Abstract: An automatic vessel position holding control method for holding a vessel position and a vessel heading of a vessel on the ocean in order to reduce a positional deviation and a heading deviation sharply as compared with the conventional automatic vessel position holding control by performing feedforward control for estimating and then compensating for at least one of a wave drifting force and a wave drifting moment that act on the vessel, wherein a vessel position holding control is performed that includes such controls as estimating waves entering the vessel from motion thereof, calculating at least one of the wave drifting force and the wave drifting moment from the estimated waves and performing feedforward control for at least one of the calculated wave drifting force and the calculated wave drifting moment.

Abstract: A simulator of heat radiation energy which includes acquiring 3D spatial data including a plurality of solid objects where the 3D space is defined by a plurality of grids; calculating the form coefficient in all combinations of arbitrary two grids out of the plurality of grids; acquiring the attribute data of each grid including the area, reflectivity, and temperature of the grid; calculating the sum of heat radiation energy by radiation of a grid itself and heat radiation energy by reflection of heat radiation from each grid as heat radiation energy of every grid on the basis of the area of the grid, the form coefficient, the reflectivity of the grid and the temperature of the grid; and outputting the calculation results of heat radiation energy of every grid to an output unit.

Abstract: A new means of separately arranging individual animal cells on a substrate surface is provided. A method for preparing a substrate for arranging animal cells in an array, comprising steps (1) to (3): (1) preparing a substrate having adsorption surfaces in an array on an electrode substrate surface; (2) causing an extracellular matrix to adsorb to the electrode surface and the adsorption surfaces of the substrate; and (3) applying a weak potential to the electrode to cause the extracellular matrix on the electrode surface to separate to obtain a substrate with the extracellular matrix adhered to the adsorption surfaces thereof.

Abstract: The memory size used in DEM calculation of particle having a particle diameter distribution is suppressed.

Abstract: A high-strength cable having a twisted layer of non-metallic reinforcing elements in outer coatings is disclosed. The reinforcing elements include coating elements, fiber elements of copolyparaphenylene-3,4?-oxydiphenyleneterephthalic amide disposed in the coating elements, and filling materials filled between the fiber elements, respectively. The lateral compression stress of the fiber elements of the copolyparaphenylene-3,4?-oxydiphenyleneterephthalic amide is 75 cN/dtex or more.

Abstract: An observation apparatus can observe the temporal fluctuations of the two-dimensional distribution of oxygen concentration in the bottom sludge and also in the bottom water on the seabed at an observation site. The observation apparatus includes a pressure-resistant container main body section that has a pressure-resistant window and is hermetically sealed by a pressure-resistant container closure section, a sensor foil that contains an oxygen quenching material and is arranged at the pressure-resistant window, an excitation light source that is arranged at the pressure-resistant container main body section to irradiate the sensor foil and an image pickup apparatus that shoots the sensor foil.

Abstract: The invention aims to provide a novel alkaline protease having peculiar properties such as high alkali activity, resistance to surfactants and calcium-dependent thermostability and exhibiting excellent performance in highly alkaline detergents, and a gene coding for the amino acid sequence thereof. There is provided an alkaline protease with such properties that an active pH range is from 5 to 13, an optimum pH is approximately 12.6, an optimum temperature is 70° C., no activity drop by heating is observed up to 65° C. at pH 10 and the optimum temperature and the thermostability are not affected by Ca2+ ions. Specifically, there is provided, for example, an alkaline protease having an amino acid sequence constituting a mature enzyme as represented by SEQ ID NO: 3 or an amino acid sequence resulting from deletion, substitution, situs inversus arrangement, addition or insertion of a part of amino acids thereof, or derived from Alkaliphillus transvaalensis.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide in water that can correct a reduction in measurement accuracy based on deterioration of a pH indicator is provided. A carbon dioxide concentration measurement apparatus includes a deterioration determining section that measures a change rate ?A0 of an isosbestic point absorbance A0 and determines that the pH indicator solution is deteriorated when the change rate ?A0 is reduced by a predetermined reduction rate or more. After the deterioration determining section determines deterioration of the pH indicator solution, a pH value computing section computes the pH value of the pH indicator solution using a corrected pH computation expression for correcting a deterioration of the pH value of the pH indicator solution on the basis of the change rate ?A0 of the isosbestic point absorbance A0.

Abstract: A linear biodevice is provided with fibers that have a curved portion in its cross section approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and approximately spherical adhesive cells that adhere to the periphery of the fiber. A membrane-like biodevice is provided with a sheet that has an opening and approximately spherical adhesive cells that adhere to the opening. A curved portion is present in the cross section on an inner edge of the opening. A bioreactor is provided with a membrane-like biodevice in which spherical adhesive cells grow densely so as to close the openings of the sheet.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for suppressing the growth of a target cell, which is not limited in the type of a target cell and the type of a protein to be expressed in the target cell and needs not any preparatory experiment for determining a codon to be contained in a protein to be expressed in a target cell. Specifically disclosed is a method for suppressing the growth of a target cell, which comprises the steps of: incorporating DNA containing a region encoding a protein into the target cell, and allowing a protein encoded by the DNA to be expressed in the target cell into which the DNA has been incorporated. The region contained in the DNA comprises a tri-nucleotide sequence. The tri-nucleotide sequence is selected from codons that define at least some amino acid species constituting the protein, and is complementary to at least some codons that are used in the target cell at a frequency of 0.2 or less.

Abstract: The present invention provides a communication device and a communication method of an underwater vehicle, which use an electromagnetic field (electromagnetic wave), having a higher propagation speed than that of an acoustic wave, for communication between an underwater vehicle and a mother vessel or the like so as to allow real-time control of the underwater vehicle and the like and further to make the communication little sensitive to noise and the like. The communication device performs wireless communication between an underwater vehicle in water and an object on land or on water, and is configured to compress data to be transmitted and transmit/receive the compressed data by the use of a low-frequency electromagnetic field.

