Abstract: The RhoE GTPase pathway has been identified as a target for screening and treatment methods for the prevention and/or reduction of short- and long-term UVB-induced skin damage, e.g., the prevention and/or reduction of UVB-induced wrinkles. The invention thus features screening and treatment methods for prevention or reduction of UVB-induced skin damage, and related compositions, e.g., cosmetic compositions.

Abstract: To provide a parakeratosis inhibitor, pore reducing agent and skin roughness preventing/ameliorating agent that exhibit capabilities of parakeratosis inhibition, pore reduction, skin roughness prevention/amelioration, etc., and further provide a skin preparation for external use having these capabilities. There are provide a parakeratosis inhibitor and a pore reducing agent each comprising at least one compound selected from the group consisting of a glycine derivative, an aminodicarboxylic acid derivative, an acylaminodicarboxylic acid derivative, a pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid derivative, a piperidinecarboxylic acid derivative, a hexamethyleneiminecarboxylic acid, a beta-alanine derivative and salts of these derivatives.

Abstract: To provide a parakeratosis inhibitor, pore reducing agent and skin roughness preventing/ameliorating agent that exhibit capabilities of parakeratosis inhibition, pore reduction, skin roughness prevention/amelioration, etc., and further provide a skin preparation for external use having these capabilities. There are provided a parakeratosis inhibitor, a pore reducing agent and a skin roughness preventing/ameliorating agent each comprising at least one compound selected from the group consisting of specified glycine derivatives and salts thereof and specified aminosulfuric acid derivatives and salts thereof. Still further, there are provided skin preparations for external use comprising these compounds.

Abstract: To provide a parakeratosis inhibitor, pore reducing agent and skin roughness preventing/ameliorating agent that exhibit capabilities of parakeratosis inhibition, pore reduction, skin roughness prevention/amelioration, etc., and further provide a skin preparation for external use having these capabilities. There are provide a parakeratosis inhibitor and a pore reducing agent each comprising at least one compound selected from the group consisting of a glycine derivative, an aminodicarboxylic acid derivative, an acylaminodicarboxylic acid derivative, a pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid derivative, a piperidinecarboxylic acid derivative, a hexamethyleneiminecarboxylic acid, a beta-alanine derivative and salts of these derivatives.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods for enhancing expression of a redox-associated factor, wherein kaempferol, quercetin or glycosides thereof, or any combination thereof is used as an active ingredient, and methods for enhancing expression of a redox-associated factor wherein ginkgo leaf extract, Kaempferia galanga extract or any combination thereof is used as an active ingredient.

Abstract: The RhoE GTPase pathway has been identified as a target for screening and treatment methods for the prevention and/or reduction of short- and long-term UVB-induced skin damage, e.g., the prevention and/or reduction of UVB-induced wrinkles. The invention thus features screening and treatment methods for prevention or reduction of UVB-induced sin damage, and related compositions, e.g., cosmetic compositions.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a substance having an effect of shrinking pores by analyzing the mechanism of making pores perceptible and compositions such as a skin preparation for external use which exerts the above effect to thereby make pores imperceptible. As means for solving these problems, there are provided a parakeratosis inhibitor and a pore-shrinking agent comprising an antagonist to an excitatory cell receptor, for example, a glutamate receptor such as N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor or an ATP receptor such as P2X receptor, or an agonist to an inhibitory cell receptor such as a ?-aminobutyrate receptor such as bicuculline-sensitive receptor having the Cl-channel therein or glycine receptor, as well as a skin preparation for external use aiming at inhibiting parakeratosis and a skin preparation for external use aiming at shrinking pores each containing such an antagonist to an excitatory cell receptor or an agonist to an inhibitory cell receptor as described above.

Abstract: To provide a parakeratosis inhibitor, pore reducing agent and skin roughness preventing/ameliorating agent that exhibit capabilities of parakeratosis inhibition, pore reduction, skin roughness prevention/amelioration, etc., and further provide a skin preparation for external use having these capabilities. There are provide a parakeratosis inhibitor and a pore reducing agent each comprising at least one compound selected from the group consisting of a glycine derivative, an aminodicarboxylic acid derivative, an acylaminodicarboxylic acid derivative, a pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid derivative, a piperidinecarboxylic acid derivative, a hexamethyleneiminecarboxylic acid, a beta-alanine derivative and salts of these derivatives.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a substance having an effect of shrinking pores by analyzing the mechanism of making pores perceptible and compositions such as a skin preparation for external use which exerts the above effect to thereby make pores imperceptible. As means for solving these problems, there are provided a parakeratosis inhibitor and a pore-shrinking agent comprising an antagonist to an excitatory cell receptor, for example, a glutamate receptor such as N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor or an ATP receptor such as P2X receptor, or an agonist to an inhibitory cell receptor such as a ?-aminobutyrate receptor such as bicuculline-sensitive receptor having the Cl— channel therein or glycine receptor, as well as a skin preparation for external use aiming at inhibiting parakeratosis and a skin preparation for external use aiming at shrinking pores each containing such an antagonist to an excitatory cell receptor or an agonist to an inhibitory cell receptor as described above.

Abstract: To provide an external-use composition which exhibits excellent effect of improving decrease in turnover rate of the keratinous layer caused by aging; more specifically, retarding skin aging as well as preventing unfavorable skin conditions of various types such as spots, dull appearance, wrinkles, and skin-roughening.

