Abstract: Previously, it was difficult to obtain high-affinity antibodies that specifically bind to HMGB-1 but not to HMGB-2. Under this circumstance, the present inventors successfully obtained antibodies that are more reactive to HMGB-1 than to HMGB-2 by using specific peptides as an antigen. The present inventors also demonstrated that the antibodies had a HMGB-1-neutralizing activity. The present inventors administered the antibodies to amyloidosis model animals, and as a result, successfully demonstrated that the antibodies produced a significant therapeutic effect.

Abstract: As a result of collecting blood from pancreatic cancer patients, esophageal cancer patients, and stomach cancer patients, and conducting mass spectrometry on N-linked sugar chains in the plasmas, sugar chains whose abundances are significantly different from those of healthy subjects have been successfully identified from the blood samples of the cancer patients.

Abstract: This invention provides a method for efficiently detecting DNA methylation. The method for detecting DNA methylation comprises subjecting DNA to bisulfite treatment, subjecting DNA after bisulfite treatment to a first PCR, subjecting the resultant to nested PCR, and subjecting amplified DNA to denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis.

Abstract: The present invention provides means and a method assuring the effectiveness of early diagnosis of cancers including gastric cancers. Specifically, the present invention provides an antibody, which is prepared using, as an antigen, (a) a peptide comprising at least contiguous amino acids at positions 69 to 75 in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, or (b) a peptide consisting of an amino acid sequence in which one or several amino acids are deleted, substituted or added in at least contiguous amino acids at positions 69 to 75 in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, and having the antigenicity of human MUC1 protein, and which is reactive with human mucin 1 (MUC1) protein.

Abstract: The present invention provides a peptide capable of specifically binding to human IgG. In particular, the present invention relates to a human IgG binding peptide tag of 11 to 16 amino acids in length, comprising at least an amino acid sequence of the formula I: C-(X)n-W-X-X-X-W-(X)m-C (I) (SEQ?ID?NO:?17) wherein n and m are each an integer of 1 or more and the sum n+m is 4 or 5, wherein X-X-X in the formula I contains no cysteine residue, and wherein said amino acid sequence satisfies either or both of a) and b): a) (X)n-W in the formula I denotes Za-G-Y-W (SEQ ID NO: 18); and b) W-(X)m in the formula I denotes W-G-L-Zb (SEQ ID NO: 19) wherein Za and Zb are each 0, 1, or more amino acid residues.

Abstract: Previously, it was difficult to obtain high-affinity antibodies that specifically bind to HMGB-1 but not to HMGB-2. Under this circumstance, the present inventors successfully obtained antibodies that are more reactive to HMGB-1 than to HMGB-2 by using specific peptides as an antigen. The present inventors also demonstrated that the antibodies had a HMGB-1-neutralizing activity. The present inventors administered the antibodies to amyloidosis model animals, and as a result, successfully demonstrated that the antibodies produced a significant therapeutic effect.

Abstract: A remote-controlled mobile machine has a pair of flexible shafts (10) formed by inserting torque transmission driving wires (11) into tubes (12). One ends of the flexible shafts (10) are respectively connected to power sources (2), and the other ends thereof are respectively connected to a pair of left and right crawler mechanisms (102). The crawler mechanisms (102) are driven/controlled by remote control via the flexible shafts (10) to make the mobile machine travel.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for detection of a basic peptide by mixing a sample suspected to contain the basic peptide and a reagent containing denatured albumin and detecting turbidness due to a complex of the basic peptide and denatured albumin.

Abstract: Disclosed are: a marker for the diagnosis of a liver disease, which can determine the disease in a simple manner; an antibody directed against the marker; a diagnostic agent; a diagnosis method; and a method for marker detection in blood or serum. Proteome analysis revealed that quantities of the full-length kininogen and three partial peptides thereof (sequence A: position-440 to position-456, sequence B: position-439 to position-456, and sequence C: position-438 to position-456) in sera of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are significantly different from those in sera of healthy individuals; and a diagnostic agent and a detecting method for the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease that can be conveniently used for medical examination are established.

