Abstract: A plurality of CT images of an organ (10) which has undergone a subtle variation or deformation are used as input data, blood vessels and trachea 12 distributed inside the organ are extracted and subjected to thinning, the thus thinned images 14 are used to extract the coordinates of bifurcations 16 and connections, the thus extracted coordinates are used as feature points to track the motion of individual points between a plurality of CT images in a three dimensional space, thereby measuring the movement of the organ (10). Thus, it is possible to realize a local motion tracking at an arbitrary point over an entire region inside an organ, which would be impossible by using a metal marker.

Abstract: The disclosed electrode for use in a fuel cell comprises a flexible carbon-fiber nonwoven fabric and a fuel-cell catalyst, such as a metal catalyst or a carbon-alloy catalyst, supported on the surfaces of the carbon fibers constituting the flexible carbon-fiber nonwoven fabric. Said flexible carbon-fiber nonwoven fabric is formed by carbonizing a nonwoven fabric obtained by electrospinning a composition containing: an electrospinnable macromolecular substance; an organic compound that is different from said macromolecular substance; and a transition metal. This structure allows the provision of an electrode, for use in a fuel cell, which uses a flexible carbon-fiber nonwoven fabric as a substrate and combines the functions of a gas-diffusion layer and an electrocatalyst layer.

Abstract: To provide a complex bandpass ??AD modulator capable of suppressing the influence of an image component caused by a mismatch between I- and Q-channels on a signal component with low power consumption. A complex bandpass ??AD modulator 10 is configured by a subtraction unit 20, a complex bandpass filter 30, an addition unit 40, a noise extraction circuit unit 50, an ADC unit 60, and a DAC unit 70. The noise extraction circuit unit 50 extracts a quantized noise signal of the ADC unit 60 based on an input signal of the ADC unit 60 and an output signal of the DAC unit 70, delays the extracted quantized noise signal by one sample time, phase-rotates the delayed signal by a predetermined angle, and feeds back the rotated signal to the input side of the ADC unit 60. Thus, a complex bandpass ??AD modulator capable of suppressing the influence of the image component caused by a mismatch between I- and Q-channels on the signal component with low power consumption is provided.

Abstract: The invention provides a technique to widely spread the frequency spectrum of switching noise generated by a switching action and to reduce the noise level at a particular frequency. A switching regulator (6A) includes a computing unit with computing function. First, in the computing unit, a pulse-width-modulation processing unit (PWM) (2a) performs pulse-width-modulation processing of receiving a feedback signal corresponding to the output of a detector 1 to determine an on-duty cycle of a pulse signal. Subsequently, for the signal and data obtained by the PWM (2a) to be subjected to further modulation processing for spectrum spreading, a branching processing is performed by making changing-over unit (2d) randomly select asynchronous-modulation processing unit (ASM) (2e) or pulse-position-modulation processing unit (PPM). When the PPM is selected, another branching processing is performed by making the changing-over unit (2d) select a first PPM (2f) or a second PPM (2g) depending on the on-duty cycle.

Abstract: A transform spectrometer measurement apparatus and method for a planar waveguide circuit (PLC). The spectrometer typically includes an input optical signal waveguide carrying an input optical signal; a plurality of couplers, each connected to the input optical signal waveguide, and each including a coupler output for carrying a coupled optical signal related to the input optical signal; and an array of interleaved, waveguide Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZI), each having at least one input MZI waveguide, each MZI input waveguide receiving a coupled optical signal from a respective coupler output. A phase shifting circuit is applied to at least one arm of the MZIs to induce an active phase shift on the arm to thereby measure phase error in the MZIs. Light output from the MZIs is measured under intrinsic phase error conditions and after an active phase shift by the phase shifting circuit.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel method of obtaining a factor involved in appetite control and/or body weight control, as well as genes obtained by said method, polypeptides encoded by said genes, or novel polypeptides obtained from the information on polypeptides encoded by said genes as a means for treating, controlling or diagnosing diseases associated with eating disorders and/or body weight control. Also the present invention relates to substances that inhibit the effects of said genes or said polypeptides as a means for treating, controlling or diagnosing diseases associated with appetite control and/or body weight control. By using thiazolidine diones having a PPAR ? agonist activity, genes and polypeptides involved in appetite regulation and/or body weight reduction can be obtained. NESFATIN or the like obtained by said method can be used as a means for treating, controlling or diagnosing diseases associated with eating disorders and/or body weight control.

