Abstract: A Mg-doped high-temperature superconductor having low superconducting anisotropy includes a two-dimensional layered structure constituted by a charge reservoir layer and a superconducting layer, wherein some or all atoms constituting the charge reservoir layer are Cu and O atoms, metallizing or rendering the charge reservoir layer superconducting, a portion of the Ca of the CunCan+1O2n constituting the superconducting layer is replaced by Mg, increasing superconductive coupling between CuO2 layers, a thickness of the superconducting layer is increased, and therefore coherence length in a thickness direction is increased based on the uncertainty principle, lowering superconducting anisotropy.

Abstract: A process produces a fiber-reinforced silicon carbide composite. The resulting composite has a high toughness where bundles of a reinforcing fiber are densely covered with glassy carbon derived from a resin to avoid deterioration of the strength, and it can easily be produced even in complicated shapes. Specifically, a fiber-reinforced silicon carbide composite is produced by preparing a fiber prepreg containing a powdered silicon and a resin and molding the prepreg to yield a green body having a desired shape, or laminating a fiber prepreg containing a resin and a woven fabric prepreg containing a powdered silicon and a resin in alternate order, and molding the laminate to yield a green body having a desired shape; carbonizing the green body at 900° C. to 1350° C. in an inert atmosphere; impregnating the carbonized body with a resin; firing the impregnated body again at 900° C. to 1350° C.

Abstract: The present invention is to propose a method and device which evaluate the shape and the size of each part of a human body in a multidimensional manner, generate a distribution map thereof, and compute and realize a virtual shape located in the periphery of the distribution map, whereby the shape and the size of a product such as clothing can be modified and designed. The virtual shape forming unit computes a space distortion function which mutually distorts three-dimensional shape data of a plurality of people, generates a multidimensional distribution map thereof based on the size of the distorted space, and derives a virtual shape which exists on an arbitrary location of the multidimensional distribution map.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus and method that appear to alter the effects of gravity by generating a magnetic field that causes an upward/downward magnetic force to act on a substance in a container. This offsets or adds to the downward force of gravity, to simulate a low-gravitational or excess-gravitational environment inside the substance.

Abstract: A tool for grinding and polishing diamond and a method for polishing diamond in which a single crystal diamond, a diamond thin film, a sintered diamond compact and the like can be polished at low temperatures without causing cracks, fractures or degradation in quality therein. The tool and method provide a polishing operation which is easy to accomplish, provides stable polishing quality, and provides decreased costs while maintaining stable grinder performance. The grinder is formed of a main component which is an intermetallic compound consisting of one kind or more of elements selected from the group of Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir and Pt and one kind or more of elements selected from the group of Ti, V, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta and W. The diamond polishing method includes pushing the above stated grinder against the diamond, and rotating or moving the grinder relative to the diamond while keeping the portion of the diamond subjected to polishing at room temperature.

Abstract: A tool for grinding and polishing diamond and a method for polishing diamond in which a single crystal diamond, a diamond thin film, a sintered diamond compact and the like can be polished at low temperatures without causing cracks, fractures or degradation in quality therein. The tool and method provide a polishing operation which is easy to accomplish, provides stable polishing quality, and provides decreased costs while maintaining stable grinder performance. The grinder is formed of a main component which is an intermetallic compound consisting of one kind or more of elements selected from the group of Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir and Pt and one kind or more of elements selected from the group of Ti, V, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta and W. The diamond polishing method includes pushing the above stated grinder against the diamond, and rotating or moving the grinder relative to the diamond while keeping the portion of the diamond subjected to polishing at room temperature.

Abstract: Volume measuring apparatus is used in a closed space as in the case of volume measurement of liquid in a container placed on an orbit of an artificial satellite and permits the volume measurement in a state without mixture with gas, liquid, or solid. A volume measuring apparatus is an apparatus for measuring the volume of liquid or solid under microgravity, which has two or more containers coupled to each other by a pipe, a device for separating or fixing a gas phase, a liquid phase, or a solid phase, a pressure fluctuation source, a pressure signal receiver, a pressure gage, and a thermometer, wherein the separating or fixing device, the pressure fluctuation source, the pressure signal receiver, the pressure gage, and the thermometer are placed in the containers and wherein the pressure fluctuation source, the pressure signal receiver, the pressure gage, and the thermometer are connected to a signal analyzing unit.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the Schizochytrium genus SR21 strain and a microorganism belonging to the same species as does said SR21 strain or having substantially the same fungological properties as does said SR21 strain, the said SR21 strain and microorganism having the ability to produce the (n-3) series of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and the (n-6) series of docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and the invention also relates to a process for preparing the (n-3) series of DHA and the (n-6) series of DPA utilizing said microorganisms. The microorganisms according to the present invention are superior in their proliferation character and their propensity to produce fat, and have the ability to produce the (n-3) series of DHA and the (n-6) series of DPA very well. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively produce the (n-3) series of DHA and/or the (n-6) series of DPA, which are useful in the fields of foods and pharmaceuticals, using the microorganisms according to the present invention.

Abstract: This invention relates to a human-derived bradeion protein having the following properties:

Abstract: An evaluation light 100 from a light source 1 is split to obtain a divided evaluation signal 120 and a reference signal 110, the divided evaluation signal 120 and the reference signal 110 being shone, respectively, onto a sample surface 32 and a reference surface 11 that is made of the same material as the sample, after which a reflected divided evaluation signal 121 and a reflected reference signal 111, which are reflected respectively on the sample surface 32 and the reference surface 11, are caused to interfere for analysis of the sample surface 32.