Abstract: A hue conversion unit (124) converts a value of a first color difference (i.e., chrominance) signal (color difference signal of color pair hard to be distinguished by dichromat) obtained by a luminance signal/color difference signal conversion unit (123) into a value of a second color difference signal (color difference signal of color pair easy to be distinguished by dichromat), and converts a value of the second color difference signal obtained by the luminance signal/color difference signal conversion unit (123) into a value of the first color difference signal. A hue-converted color image generation unit (127) generates a hue-converted color image based on a luminance signal and the first color difference signal after conversion and the second color difference signal after conversion which are obtained by the hue conversion unit (124).

Abstract: The present invention provides a watermark information embedding device, a watermark information processing system, a watermark information embedding method and program that can provide a two-dimensional code enabling detection of copying. The watermark information embedding device comprises a first wavelet transform unit (12), a watermark information embedding unit (14) and an inverse wavelet transform unit (150). The first wavelet transform unit (12) performs a discrete wavelet transform on an original image of a two-dimensional code and decomposes this into various frequency components, namely an LL component, an LH component, an HL component and an HH component. The watermark information embedding unit (14) embeds the watermark information in the HH component as a high-frequency component in an oblique direction.

Abstract: A circuit element is arranged on an organic substrate and connected to a wiring pattern arranged on the organic substrate. An internal connection electrode is formed on a conductive support body by electroforming so as to obtain a unitary block of the internal connection electrode and the support body. Each end of each of the internal connection electrodes connected into a unitary block by the support body is connected to the wiring pattern. After the circuit element is sealed by resin, the support body is peeled off, so as to obtain individual internal connection electrodes separately and the other end of each of the internal connection electrodes is used as an external connection electrode on the front surface while the external connection electrode on the rear surface is connected to the wiring pattern.

Abstract: A heat pipe for cooling an exothermic body by the vaporization and condensation of an enclosed cooling medium is disclosed. The heat pipe comprises a flat plate-like upper plate, a flat plate-like lower plate opposed to the upper plate, and a plurality of flat plate-like intermediate plates overlaid on each other between the upper plate and the lower plate and having internal through-holes. The internal through-holes formed in each of a plurality of the intermediate plates are adapted such that only part of each through-hole is overlapped on each other to form capillary tube paths, each having a cross-sectional area smaller than the cross-sectional area of the through-hole in the flat surface direction.

Abstract: A polyion complex (PIC) or a PIC nanoparticle that may be easily prepared, and that is finally disappeared in vivo due to its suitable biodegradability while exhibiting high stability in vivo, an immunotherapy agent comprising the PIC nanoparticle to which various antigen proteins or peptides may be easily conjugated or incorporated and/or which may be easily mixed with the antigen proteins or peptides, as well as a process for preparing thereof are provided. Specifically, a polyion complex (PIC) comprising a hydrophobized poly(acidic amino acid) and a basic polypeptide, a nanoparticle thereof having a particle shape, an immunotherapy agent comprising the PIC nanoparticle, as well as a process for preparing the PIC, comprising steps of introducing a hydrophobic amino acid to a poly(acidic amino acid) to prepare a hydrophobized poly(acidic amino acid), and dissolving the hydrophobized poly(acidic amino acid) prepared to a buffer, and it is mixed with a basic polypeptide dissolved in a buffer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a peptide which functions as a mimic peptide of an amyloid ? peptide and is capable of inhibiting the fibrillogenesis of an amyloid ? peptide. The present invention relates to: an 8- to 30-amino acid residue peptide comprising an amino acid sequence represented by the following formula (I): X1-Asp-X2-X3-X4-Pro-X5-X6 (SEQ ID NO: 28)??(I) wherein X1 represents a branched chain amino acid, and X2, X3, X4, X5, and X6 are the same or different and each represents an ?-amino acid; a 9- to 30-amino acid residue peptide comprising an amino acid sequence represented by the following formula (III): Z1-X13-Gly-X14-X15-Pro-Trp-Met-Z2 (SEQ ID NO: 31)??(III) wherein X13, X14, and X15 are the same or different and each represents an ?-amino acid, Z1 and Z2 are the same or different and each represents cysteine or serine, and when Z1 and Z2 represent cysteine, they may be crosslinked; and a pharmaceutical composition and an amyloid ? fibrillogenesis inhibitor comprising the peptide.

