Abstract: A method of producing semiconductor nanoparticles, semiconductor nanoparticles, and a light-emitting device are provided. The method includes heat-treating a mixture containing a salt of Ag, a salt containing at least one of In and Ga, an Se supply source, and an organic solvent at a temperature in the range of above 200° C. to 370° C. In the method, the ratio of the number of Ag atoms to the total number of In and Ga atoms in the mixture is above 0.43 to 2.5. The semiconductor nanoparticles contains Ag, at least one of In and Ga, and Se. The light-emitting device includes a light conversion member containing the semiconductor nanoparticles and a semiconductor light-emitting element.

Abstract: The present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition for use in treating an intractable heart tissue fibrosis disease accompanied by chronic heart failure. The pharmaceutical composition for use in treating an intractable heart tissue fibrosis disease accompanied by chronic heart failure comprises, as an active ingredient, at least one member selected from the group consisting of protease inhibitors, thromboxane A2 synthase inhibitors, thromboxane A2 synthase antagonists, phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, and antifibrotic agents. (The pharmaceutical composition includes biodegradable polymer-encapsulated, long-acting preparations thereof.

Abstract: A relationship between constituents of a structure is objectively and appropriately assessed. An image analyzing device includes: a Betti number calculating section (42) configured to calculate the numbers of holes from respective plurality of binarized images, after the plurality of binarized images are generated by binarizing a single captured image, which is obtained by capturing a structure, while making binarization reference values differ from each other; a function specifying section (43) configured to specify a characteristic numerical value that characterizes a correspondence between (i) the respective binarization reference values and (ii) the respective numbers of holes; and an output information generating section (44) configured to generate output information corresponding to the characteristic numerical value.

Abstract: An object of the present invention to discover a short peptide having an anti-aging effect and to provide a novel anti-aging agent comprising the peptide as an active ingredient. The inventors have discovered that a peptide consisting of an amino acid sequence ELKLIFLHRLKRLRKRLKRK (SEQ ID NO: 1) or a partial sequence thereof and having one or more effects selected from the group consisting of promoting fibroblast growth, promoting hyaluronic acid production and contracting a collagen gel, or a derivative or salt of the peptide is useful as an active ingredient of an anti-aging agent.

Abstract: Provided are agents comprising a phosphatidylcholine as an active ingredient to serve as a vein-formation promoting agent capable of promoting vein-like morphological change of tumor vessels, a vessel-diameter enlarging agent capable of enlarging the diameter of tumor vessels, a blood vessel-connection promoting agent capable of promoting connection of tumor vessels to each other without mediation of a lysophospholipid receptor, a leukocyte-infiltration promoting agent capable of promoting infiltration of leukocytes throughout a tumor region without mediation of a lysophospholipid receptor, and an antitumor immunostimulatory agent capable of promoting infiltration of leukocytes throughout a tumor region without mediation of a lysophospholipid receptor.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for inducing a keratin 12-positive corneal epithelioid cell from a surface ectoderm-derived cell. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for inducing a keratin 12-positive corneal epithelioid cell, comprising introducing PAX6, KLF4, and OCT4 into a surface ectoderm-derived cell, such as an oral mucosal epithelial cell, and a corneal epithelioid cell induced by the method.

Abstract: An oil-based material-producing method includes a microwave irradiation step of irradiating oil-based material-producing microorganisms with microwaves. The oil-based material-producing method may also include a collecting step of collecting an oil-based material produced by the oil-based material-producing microorganisms after the microwave irradiation step.

Abstract: The present invention provides a cancer vaccine composition for transdermal administration for inducing cellular immunity, comprising (i) a WT1 peptide and/or a modified WT1 peptide; and (ii) a cellular immunity induction promoter. The composition efficiently induces cellular immunity against a cancer in a subject.

Abstract: An electromagnetic field measurement device includes a first probe and a second probe arranged in a space to measure an electric field, a reference signal generator that generates a reference signal, a first multiplier that multiplies the reference signal by a signal obtained via the first probe, a second multiplier that multiplies a signal obtained via the second probe by the signal output from the first multiplier, and a synchronous detector that extracts a signal component that is synchronous with the reference signal from the signal output from the second multiplier.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide: a method for predicting the prognosis for kidney disease for a subject on the basis of the amount of D- and L-amino acids, from a blood sample; and an analysis system that determines prognosis predictions. This purpose is achieved by using at least one amino acid to predict the prognosis for kidney disease, said amino acid being selected from the group consisting of D-serine, D-asparagine, D-proline, D-alanine, D-leucine, D-lysine, D-allo-isoleucine, L-glutamic acid, L-alanine, L-tryptophan, and L-asparagine.