Abstract: A process of producing a carbonized material, which includes a step of treating the biomass with a microwave for a period of time sufficient to carbonize an inner region thereof but insufficient to carbonize an outer region thereof, thereby obtaining a partly carbonized product, a step of contacting the partly carbonized product with an oxidizing gas for a period of time sufficient to carbonize the outer region, thereby obtaining a completely carbonized product, and a step of cooling the completely carbonized product in a non-oxidizing atmosphere.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method for producing a metal oxide, which comprises the steps of: dissolving a metal organic compound (e.g. a metal organic acid salt, a metal acetylacetonato complex, and a metal alkoxide having an organic group with 6 or more carbon atoms) in a solvent to provide a state of solution, applying the solution onto a substrate, drying the solution, and subjecting the resultant substrate to irradiation with a laser light of a 400 nm or less wavelength, to form a metal oxide on the substrate. According to that method, a metal oxide can be produced without applying a heat treatment at a high temperature of the degree adopted in the conventionally known application thermal decomposition method.

Abstract: A switching system using laser induced discharge is provided which is capable of reliable switching with a simple structure, multiple switching for a number of circuits, good synchronization and no switching time delay among circuits. In the switching system for controlling conduction between electrodes of a switch by discharge between the electrodes, a laser beam is applied to one of the electrodes to make discharge from the other of the electrodes be induced by the laser beam and application of the laser beam is controlled to switch the conduction.

Abstract: A fiber-reinforced silicon carbide composite is produced by preparing a fiber prepreg containing a powdered silicon and a resin and molding the prepreg to yield a green body having a desired shape, or laminating a fiber prepreg containing a resin and a woven fabric prepreg containing a powdered silicon and a resin in alternate order and molding the laminate to yield a green body having a desired shape; carbonizing the green body at 900° to 1350° C. in an inert atmosphere; subjecting the carbonized body to reaction sintering at a temperature of 1300° C. or more in vacuo or in an inert atmosphere to form open pores; and infiltrating molten silicon into the sintered body having open pores at a temperature of about 1300° to 1800° C. in vacuo or an inert atmosphere.

Abstract: A human-derived bradeion protein, which has the following properties: (i) it is a transmembranous protein; (ii) it has a structure characteristic of growth hormone and cytokine receptors even in a structure of its transmembranous portion when its structure is determined by a hydrophobicity analysis according to Kyte-Doolittle method; (iii) it is expressed at a high level in a human adult brain, and in less amount in the heart, while it is not expressed in other adult organs or fetus; (iv) it induces programmed cell death (apoptosis) when over-expressed in a cultured human nerve cell lines; (v) it induces termination of cell division and aging when over-expressed in a cultured human normal cell; (vi) it is located in cytoplasm, and forms an intracellular aggregate when overexpressed; and (vii) besides human adult neurons, it is specifically expressed in a human colorectal cancer cell line or in a skin cancer cell line, or an analogue thereof.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method of solidifying a low-boiling-point hydrocarbon, wherein the low-boiling-point hydrocarbon (including hydrocarbons which are gaseous at ordinary temperature) is brought into contact with a metal salt of an aliphatic carboxylic acid, and if necessary a high-boiling-point hydrocarbon, suspended in water, to form a solid aggregate substance, a method of handling the low-boiling-point hydrocarbon, wherein the solid aggregate substance is stored or transported, and a method of regenerating the low-boiling-point hydrocarbon, wherein the solid aggregate substance is decomposed by opening or heating, to obtain the low-boiling-point hydrocarbon. According to the methods, a wide variety of gaseous and highly volatile liquid hydrocarbons can be safely and easily solidified without using harmful reagent, and during storage, transportation, etc., the gaseous hydrocarbons and highly volatile liquids can be handled as a solid material.

Abstract: A three-dimensional universal unit for movable structures includes first and second coupling members. Each coupling member includes two opposing side surface parts, an end face part connected to form a right angle with one end face of each side surface part, a coupling/uncoupling device provided on the two side surface parts and end surface part of the first coupling member and operating independently, a permanent magnet provided on the two side surface parts and end face part of the second coupling member, and a linking part disposed between the two side surface parts of each coupling member. The universal unit further includes a linking member that rotatably links the linking parts of the two coupling members and a drive apparatus that rotationally drives the two coupling members relative to the linking member.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of producing an alumina porous material using a mixed powder of alumina powder and aluminum hydroxide represented by the chemical formula Al(OH)3 at different percentages as the starting material, comprising the steps of heating this mixed powder to decompose the aluminum hydroxide and further heat treating it within a temperature range of 1,000 to 1,600° C., and to the alumina porous material produced by the above-mentioned method with a porosity exceeding 40 volume % and its specific surface area of 8 to 40 m2/g, and further to a filter and catalyst carrier that are obtained using this alumina porous material.

Abstract: A laser tracking interferometric length measuring instrument has a laser source and a tracking articulating optical lever provided on an optical path of an interferometric optical system. To track a retroreflector, the optical lever reflects a laser beam at the retroreflector, which reflects the beam back to the optical lever. This beam is reflected onto a quadrant photodiode. An attitude control means is used to control the attitude of the optical lever so that the laser beam reflected by the optical lever falls on the neutral point of the photodiode.

Abstract: A process of upgrading low rank coal, including subjecting the low rank coal to pyrolysis in a liquid phase such as in an organic solvent at a temperature of 400-450° C.