Construction of Argument Structure Analyzer Toward Searching Same Situations and Actions

本研究では類似した動作や状態を検索するための基礎技術として,動作表現の類似関係を付与する項構造付与システムを構築している.項構造とは動詞と名詞の係り関係まで含めて動作の共通部分を記述するもので,例えば「XがYを逮捕する」「Yを捕まえる」には概念を共通していることを示す.本研究ではすでに,4425語(7473語義)の動詞に対して動詞間の項構造関係をシソーラス形式で整理して公開している.そこでこのオントロジーを基に規則ベースの項構造付与システムの構築を行った.本報告では項構造付与に必要なサブタスクとして,慣用句同定,複合名詞内係関係同定,主動詞探索を取り上げ事例による語義決定法について述べる.また,現状での語義付与精度について簡単な評価実験を行う.This manuscript proposes an argument structure analyzer that can identify verb meanings and semantic roles of their arguments from not only for sentences but compound nouns. The motivation of development of this analyzer is we need a tool to find the same or quasi-same situations, actions and changes in events. For this purpose various levels of paraphrases should be identified taking into account context, however, the proposed analyzer focus on providing lexicon-based paraphrasable relations i.e., matching "employ/use/utilize these tools" and "employment of these tools''. In this paper we clarify how we construct the modules of the analyzer, i.e., identification of idioms, deverbal-noun-argument identification in compound nouns, identification of content verbs, and identification of predicate verb semantics and their semantic roles on the basis of example based matching. The base data of verb meanings we use is a Japanese Verb Thesaurus build in our previous work and freely distributed

Ellagic Acid Suppresses ApoB Secretion and Enhances ApoA-1 Secretion from Human Hepatoma Cells, HepG2

The effect of ellagic acid (EA), a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound, on the secretion of apolipoproteins from human hepatocytes, HepG2, was investigated. The levels of apoB and apoA-1 secreted in the cell culture medium were determined by sandwich ELISA. EA did not affect cell viability at the tested concentrations (up to 50 µM). EA suppressed the secretion of apoB and enhanced that of apoA-1 from HepG2 cells. However, cellular apoB levels were increased, suggesting that EA inhibited the trafficking of apoB during the process of secretion. In contrast, the increase in the cellular levels of apoA-1 was consistent with its secreted levels. These results indicate that EA inhibits the secretion of apoB from hepatocytes and increases the secretion of apoA-1. Both of these effects are beneficial for lipoprotein metabolism in the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases. The detailed mechanism underlying these effects of EA on lipoprotein metabolism should be elucidated in the future, but this naturally occurring polyphenolic compound might be antihyperlipidemic. Based on these results, EA is suggested as a candidate food-derived compound for the prevention of hyperlipidemia

Validation of Antiobesity Effects of Black Soybean Seed Coat Powder Suitable as a Food Material: Comparisons with Conventional Yellow Soybean Seed Coat Powder

In this study, we fed obese model mice black soybean seed coat powder (BSCP) and evaluated the antiobesity effects. As a control, normal yellow soybean seed coat powder (YSCP) was used. C57BL/6J, a high-fat diet-induced obesity model mouse, was fed a high-fat diet containing BSCP or YSCP (20% fat) to induce obesity. The results showed that in the BSCP group, it caused significant suppression of body weight gain and suppression of white adipose tissue weight compared with the YSCP group. Moreover, it significantly decreased serum leptin levels, which correlated with visceral fat mass, and increased antidiabetic adipocytokine and adiponectin levels. Therefore, this suggests the pigmented components contained in BSCP have an antiobesity effect in obese model mice. It is suggested that this material, which can be prepared without extraction with an organic solvent and is suitable for use as a food material, could be a functional food material with a practicable antiobesity effect

Erratum to: Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition) (Autophagy, 12, 1, 1-222, 10.1080/15548627.2015.1100356

non present

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field