Molecular-based ecological approaches for understanding migratory ecology of the freshwater eels(Sustainable Yield and Population Conservation for Marine Organisms from the Point of View of Genetic Resources,International Workshop in Faculty of Agricultural Science and Field Science Center in Tohoku University 2008)

Original Pape

Elastic deformation due to present-day mass change at GNSS measurements sites in East Antarctica

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Ordinary sessions: [OG] Polar Geosciences, Wed. 4 Dec. / 3F Seminar room, National Institute of Polar Researc

Design and Evaluation a Knowledge Management System by Using Mathematical Model of Knowledge Transfer

Abstract. Based on our experiences, we have proposed a mathematical model for knowledge transfer in order to make knowledge management mechanism or system take root in the organization and to obtain guidelines to make it work. We are developing a know-how sharing system designed based on the insight obtained from the proposed model. We derived and applied the two ideas as design guidelines based on the analysis using the proposed model: one is mutual reviewing to increase the sense of participation, and another is establishment of the criteria to evaluate the background information about the knowledge to be shared. In this paper, we explain the proposed mathematical model and the system design based on the model. And we describe the evaluation on the prototype system. It shows that the mathematical model could derive guidelines to make the KM system work well

Long-term observation of fibrillation cycle length in patients under angiotensin II receptor blocker therapy for chronic atrial fibrillation

AbstractIntroductionThe long-term effect of angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) on atrial fibrillation (AF) is unclear. In this study, we evaluated the change in the fibrillation cycle length (FCL) in patients under long-term ARB therapy for chronic AF.Methods and resultsThe study population consisted of 25 chronic AF patients who were prescribed the same medication for more than 6 years and in whom specific ECG recording for FCL evaluation could be performed before and after the 6-year observation period. The patients were divided into 2 groups: those with and without ARB (ARB group and non-ARB group and n=15 and 10, respectively). FCL was calculated by the spectral analysis of the fibrillation waves in the surface ECG. There was no significant difference in the clinical characteristics between the 2 groups. In the ARB group, the mean FCL was prolonged from 154±20ms to 187±37ms (p=0.005), whereas it remained unchanged in the non-ARB group (150±12ms vs. 149±10ms). In the comparison between patients with and those without FCL prolongation (>30ms; n=6 and 19, respectively), a significant difference was observed only in those prescribed ARBs.ConclusionIn cases of chronic AF, FCL might be prolonged under long-term ARB treatment

Systematic study of the SO(10) symmetry breaking vacua in the matrix model for type IIB superstrings

We study the properties of the space-time that emerges dynamically from the matrix model for type IIB superstrings in ten dimensions. We calculate the free energy and the extent of space-time using the Gaussian expansion method up to the third order. Unlike previous works, we study the SO(d) symmetric vacua with all possible values of d within the range $2 \le d \le 7$, and observe clear indication of plateaus in the parameter space of the Gaussian action, which is crucial for the results to be reliable. The obtained results indeed exhibit systematic dependence on d, which turns out to be surprisingly similar to what was observed recently in an analogous work on the six-dimensional version of the model. In particular, we find the following properties: i) the extent in the shrunken directions is given by a constant, which does not depend on d; ii) the ten-dimensional volume of the Euclidean space-time is given by a constant, which does not depend on d except for d = 2; iii) The free energy takes the minimum value at d = 3. Intuitive understanding of these results is given by using the low-energy effective theory and some Monte Carlo results.Comment: 33 pages, 10 figures; minor corrections, reference added. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1007.088

Combination of Real-Value Smell and Metaphor Expression Aids Yeast Detection

Background: Smell provides important information about the quality of food and drink. Most well-known for their expertise in wine tasting, sommeliers sniff out the aroma of wine and describe them using beautiful metaphors. In contrast, electronic noses, devices that mimic our olfactory recognition system, also detect smells using their sensors but describe them using electronic signals. These devices have been used to judge the freshness of food or detect the presence of pathogenic microorganisms. However, unlike information from gas chromatography, it is difficult to compare odour information collected by these devices because they are made for smelling specific smells and their data are relative intensities. Methodology: Here, we demonstrate the use of an absolute-value description method using known smell metaphors, and early detection of yeast using the method. Conclusions: This technique may help distinguishing microbial-contamination of food products earlier, or improvement o

Evaluation of the population structure of Anguilla bicolor bicolor using total number of vertebrae and the mtDNA control region

The population structure of Anguilla bicolor bicolor was evaluated using their total number of vertebrae and genetic analyses of the mtDNA control region. Based on the likely geographic population structure of this subspecies in the Indian Ocean, the data were combined into East (Madras, Sumatra Island and Australia) and West groups (South Africa, Madagascar, Reunion and Seychelles) according to their sampling localities. Significant differences were not found in the range and mean total number of vertebrae between the East (N=74) and West groups (N=47) in the Indian Ocean, which were 107 to 113 (108.29±1.26), and 106 to 113 (109.60±1.47), respectively. Furthermore, the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis for the mitochondrial control region using a total of 18 specimens from three localities showed no genetic differences between the East (N=14, Myanmar and Sumatra Island) and West groups (N=4, Madagascar) in the Indian Ocean. Morphological and genetic characters examined in the present study suggested no population structure for A. bicolor bicolor in the east and west side of the Indian Ocean, whereas they were ecologically assumed to be different populations. This contradiction suggested that these populations were in the beginning of speciation