Abstract: Provided is a carbon catalyst for a cathode of a direct fuel cell, which selectively promotes an oxygen reduction reaction even when crossover of a fuel compound occurs. The carbon catalyst for a cathode of a direct fuel cell exhibits an oxygen-reducing catalytic activity in an electrolytic solution containing a fuel compound for the direct fuel cell, and exhibits substantially no catalytic activity to oxidize the fuel compound in the electrolytic solution.

Abstract: An electroconductive film for an actuator is formed from a gel composition including carbon nanofibers, an ionic liquid, and a polymer. The carbon nanofibers are produced with an aromatic mesophase pitch by melt spinning.

Abstract: Provided is a hydrogen-storing carbon material with improved hydrogen storage capacity. The hydrogen-storing carbon material has a total pore volume of 0.5 cm3/g or more, and a ratio of a total mesoporous volume to a total microporous volume per unit weight of 5 or more. In addition, the hydrogen-storing carbon material may have a nitrogen content of 0.5 wt % or more and less than 20 wt %. In addition, the hydrogen-storing carbon material may have a stable potential of ?1.28 V or more when a cathode current with respect to the hydrogen-storing carbon material is held at 1,000 mA/g in electrochemical measurement by chronopotentiometry involving using the hydrogen-storing carbon material in a working electrode in a three-electrode method.

Abstract: The beam irradiation apparatus is featured by including a transport pipe which is vacuum-evacuated to be used as a transport channel of a beam taken out from an accelerator, a quadrupole magnet which modulates the beam diameter of the beam so that the beam is incident on an irradiation target existing in the atmosphere while maintaining the focusing angle of the beam, and one or more longitudinally movable range shifters which are provided to be capable of changing the distance to the irradiation target of the beam, and which modulate the beam range by reducing the energy of the beam by allowing the beam to pass through the movable range shifter, and is featured in that the beam is irradiated onto the irradiation target by modulating the beam diameter and the beam range.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing stereo complex crystals of polylactic acid, with which a polylactic acid having excellent heat resistance and containing stereo complex crystals at a high ratio can be efficiently produced, the method including: a step of dissolving in a solvent a block copolymer, which includes polylactic acid containing an L-lactic acid unit or poly lactic acid containing a D-lactic acid unit together with at least one kind of an organic polymer having a different structure from that of polylactic acid, and a polylactic acid homopolymer containing a D-lactic acid unit or a polylactic acid homopolymer containing an L-lactic acid unit, the lactic acid unit being an optical isomer that is not contained in the block copolymer, to prepare a polymer mixture solution; and a step of removing the solvent from the polymer mixture solution.

Abstract: A support for carrying a catalyst is obtained by carbonizing raw materials containing a nitrogen-containing organic substance and a metal. The support for carrying a catalyst may have a peak at a diffraction angle of around 26° in an X-ray diffraction pattern, the peak including 20 to 45% of a graphite-like structure component and 55 to 80% of an amorphous component. In addition, the support for carrying a catalyst may have an intensity ratio of a band at 1,360 cm?1 to a band at 1,580 cm?1 (I1,360/I1,580) in a Raman spectrum of 0.3 or more and 1.0 or less. In addition, the support for carrying a catalyst may be obtained by carbonizing the raw materials to obtain a carbonized material, subjecting the carbonized material to a metal removal treatment, and subjecting the resultant to a heat treatment.

Abstract: Provided is a carbon catalyst having an improved activity. The carbon catalyst is obtained by: carbonizing raw materials containing an organic compound as a carbon source, a metal, and an electrically conductive carbon material to produce a carbonized material; impregnating the carbonized material with a metal; and subjecting the carbonized material with the metal to a heat treatment.

