Abstract: A mold device includes a primary mold and a secondary mold. The primary mold includes a cavity mold and a primary core mold. The primary mold is configured to inject a first resin material into a first cavity to mold a primary molded product, the first cavity being formed by clamping the cavity mold and the primary core mold. The secondary mold includes the cavity mold and a secondary core mold. The secondary mold is configured to inject a second resin material into a second cavity to stack mold a secondary molded product on a peripheral edge of the primary molded product. The second cavity is formed by clamping the cavity mold and the secondary core mold. The cavity mold is configured to hold the primary molded product. The cavity mold includes a primary molded product holding portion configured to project into and retract from the first cavity, on a parting line of the primary mold.

Abstract: A chemistry analysis machine and method for using the machine include adding heating functionality to provide faster test specimen heating times or comparable specimen heating times while using containers or cuvettes made of materials such as plastic that have lower thermal conductivity. In one example, a mixing bar is heated prior to contacting the test specimen within the container to provide the additional heating capability to the system. In one example where the mixing bar is heated, a heater is added to the system to heat the rinse water used to rinse the mixing bar after it is washed and prior to its next use in contacting a test specimen.

Abstract: The presently claimed and described technology provides improved calibration and validation procedures for sample containers (e.g., cuvettes) in automated chemical analyzers. The claimed and described technology further provides methods of operating an automated analyzer that allows for the automation of calibrating and tracking the integrity of individual sample containers (e.g., cuvettes) in parallel with measuring constituent samples. These methods eliminate the need to alternate between a diagnostic mode and measurement mode when performing system maintenance, such as validating cuvette integrity, calibrating absorbance baseline, and replacing cuvettes. As such, the presently claimed and described technology can reduce downtime and improve the clinical lab productivity significantly by allowing for this system maintenance to occur simultaneously with sample analysis.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a heater including a heating member, a heater holder configured to hold the heater, a detection element configured to detect a temperature of the heater and disposed at a position that faces the heater in a third direction, a first holding member configured to hold the detection element, an urging member configured to urge the first holding member, a flexible member extending in the first direction and configured to support the first holding member on a first end portion of the flexible member in the first direction, and a second holding member configured to hold a second end portion of the flexible member in the first direction. The flexible member is flexible such that the first holding member and the second holding member are movable relative to each other in the third direction.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing an immobilized microorganism having high filtration properties, and to provide a method for producing an amino acid using the immobilized microorganism. A method for producing an immobilized microorganism is characterized in that a microorganism is contacted with carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt and then contacted with polyethylenimine and an alkane dial after the first contact with carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt.

Abstract: A ceramic heater according to one aspect of the present invention has a cylindrical ceramic heater and an annular metal flange fitted around the ceramic heater. In the ceramic heater, one side of the flange with respect to an axial direction of the heater body is concave in the axial direction to define a concave part. The concave part includes a glass accumulation region filled with a glass material. The glass material in the glass accumulation is fused to the flange and to the heater body.

Abstract: An electrode for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary cell capable of improving the cycle characteristics. The electrode includes a collector and an active material layer formed on a surface of the collector and containing an active material, a binder, and a graphite material. The active material comprises SiOx particles whose surfaces are bonded with an organic material having one or more functional groups selected from the group consisting of a phenylamino group, an imidazole group and an amino group. The binder is composed of a water-soluble polymer made of acrylic acid or a salt thereof.

Abstract: A method of producing a substance includes synthesizing a molecule at least by mixing substrates, a synthase, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a polyphosphate kinase 2, and a polyphosphoric acid mixture. The polyphosphoric acid mixture includes 50% or more of polyphosphoric acid with a degree of polymerization of not less than 15. Adenosine diphosphate (ADP) is generated from the ATP during the synthesis. The synthesis is coupled with an ATP regeneration reaction in which the ATP is regenerated by the polyphosphate kinase 2 from the ADP and the polyphosphoric acid.

Abstract: A polypeptide includes a mutant sequence of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: The mutant sequence includes one or more amino acid substitutions in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 at positions 13, 17, 20, 23, 39, 70, 78, 101, 113, 125, 126, 136, 138, 149, 152, 154, 155, 197, 200, 215, 226, 227, 230, 239, 241, 246, 249, 254, 260, 262, 263, 270, 278, 299, 305, 307, and 310. The mutant sequence may further include one or more amino acid substitutions, additions, insertions, or deletions. The mutant sequence, excluding the substituted residue(s), may have a sequence identity of 80% or more with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to modify a wild-type enzyme that is less reactive in the presence of an organic solvent to provide altered carbonyl reductases having better reactivity in the presence of the organic solvent than the wild-type enzyme, and/or to provide transformants producing such reductases. The present inventors have found altered carbonyl reductases having better reactivity in the presence of an organic solvent than the wild-type enzyme, from among a mutant enzyme library prepared by randomly mutating the wild-type enzyme gene, thereby arriving at completion of the present invention.