Abstract: The Present Invention provides a heat pipe and an electronic device which can efficiently cool a light emitting element arranged in an end portion, so that it is possible to efficiently mount the heat pipe in a narrow space. The heat pipe is provided with an upper plate (3), a lower plate (4) opposing the upper plate (3), one intermediate plate or a plurality of intermediate plates (5) laminated between the upper plate (3) and the lower plate (4), a main body portion (2) formed by lamination of the upper plate (3), the lower plate (4) and the intermediate plate (5) and capable of sealing a cooling medium, a vapor diffusion path (6) capable of diffusing a vaporized cooling medium, and a capillary flow path (7) capable of reflowing a condensed cooling medium, and the vapor diffusion path (6) is formed from a first end portion (15) of the main body portion toward a second end portion (16) opposing the first end portion (15).

Abstract: It is intended to provide a stable novel sugar-immobilized metal nanoparticle capable of easily immobilizing a sugar chain, a method for measuring sugar-protein interaction easily and at a low cost using the same without labeling, and a method for simply recovering a protein from a sugar-protein interactant. A maltose-immobilized gold nanoparticle was obtained by binding a ligand complex, in which maltose and a linker compound had been bound to each other, to a gold nanoparticle. By adding this maltose-immobilized gold nanoparticle to a dilution series of concanavalin A, a sugar-protein interactant of maltose and ConA was formed, and red-purple color derived from a colloidal solution of maltose-immobilized gold nanoparticle disappeared. That is, sugar-protein interaction could be confirmed by visual observation without labeling.

Abstract: Provided is a method for purifying a biodiesel fuel while completely preventing or greatly reducing generation of waste water. The present invention relates to a method for purifying a biodiesel fuel characterized by applying an electric field to or heating a crude biodiesel fuel and a method for purifying a biodiesel fuel characterized by adding water (preferably containing a demulsifier such as an inorganic calcium salt or a magnesium salt) to a crude biodiesel fuel to form W/O emulsion, and breaking the emulsion by application of an electric field or heating, etc.

Abstract: Previously, it was difficult to obtain high-affinity antibodies that specifically bind to HMGB-1 but not to HMGB-2. Under this circumstance, the present inventors successfully obtained antibodies that are more reactive to HMGB-1 than to HMGB-2 by using specific peptides as an antigen. The present inventors also demonstrated that the antibodies had a HMGB-1-neutralizing activity. The present inventors administered the antibodies to amyloidosis model animals, and as a result, successfully demonstrated that the antibodies produced a significant therapeutic effect.

Abstract: There is provided a drug injecting device including a drug feeding unit (110) feeding a drug (111a) to a surface of an object (200), an ultrasonic oscillating unit (120) oscillating an amplitude-modulated ultrasonic wave group in which amplitudes of respective ultrasonic waves are modulated, with respect to the surface of the object (200) fed with the drug (111a), and a control unit (130) controlling the amplitudes of the respective ultrasonic waves of the amplitude-modulated ultrasonic wave group oscillated from the ultrasonic oscillating unit (120) based on a drift velocity of the drug (111a) with respect to the object (200). Accordingly, when a drug is injected into a surface of an object such as a human body using ultrasonic waves, an effective injection according to the drug can be realized.