Abstract: A negative electrode for a lithium secondary battery, in which ?-Fe2O3 that is low in cost, has little environmental impact and has high theoretical capacity is used as an active material, maintains high adhesiveness between a current collector and an electrode layer, and can simultaneously achieve both of an improvement in the cycle characteristics and high capacity. In a negative electrode for a lithium secondary battery, which is configured of a current collector, and an electrode layer that is formed on the current collector and contains at least a negative electrode active material, a conductive assistant and a binder component, the negative electrode active material is composed of ?-Fe2O3 particles that generate a conversion electrode reaction, the binder component is a mixture of polyamide acid and partially imidized polyamide acid. The electrode layer is configured so that a concentration of the binder component decreases as distanced from the current collector.

Abstract: A container for crystallization of a biopolymer of the invention is provided that includes a structure wherein two or more noble metals and/or noble metal-coated bodies are arranged at an interval of 1 to 1,000 nm. There are also provided a crystallization apparatus of a biopolymer, comprising the container for crystallization of a biopolymer, a method for producing a biopolymer crystal, comprising the steps of preparing the container for crystallization of a biopolymer, and making the structure contact with a biopolymer solution, and a substrate for crystallization of a biopolymer, having a structure wherein two or more noble metals and/or noble metal-coated bodies are arranged at an interval of 1 to 1,000 nm.

Abstract: A charged particle beam extraction method according to the present invention is featured in that, in a circular accelerator which accelerates a charged particle beam, a pulse voltage is applied to a part of the accelerated charged particle beam to generate a momentum deviation only in the part of the charged particle beam, in that the charged particles of a part of the charged particle beam, the charged particles having a large momentum deviation, are located in a non-stable region and in an extraction region in a horizontal phase space with respect to the traveling direction of the charged particle beam, and in that a group of the charged particles located in the non-stable region and in the extraction region are largely deviated in the horizontal direction so as to be extracted.

Abstract: The present invention provides a qualitatively-stable functionally gradient material precursor having gradient material composition, as well as a production method of the functionally gradient material precursor, at low cost. Further, the present invention provides a functionally gradient material having gradient material composition, or having both gradient material composition and gradient porosity, so as to achieve high-functionality; as well as a production method of the functionally gradient material. A functionally gradient material precursor is formed by the steps of: forming plural kinds of metal foam precursors, each obtained by performing heat treatment on a metal member so that a plurality of pores are generated within the metal member, by making the material composition of the metal member different; and friction stir welding the plural kinds of metal foam precursors. Further, a functionally gradient material is formed by performing heat treatment on the functionally gradient material.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to identify a Nesfatin-1 receptor, and to provide a method for screening or designing a Nesfatin-1-action regulating substance or a Nesfatin-1-like action substance using the Nesfatin-1 receptor. A method for screening a Nesfatin-1-like action substance comprising steps of making a test substance act on a receptor protein selected from the group consisting of GPR3, GPR6 and GPR12, and of identifying the Nesfatin-1-like action substance based on a change of Nesfatin-1 action.

Abstract: Disclosed are a compound represented by the general formula (I) below and a polymer compound obtained by polymerizing such a compound. R1-Gly-Lac-Pro-R2 ??(I): where -Gly-Lac-Pro- represents a structure represented by the following formula (II), R1 represents a hydrogen atom, or an amino acid, a polypeptide or a hydroxycarboxylic acid which are linked through an amide bond, R2 represents a hydroxyl group, or an amino acid or a polypeptide which are linked through an amide bond, or a hydroxycarboxylic acid which is linked through an ester bond.

Abstract: The present invention provides an oral composition which can more effectively prevent or improve functional gastrointestinal disorders, particularly upper gastrointestinal dysfunction, specifically functional dyspepsia, and is highly safe and suitable for long-term ingestion. The oral composition of the present invention contains sodium glutamate and arginine hydrochloride at a molar ratio of 1:1. The aforementioned composition can be provided as an agent for the prophylaxis or improvement of functional gastrointestinal disorder, and can also be provided in a food or drink.