Abstract: As the name of a given road is inputted, intersecting roads that share nodes such as an intersecting, merging, or branching point with the given road are designated. From the given road's nodes shared by the designated intersecting roads, the nearest node to the present position is displayed along with its peripheral map. A portion of the given road that is far from the present position is thereby prevented from being displayed along with its peripheral map. This can eliminate additional manipulation such as changing a reduction scale of the displayed map or repeatedly scrolling the displayed map till an objective point is being displayed. As a result, operationality can be enhanced in designating a point such as an objective point by using a name of a road.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for analyzing the behavior and states of molecules present in an interface region, and an apparatus for performing the method.

Abstract: Index data is provided for a retrieval method whose retrieval key does not contain positional information. From such index data, meshes are used to define an area (A1) based on the extent of a user's living area around a retrieval center (P) such as a current position, for example. A retrieval process extracts only index data corresponding to all institutions belonging to the meshes included in this area. The obtained index data is applicable to vicinities of the current position. Accordingly, it is possible to retrieve specific institutions near the current position without calculating distances using coordinate data for institutions included in detail information. As a result, the time for the retrieval process can be shortened.

Abstract: A method for screening a substance which can optimally bind to a receptor, by monomolecular fluorescent analysis, comprising a step of searching a substance which can bind to a receptor, and a step of performing optimization of a structure of the substance which can bind to the receptor obtained by the above step.

Abstract: A method for detecting binding of a nucleic acid and a nucleic acid binding protein by monomolecular fluorescent analysis.

Abstract: Index data is provided for a retrieval method whose retrieval key does not contain positional information. From such index data, meshes are used to define an area (A1) based on the extent of a user's living area around a retrieval center (P) such as a current position, for example. A retrieval process extracts only index data corresponding to all institutions belonging to the meshes included in this area. The obtained index data is applicable to vicinities of the current position. Accordingly, it is possible to retrieve specific institutions near the current position without calculating distances using coordinate data for institutions included in detail information. As a result, the time for the retrieval process can be shortened.

Abstract: As the name of a given road is inputted, intersecting roads that share nodes such as an intersecting, merging, or branching point with the given road are designated. From the given road's nodes shared by the designated intersecting roads, the nearest node to the present position is displayed along with its peripheral map. A portion of the given road that is far from the present position is thereby prevented from being displayed along with its peripheral map. This can eliminate additional manipulation such as changing a reduction scale of the displayed map or repeatedly scrolling the displayed map till an objective point is being displayed. As a result, operationality can be enhanced in designating a point such as an objective point by using a name of a road.

Abstract: A fluorescence analysis apparatus for analyzing behaviors of fluorescent molecules includes a laser light source, a sample stage that supports a substrate on which a sample including fluorescent molecules is placed, an optical system that converges a light beam from the laser light source on the sample, thus forming a confocal region, a scanning mechanism that moves the confocal region by scanning over the sample, an optical system that converges fluorescence from the sample, a photodetector that detects the converged fluorescence, and fluorescence intensity recording means for recording a change in fluorescence intensity of the fluorescence detected by the photodetector.

Abstract: A method of detecting presence/absence of binding capacity of a test substance, with respect to a protein, comprising, (1) having a protein, which has been labeled with a fluorescence material, exist in a solution, and (2) while successively measuring fluorescence intensity from the fluorescent material, reacting the test substance with the fluorescence-labeled protein described in (1) above and determining presence/absence of binding capacity of the test substance, with respect to the protein, on the basis of the successive change in fluorescence intensity.

Abstract: A differential update method for vehicular navigation apparatus, which can precisely update map data stored in a storage medium to up-to-date contents. When a provider of CD generates original map data for each year, the provider puts a permanent identification information (ID) for each graphic data in the CD. When the provider generates the CD for each year from the original map data, the provider generates administration information in which the ID of each graphic data and storage position of the ID in the CD are associated with each other. After that, the provider also prepares a differential data by comparing a 20XX version original map data with a 20XY version original map data, and administration information for year 20XX. The provider generates the update information for updating the 20XX version CD to the 20XY version based on the differential data and the administration information, so that which graphic data in the CD is updated and is how is the graphic data updated.

Abstract: A method for testing a substance interacting with a hormone receptor, which comprises (a) maintaining a hormone receptor protein labeled with a marker capable of emitting an optical signal and a test substance, under predetermined conditions where a natural ligand can be bound to the receptor protein and where the receptor protein bound the natural ligand causes a change in its state, thereby inducing a change in a detectable characteristic of the optical signal emitted from the marker, (b) detecting the optical signal emitted form the marker under the predetermined conditions, and (c) comparing the characteristic of the optical signal detected in the step (b) with that of the optical signal detected from the marker in the absence of the test substance, thereby determining whether or not the test substance is a substance interacting with the hormone receptor protein on the basis of the difference in both characteristics detected.

Abstract: Frozen instant cooking noodles having a cross-sectional void space percent of 40 to 80% which are capable of uniformly thawing by heat in a very short time to provide a fully cooked noodles having good texture for eating are produced by subjecting noodles to .alpha. conversion so as to control a yield of the noodles within the range of 200 to 280%, quickly cooling the .alpha. converted noodles in cold water at 0.degree. to 5.degree. C., arranging individual strings of the noodle at random to form a noodle lump and freezing the lump.