Abstract: The improved Tm mapping method using imperfect-match linear long quenching probes can accurately distinguish among and identify microorganisms at least at the genus level and often at the species level even in a real-time PCR instrument having measurement errors of Tm values between PCR tubes within ±0.5° C. Therefore, the Tm mapping method can be performed in almost all real-time PCR instruments and can identify unspecified infection-causing pathogenic microorganisms in about 4 hours after sample collection.

Abstract: Provided is a bacterium number measuring system comprising a database storing known bacterial growth patterns in advance and an analyzing part. The analyzing part has first cultures containing a bacterial liquid that contains a measurement target bacteria and second cultures being different from the first cultures and containing the bacterial liquid and an antimicrobial drug. The analyzing part performs bacterium number measurement which measures the number of bacteria in the first cultures on a culturing part where culturing has started in the first and second cultures. The analyzing part compares the bacterium number measurement result with the growth curves stored in the database and thereby determines a timing to perform MIC measurement which measures the number of bacteria in the second cultures to determine a minimum inhibitory concentration of the measurement target bacterium. The analyzing part performs the MIC measurement at the thus-determined timing.

Abstract: A wiring board includes a rod-shaped shaft member including at one end a flange that has a larger diameter than any other portion, a heat-releasing plate including a first through-hole in which the shaft member is inserted, and a board including a second through-hole in which the shaft member is inserted. In the wiring board, a gap is formed at least in part between the heat-releasing plate and the board.

Abstract: A method for enabling rapid and accurate determination of the number of bacterial cells in a specimen using a PCR method includes the following steps: (1) a first PCR step of carrying out a PCR method using a nucleic acid derived from a specimen as a template and a universal primer pair for amplifying a bacterial 16S rRNA gene to obtain a first amplification product; (2) a second PCR step of carrying out a nested PCR method using a primer pair(s) for amplifying an internal sequence(s) of the sequence of the first amplification product obtained by the first PCR step to obtain a second amplification product; and (3) a bacterial number determination step of obtaining the number of bacterial cells in the specimen based on the amount of the second amplification product obtained in the second PCR step and using calibration data.

Abstract: The improved Tm mapping method using imperfect-match linear long quenching probes can accurately distinguish among and identify microorganisms at least at the genus level and often at the species level even in a real-time PCR instrument having measurement errors of Tm values between PCR tubes within ±0.5° C. Therefore, the Tm mapping method can be performed in almost all real-time PCR instruments and can identify unspecified infection-causing pathogenic microorganisms in about 4 hours after sample collection.

Abstract: A primer set useful for further improvement of sensitivity in detection or identification of bacterial species in a sample by a PCR method, a kit for PCR using the primer set and a method of detection or identification of bacterial species in a sample using the primer set. Sensitivity in detection or identification of bacterial species in a sample by conducting a PCR method using the primer set with a minimized contamination amount of bacterial nucleic acid is improved. The primer set includes at least one primer pair in seven primer pairs obtained by selecting one primer pair from each of Groups S1 to S7 consisting of specific primers. In addition, the kit for detection of bacterial species includes at least one primer pair in seven primer pairs obtained by selecting one primer pair from each of Groups K1 to K7 consisting of specific primers.

Abstract: A method of pretreating a blood sample for measuring ATP of a pathogenic microorganism in blood, comprising: preparing a pellet of platelets and the pathogenic microorganism from the blood sample; and subjecting the pellet of platelets and the pathogenic microorganism to the following steps (A) to (C) in any order (including multiple simultaneous steps). A method of pretreating a cultured blood sample, wherein the method is a simplified method, does not comprise the following step (A), and comprises the steps (B) and (C) only simultaneously performed. (A) digesting cell membrane proteins of the platelets with a protease; (B) swelling the platelets in a hypotonic solution; and (C) disrupting cell membranes of the platelets with a detergent solution under a condition of suppressing an effect on the pathogenic microorganism.

Abstract: A wiring board includes a rod-shaped shaft member including at one end a flange that has a larger diameter than any other portion, a heat-releasing plate including a first through-hole in which the shaft member is inserted, and a board including a second through-hole in which the shaft member is inserted. In the wiring board, a gap is formed at least in part between the heat-releasing plate and the board.

Abstract: A semiconductor device with small variations in high frequency characteristics by suppressing variations in impedance while maintaining high heat radiation is provided. The semiconductor device including a semiconductor package having two terminals, a wiring board having an opening at which the semiconductor package is positioned and having two electrodes connected to the two terminals and a heat sink fixing the semiconductor package in which a center of the semiconductor package is decentered with respect to a center of the opening is used. Also, the semiconductor device in which a center of the two electrodes is decentered from a center of the opening is used.

Abstract: When bacteria growth is determined in the related art using an ATP method, the bacteria growth is determined, based on an increase or a decrease in live bacteria ATP with the lapse of a culture time. Accordingly, it is necessary to measure the live bacteria ATP multiple times while antimicrobial susceptibility culture is carried out. It takes time and labor in sample preparation for each measurement, and it is difficult to quickly obtain an antimicrobial susceptibility result. Therefore, according to the present invention, the presence or absence of antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria is determined, based on an ATP luminescence amount derived from dead bacteria in a culture liquid.

