Abstract: Disclosed are an oil state monitoring method and an oil state monitoring device which monitor the state of degradation of oil used in machinery or equipment. In monitoring the oil state by the oil state monitoring method and by the oil state monitoring device, oil used in machinery or equipment is filtered when the degradation state of the aforementioned oil is to be monitored. By means of filtration, the oil content is removed from the filter which captured contaminants that were present in oil prior to filtration. Light is projected onto the filter from which oil was removed. The projected light detects the color components of the transmitted light which penetrated the aforementioned filter.

Abstract: There are provided surface-modified fine fibers that preserve the inherent physical properties of a matrix polymer, the surface of which is efficiently modified, that can be easily produced, and that are formed by an electrospinning method from a spinning material that is a resin composition including a fluorine-containing highly branched polymer (a) and a thermoplastic resin (b); a method for producing the fiber; and a method for modifying the surface of fine fibers.

Abstract: A method of quantifying a target non-peptidic compound having an amino group contained in one or more biological samples, which comprises a step of producing a difference in the mass of the target non-peptidic compound between samples, by using a combination of two or more kinds of stable isotopes of a compound represented by the formula (I): wherein R1, R2 and R3 are the same or different and each is hydrogen, halogen or alkyl, or a salt thereof, as a labeling compound; and a kit and the like usable for such method.

Abstract: Disclosed are an oil state monitoring method and an oil state monitoring device which monitor the state of degradation of oil used in machinery or equipment. In monitoring the oil state by the oil state monitoring method and by the oil state monitoring device, oil used in machinery or equipment is filtered when the degradation state of the aforementioned oil is to be monitored. By means of filtration, the oil content is removed from the filter which captured contaminants that were present in oil prior to filtration. Light is projected onto the filter from which oil was removed. The projected light detects the color components of the transmitted light which penetrated the aforementioned filter.

Abstract: The present invention provides a protein analysis method using a combination of two or more kinds of stable isotopes of a compound represented by the formula (I): wherein R1, R2 and R3 are the same or different and each is hydrogen, halogen or alkyl, or a salt thereof, as a labeling compound to produce a difference in the mass of the same kind of protein contained in each sample.

Abstract: The present invention provides an agent for the prophylaxis or treatment of retinopathy or AMD containing PRDX 5 or PRDX 6, as well as an agent for the prophylaxis or treatment of retinopathy or AMD containing a polynucleotide encoding PRDX 5 or PRDX 6. The present invention also provides a method for the prophylaxis or treatment of retinopathy or AMD in a patient suffering from the disease, which includes administering to the patient an effective amount of PRDX 5 or PRDX 6, or administering to the patient an effective amount of a polynucleotide encoding PRDX 5 or PRDX 6.

Abstract: The invention provides easy handling and low cost-support equipment for measuring optical nerve-activity which is less stressful for subjects or doctors and the like. The support equipment, which provides light stimulation for subject eyes with its main body 10 fixed to the subject-head region and measures the subject optical nerve-activity, comprises a thin walled-main body 10 with a plurality of optical fibers 11 joined in the width direction; light emission regions 13a, 13b at least one of which is positioned in the main body aligned to the subject eye-position(s) and composed of a plurality of light leak parts 11c formed in peripheral surfaces of the optical fibers 11; and a connector 12a for connecting with a light emission device 12 providing light for each of the plurality of optical fibers.

Abstract: The present invention provides a stent and tubular organ treatment device that can flexibly deform according to a curved portion of a tubular organ, contracts less in the longitudinal direction during insertion, and is easy to handle. A stent (1) is formed into a tubular form by arranging five tubular unit bodies in an axial direction and connecting them by a connecting filament (F). Each tubular unit is formed into a closed loop by cutting a metal wire to a predetermined length, bending it in a zigzag manner in a peripheral direction, and securely connecting both ends thereof. A tubular unit body (W) having two bent portions projected in the axial direction is connected to and rockably retained by a tubular unit body (U1). Similarly, a tubular unit body (V) is rockably retained by the tubular unit body (W), whereby the entire stent can easily deform into a curved shape.

Abstract: A magnetizing device for superconductor and a superconducting synchronous machine are provided capable of constituting more compact and simple equipment that uses a superconductor as a magnet. The magnetizing device for superconductor includes a superconductor (131); a coolant chamber (142) for cooling the superconductor (131) down to or below a critical temperature at which the transition to a superconducting state occurs; coils (111, 111?) for generating a magnetic field equal to or higher than a critical magnetic field in which the intrusion of a magnetic flux into the superconductor (131) starts, around the superconductor (131) cooled down to or below the critical temperature at which the transition to the superconducting state occurs; and position modification means capable of arranging the superconductor (131) on a disk (120) and modifying the relative positional relationship with the coils (111, 111?).

Abstract: An immunostimulatory oligonucleotide that is represented by the general formula 5?-Gm-GACGATCGTC-Gn-3? or 5?-Gm-CACGATCGTG-Gn-3? (in the formula, m and n are each independently an integer from 1 to 9 and m+n=10) and that comprises any of the following base sequences: GGACGATCGTCGGGGGGGGG (SEQ. ID. NO.: 1), GGGACGATCGTCGGGGGGGG (SEQ. ID. NO.: 2), GGGGACGATCGTCGGGGGGG (SEQ. ID. NO.: 3), GGGGGGGACGATCGTCGGGG (SEQ ID NO: 4), GGGGGGGGACGATCGTCGGG (SEQ. ID. NO.: 5), GGGGGGGGGACGATCGTCGG (SEQ. ID. NO.: 6), GGGGGGGGGGACGATCGTCG (SEQ. ID. NO.: 7), and GGGGGGGGGCACGATCGTGG (SEQ. ID. NO.: 8).

Abstract: [Problems] To enable convenient and accurate examination of Alzheimer's disease. [Means for Solving Problems] A reaction liquor, which is prepared by mixing an amyloid ? protein with a body fluid collected from a subject and a buffer solution is reacted. After the polymerization of the amyloid ? protein comes to equilibrium, the degree of the amyloid ? protein polymerization is examined. For example, the above-described reaction liquor is mixed with a fluorescent dye after the completion of the reaction and the degree of the color-development of the reaction liquor is detected to thereby examine the degree of the amyloid ? protein polymerization. The fluorescent dye as described above is thioflavin T or its derivative. The body fluid as described above is cerebral fluid, blood or a blood component.

Abstract: A character recognition apparatus has space storage to store Eigen spaces made from a plurality of rotated character images, loci storage to store loci drawn for projection points obtained by projecting the plurality of rotated character images in corresponding Eigen spaces; an input unit to input the recognition target images; a distance calculation unit to obtain distances between projection points obtained by projecting the recognition target images in Eigen space and respective loci for the plurality of character types, and a candidate selection unit to select candidates for images for recognition target characters from the plurality of character types based on the distance.