Abstract: A method for measuring tastes, which can better simulate the human gustation than known methods, as well as a taste sensor, computer program and an apparatus for measuring tastes, is disclosed. In this method, data processing is carried out by a two-phase radial basis function neural network. That is, by sensors, each of which sensors can quantify at least one component representing, individually or cooperatively, the taste of saltiness, sourness, sweetness, umami or bitterness, to obtain a response value from each sensor, and each of the obtained response values is input to a first phase radial basis function neural network to calculate the concentration of each component from each response value.

Abstract: The invention relates to a magneto-resistance effect element and a magnetic memory device. Lowering the magnetic domain wall movement current and drive at room temperature in a current induction single magnetic domain wall movement phenomenon are achieved. A magneto-resistance effect element is formed by including at least: a magnet wire 1 for forming magnetic domain wall potential 7 binding a single magnetic domain wall 2; a magnetic field applying means for generating a magnetic field for introducing the single magnetic domain wall 2 into the magnet wire 1; and a drive current applying means for applying the current 3 including a resonance frequency component determined on the basis of the magnetic domain wall potential 7.

Abstract: The present invention provides a therapeutic agent for a nerve injury and a method for treating a nerve injury. One aspect of the invention is the method for treating a nerve injury by administering to a patient with a nerve injury a therapeutic agent for a nerve injury containing a differentiated cell-derived pluripotent cell obtained by forced expression of reprogramming genes such as a combination of the Oct3/4 gene, Sox2 gene, Klf4, and c-myc gene. in a differentiated cell; or cells obtained by inducing the aforementioned differentiated cell-derived pluripotent cells to differentiate into an embryoid body or a neurosphere.

Abstract: An integrated circuit multiplexes transmission data faster than by a system clock, and transfers a timing pulse Txclk for that multiplexing and a multiplexed signal Txdata from a transmitter chip 100 to a receiver chip 150 through communications by inductive coupling, respectively. Because of a transfer by inductive coupling being broadband, close-proximity wireless communications, the receiver chip 150 can faithfully obtain timing information on the timing pulse Txclk including jitter generated by a simple oscillator, and can thus accurately restore original data even by a high-speed transmission. This allows, in an integrated circuit that carries out communications by inductive coupling between chips to be stacked and mounted, carrying out communications between semiconductor chips with a small required area and faster than by a system clock.

Abstract: A novel fluorescent compound having a high light fastness, high fluorescence quantum yield and sharp absorption spectrum, which emits fluorescence having a wavelength in long wavelength region, as well as its use as a labeling agent, is disclosed. In Formula [I] below, by forming a specific hetero ring(s) with R1 and R2, and/or R6 and R7, shift of the wavelength of the fluorescence to longer wavelength and increase in molar extinction coefficient are attained maintaining the high light fastness, high fluorescence quantum yield and sharp absorption spectrum which the fluorescent dyes having the boron dipyrromethene skeleton have.

Abstract: The present invention provides a polyethylene glycol derivative having sugar residue-containing side chains and carboxyl group-containing side chains, and a method of preparing the same. The present invention also provides a carrier for drug delivery systems and a carrier for gene transfer, both comprising the polyethylene glycol derivative.

Abstract: The present invention provides a monoclonal antibody having a pathogenic activity that can induce pemphigus lesion, a peptide specifically recognized by the monoclonal antibody and useful as a therapeutic drug for pemphigus autoimmune disease, etc. As anti-mouse Dsg3 antibody-producing cells are present in the splenocytes of pemphigus vulgaris mouse model constructed by using autoantigen knockout mouse, cell fusion was conducted with the splenocytes of said mouse model and mouse myeloma cells using polyethyleneglycol, hybridomas were constructed, and monoclonal antibodies against Dsg3 were constructed. Among them, a monoclonal antibody having a pathological activity that can induce pemphigus lesions was screened, the base sequence and amino acid sequence in its variable region (heavy chain, light chain) was determined, and the specific epitope part was identified.

Abstract: A condition analysis apparatus capable of grasping the condition of an object easily and accurately is provided. The condition analysis apparatus 1 includes a three-dimensional sensor 10 for measuring sampling-point-moves in the height direction of an object 2 existing in a target area at a plurality of sampling points, and area definition means 22 for defining an area where a plurality of the sampling-point-moves are in the generally same phase. The thus constructed condition analysis apparatus 1 can grasp the condition of the object 2 easily and accurately. Preferably, the condition analysis apparatus 1 includes information output means 40 for outputting information of an area including the area defined by the area definition means 22.

Abstract: An electronic circuit capable of carrying out communications by inductive coupling with minimum power consumption between substrates. Although the amplification factor of the amplifier 10a is 1, the amplification factors of the amplifiers 10b through 10d are, respectively, 2, 4 and 8. Amplification is carried out at the amplification factors 1 through 15 (=1+2+4+8) as a whole by a combination thereof. The transmit power control register 21 outputs ON and OFF signals to the respective amplifiers 10a through 10d so as to bring about transmit power responsive to the distance to a substrate having a receiver coil which is a destination of transmission (that is, the distance between a transmitter coil and a receiver coil), in further detail, so as to have an amplification factor by which transmit power proportionate to the distance can be obtained, and selects a combination of the amplifiers 10b through 10d.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to achieve simple recruitment of fibroblasts into wounded tissues and engraftment of the fibroblasts in the wounded tissues, thereby healing the wounds without requiring fibroblast transplantation. Upon G-CSF administration, fibroblasts migrate into myocardial infarct lesions and prevent a reduction in cardiac function, thus alleviating cardiac remodeling.

