Abstract: This invention relates to method for improving selectivity in liquid phase chemical reactions by flowing a reaction solution through a solution reaction column packed with particles having a multiplicity of nanometer-order pores, wherein the chemical reaction solution containing molecules to be reacted is flowed through mesopores having diameter on the order of several nanometers and length on the order of several ten nanometers, while simultaneously subjected to activating of the reaction thereof with reaction-initiating/accelerating means during the process; and a solution flow reaction system therefor.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of measuring a rheological property of a composite filled with particles, and evaluation equipment, in which in situ measurement is performed of the rheological property of a composite filled with particles obtained by mixing a particulate material as raw material with a liquid material, in a condition with the original material structure maintained, without destroying the material by applying external force such as shearing force thereto, comprising a step of measuring the coagulation structure of the particulate material within the composite filled with particles as an anisotropy signal, and a step of employing the amount of this anisotropy as an index of the rheological property value of the composite.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of measuring the internal structure (packing structure or dispersion condition of particulate material) of a composite filled with particles having an irregular matrix by observations based on its optical anisotropy, in which the internal structure (packing structure or dispersion condition of particulate material) of the composite obtained by mixing particulate material as raw material with a liquid material is made visible by utilizing the photoelasticity based on local rearrangement of liquid material molecules or difference of refractive indices of the particulate material and liquid material, and the structure thereof are observed, and an evaluation device using this principle of measurement.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a silicon carbide-boron nitride composite material, which synthesised according to an in-situ chemical reaction between silicon nitride, boron carbide and carbon, and which contains fine boron nitride particles dispersed in a silicon carbide matrix, wherein aforementioned composite material is obtained by molding a powder mixture containing each of the components required in the in-situ reaction and sintering the mixture.

Abstract: Disclosed is an economical method for the preparation of chondroitin sulfates A and C useful as an effective ingredient of medicaments from fish scales as a waste material discharged from fishery in large quantities. Fish scales are enzymatically decomposed in an aqueous medium in the presence of a protease to isolate the chondroitin sulfate compounds and by-product polypeptides followed by removal of the by-product polypeptides from the aqueous solution by a cation-exchange treatment and then the aqueous solution of the chondroitin sulfate compounds is subjected to fractional precipitation by the addition of ethyl alcohol as the precipitant.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improved optical near-field probe for optical near-field microscopy or optical near-field recording having an effective aperture diameter variable to comply with different applications. The improvement comprises attaching, to the aperture end opening of an optical fiber-based probe, a thin film made from a substance which is opaque but capable of being rendered transparent, such as antimony or photo-chromic compounds, by irradiation with light so that the center area only of the end opening becomes transparent and transmits the laser beam to serve as an effective aperture of a diameter variable depending on the intensity of the light.

Abstract: The present invention provides a monolayer sheet structure of primary hepatocytes that could not be formed by conventional cell layer formation technology, along with a simple method of forming such a monolayer sheet structure, and this invention is a monolayer sheet structure formed as a confluent monolayer of primary hepatocytes cultured on a culture substrate, said monolayer sheet structure is formed by treating the hepatocytes with a protein-phosphorylation inhibitor having an indolo [2,3-a] carbazole or other similar structure in the monolayer formation stage.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical recording layer in which the microaperture for reproducing optical near-field light is controllable so as to read out the optical near-field signals with stability by keeping the signal-reproducing head at a height safe from crashing with the recording medium even when the recording marks are smaller than 100 nm. The optical recording medium is a layered body comprising: (a) a transparent substrate; (b) a first protective layer formed on the substrate; (c) an optically or thermally active layer, which is capable of reversibly generating a micro-aperture by application of light or heat, formed on the first protective layer; (d) a second protective layer, which is under a compressive stress of 200 MPa to 1 GPa, formed on the active layer; (e) an optical recording layer formed on the second protective layer; and (f) a third protective layer formed on the optical recording layer.

Abstract: Disclosed is a high-efficiency stress-luminescent material capable of emitting luminescence by receiving a mechanical stress such as compression, shearing and rubbing. The stress-luminescent material is an alkaline earth aluminate of a non-stoichiometric composition deficient in the content of the alkaline earth element by 0.01 to 20% by moles from stoichiometry. The efficiency of stress-luminescence emission can be further enhanced when the non-stoichiometric alkaline earth aluminate contains 0.01 to 10% by moles of rare earth metal ions or transition metal ions. The stress-luminescent material is prepared by subjecting a non-stoichiometric composite oxide of aluminum oxide and an alkaline earth oxide to a calcination treatment at 800 to 1700° C. in a reducing atmosphere.

Abstract: A novel triphenodioxazine compound represented by the formula (1), a process for preparing the same, use of the compound as a dichroic dye, and liquid crystal composition containing the compound are disclosed. The compound is useful as a dichroic dye having a narrow light absorption band and a high dichroic ratio. (In the formula, each of Y1 to Y4 stands for a group represented by the formula (2) or (3); h is an integer of 1 to 2; A stands for phenylene or the like; E stands for phenylene or the like; G stands for H, F, or the like; i is an integer of 1 to 2; j is an integer of 0 to 2, each of J and M stands for phenylene or the like; and Q stands for H, F or the like.