Abstract: A method for inducing differentiation of ES cells into cardiomyocytes, which comprises contacting the ES cells with an agonist for G-CSF receptor.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for increasing the change in the fluorescent intensity as emitted from potential-sensitive fluorochromes depending on a potential or ionic strength change. Another object of the present invention is to measure the changes in the activity potentials of ES cell- or iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes that have heretofore been impossible to measure. The present inventors screened a variety of substances and found that vitamin E has an action for increasing the sensitivity of potential-sensitive fluorochromes whereas cholesterol has an action for enhancing the fluorescent intensity of potential-sensitive fluorochromes. In addition, it has become clear that these substances can be combined in such a way that the sensitivity of a potential-sensitive fluorochrome is increased by vitamin E while at the same time its absolute fluorescent intensity is enhanced by cholesterol.

Abstract: A heat sink is made of a material excellent in thermal conductivity and is mounted on a stem; a sub-mount substrate is made of a material excellent in insulation property and is mounted on the heat sink; a first lead frame made of a material excellent in electric conductivity and thermal conductivity and having a linear expansion coefficient similar to that of a semiconductor laser array, is mounted on the sub-mount substrate, having the semiconductor laser array mounted thereon, and composing a power feeding path of the semiconductor laser array; a second lead frame made of a material excellent in electric conductivity and thermal conductivity, is arranged on the sub-mount substrate side by side with the first lead frame, and composing the power feeding path of the semiconductor laser array; and a wire electrically bonds the semiconductor laser array and the second lead frame.

Abstract: The present invention relates to muscle repair promoters for topical application that contain a colony-stimulating factor (CSF) as an active ingredient. The muscle repair promoters of the present invention exhibit their effect at low doses, particularly when they are administered intramuscularly.

Abstract: The present invention has as its object developing a method that does not involve genomic modification and which yet is capable of inducing cell death in pluripotent stem cells such as embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, as well as in differentiated cells other than cardiomyocytes derived from pluripotent stem cells, but not in cardiomyocytes. It has been revealed that by establishing a method capable of inducing cell death in cells other than cardiomyocytes in a very efficient manner by adding a substance having no recognized inherent toxicity or cell death inducing action to the culture conditions for pluripotent stem cells and non-cardiomyocytes, the stated problem can be solved without relying upon genomic modification.

Abstract: Electronic device 1 comprises an element body 10, comprising a dielectric layer 2 constituted by a dielectric ceramic composition, and a terminal electrode 4, formed outside of the element body 10. The dielectric ceramic composition comprised a main component including barium titanate; a first subcomponent including at least one oxide of Mg and Ca; a second subcomponent including SiO2; a third subcomponent including at least one oxide of Mn and Cr; and a fourth subcomponent including an oxide of rare earth elements, wherein the net valence of Mn and/or Cr in the third subcomponent is 2.2 to 2.4. According to the electronic device 1, both high temperature accelerated lifetime characteristics and capacity stress aging characteristics can be improved in a balanced manner.

Abstract: A method for inducing differentiation of ES cells into cardiomyocytes, which comprises contacting the ES cells with an agonist for G-CSF receptor.

Abstract: A cosmetic skin preparation containing a porous powder which contains water absorbed therein and whose surface is coated with a binder containing a crosslinked type organopolysiloxane.

Abstract: A novel growing method is provided for pluripotent stem cells such as ES cells. The method of the invention is a pluripotent stem cell growing method and gene transfer method in which pluripotent stem cells are cultured under conditions that maintain their undifferentiated state and pluripotency, the method being characterized by using a liquid medium and a culturing vessel having immobilized or coated on a substrate solid phase surface a molecule which is adhesive to the pluripotent stem cells in a fixed concentration, to grow the pluripotent stem cells in a dispersed state while maintaining their undifferentiated state and pluripotency, without using feeder cells, or to transfer and express a gene therein.

Abstract: When a laser light source module includes a heat sink in which a solid laser element, an excitation light source, and a wavelength conversion element are arranged and a stem that supports the heat sink, wherein the heat sink is separated into three blocks, namely a first block including a laser oscillating unit for the solid laser element is arranged, a second block including a semiconductor laser element that emits excitation light for the laser oscillating unit and a first temperature sensor are arranged and on a specific surface of which the first heater is arranged, and a third block including the wavelength conversion element that converts the wavelength of the fundamental laser beam and a second temperature sensor are arranged and on a specific surface of which a second heater is arranged, enabling thus downsizing of the module and improvement of the positioning accuracy of the elements.

Abstract: To constitute an optical module in which a comb-shaped submount is fixed on a heat sink and a device having an optical functioning unit is mounted on the comb-shaped submount, a stress buffering block that relaxes a thermal stress acting between the heat sink and the comb-shaped submount is placed between the heat sink and the comb-shaped submount. With this configuration, a thermal stress acting between the comb-shaped submount and the device mounted thereon is relaxed, and as a result, long-term reliability of bonding parts between the comb-shaped submount and the device is enhanced.

