Abstract: The present invention provides with a therapeutic agent for arthritis, which contains a low-molecular-weight FoxM1 inhibitor, e.g., thiostrepton, as an active ingredient. FoxM1 is expressed in an osteoclast progenitor that occurs specifically in an inflamed synovium in arthritis, and is not involved in the function of an osteoclast that is present in the bone marrow in a normal person and is involved in normal bone metabolism. Therefore, arthritis can be prevented and/or treated without any adverse side effect by using a FozM1 inhibitor.

Abstract: Provided is a cast iron material from which excellent friction characteristics can be obtained. Provided is the cast iron material containing C and Fe as a composition, and further containing Cr as the composition in 1.0 to 3.5% in terms of mass %. The cast iron material is used in a sliding component sliding under an environment of lubricating oil to which an additive containing Mo as a constituent element, such as MoDTC, is added. Cr contained in the cast iron material promotes a decomposition reaction of the additive containing Mo added to the lubricating oil to form a film of molybdenum disulfide, the film having low friction. Thus, the fiction can be reduced.

Abstract: An apparatus for retrieving a structured document including a first specifying unit that specifies a plurality of object documents from a plurality of structured documents being accessible via a network, the object document being the structured document according to retrieval condition; a first extracting unit that extracts text included in the object document; a second extracting unit that extracts metadata appended to the object document, the metadata being first data concerning the text of the object document and second data indicating a link relation between the object document and the structured documents; and a first calculating unit that calculates importance of each of the object documents, based on the text and the metadata of each of the object documents.

Abstract: A memory sharing apparatus includes a server, a host and a client. The server includes a shared page which is an entity of a shared memory, a share setting page which is data in which an index value of each shared page is collected, and a grant table in which a page frame number of each share setting page and the index value are stored so as to correspond to each other. The host includes a database in which the index value in the grant table is managed. The client includes the shared page and a shared page area to which the shared page is mapped, and a share setting page area to which the share setting page is mapped.

Abstract: A semantic analysis apparatus includes a data obtaining unit that obtains data in which an item name and an item value belonging to the item name are represented in a predetermined data format; an item value extracting unit that extracts the item value from the data based on the data format; a concept storing unit that stores a concept which is a semantic notion to be attached to the item name and an instance which is specific data of the concept in association with each other; a concept specifying unit that specifies the concept, which is stored in the concept storing unit and which is associated with the instance which at least partially matches with a character string of the extracted item value, as the concept for the item name; and an associating unit that associates the concept with the item name.

Abstract: A service retrieval apparatus stores service data items, each including two words as input and output items and expression as condition, receives request data item including word as input item and expression as condition, acquires first word set which is set of words having meanings identical/similar to meaning of word as input item in request data item, retrieves group of service data items in each of which one word of first word set is included as input item, calculates condition similarity between meaning of expression in each one of group and meaning of expression in request data item, calculates priority of each one of group based on similarity between word as input item in each one of group and word as input item in request data item and condition similarity, and transmits list including priority and address of appliance which correspond to each one of group to first appliance.

Abstract: A service retrieval apparatus stores service data items, each including two words as input and output items and expression as condition, receives request data item including word as input item and expression as condition, acquires first word set which is set of words having meanings identical/similar to meaning of word as input item in request data item, retrieves group of service data items in each of which one word of first word set is included as input item, calculates condition similarity between meaning of expression in each one of group and meaning of expression in request data item, calculates priority of each one of group based on similarity between word as input item in each one of group and word as input item in request data item and condition similarity, and transmits list including priority and address of appliance which correspond to each one of group to first appliance.

Abstract: An instance selecting apparatus stores a plurality of instances each of which includes an item name and an item value. The item name denotes the name of an item, whereas the item value denotes the value of the item. When having received a meta information that includes an item name and an item value, the instance selecting apparatus calculates, for each of the instances, a relevance degree showing a relationship between the instance and the meta information, by applying a weighting coefficient to a level of similarity between the meta information and at least one of the item name and the item value of the instance. The instance selecting apparatus then selects one or more of the instances having a higher level of relevance with the meta information, based on the relevance degrees.

Abstract: An apparatus for retrieving a structured document including a first specifying unit that specifies a plurality of object documents from a plurality of structured documents being accessible via a network, the object document being the structured document according to retrieval condition; a first extracting unit that extracts text included in the object document; a second extracting unit that extracts metadata appended to the object document, the metadata being first data concerning the text of the object document and second data indicating a link relation between the object document and the structured documents; and a first calculating unit that calculates importance of each of the object documents, based on the text and the metadata of each of the object documents.

Abstract: A semantic analysis apparatus includes a data obtaining unit that obtains data in which an item name and an item value belonging to the item name are represented in a predetermined data format; an item value extracting unit that extracts the item value from the data based on the data format; a concept storing unit that stores a concept which is a semantic notion to be attached to the item name and an instance which is specific data of the concept in association with each other; a concept specifying unit that specifies the concept, which is stored in the concept storing unit and which is associated with the instance which at least partially matches with a character string of the extracted item value, as the concept for the item name; and an associating unit that associates the concept with the item name.