Abstract: An electrode for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary cell capable of improving the cycle characteristics. The electrode includes a collector and an active material layer formed on a surface of the collector and containing an active material, a binder, and a graphite material. The active material comprises SiOx particles whose surfaces are bonded with an organic material having one or more functional groups selected from the group consisting of a phenylamino group, an imidazole group and an amino group. The binder is composed of a water-soluble polymer made of acrylic acid or a salt thereof.

Abstract: A ceramic heater according to one aspect of the present invention has a cylindrical ceramic heater and an annular metal flange fitted around the ceramic heater. In the ceramic heater, one side of the flange with respect to an axial direction of the heater body is concave in the axial direction to define a concave part. The concave part includes a glass accumulation region filled with a glass material. The glass material in the glass accumulation is fused to the flange and to the heater body.

Abstract: A method for inexpensively and efficiently producing an optically active amino compound useful as an intermediate for pharmaceutical preparations, agricultural chemicals, or the like, from a ketone compound is provided. Specifically, a polypeptide exhibiting higher activity for glutamic acid as an amino donor than that for L-alanine, and, having novel transaminase activity for generating (S)-1-benzyl-3-pyrrolidinone with high optical purity of 93% or more, a gene encoding the same, and a transformant expressing the gene at a high level are also provided herein.

Abstract: A method for efficiently producing an optically active amino compound useful as an intermediate for pharmaceutical preparations, agricultural chemicals, or the like, from a ketone compound is provided. Specifically, a polypeptide having high resistance to a water-soluble organic solvent and novel transaminase activity for generating (S)-1-benzyl-3-pyrrolidinone with high optical purity of 93% or more, a gene encoding the same, and a transformant expressing the gene at a high level are also provided herein.

Abstract: An underlayer for better suppressing the lowering of adhesion between a current collector and an electrode layer. The underlayer is provided between a current collector and an electrode layer of a secondary cell and comprises a conductive material, and an amorphous polyester resin having a bisphenol A skeleton in the main chain, which serves as a binder for binding the conductive material together. Further disclosed are an underlayer-attached current collector wherein the underlayer is formed on a current collector, an electrode wherein an electrode is further overcoated on this current collector, and a lithium ion secondary cell provided with this electrode.

Abstract: An electrode of the invention for lithium ion secondary cells comprises a positive electrode current collector, a first positive electrode layer having a first binder made of a synthetic polymer having an ester bond and a first conductive agent and formed on the positive electrode current collector, and a second positive electrode layer having a positive electrode active substance, a second binder and a second conductive agent and formed on a surface of the first positive electrode layer opposite to the surface at which the positive electrode current collector is formed.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to modify a wild-type enzyme that is less reactive in the presence of an organic solvent to provide altered carbonyl reductases having better reactivity in the presence of the organic solvent than the wild-type enzyme, and/or to provide transformants producing such reductases. The present inventors have found altered carbonyl reductases having better reactivity in the presence of an organic solvent than the wild-type enzyme, from among a mutant enzyme library prepared by randomly mutating the wild-type enzyme gene, thereby arriving at completion of the present invention.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, the overall length of a heat generating resistor is set longer than the width of a recording paper, which is the greatest of widths of standard size recording papers that can be used on the image forming apparatus. An electrical resistance of an edge area of the heat generating resistor per unit length is set smaller than that of a center area of the heat generating resistor. The position of a boundary between the center area and the edge area is set so that the position of the side edge of the recording paper whose width is the greatest exists within the edge area and so that if the recording paper having the second greatest width is fed by a one edge-aligned paper feeding method, the position of the side edge of a recording paper whose width is the greatest of the widths of the standard size recording papers that can be used on the image forming apparatus except the width of the recording paper that is the greatest thereof is set at a position within the center area.

Abstract: Provided is a method for efficiently producing from a ketone compound an optically active amino compound useful as an intermediate of a drug, an agricultural chemical, or the like. Provided are: a polypeptide having aminotransferase activity that is increased in stereoselectivity, heat resistance, and resistance to amine compounds compared to the wild type enzyme by means of modifying an aminotransferase derived from Pseudomonas fluorescens; a gene encoding the polypeptide; and a transformant that expresses the gene at a high level.

Abstract: Provided is a method for efficiently producing from a ketone compound an optically active amino compound useful as an intermediate of a drug, an agricultural chemical, or the like. Provided are: a polypeptide having aminotransferase activity that is increased in stereoselectivity, heat resistance, and resistance to amine compounds compared to the wild type enzyme by means of modifying an aminotransferase derived from Pseudomonas fluorescens; a gene encoding the polypeptide; and a transformant that expresses the gene at a high level.