Abstract: A camera for taking an image of movement of a hand, and a hand pattern switching apparatus which operates an object equipment based on the result of the image taken by the camera, having a storage unit for saving the image taken in the state that a hand does not exist in the image pickup area of the camera, as an initial image data, a differentiation unit for obtaining a difference image data between an original image data that is the image taken in the state that a hand exists in the image pickup area of the camera, and the initial image data, a luminance detection unit for obtaining an average luminance in a place close to a hand based on the image data of a place close to a hand obtained by the differentiation unit, and a processing unit for performing binary processing of the original image data by a threshold value based on the average luminance calculated by the luminance detection unit.

Abstract: A therapeutic and/or preventive agent for inner ear disorders comprising an IL-6 antagonist, preferably an anti-IL-6R antibody, as an active ingredient.

Abstract: A diffraction grating of the present invention includes a first block (101) and a second block (102). The first block (101) is made up of a plurality of input waveguides (103), a slab waveguide (104), a delay waveguide array (105) and narrow grooves (106): each of which being filled with resin. The second block (102) is made up of a plurality of input waveguides (107), a slab waveguide (108) and a plurality of output waveguides (109). Since a circuit is cut off at the ends of the arrayed waveguides, a relative phase can easily be measured. The resin has undergone a refractive-index adjustment and compensates a phase error.

Abstract: A monitor which can detect respiration of a sleeping person without being affected by the attitude of the sleeping person or the indoor illumination light and can easily evaluate detected respiration quantitatively through image measurement. The monitor comprises means (1) for projecting a specified illumination pattern, means (5) for picking up the image of projected light continuously, means (7) for calculating inter-frame moving amount of the illumination pattern from the image of two frames acquired by the image pickup means at different times, means (8) for generating a moving amount waveform data comprising inter-frame moving amounts arranged in time series, and means (9) for detecting the movement of an object from the moving amount waveform data.

Abstract: A respiratory function measuring device comprises: a three-dimensional measuring unit that measures a chest movement and an abdomen movement of a breathing animal; a first measuring unit that measures a time T1 where a rate of volume decrease of the abdomen is maximized in an expiration; a second measuring unit that measures a time T2 where a rate of volume decrease of the chest is maximized in the expiration; and a respiratory time difference outputting unit that computes and outputs a value Tde corresponding to T2-T1. This allows measuring respiratory function to diagnose an obstructive pulmonary disease, a restrictive pulmonary disease, and the like in a natural state, for a subject of a breathing animal, even if the subject does not have a sense of self-awareness.

Abstract: To provide a monitoring device which can detect conditions of a sleeping person reliably and which is simple. A monitoring device comprising: multiple independent distance sensors 11 installed facing different positions in a monitored target area 50 to be monitored for measuring a distance to a monitored target 2, a calculating unit 22 for calculating changes over time in the outputs of the distance sensors 11, and a detection processor 23 for detecting changes in shape of the monitored target 2 based on the calculated changes over time in one or multiple distance sensor 11 among the multiple distance sensors 11.

Abstract: The present inventors worked on elucidating the mechanism of antigen cross-presentation by dendritic cells, and revealed that foreign antigens taken up in dendritic cells are degraded by proteasomes after undergoing polyubiquitination. Based on the novel finding that polyubiquitination is involved in cross-presentation, the promotion of polyubiquitination was attempted by a number of methods, and the promotion of antigen presentation was confirmed. These methods enable the production of dendritic cells effective for inducing CTL activation.

Abstract: A first LCD 11˜a sixth LCD 16 are disposed on each surface of a display apparatus which becomes a cubic shape in its entirety. With image data to be displayed on the LCDs 11˜16, correlated is a position of a surface to be displayed, of the cubic, and in accordance with the correlated surface position, it is transferred to at least one of the display data output sections 2a˜2f. A control section 1 outputs a control signal 100 which controls a correlation of image data and the LCDs 11˜16 which display an image based upon the image data, by utilizing information which shows this surface position and a up/down direction from a up/down detection section 5. A changeover switch 3 connects, in accordance with the control signal 100, the display data output sections 2a˜2f and drive circuits 21˜26 which drive the LCDs 11˜16 at corresponding positions.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods for screening and testing disorder suppressor genes and disorder suppressor polypeptides. By screening the cDNA expression library incorporated with nucleic acids derived from an organism suffering from a disorder that accompanies cell death, genes having suppressive effects on the disorder symptoms were successfully cloned. Furthermore, suppressive effects of the nucleic acid and polypeptide encoded by the nucleic acid on the disorder have been also examined. Screening of nucleic acids or polypeptides derived from an organism suffering from a disorder that accompanies cell death enables the efficient isolation and selection of suppressor genes of the disorder.

Abstract: An ultrasonic flowmeter includes: an emission trigger oscillator outputting a trigger signal; an ultrasonic oscillator generating and outputting ultrasonic pulses by the trigger signal from the emission trigger oscillator; an ultrasonic pulse receiver transmitting the ultrasonic pulses output from the ultrasonic oscillator toward a measurement line within a fluid, and receiving an ultrasonic echo signal serving as reflected waves reflected off an ultrasonic reflector suspended within the fluid; a signal processor subjecting the ultrasonic echo signal received by the ultrasonic pulse receiver to signal processing; and a signal analyzer analyzing the ultrasonic echo signal subjected to the signal processing by the signal processor, calculating the position and speed of the ultrasonic reflector positioned along the measurement line, and measuring at least one of the flow-speed distribution and flow of the fluid from the calculated results.