Abstract: A behavior control apparatus includes an external condition acquiring unit configured to acquire an external condition of a mobile robot; a goal generating unit configured to generate a goal to be achieved by executing a plan for multiple functions of the mobile robot, based on the external condition; a goal class generating unit configured to generate a goal class indicating whether the goal is a general goal to be achieved in the order of generation of the goal or a conditional goal to be achieved by an interruption as satisfying a preset executing condition; an executing order determining unit configured to determine an executing order of the plan based on the goal class; and a plan generating unit configured to generate the plan for achieving a goal sequence of the order of execution.

Abstract: An apparatus collects information stored in a host computer through a network. A correspondence acquirement unit acquires a correspondence between an information identifier of requested information and host identifiers of a plurality of host computers each of which stores the requested information. A first decision unit decides at least one host computer to retrieve the requested information by referring to the correspondence. A second decision unit decides a retrieval method used for each host computer decided by the first decision unit from a plurality of retrieval methods. A retrieval unit indicates retrieval of the requested information based on the retrieval method decided by the second decision unit and each host computer decided by the first decision unit.

Abstract: An object management apparatus for managing an object which executes a process includes an execution conditions holding unit that holds the process and corresponding execution condition indicating a first status of the object as a prerequisite for executing the process; an execution instruction acquisition unit that acquires an execution instruction indicating the process; a status information acquisition unit that acquires status information indicating a second status of the object from the object; and a status determining unit that determines whether the process indicated in the execution instruction can be executed by the object, based on the first status indicated in the execution condition corresponding to the process indicated in the execution instruction and the second status indicated the status information.

Abstract: A mobile agent mediates cooperation among schedulers by executing a cooperation protocol. For heuristics such as strategies and the order in which variables are decided, which are used as criteria of selecting the value of a variable from candidates, when the heuristics are to be built into a solving method of a constraint satisfaction problem, processes with regard to these heuristics are so substantially localized as to be capable of parallel execution. These processes capable of parallel execution, as autonomous operations of different mobile agents, can be under modeling in natural form, resulting in easy installation. This facilitates software construction for reflecting the heuristics in a solving method of a constraint satisfaction problem, as well as improves the maintainability and extendibility of software.

Abstract: A mobile agent mediates cooperation among schedulers by executing a cooperation protocol. For heuristics such as strategies and the order in which variables are decided, which are used as criteria of selecting the value of a variable from candidates, when the heuristics are to be built into a solving method of a constraint satisfaction problem, processes with regard to these heuristics are so substantially localized as to be capable of parallel execution. These processes capable of parallel execution, as autonomous operations of different mobile agents, can be under modeling in natural form, resulting in easy installation. This facilitates software construction for reflecting the heuristics in a solving method of a constraint satisfaction problem, as well as improves the maintainability and extendibility of software.

Abstract: A service search apparatus to register plural pieces of service information provided by programs accessed through a network and search for service, includes a service registration unit to store identification information and service information containing access destination information, thereby registering the service and update the stored service information and a registration description, a service search unit, upon receiving a service search request, to search for the services and provide a search result, a service determination processing unit to perform at least one of three types of processing of determining importance in response to a use state, determining weighting responsive to logical matching with specific ontology or property, and determining a field responsive to a service provider, and store a result, and a reflection information providing unit to provide reflection information to reflect the result or the service information for the service search unit or the service registration unit.

Abstract: An analysis unit receives a sample of request data sent from a browser to a Web application. The browser and the Web application communicate data using HTTP protocol. The Web application receives the request data using GET method or POST method. The analysis unit analyzes a rule of HTTP protocol based on the sample. The rule includes a number of the request data, a name of the request data, and a format of response data corresponding to the request data. A generation unit generates a protocol converter to connect a communication of a Web service with a communication of the Web application based on the rule.

Abstract: A service retrieval apparatus stores service data items, each including two words as input and output items and expression as condition, receives request data item including word as input item and expression as condition, acquires first word set which is set of words having meanings identical/similar to meaning of word as input item in request data item, retrieves group of service data items in each of which one word of first word set is included as input item, calculates condition similarity between meaning of expression in each one of group and meaning of expression in request data item, calculates priority of each one of group based on similarity between word as input item in each one of group and word as input item in request data item and condition similarity, and transmits list including priority and address of appliance which correspond to each one of group to first appliance.

Abstract: The result of the search from a temporary search section is given to a search condition item extracting section. The search condition item extracting section extracts registered information items for the retrieved Web service from a registry. The search condition item extracting section classifies the retrieved domains and checks the frequency of keywords, input and output items, and input and output restrictions. A condition item inquiry section transmits to the agent requesting the search the extracted information items in the form of a list of search condition items on the basis of such pieces of information as classification and frequency. As a result, the agent can make a re-search by specifying effective search keys and search values.

Abstract: A Web service coordination plan creating method according to this invention includes a first step of matching the predicate of the precondition with the predicate of the user data and matching the predicate of the post condition with the predicate of the user's request in respect to one application program. The method further includes a second step of matching the predicate of the precondition with a first predicate including the predicate of the user data unmatched in the first step and matching the predicate of the post condition with a second predicate including the predicate of the user's request unmatched in the first step in respect to other application programs excluding the one application program.