Abstract: A power generation system includes a hydrothermal fluid well including a drilled hole reaching down to a hydrothermal fluid reservoir present below an ocean floor from an ocean floor surface and a casing installed in the drilled hole through a guide base on the ocean floor surface, an anode provided on a flow channel for hot water formed by the hydrothermal fluid well, a cathode provided in seawater other than the flow channel for hot water formed by the hydrothermal fluid well, and an ocean floor device that is connected with the anode and the cathode respectively and extracts generated power so as to operate. Power is easily and stably supplied on the ocean floor.

Abstract: Provided is a core sampling apparatus which maintains the internal pressure after the core drilling. The core sampling apparatus includes a barrel part, a container which is movably disposed in the barrel part and maintains the sampled core, a ball valve to prevent a fluid from inflowing and outflowing between an inside and an outside of the barrel part in a closed state thereof, a first seal member which seals a space between the barrel part and the ball valve, a second seal member which seals a space between the container and the barrel part, a locking mechanism which locks a state in which the ball valve is sealed by the first seal member, and an inflowing mechanism configured to inflow the fluid only in a direction to an internal space of the closed barrel part by the first seal member and the second seal member.

Abstract: A recovery method for recovering mineral resources from a hydrothermal fluid reservoir present beneath the ocean floor includes the steps of: (A) providing a hydrothermal fluid well by drilling a hole reaching a hydrothermal fluid reservoir from an ocean floor surface via a guide base on the ocean floor surface, and then installing a casing in the drilled hole via the guide base; (B) precipitating minerals on a mineral-culturing device by installing the mineral-culturing device on the base guide so as to cover a well head of the hydrothermal fluid well, and bringing hot water ejecting from the well head into contact with sea water on the mineral-culturing device; and (C) recovering minerals precipitated on the mineral-culturing device together with the mineral-culturing device.

Abstract: The objects of the present invention are to provide a cellulase that has activity to produce glucose by hydrolyzing crystalline cellulose and which is suitable for saccharification of crystalline cellulose, such as wood, by enzymatic method; and a method of producing glucose and alcohol from crystalline cellulose by utilizing the cellulase. The objects are solved by cellulase having exo-cellulase activity to produce glucose as a main product and cellobiose as a by-product by hydrolyzing crystalline cellulose; and a method of producing glucose and alcohol from crystalline cellulose by utilizing the cellulase.

Abstract: A joint structure is a joint structure between a first member having a pillared end part made of a fiber-reinforced plastic and a second member different from the first member. The end part of the first member is reversely tapered in an axial direction, while a joining member is disposed along a reversely tapered form of the end part. The second member is provided in contact with an end face of the first member and connected to the joining member. A plurality of fibers substantially extending in the axial direction of the end part of the first member are provided within the end part and disposed to form a larger angle with the axial direction of the end part of the first member as they are disposed to be closer to a surface constituting the reversely tapered form in a radial direction of the end part.

Abstract: To facilitate changing a system configuration and allow having high redundancy in a computer system connecting a plurality of nodes. A node includes a CPU and constitutes a computer system. The node executes one or more processes and including predetermined functions. The node includes a shared memory that stores system information including process information related to each process executed by each node, in a state accessible from each process of its own node. In the node, the system information including the process information related to each process of its own node is multicast to the other nodes. A shared memory control process of the node receives the system information multicast from the other nodes and stores the system information in the shared memory.

