks. Thus PVB binder systems with a wide distribution of molecular weight (made by combining PVB with molecular weights 19,000, 52,000, and 110,000) have been investigated and 2.2 F MLCs successfully fabricated. In preparing the slurries, 52,000 and 110,000 molecular weight PVBs were also compared as dispersants. In the final slurries investigated, those with the lower molecular weight (52,000) PVB as a dispersant had a better stability.     

Design of general user interface for automatic service composition

Automatic web service composition provides new value-added services dynamically to compose existing services. Paik proposed logical and physical web service composition and ontologies for this. A useful composer needs well-defined web interface for general users. A general user interface is designed and implemented in this paper. The user interface generates some HTML form based on the ontology and additional HTN ontology.     

A Neural Chaos Model of Multistable Perception

We present a perception model of ambiguous patterns based on the chaotic neural network and investigate the characteristics through computer simulations. The results induced by the chaotic activity are similar to those of psychophysical experiments and it is difficult for the stochastic activity to reproduce them in the same simple framework. Our demonstration suggests functional usefulness of the chaotic activity in perceptual systems even at higher cognitive levels. The perceptual alternation may be an inherent feature built in the chaotic neuron assembly.     

Coherent Response in a Chaotic Neural Network

We set up a signal-driven scheme of the chaotic neural network with the coupling constants corresponding to certain information, and investigate the stochastic resonance-like effects under its deterministic dynamics, comparing with the conventional case of Hopfield network with stochastic noise. It is shown that the chaotic neural network can enhance weak subthreshold signals and have higher coherence abilities between stimulus and response than those attained by the conventional stochastic model.     

Pd-SiO2复合膜的氢气选择渗透特性

Palladium membranes were prepared on an a-alumina support by metal-organic compound chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method from palladium(Ⅲ) acetate precursor. Permeation properties of hydrogen and helium gas were studied as a function of the number of times of deposition of palladium on the peeling off phenomenon of palladium, which is common in electroless plated membrane, was observed. Silica was introduced into the pores to prevent the palladium grain from peeling off. The palladium-silica conjugated membrane does not show the peeling off phenomenon and can withstand the high temperature up to 800℃ which is the upper limit of our apparatus.The separation factor for hydrogen gas over carbon dioxide gas was improved with the increase of number of times of silica coating by sacrificing the H2 permeation and finally increased to four times. The improvement on the separation of hydrogen gas over carbon dioxide for pulladium-silica conjugated membrane was evaluated and a model of permeation pattern (palladium and silica) was proposed. This model suggests that the separation factor for hydrogen over carbon dioxide could be improved by introducing silica layer because the silica layer fills the pores and reduces the gas permeation without sacrificing the hydrogen permeation through the palladium region. These results indicate that the introduction of silica into the palladium grain is a promising means to improve the hydrogen separation performance of palladium based composite membranes.     

Solution conformation of endothelin determined by means of 1H-NMR spectroscopy and distance geometry calculations

The structure of endothelin-1 (ET-1), an endothelial cell-derivedpeptide with vasoconstricting activity, was determined in anaqueous solution by means of a combination of NMR and distancegeometry calculations. The resulting structure is characterizedby an -helical conformation in the sequence region, Lys9-Cys15.Furthermore, an extended structure and a turn structure existin the Cys1-Ser4 and Ser5-Asp8 regions respectively, and nopreferred conformation was found for the C-terminal part ofthe peptide which was not uniquely constrained by the NMR data.These structural elements, the -helical structure in the sequenceportion, Cys-X-X-X-Cys, and the extended structure in Cys-X-Cys,are homologous to those found commonly in several neurotoxicpeptides.     

Perfluorinated contaminants in sediments and aquatic organisms collected from shallow water and tidal flat areas of the Ariake Sea, Japan: environmental fate of perfluorooctane sulfonate in aquatic ecosystems

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorononanoate (PFNA), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHS), and perfluorooctane sulfonamide (PFOSA) are widely distributed in aquatic ecosystems. Despite studies reporting the occurrence of PFCs in aquatic organisms, the fate of PFCs in tidal flat and marine coastal ecosystems is not known. In this study, we determined concentrations of PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, PFHS, and PFOSA in sediments; benthic organisms, including lugworm, mussel, crab, clam, oyster, and mudskipper fish from tidal flat; and shallow water species, such as filefish, bream, flounder, shark, finless porpoise, gull, and mallard collected from the Ariake Sea, Japan. PFOS and PFOA were detected in most of the samples analyzed, followed by PFNA, PFOSA, and PFHS. In shallow water species, PFOS was the dominant contaminant, and elevated concentrations were found in higher trophic level species, such as marine mammals and omnivorous birds. These results suggest biomagnification of PFOS through the coastal food chain. In contrast, PFOA was the most abundant compound in tidal flat organisms and sediments. PFOA concentrations in sediments, lugworms, and omnivorous mudskippers in tidal flat were approximately 1 order of magnitude greater than the levels of PFOS. This indicates differences in exposure pattern and bioavailability of PFOS and PFOA between shallow water and tidal flat organisms. The accumulation profiles of PFCs were compared with those of organochlorines (polychlorinated biphenyls, PCB), organotin (tributyltin,TBT), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in tidal flat and shallow water samples collected from the Ariake Sea. Concentrations of PFCs in sediments and in tidal flat organisms were significantly lower than that found for PCBs, TBT, and PAHs. Nevertheless, PFOS concentrations in shallow water species were comparable to and/or significantly greater than those of other classes of contaminants. This implies that the aqueous phase is a major sink for PFCs, which is different from what was observed for nonpolar organic pollutants.     

Thrombin Receptor-Activating Protein (TRAP)-Activated Akt Is Involved in the Release of Phosphorylated-HSP27 (HSPB1) from Platelets in DM Patients

It is generally known that heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is phosphorylated through p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. We have previously reported that HSP27 is released from human platelets associated with collagen-induced phosphorylation. In the present study, we conducted an investigation into the effect of thrombin receptor-activating protein (TRAP) on the release of HSP27 in platelets in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. The phosphorylated-HSP27 levels induced by TRAP were directly proportional to the aggregation of platelets. The levels of phosphorylated-HSP27 (Ser-78) were correlated with the levels of phosphorylated-p38 MAP kinase and phosphorylated-Akt in the platelets stimulated by 10 µM TRAP but not with those of phosphorylated-p44/p42 MAP kinase. The levels of HSP27 released from the TRAP (10 µM)-stimulated platelets were correlated with the levels of phosphorylated-HSP27 in the platelets. The released platelet-derived growth factor-AB (PDGF-AB) levels were in parallel with the HSP27 levels released from the platelets stimulated by 10 µM TRAP. Although the area under the curve (AUC) of small aggregates (9–25 µm) induced by 10 µM TRAP showed no significant correlation with the released HSP27 levels, AUC of medium aggregates (25–50 µm), large aggregates (50–70 µm) and light transmittance were significantly correlated with the released HSP27 levels. TRAP-induced phosphorylation of HSP27 was truly suppressed by deguelin, an inhibitor of Akt, in the platelets from a healthy subject. These results strongly suggest that TRAP-induced activation of Akt in addition to p38 MAP kinase positively regulates the release of phosphorylated-HSP27 from human platelets, which is closely related to the platelet hyper-aggregation in type 2 DM patients.