Abstract: An underwater traveling vehicle includes: a vehicle body 2; an endless track means 3 which is rotatably mounted to the vehicle body 2; a drive means which is provided in the vehicle body 2 so as to drive the endless track means 3; and a thruster 4 which is provided in the vehicle body 2.

Abstract: A synthetic aperture processing system 10 includes a signal transmission unit 12 for generating a plurality of chirp waves and radiating the plurality of chirp waves to an irradiation region from a plurality of measuring sites, a signal reception unit 14 for receiving a plurality of reflected waves caused by the plurality of chirp waves radiated from the signal transmission unit 12, a range compression unit 15 for range-compressing each of the reflected waves received by the signal reception unit 14 and generating reception data consisting of a plurality of sinc functions, a cross-correlation computation unit 18 for, based on a plurality of model data segments consisting of a plurality of sinc functions obtained by range-compression of ideal reception waves caused by the reflection of the frequency-modulated waves at a plurality of predetermined sites in the irradiation region and the reception data generated by the range compression unit 15, calculating correlation values representing a degree of correlation

Abstract: A meteorological simulation method acquires the geomorphological data of a predetermined region, acquires the meteorological data of the predetermined region entirely or partially, acquires the 3D spatial data of a partial region in the pre-determined region where the 3D space is defined by a plurality of grids, calculates the meteorological data in the predetermined region by using the geomorphological data and the meteorological data, acquires the attribute data of each grid including the geo-metrical factors of the plurality of grids of the partial region in the predetermined region, calculates heat radiation energy of every grid based on the attribute data of each grid, calculates the flux between a solid object or the like and the ground surface and the pressure variation on the boundary of the solid object and the atmosphere based on the heat radiation energy thus calculated, calculates the weather data on the boundary of the solid object or the like and the atmosphere based on the flux and pressure var

Abstract: A simulator of heat radiation energy includes means for acquiring 3D spatial data including a plurality of solid objects where the 3D space is defined by a plurality of grids; means for calculating the form coefficient in all combinations of arbitrary two grids out of the plurality of grids; means for acquiring the attribute data of each grid including the area, reflectivity, and temperature of the grid; means for calculating the sum of heat radiation energy by radiation of a grid itself and heat radiation energy by reflection of heat radiation from each grid as heat radiation energy of every grid on the basis of the area of the grid, the form coefficient, the reflectivity of the grid and the temperature of the grid; and means for outputting the calculation results of heat radiation energy of every grid to an output unit.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide in water that can correct a reduction in measurement accuracy based on deterioration of a pH indicator is provided. A carbon dioxide concentration measurement apparatus includes a deterioration determining section that measures a change rate ?A0 of an isosbestic point absorbance A0 and determines that the pH indicator solution is deteriorated when the change rate ?A0 is reduced by a predetermined reduction rate or more. After the deterioration determining section determines deterioration of the pH indicator solution, a pH value computing section computes the pH value of the pH indicator solution using a corrected pH computation expression for correcting a deterioration of the pH value of the pH indicator solution on the basis of the change rate ?A0 of the isosbestic point absorbance A0.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a solid medium containing as a medium-solidifying component a cellulose gel, in particular a cellulose gel which is a porous cellulose gel structure containing cellulose as the skeletal part and having a cellulose concentration of 0.01% or higher and a porosity of 50% or higher, as well as a process for producing the same. The solid medium of the invention can be obtained by dispersing cellulose in a solvent, especially an aqueous thiocyanate salt solution, stirring and/or heating the dispersion to dissolve the cellulose, subsequently cooling the solution and/or removing the solvent to cause the solution to gel, and permeating nutrients into the resultant cellulose gel. The solid medium usable under a wide range of culture conditions where conventional solid media such as agar medium cannot be used, as well as a method for producing the same is provided.

Abstract: A Raman amplifier includes a pumping light source, an optical coupler, and a Raman amplifier medium. The pumping light source outputs a pumping light that is intensity-modulated with a frequency equal to or higher than 100 megahertz. The optical coupler couples the pumping light with a carrier light. The Raman amplification medium is pumped by the pumping light to amplify the carrier light. The Raman amplification medium has characteristics of a low dispersion and a small difference between propagation times of the carrier light and the pumping light.

Abstract: A simulator is provided for simulating a real-water-droplet for an arbitrary simulation time in an entire space to be observed in which the real-water-droplets collide by a certain probability within a predetermined volume in a predetermined time interval, and in which the real-water-droplet is specified by a group of an arbitrary number of attributes and position coordinates at an initial time in one of divided spaces into which the entire space is divided, a super-water-droplet representing a group of an arbitrary number of the real-water-droplets which have a predetermined identical group of the attributes, when the multiplicity which is the arbitrary number of the real-water-droplets represented by the super-water-droplet changes when the super-water-droplet collides with another by a probability based on the certain probability and the multiplicity, calculating data about the super-water-droplet to output data about the real-water-droplet after the arbitrary simulation time elapses.

Abstract: Provided is a profiling float that can minutely and surely control effective buoyancy acting on the float in itself, and usage of the profiling float. The profiling float according to the present invention is equipped with a float chamber forming an airtight internal space, a fluid storage part provided in the float chamber and storing a fluid for control of buoyancy, a bladder provided at the exterior of the float chamber, in the interior of which the fluid for control of buoyancy is filled to change a volume thereof, thereby controlling buoyancy acting on the profiling float, a pump mechanism for transferring the fluid for control of buoyancy between the bladder and the fluid storage part, and a driving source for driving the pump mechanism, wherein the pump mechanism is composed of a gear pump.