Abstract: A fixation releasing device by which a buoyant body and a weight may be securely fixed and the fixed state between the buoyant body and the weight may be readily released, using a simple structure. The fixation releasing device is made from a buoyant body, a weight, and a connection designed to connect the buoyant body and weight. The connection device has a connection structure made from a closed loop member, rotation arms, and connection members. A connection member is engaged with each rotation arm, and rotation of each rotation arm is restrained by the closed loop member, thereby fixing the buoyant body. To release the buoyant body, a trigger mechanism provided at the closed loop member is operated to fusion cut the closed loop member. Then, each rotation arm is rotated, and then the connection member comes out of each rotation arm, thereby releasing the buoyant body.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a nuclease that secretes natural nonpathogenic microorganisms extracellularly, has higher specific activity than conventional nucleases, and is useful in nucleolytic degradation on an industrial scale. This purpose is achieved with an extracellularly secreted nuclease derived from Streptomyces bacteria, the nuclease having specific activity equal to or greater than the specific activity of Benzonase® when supplied to double-stranded DNA for 30 minutes at 37° C. in 20 mM Tris/HCl (pH 8.5) containing 1 mM MgCl2 and 1 mM CaCl2 after purification, using double-stranded DNA, single-stranded DNA, and RNA as substrates.

Abstract: The invention is a recovery method for recovering mineral resources from a hydrothermal fluid reservoir present beneath the ocean floor, the recovery method including the steps of: (A) providing a hydrothermal fluid well by drilling a hole reaching a hydrothermal fluid reservoir from an ocean floor surface via a guide base on the ocean floor surface, and then installing a casing in the drilled hole via the guide base; (B) precipitating minerals on the mineral-culturing device by installing a mineral-culturing device on the base guide so as to cover a well head of the hydrothermal fluid well, and bringing hot water ejecting from the well head into contact with sea water on the mineral-culturing device; and (C) recovering minerals precipitated on the mineral-culturing device together with the mineral-culturing device.

Abstract: A crawler device includes a wheel support, wheels respectively rotatably supported thereto, and a crawler belt run around the wheels. Each of the wheels includes a rigid wheel body and an elastic material exterior part fixed to an outer periphery of the wheel body. Raised portions are formed in an outer periphery of the exterior part to continuously extend in a width direction and be arranged in a circumferential direction spaced from each other. Drain grooves extending through the exterior part in the width direction are formed between the raised portions. Top surfaces of the raised portions of the exterior part surface contact an inner peripheral surface of the crawler belt with a frictional force working therebetween. Restriction members stopping opposite side edges of the crawler belt are provided in the wheel support to restrict the crawler belt from being displaced with respect to the wheels in the width direction.

Abstract: The pressure vessel includes a tubular portion and a cover portion made of fiber reinforced plastics. The outer peripheral surface of an end portion of the tubular portion has a reverse-tapered shape of which the diameter is increased toward an end face. The cover portion includes a wedge-shaped member installed along the reverse-tapered shape of the outer periphery surface of the end portion of the tubular portion, an outer ring for covering the wedge-shaped member from the outside, an inner ring installed to cover an opening of the tubular portion and the wedge-shaped member and connected to the outer ring, and a sample cap connected to the inner ring.

Abstract: A cellulose gel medium having good visibility of microbial colonies, a cellulose gel culture substrate for manufacturing the cellulose gel medium, a method for manufacturing the cellulose gel culture substrate, a method for screening cellulase-producing microorganisms or cellulase activity with greater efficiency and rapidity, and a culture substrate, which includes a cellulose gel containing cellulose and water as medium-solidifying components, the cellulose has the viscosity of 12 to 35 mPa·S as measured at 26° C. with a solution prepared by dissolving the cellulose at a concentration of 2.5 mg/mL in dimethylacetamide containing 8% (W/V) lithium chloride.

Abstract: The first object of the present invention is to provide an immortalized cell line derived from a thread-sail filefish. The first object of the present invention can be solved by a cell line or a passage strain thereof derived from a living body part of a fish of the family Monacanthidae, wherein the cell line or the passage strain thereof is capable of being subcultured substantially without limitations. The second object of the present invention is to provide a pluripotent stem cell derived from a thread-sail filefish. The second object of the present invention can be solved by a cell line or a passage strain thereof derived from a living body part of a fish of the family Monacanthidae, wherein the cell line or the passage strain thereof is positive for at least a cell marker selected from a group consisting of TRA-1-60, OCT4 and SSEA-3.

