Abstract: A mutant protein having diaphorase activity is provided. A mutant protein includes an amino acid sequence obtained by deletion, replacement, addition, or insertion of at least one amino acid residue of a native-form amino acid sequence of SEQ. ID. No. 1, wherein the mutant protein has diaphorase activity with an enzyme activity of 245 or more.

Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte battery capable of minimizing damage if the battery is crushed by pressure is disclosed. The nonaqueous electrolyte battery according to the present invention includes a spiral coil formed by, through a separator, winding a positive electrode having an elongated positive-electrode collector with two sides on each of which an active material for the positive electrode has been formed and a negative electrode having an elongated negative-electrode collector with two sides on each of which an active material for the negative electrode has been formed.

Abstract: Certain embodiments for modifying operation of ROM based boot code may include modifying a bootup sequence for boot code resident in a ROM within a network adapter chip (NAC). The bootup sequence may be modified during booting of the NAC using code patches in memory external to the NAC. The boot code may comprise ROM loader code and/or self-boot code in the ROM within the NAC. Execution of the self-boot code may comprise execution of code patches. The code patches may comprise initialization code patches and service code patches. The code patches may be executed in place of functions in the self-boot code or in addition to the functions in the self-boot code. Additionally, the code patches may be configured such that a function in the self-boot code may be effectively deleted where no corresponding code patch may be executed in place of the function.

Abstract: The present invention makes it possible to attain various applications using antifreeze activity without an antifreeze protein. The agent for the inhibition of ice-crystal growth includes a non-proteinaceous substance, wherein an aqueous solution of the non-proteinaceous substance in a concentration of 10 mg/ml causes the deposition of non-flat disk-shaped ice crystals. The agent for the lowering of an ice-crystal growth initiation temperature includes a non-proteinaceous substance, wherein an aqueous solution of the non-proteinaceous substance in a concentration of 10 mg/ml shows thermal hysteresis by a temperature of 0.020° C. or higher. The agent for the control of water freezing includes a non-proteinaceous substance, wherein an aqueous solution of the non-proteinaceous substance in a concentration of 10 mg/ml shows thermal hysteresis by a temperature of 0.020° C. or higher and causes the deposition of non-flat disk-shaped ice crystals.

Abstract: A fuel cell includes a positive electrode and a negative electrode which are opposed to each other with a proton conductor provided therebetween, and an enzyme immobilized as a catalyst on at least one of the positive and negative electrodes. In the fuel cell, the positive electrode, the proton conductor, and the negative electrode are accommodated in a space formed between a positive electrode current collector having a structure permeable to an oxidizer and a negative electrode current collector having a structure permeable to fuel.

Abstract: A fuel cell includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, an enzyme including an oxidase that oxidizes a monosaccharide, the enzyme being immobilized on the negative electrode, an electron mediator including a compound having a naphthoquinone skeleton, the electron mediator being immobilized on the negative electrode, a coenzyme that is formed by oxidation of the monosaccharide, and a coenzyme oxidase that oxidizes the coenzyme, in which the ratio of the electron mediator to the coenzyme is in the range of 1.0 (mol):0.33 (mol) to 1.0 (mol):1.0 (mol).

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a hydraulic composition which enables both of high fluidity and material separation reducing and can eliminate the delay of setting. The present invention is directed to a hydraulic composition comprising cement (A), a copolymer (B), a high-performance water reducing agent (C) and a powdery cement admixture (D), wherein the copolymer (B) comprises a repeating unit (I) represented by the following formula (1); (wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group. n is an integer of 2 to 4.), and a repeating unit (II) represented by the following general formula (2); (wherein R2, R3 and R4 are same or different and each represents a hydrogen atom, a methyl group or a (CH2)pCOOM2 group, and may form a structure of an anhydride when the total number of COOM1 groups and COOM2 groups are 2.

Abstract: A dye-sensitized solar cell with high conversion efficiency is provided. The dye-sensitized solar cell according to the present invention has, between an electrode (2) formed on a surface of a transparent substrate (1) and a counter electrode (6), a light-absorbing layer (3) containing light-absorbing particles carrying dye and an electrolyte layer (5), characterized in that the light-absorbing layer (3) containing light-scattering particles (4) different in size from the light-absorbing particles. In such a dye-sensitized solar cell according to the present invention, the energy of light, which passes through a light-absorbing layer in a conventional cell structure, can be strongly absorbed by the dye in the light-absorbing layer of the present invention. This will increase the conversion efficiency and output current of the dye-sensitized solar cell.

Abstract: A dye-sensitized solar cell with high conversion efficiency is provided. The dye-sensitized solar cell according to the present invention has, between an electrode (2) formed on a surface of a transparent substrate (1) and a counter electrode (6), a light-absorbing layer (3) containing light-absorbing particles carrying dye and an electrolyte layer (5), characterized in that the light-absorbing layer (3) containing light-scattering particles (4) different in size from the light-absorbing particles. In such a dye-sensitized solar cell according to the present invention, the energy of light, which passes through a light-absorbing layer in a conventional cell structure, can be strongly absorbed by the dye in the light-absorbing layer of the present invention. This will increase the conversion efficiency and output current of the dye-sensitized solar cell.

Abstract: A dye-sensitized solar cell with high conversion efficiency is provided. The dye-sensitized solar cell according to the present invention has, between an electrode (2) formed on a surface of a transparent substrate (1) and a counter electrode (6), a light-absorbing layer (3) containing light-absorbing particles carrying dye and an electrolyte layer (5), characterized in that the light-absorbing layer (3) containing light-scattering particles (4) different in size from the light-absorbing particles. In such a dye-sensitized solar cell according to the present invention, the energy of light, which passes through a light-absorbing layer in a conventional cell structure, can be strongly absorbed by the dye in the light-absorbing layer of the present invention. This will increase the conversion efficiency and output current of the dye-sensitized solar cell.

