Abstract: The process for producing highly concentrated nanometer-size fine particles of an organic pigment, which comprises dissolving the organic pigment in an amide solvent, especially an organic solvent comprising at least 50 vol % 1-methyl-2-pyrrodinone, and pouring the resultant organic pigment solution with stirring into a poor solvent which is not compatible with the organic pigment. The pigment may be a quinacridone pigment, phthalocyanine pigment etc. Any atmospheric pressure to a sub-critical and/or supercritical state can be employed as the production conditions.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an angle setting tool for setting the blade section of a hand scaler at a predetermined angle during sharpening of the scaler, and a hand scaler sharpening device which has a relatively simple structure, is easy to operate and do maintenance, and reduces complexity in the sharpening operation. This object is achieved by a hand scaler sharpening device including a sharpener main body having a grind stone (50) provided for reciprocating motion, and an angle setting tool (41) for setting the tip of a hand scaler at one of a plurality of predetermined angles on the grind stone (50), wherein the angle setting tool (41) has a plurality of inclined surfaces (42a, 43a, 44a) corresponding to the predetermined angles.

Abstract: The present invention relates to dental apparatus including a fluid reservoir having a connection part, and a fluid reservoir receptor section having a reception part. The connection part includes a cylindrical member, a shaft member slidably arranged through the cylindrical member, and having a channel, a fluid passage defined between the channel and the cylindrical member, and an air passage formed in the cylindrical member for taking external air in. The openings of the fluid and air passages are openable by sliding the shaft member. The reception part includes a passage, a valve in the opening of the passage for taking external air in, and a releaser member for sliding the shaft member to open the openings of the fluid and air passages when the fluid reservoir is installed on the fluid reservoir receptor section.

Abstract: The invention relates to a simple quantitative fluorescent assay method for determining the activity of transport proteins, more specifically multi-drug resistance associated proteins (MRPs). The method of the invention is performed on a well sealed culture of polarized cells expressing a transport protein of interest grown to confluency on a permeable support, said confluent cell culture forming well separated apical and basolateral compartments. The cells are contacted with a cell permeable non-fluorescent derivative of a fluorescent compound (e.g. calcein AM) in one compartment and, after a certain period of incubation, the fluorescence intensity detected in a sample taken from the opposite compartment is indicative of the activity of the transport protein of interest expressed in the cells.