Abstract: To constitute an optical module comprising a mount and a board that supports the mount, wherein a solid-state laser device that oscillates fundamental laser light, a pump light source that pumps the solid-state laser device, and a wavelength converting device that converts a wavelength of the fundamental laser light oscillated by the solid-state laser device are mounted on the mount, the mount is divided into three blocks, that is, a first block on which a laser medium is mounted, a second block on which the pump light source is mounted, and a third block on which the wavelength converting device is mounted. A side surface or a bottom surface of only the second block is fixed to the board, the first block is fixed to the other side surface of the second block, and the third block is fixed to a side surface of the first block.

Abstract: The inventors of the present invention have developed a novel cell culture method with a view to providing a process by which cell masses uniform in size and properties can be produced in large quantities and with convenience, as well as a method of recovering them. The inventors of the present invention found that the above-mentioned objects could be attained by using a structural member having a hollow portion at least one lower end of which is open, creating a projecting portion of a culture medium at the open lower end of the structural member, and culturing cells in that projecting portion of the culture medium. The present invention has been accomplished on the basis of this finding.

Abstract: In a laser light source device having an optical element and a plurality of heat sinks on which the optical element is joined directly or through a sub mount, and obtained by joining the heat sinks to each other by means of a joining material such that optical elements are optically directly joined to each other, the laser light source device includes a groove portion extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to an optical axis of light in the laser light source device on any one of a joining surface of the optical element or the sub mount to join with the heat sink and a joining surface of the heat sink to join with the optical element or the sub mount.

Abstract: A heat sink is made of a material excellent in thermal conductivity and is mounted on a stem; a sub-mount substrate is made of a material excellent in insulation property and is mounted on the heat sink; a first lead frame made of a material excellent in electric conductivity and thermal conductivity and having a linear expansion coefficient similar to that of a semiconductor laser array, is mounted on the sub-mount substrate, having the semiconductor laser array mounted thereon, and composing a power feeding path of the semiconductor laser array; a second lead frame made of a material excellent in electric conductivity and thermal conductivity, is arranged on the sub-mount substrate side by side with the first lead frame, and composing the power feeding path of the semiconductor laser array; and a wire electrically bonds the semiconductor laser array and the second lead frame.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to improve the post-transplantation engraftment rate of cardiomyocytes that have been purified to such an extent that they are free from non-cardiomyocytes and any components derived from other species. To solve this problem, the present inventors studied the possibility of constructing cell masses from the purified cardiomyocytes. As a result, they revealed that the stated problem could be solved by providing a method of preparing cell masses of cardiomyocytes derived from pluripotent stem cells, characterized in that cell masses of aggregated cells containing cardiomyocytes that had been differentiated and induced from pluripotent stem cells were dispersed to single cells to thereby obtain purified cardiomyocytes, which were then cultured in a culture medium under serum-free conditions so that they were reaggregated.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to analyze the function of anti-angiogenic factors in cardiac valves or such to elucidate the developmental mechanism of angiogenesis-induced diseases. A more specific objective is to provide therapeutic agents for angiogenesis-induced diseases such as valvular heart disease, and methods of efficiently screening for the therapeutic agents. The present inventors discovered that chondromodulin-I was markedly expressed in cardiac valves, and plays an important role in maintaining normal functions of the valves by preventing angiogenesis, thickening, and calcification which lead to valvular heart diseases. Chondromodulin-I proteins and substances that activate the expression or function of the proteins are expected to have therapeutic effects against angiogenesis-induced diseases.

Abstract: For a method of inducing differentiation of cardiomyocytes from stem cells, a method is provided to induce efficiently and selectively differentiation of cardiomyocytes by such a method in which the stem cells are cultured to induce differentiation into cardiomyocytes in the presence of a substance that inhibits BMP signaling.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to develop a method for purify cardiomyocytes at a high degree of purification and at a high yield from a cell mixture comprising cardiomyocytes derived from fetuses and stem cells using various features which have not been previously expected to be used for purification of cardiomyocytes or which are newly found, wherein said method is carried out without undergoing any genetic modification or without adding any special proteins or biologically active agents.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a tape heater including: at least one flexible fabric base formed from a heat-resistant thread, the at least one flexible fabric base including a first fabric base part and a second fabric base part; and a heater member, in which the heater member is interposed between the first fabric base part and the second fabric base pan. Since the heater member is interposed between the fabric base(s), the tape heater of the present invention exhibits superior flexibility and stretchability and is superior in easily being wrapped around a pipe, as well as reliably protecting the heater member. Further, tape heaters can be continually manufactured, so long as weaving or knitting of the fabric base(s) is caused to proceed while the heater member is interposed between the fabric base(s), to thus join the fabric base(s). Hence, enhancement of production efficiency and prevention of an increase in production cost can be attained.