Abstract: Disclosed is a thermostable DNA polymerase preparation which can illimitably reduce the risk of false positivity in the detection of a subject microorganism utilizing a gene amplification reaction and therefore enables the selective amplification of DNA for detecting the subject microorganism even when the amount of the subject microorganism is small and therefore the amount of DNA collected therefrom is extremely small, and can be produced at a reduced cost. Also disclosed is a method for quantifying or quantifying/identifying a subject organism to be detected rapidly, conveniently and with high sensitivity using the preparation of the present invention.

Abstract: A semiconductor device with small variations in high frequency characteristics by suppressing variations in impedance while maintaining high heat radiation is provided. The semiconductor device including a semiconductor package having two terminals, a wiring board having an opening at which the semiconductor package is positioned and having two electrodes connected to the two terminals and a heat sink fixing the semiconductor package in which a center of the semiconductor package is decentered with respect to a center of the opening is used. Also, the semiconductor device in which a center of the two electrodes is decentered from a center of the opening is used.

Abstract: A compressor swash plate includes a base member having a flat plate shape, and a coating layer formed on a surface of the base member and having projections formed in a linear shape, in which the following inequalities are satisfied when a plane part formed on a prism is pressed against the coating layer with a pressure of 30 MPa: 0.01?B?0.06 and 10?S?40, where B indicates widths (mm) of surfaces of the projections in contact with the plane part, and S indicates a percentage (%) of a total sum of an area Si of the contact surfaces (a gross area of the surfaces of the projections in contact with the plane part) relative to a reference area (an area of a part of the coating layer against which the plane part is pressed).

Abstract: A compressor swash plate includes a base member having a flat plate shape, and a coating layer formed on a surface of the base member and having projections formed in a linear shape, in which the following inequalities are satisfied when a plane part formed on a prism is pressed against the coating layer with a pressure of 30 MPa: 0.01?B?0.06 and 10?S?40, where B indicates widths (mm) of surfaces of the projections in contact with the plane part, and S indicates a percentage (%) of a total sum of an area Si of the contact surfaces (a gross area of the surfaces of the projections in contact with the plane part) relative to a reference area (an area of a part of the coating layer against which the plane part is pressed).

Abstract: Disclosed is a thermostable DNA polymerase preparation which can illimitably reduce the risk of false positivity in the detection of a subject microorganism utilizing a gene amplification reaction and therefore enables the selective amplification of DNA for detecting the subject microorganism even when the amount of the subject microorganism is small and therefore the amount of DNA collected therefrom is extremely small, and can be produced at a reduced cost. Also disclosed is a method for quantifying or quantifying/identifying a subject organism to be detected rapidly, conveniently and with high sensitivity using the preparation of the present invention.

Abstract: When bacteria growth is determined in the related art using an ATP method, the bacteria growth is determined, based on an increase or a decrease in live bacteria ATP with the lapse of a culture time. Accordingly, it is necessary to measure the live bacteria ATP multiple times while antimicrobial susceptibility culture is carried out. It takes time and labor in sample preparation for each measurement, and it is difficult to quickly obtain an antimicrobial susceptibility result. Therefore, according to the present invention, the presence or absence of antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria is determined, based on an ATP luminescence amount derived from dead bacteria in a culture liquid.

Abstract: Disclosed is a thermostable DNA polymerase preparation which can illimitably reduce the risk of false positivity in the detection of a subject microorganism utilizing a gene amplification reaction and therefore enables the selective amplification of DNA for detecting the subject microorganism even when the amount of the subject microorganism is small and therefore the amount of DNA collected therefrom is extremely small, and can be produced at a reduced cost. Also disclosed is a method for quantifying or quantifying/identifying a subject organism to be detected rapidly, conveniently and with high sensitivity using the preparation of the present invention.

Abstract: A primer set useful for further improvement of sensitivity in detection or identification of bacterial species in a sample by a PCR method, a kit for PCR using the primer set and a method of detection or identification of bacterial species in a sample using the primer set. Sensitivity in detection or identification of bacterial species in a sample by conducting a PCR method using the primer set with a minimized contamination amount of bacterial nucleic acid is improved. The primer set includes at least one primer pair in seven primer pairs obtained by selecting one primer pair from each of Groups S1 to S7 consisting of specific primers. In addition, the kit for detection of bacterial species includes at least one primer pair in seven primer pairs obtained by selecting one primer pair from each of Groups K1 to K7 consisting of specific primers.

Abstract: Disclosed is a thermostable DNA polymerase preparation which can illimitably reduce the risk of false positivity in the detection of a subject microorganism utilizing a gene amplification reaction and therefore enables the selective amplification of DNA for detecting the subject microorganism even when the amount of the subject microorganism is small and therefore the amount of DNA collected therefrom is extremely small, and can be produced at a reduced cost. Also disclosed is a method for quantifying or quantifying/identifying a subject organism to be detected rapidly, conveniently and with high sensitivity using the preparation of the present invention.

Abstract: A wiring board includes an insulating resin layer, wirings, and a via-hole conductor. The wirings are disposed through the insulating resin layer therebetween and formed of copper foils. The via-hole conductor penetrates through the insulating resin layer and electrically connects the wirings together. The via-hole conductor includes a resin portion and a metal portion containing copper, tin, and bismuth. The metal portion includes a first metal region including a link of copper particles, a second metal region including, as a main component, at least one of tin, a tin-copper alloy, and a tin-copper intermetallic compound, and a third metal region including bismuth as a main component. The copper particles partially include a plane-to-plane contact with a roughened surface of the copper foil, and the second metal region is partially formed on a surface of the link and on the roughened surface of the copper foil.