Abstract: The present invention provides, as a new anti-cancer agent obtained by combining HVJ-E and a molecule synergistically acting therewith, an anti-cancer agent containing the following (1) and (2): (1) HVJ-E (hemagglutinating virus of Japan envelope), (2) CXCL2, a nucleic acid comprising a base sequence encoding CXCL2 or a CXCL2 expression inducing agent.

Abstract: Provided is a method wherein an affected tissue and a normal tissue obtained from the vicinity of the affected tissue are left at rest in a culture medium, and a disease-specific biomarker is searched for in an exudate therefrom. A biomarker specific to renal cell carcinoma has been found by this method.

Abstract: The dielectric barrier discharge ionization detector includes: a dielectric tube through which a plasma generation gas is passed; a high-voltage electrode formed on the outer wall of the dielectric tube; two ground electrodes and formed on the outer wall of the dielectric tube, with the high-voltage electrode in between; a voltage supplier for applying AC voltage between the high-voltage electrode and each ground electrode to generate electric discharge within the dielectric tube and thereby generate plasma from the plasma generation gas; and a charge-collecting section for detecting an ion current formed by ionized sample-component gas produced by the plasma. The distance between one ground electrode and the high-voltage electrode is longer than a discharge initiation distance between these two electrodes, while the distance between the other ground electrode and the high-voltage electrode is shorter than the discharge initiation distance between these two electrodes.

Abstract: A walking assistance apparatus includes: a walking assistance attachment to be attached to a leg of a human body and including a variable stiffness mechanism having stiffness that is changeable in a direction where the human bends and stretches the knee by motor driving; and a controller. The controller includes a foot-end motion calculation part configured to receive an output from a sensor to detect motion of a leg and successively calculate a relative velocity of a foot end with reference to a waist of the human body; and a leg state determination part configured to determine shift timing between a swing phase and a stance phase based on the relative velocity of the foot end.

Abstract: The present invention keeps a dialogue continuing for a long time without causing uncomfortable feeling to a user. A dialogue system 10 includes at least an input part 1 that receives a user utterance, which is an utterance from a user and a presentation part 5 that presents the utterance. The input part 1 receives a user utterance performed by the user. A presentation part 5-1 presents a dialogue-establishing utterance which does not include any content words. A presentation part 5-2 presents a second utterance associated with a generation target utterance, which is one or more utterances performed before user utterance that includes at least the user utterance, after the dialogue-establishing utterance.

Abstract: Methods and systems for PS-CAR photoresist simulation are described. In an embodiment, a method includes determining by simulation at least one process parameter of a lithography process using a radiation-sensitive material. In such an embodiment, the radiation-sensitive material includes: a first light wavelength activation threshold that controls the generation of acid to a first acid concentration in the radiation-sensitive material and controls generation of photosensitizer molecules in the radiation-sensitive material, and a second light wavelength activation threshold that can excite the photosensitizer molecules in the radiation-sensitive material that results in the acid comprising a second acid concentration that is greater than the first acid concentration, the second light wavelength being different from the first light wavelength. In such an embodiment, the method also includes performing a lithography process using the previously-determined at least one process parameter.

Abstract: An observation apparatus (100) includes an observing optical system (101) capable of obtaining an image of a measurement target present in a gap included in a device (1). One end of the gap included in the device (1) is wider than the other end thereof, and upon light beam irradiation to the device (1), an interference fringe appears in the gap. The observing optical system (101) irradiates the gap included in the device (1) with a plurality of light beams having different wavelengths to cause a plurality of interference fringes to appear in the gap. Then the observing optical system (101) obtains an image of the plurality of interference fringes.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel technique in a cell culture method using a cell culture vessel coated with a laminin fragment, which novel technique achieves cell culture as in the case of using a recommended coating concentration even when the coating concentration is lower than the recommended coating concentration. The present invention relates to a method for enhancing an activity for mammalian cultured cells of a laminin fragment or a variant thereof each having integrin binding activity.

Abstract: The present invention provides a dialog system comprising a speech receiving step in which the dialog system receives input of a speech of a human, a first speech determination step in which the dialog system determines a first speech which is a speech in response to the speech of the human, a first speech presentation step in which the first speech is presented by a first agent, a reaction acquisition step in which the dialog system acquires a reaction of the human to the first speech, a second speech determination step in which the dialog system determines, when the reaction of the human is a reaction indicating that the first speech is not a speech in response to the speech of the human, a second speech which is different from the first speech, and a second speech presentation step in which the second speech is presented by the second agent.

Abstract: An acquisition method is a method performed by an acquisition system in order to acquire a speech set in which three speeches are associated with one another used to generate a second speech made by a dialog system, based on a speech set in which three speeches are associated with one another, in response to a speech made by a human in response to a first speech made by the dialog system.