Abstract: In a solar cell, at least one of reinforcing material and buffering material is provided at least partially on at least one of a back surface, a front surface and a side surface of the solar cell. With these reinforcing material and/or buffering material, occurrence of cell fracture due to load imposed by external force can be decreased.

Abstract: [Object] The present invention provides a reactant delivery system capable of delivering reaction gas with good control in both space and time despite its simple construction that it can be assembled in mobile equipment, and also a reactor provided with the reactant delivery system. [Solving Means] The electrochemical energy generation system 50 has a fuel cell 10, a fuel delivery system 20, a measuring unit 30 for measuring an operation state of the fuel cell 10, and a control unit 40 for determining operation conditions on a basis of the results of the measurement. At an optimal rate determined by the control unit 40, the fuel is delivered in the form of gas from the fuel delivery system 20. The source fuel 21 such as methanol is introduced to between the backing portion 26 and the penetration and evaporation portion 27, the source fuel 21 evaporates into the fuel gas 13 from the surface of the penetration and evaporation portion 27.

Abstract: The dispersant of the present invention comprises at least one component unit derived from kraft lignin and/or its salt and at least one component unit derived from at least one water-soluble monomer. The novel lignin derivative of the present invention comprises at least one component unit derived from kraft lignin and/or its salt, at least one polyoxyalkylene chain, and at least one anionic functional group.

Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to provide a concrete composition in which the amount of air entrained can be maintained stably and which is excellent in strength and durability, a concrete composition which is excellent in freeze-thaw durability owing to the good quality of foams and is excellent in air content stability with time and which can form curing products excellent in strength and durability, a method of producing such concrete composition, and a cement admixture.

Abstract: A fuel cell which can directly extract electric power from a polysaccharide, such as starch. A fuel electrode 1 is formed by immobilizing with an immobilizer, on an electrode 11 comprised of, e.g., carbon, an enzyme responsible for decomposing a polysaccharide into monosaccharides, an enzyme responsible for decomposing the monosaccharide formed, a coenzyme (e.g., NAD+ or NADP+) which forms a reductant due to the oxidation reaction in the monosaccharide decomposition process, a coenzyme oxidase (e.g., diaphorase) for oxidizing the reductant of the coenzyme (e.g., NADH or NADPH), and an electron mediator (e.g., ACNQ or vitamin K3) for receiving electrons generated due to the oxidation of the coenzyme from the coenzyme oxidase and delivering the electrons to the electrode 11. The fuel cell comprises the fuel electrode 1 and the air electrode 5 that sandwich an electrolyte layer 3.

Abstract: A mutant protein having diaphorase activity is provided. A mutant protein includes an amino acid sequence obtained by deletion, replacement, addition, or insertion of at least one amino acid residue of a native-form amino acid sequence of SEQ. ID. No. 1, wherein the mutant protein has diaphorase activity with an enzyme activity of 245 or more.

Abstract: A fuel cell and an electronic device equipped therewith are disclosed. The fuel cell is of the type having a cathode and an anode facing each other with a proton conductor interposed therebetween, with at least either of the cathode or anode having an enzyme as a catalyst immobilized thereon, wherein at least a first cathode, a first proton conductor, an anode, a second proton conductor, and a second cathode are sequentially placed thereon, and in fuel is held in contact with at least part of the anode.

Abstract: A polycarboxylic acid cement dispersant that can exhibit high dispersing ability and allow deforming in early stages in the case of producing concrete products, whereby the turnover of a formwork is increased so as to improve productivity, and the method of producing such as concrete product are provided. The polycarboxylic acid cement dispersant which provides a cement composition having a penetration resistance value exponent of 55 MPa or more and a slump retention exponent of 80% or more, and the method of producing a concrete product which makes use of a copolymer derived by using monomer components comprising the monomer (A) as polyalkylene glycol unsaturated monomer, the monomer (B) as unsaturated carboxylic monomer, and the monomer (C) as sulfonic acid group-containing monomer.

Abstract: The present invention makes it possible to attain various applications using antifreeze activity without an antifreeze protein. The agent for the inhibition of ice-crystal growth includes a non-proteinaceous substance, wherein an aqueous solution of the non-proteinaceous substance in a concentration of 10 mg/ml causes the deposition of non-flat disk-shaped ice crystals. The agent for the lowering of an ice-crystal growth initiation temperature includes a non-proteinaceous substance, wherein an aqueous solution of the non-proteinaceous substance in a concentration of 10 mg/ml shows thermal hysteresis by a temperature of 0.020° C. or higher. The agent for the control of water freezing includes a non-proteinaceous substance, wherein an aqueous solution of the non-proteinaceous substance in a concentration of 10 mg/ml shows thermal hysteresis by a temperature of 0.020° C. or higher and causes the deposition of non-flat disk-shaped ice crystals.

Abstract: Certain embodiments for a self-booting Ethernet controller chip (NAC) may comprise a processor within the NAC that determines whether legacy boot code is present in memory external to the NAC. If legacy boot code is present in the external memory, the NAC may boot from the legacy boot code. If the legacy boot code is not present in the external memory, the processor may boot the NAC from the self-boot code in the ROM within the NAC. The processor may also read network configuration data from the external memory. The network configuration data may be stored, for example, in a NVRAM. The processor may copy the network configuration data from the NVRAM to a RAM within the NAC while booting.