Abstract: A crawler apparatus, or crawler unit, which replaces a vehicle's wheel is disclosed. The crawler includes a drive wheel, a pair of front driven wheels, a pair of rear driven wheels, pairs of intermediate driven wheels, and an endless belt. The belt is wound about the wheels and defines a triangular shape. The drive wheel rotates the belt to move the vehicle. Stopper units are provided at the front and rear sides of the crawler to restrict the forward and rearward pivoting of the crawler about its drive wheel. The drive wheel is supported by a main frame. A sub frame is pivotally supported by the main frame by way of rubber bushings. This structure enables the sub frame to be inclined in the lateral direction of the belt with respect to the main frame. A space is defined between the two wheels of each set of intermediate driven wheels, which are supported by the sub frame.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electronic information retrieval apparatus in the apparatus when a retrieval instruction is supplied to the electronic information retrieval apparatus, broad sort names are read from storage (8) and are displayed on a CRT display. Within the displayed sort names, a desired one is designated by a keyboard (1), so that detailed sort names corresponding to the designated sort name are read from the storage (8) and are displayed on the CRT display (2). When an object detailed sort name is displayed and selected by the keyboard (1), corresponding picture information is displayed on the CRT display (2). This allows the user to efficiently retrieve stored information.

Abstract: An image signal binarization system for documents containing a mixture of two level and multiple level tone areas, such as characters and photographs, would provide an improved output if the system could distinguish between the two areas and respond accordingly. The proposed system distinguishes between the two types of areas by examining the density of a target point in relation to the average density of the surrounding points. If the density of the target point falls within a predetermined range the area is determined to be a multi-tone section otherwise the area is determined to be a two-tone section. The binarization system upon determining a given section to be a two tone section forces the output to one or zero. For a multi-tone section the output is based upon the mean density.

Abstract: In an information registering and retrieving apparatus, primary information of image signals converted from an original document or documents is registered by adding secondary information to the primary information and any desired primary information is retrieved by utilizing the secondary information. The apparatus is provided with a first output reservation device for storing, in a storage device, desired secondary information designated in the entire secondary information retrieved on the basis of any given retrieval condition and for interrupting an output of the desired primary information corresponding to the designated secondary information on a display and by a printer. It is further provided with a second output reservation device for storing, in the storage device, desired primary information designated in the entire primary information corresponding to the retrieved secondary information and for interrupting an output of the desired primary information by the printer.

Abstract: An image signal binary encoder for converting analog image signals into binary output signals, including an arithmetic circuit which calculates, when a predetermined area of a matrix having m rows and n columns and containing mxn points P.sub.a, b (a=i,---, i-m+1; b=j,---, j-n+1) is given so as to be enclosed by the points P.sub.i, j, P.sub.i-m+1, j, P.sub.i, j-n+1 and P.sub.i-m+1, j-n+1 where characters i, j, m and n denote natural numbers, respectively, an average of densities of the mxn points P.sub.a, b by calculating, on the supposition that characters x.sub.a, b denote the densities of the mxn points P.sub.a, b, respectively, a sum s.sub.i, j of n values from x.sub.i, j to x.sub.i, j-n+1 by the equation: s.sub.i, j =s.sub.i, j-1 +x.sub.i, j -x.sub.i, j-n and calculting a sum S.sub.i, j of m values from s.sub.i, j to s.sub.i-m+1, j by the equation: S.sub. i, j =S.sub.i-1, j +s.sub.i, j -s.sub.i-m, j and calculating an average A.sub.i, j of mxn values from x.sub.i, j to x.sub.

Abstract: An image compressing device is described, which includes a circuit for dividing the binary signal into predetermined areas and for converting the binary signal into codes corresponding to predetermined patterns one for each predetermined area. It further includes a circuit for detecting a difference between the pattern corresponding to the code and the binary image signal, a multi-digit compressing circuit for compressing the code, and a binary compressing circuit for compressing the difference.

Abstract: In an information filing apparatus, a portion of an image read by a scanner is immediately displayed on a display screen, even though the display screen is smaller than the entire image to be read. When the display image corresponding to the image portion which has just been read by the scanner reaches a predetermined location of the display screen, the display image is scrolled in synchronism with an image reading operation of the scanner. The image portion which has just been read by the scanner is then displayed on the predetermined location of the display screen.

Abstract: An image signal binary encoder converts a document image photoelectrically into analog signals and then into digital image signals by an analog-to-digital converter. A small area is considered around each point of interest and the average density value of the area is compared with the density value of the point of interest. A choice is made between an ordinary binary conversion method and a dither method according to the result of this comparison.

Abstract: An apparatus for cataloging and retrieving image data is programmed to store not only image data obtained by scanning each original but also reduced image data obtained by thinning these image data and search data used for the convenience in search operations. In a search operation, a plurality of reduced image data may be displayed simultaneously or sequentially with corresponding search data. Image data may be stored in a compressed form so that an increased amount of data can be stored. The apparatus may be programmed such that stored reduced image data are sequentially displayed while a specified key is depressed and particular image data corresponding to the data displayed when the key is released are displayed.

Abstract: An apparatus for cataloging and retrieving image data is programmed to store not only image data obtained by scanning each original but also reduced image data obtained by thinning these image data and search data used for the convenience in search operations. In a search operation, a plurality of reduced image data may be displayed simultaneously or sequentially with corresponding search data. Image data may be stored in a compressed form so that an increased amount of data can be stored. The apparatus may be programmed such that stored reduced image data are sequentially displayed while a specified key is depressed and particular image data corresponding to the data displayed when the key is released are displayed.