Abstract: Under a known pressure is externally applied to a reference member to which an optical fiber is fixed, test light is allowed to enter the optical fiber, and at least one of a reference Brillouin measurement for determining a reference Brillouin frequency shift amount based on the Brillouin scattering phenomenon, and a reference Rayleigh measurement for determining a reference Rayleigh frequency shift amount based on the Rayleigh scattering phenomenon is performed. A Brillouin measurement coefficient or a Rayleigh measurement coefficient is determined from these calculation results. An optical fiber is fixed to a sample member, the volumetric change of which is unknown, and the same sample Brillouin measurement or sample Rayleigh measurement is performed to determine the frequency shift amount. The volumetric change of the sample member is determined from the sample Brillouin or the sample Rayleigh frequency shift amount, and from the Brillouin or the Rayleigh measurement coefficient.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of producing a fatty acid alkyl ester and/or glycerin by bringing an oil and an alcohol into contact with each other, the method including: reacting the oil and alcohol with each other; performing solid-liquid separation for removing a solid sterol from a reaction liquid obtained in the step of reacting; and performing phase separation for separating the reaction liquid into a hydrophobic phase and a hydrophilic phase after the reaction liquid is subjected to the step of performing the solid-liquid separation, the hydrophobic phase containing the fatty acid alkyl ester, and the hydrophilic phase containing glycerin. Thereby, the present invention provides a method allowing stable continuous operation for a long time period for production of a fatty acid alkyl ester and/or glycerin.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of inducing expression of a promoter function of various genes in a Coryneform bacterium related to function exertion, in order to exert the function of a Coryneform bacterium highly and effectively under an anaerobic condition, for producing an organic compound useful under an anaerobic condition, more particularly, provides a method of enhancing and/or suppressing the promoter function related to various genes, for the purpose of highly and effectively expressing various protein genes necessary for production of an objective substance, and suppressing expression of an unnecessary protein gene. The DNA fragment of the present invention is useful as a primer which is introduced into a transformed Coryneform bacterium producing a useful substance such as lactic acid and succinic acid highly and at a high efficiency.