Abstract: Providing is a new enzyme assay method for enzymes having a water-insoluble or substantially water-insoluble substrate. In the method for measuring enzymatic activity, a prescribed amount of an enzyme is disposed on a part of the surface of a gel comprising dispersoids, at least some of which are the substrate of the enzyme. Recesses formed in the surface of the gel by the action of the enzyme are measured, and the enzyme activity is calculated on the basis of the measurement results and the amount of the enzyme. The measurement of the recesses formed in the surface of the gel is performed using a method for measuring the shape and the volume of the recesses, a method for measuring changes in the optical transmittance of the gel due to the formation of the recesses, or a method for measuring changes in the optical reflectance of the gel surface due to the formation of the recesses.

Abstract: A power generation system includes a hydrothermal fluid well including a drilled hole reaching down to a hydrothermal fluid reservoir present below an ocean floor from an ocean floor surface and a casing installed in the drilled hole through a guide base on the ocean floor surface, an anode provided on a flow channel for hot water formed by the hydrothermal fluid well, a cathode provided in seawater other than the flow channel for hot water formed by the hydrothermal fluid well, and an ocean floor device that is connected with the anode and the cathode respectively and extracts generated power so as to operate. Power is easily and stably supplied on the ocean floor.

Abstract: A fusion cutting device includes a fusion cutting device body made from a connecting-member enclosure in the shape of a tube, for slidably passing a connecting member therethrough, an electric heater wound outside the connecting-member enclosure in the form of a coil, and a case configured to contain these connecting-member enclosure and electric heater, a power source for supplying electric current to the electric heater, and a switch circuit configured to flow the electric current from the power source to the electric heater. The first object and the second object are fixed by the connecting member. When the switch circuit turns on, electric current flows from the power source to the electric heater, thereby fusion cutting the connecting-member enclosure and the connecting member that pass through the connecting-member enclosure. The first object and the second object are thereby separated.

Abstract: Provided is an image processing apparatus the calculation cost of which is low. The image processing apparatus is provided with a control means that sets a plurality of planes that form a layer in at least one direction in three dimensional space, sets one plane among the planes as a reference plane, and forms an image on the basis of the relationship between the positions of a visual axis and the reference plane.

Abstract: A fixation releasing device by which a buoyant body and a weight may be securely fixed and the fixed state between the buoyant body and the weight may be readily released, using a simple structure. The fixation releasing device is made from a buoyant body, a weight, and a connection designed to connect the buoyant body and weight. The connection device has a connection structure made from a closed loop member, rotation arms, and connection members. A connection member is engaged with each rotation arm, and rotation of each rotation arm is restrained b the closed loop member, thereby fixing the buoyant body. To release the buoyant body, a trigger mechanism provided at the closed loop member is operated to fusion cut the closed loop member. Then, each rotation arm is rotated, and then the connection member comes out of each rotation arm, thereby releasing the buoyant body.

Abstract: The disclosed invention is a method for producing an emulsion, comprising the steps of: (1) causing water and a water-insoluble substance that is to be emulsified to become freely miscible under conditions of temperature and pressure in the vicinity of the vapor-liquid critical point of water; and (2) cooling the product comprised of the water-insoluble substance and water solved each other in the presence of a surfactant to obtain a liquid comprised of the water-insoluble substance dispersed in water or a liquid comprised of water dispersed in the water-insoluble substance. The present invention provides a new method for producing emulsions with high efficiency without requiring a long period of processing or a great amount of energy.

Abstract: Provided is a core sampling apparatus which maintains the internal pressure after the core drilling. The core sampling apparatus includes a barrel part, a container which is movably disposed in the barrel part and maintains the sampled core, a ball valve to prevent a fluid from inflowing and outflowing between an inside and an outside of the barrel part in a closed state thereof, a first seal member which seals a space between the barrel part and the ball valve, a second seal member which seals a space between the container and the barrel part, a locking mechanism which locks a state in which the ball valve is sealed by the first seal member, and an inflowing mechanism configured to inflow the fluid only in a direction to an internal space of the closed barrel part by the first seal member and the second seal member.