Abstract: Disclosed are optically active high-molecular-weight compounds of the following formula and stationary-phase materials containing the same. The high-molecular-weight compounds exhibit optical activity by virtue of their stacking helical structure wherein the aromatic groups are aligned in a twisted arrangement, thus being useful as optically active stationary phases for HPLC or polarized- light absorbers.

Abstract: This invention relates to a test for detecting a Mycobacterium tuberculosis (tuberculosis or TB) infection in a patient or subject, specifically a diagnostic test, including a breath test, whereby patients are provided a small dose of an isotopically labeled TB drug, Isoniazid (INH) orally or directly to the lungs of the patient or subject. If TB is present, a TB enzyme mycobacterial peroxidase KatG oxidizes the INH; and KatG specific metabolites, in particular, isotopically labeled nitric oxide (NO), nitrites, nitrates, carbon monoxide (CO) or carbon dioxide converted from carbon monoxide of INH cleavage are measured. Other embodiments relate to a diagnostic breath test for detecting TB utilizing isotopically labeled urea (preferably, carbon-13 labeled urea), alone or in combination with isotopically labeled isoniazid (preferably, nitrogen-15 labeled isoniazid), wherein M.

Abstract: A blade clamp for a helicopter blade having a width and leading and trailing edges includes a first clamping part, a first flexible liner attachable to the first clamping part, a second clamping part, a second flexible liner attachable to the second clamping part, a hinge mechanism to pivot the first clamping part and the first flexible liner with respect to the second clamping part and the second flexible liner and a connector provided opposite to the hinge mechanism. The flexible liners evenly distribute clamping force upon the blade clamp to prevent damage to the blade. The hinge mechanism allows the first and second clamping parts to open wide enough to safely and easily accommodate a helicopter blade during removal and installation of the blade.

Abstract: The present invention provides Cu-base amorphous alloys comprising an amorphous phase of 90% or more by volume fraction. The amorphous phase has a composition represented by the formula: Cu100-a-b(Zr+Hf)aTib or Cu100-a-b-c-d(Zr+Hf)aTibMcTd, wherein M is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Fe, Cr, Mn, Ni, Co, Nb, Mo, W, Sn, Al, Ta and rare earth elements, T is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Ag, Pd, Pt and Au, and a, b, c and d are atomic percentages falling within the following ranges: 5<a?55, 0?b?45, 30<a+b?60, 0.5?c?5, 0?d?10. The Cu-base amorphous alloy has a high glass-forming ability as well as excellent mechanical properties and formability, and can be formed as a rod or plate material with a diameter or thickness of 1 mm or more and an amorphous phase of 90% or more by volume fraction, through a metal mold casting process.

Abstract: A microencapsulated Group VIII metal catalyst which is stable even in air, easy to recover, and reusable is disclosed. It comprises a polymer with side chains containing an aromatic substituent, and a metal catalyst comprising a Group VIII metal encapsulated in to this polymer.

Abstract: A vision enhancing device for a person having macular degeneration of the retina, comprises a lens and a light diverging surface on the lens that symmetrically diverges away from the eye at an angle relative to an optic axis to redirect incident light away from the optic axis outwardly toward an un-diseased region of the retina. The light diverging surface can be a smooth surface, which can be a continuous curved surface, and can be a diverging conical surface. The lens can be an eyeglass lens, contact lens, intraocular lens, telescopic lens, correction lens, or magnification lens. A light diverging insert having a conical surface and, optionally, an end surface can be used in a lens for redirecting light to the un-diseased region of the retina.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of separating multipotential neural progenitor cells from a mixed population of cell types. This method includes selecting a promoter which functions selectively in the neural progenitor cells, introducing a nucleic acid molecule encoding a fluorescent protein under control of said promoter into all cell types of the mixed population of cell types, allowing only the neural progenitor cells, but not other cell types, within the mixed population to express said fluorescent protein, identifying cells of the mixed population of cell types that are fluorescent, which are restricted to the neural progenitor cells, and separating the fluorescent cells from the mixed population of cell types, wherein the separated cells are restricted to the neural progenitor cells. The present invention also relates to an isolated human musashi promoter and an enriched preparation of isolated multipotential neural progenitor cells.

Abstract: A smooth portion is efficiently extracted from an image. There is provided an entropy filter in which a noted pixel (x, y) is determined in an original image, said image is partitioned by a window of size (width, height)=(A, B) from the noted pixel, entropy of the partitioned window is calculated, and obtained entropy value is saved on the coordinates (x, y) of a resulting image. Here, in a noted pixel (x, y), x is ranged from 0 to (an image width minus a window width) and y is ranged from 0 to (an image height minus a window height). By using an entropy filter, a smooth portion in image quality is extracted from an original image. A preferred example of the smooth portion is a cell nucleus.

Abstract: An antisense molecule which acts on both directions of the inhibition and expression of a gene function and is capable of on-off switching of a gene function appropriately depending on the external factors (orientation controlling factors); and a method for reversibly controlling the expression of a gene function by using the antisense molecule. Such an antisense molecule, which has at least one sugar-base moiety consisting of sugar and a purine or pyrimidine base bonded thereto via a glucoside bond, can bind to a mRNA/gene and/or dissociate therefrom under the orientation control of the base moiety in the molecule by the orientation controlling factors.

Abstract: A nicotianamine synthase is isolated and purified. Then the gene of this enzyme is cloned and the base sequence and amino acid sequence thereof are determined. This gene is employed in constructing plants, in particular, grass plants highly tolerant to iron-deficiency. A nicotianamine synthase involved in the mugineic acid biosynthesis pathway; the amino acid sequence thereof; a gene encoding the same; a vector containing this gene; cells transformed by the vector; a process for producing nicotianamine by using the same; plants transformed by the gene encoding the nicotianamine synthase; and an antibody against the nicotianamine syntase.

Abstract: As a versatile method of detecting and assaying intracellular protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation that enables nondestructive monitoring as well as spatial and temporal analysis for living cells, animal bodies, plant bodies and the like, a probe for imaging protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, which comprises a tandem fusion unit composed of a substrate domain that contains a phosphorylation and dephosphorylation site, a linker sequence and a phosphorylation recognition domain, interposed between a donor chromophore and an acceptor chromophore that cause fluorescence resonance energy transfer, is used.

Abstract: This application provides a human protein AMSH having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID No. 1 which is a novel signal transduction molecule interacting with the SH3 domain of cytokine based signal transduction molecule STAM; a gene encoding the above AMSH; a cDNA having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID No. 2; and antibody against AMSH.

Abstract: A novel amino acid transporter molecule mediating transportation of amino acids, which are nutrients essentially required in the survival and proliferation of various normal cells constituting a living body and various pathology-associated abnormal cells such as tumor cells, into cells and being expressed specifically in tumor cells compared with normal cells; and drugs for treating various pathogenic conditions such as tumor (cancer) which are obtained by identifying and isolating the above amino acid transporter molecule and identifying a substance capable of inhibiting the biological activity and/or expression of this molecule. Intensive studies were made to identify a tumor cell membrane surface molecule associating or interacting with a cell membrane surface 4F2hc molecule seemingly playing an important role in the activation of an unknown amino acid transporter.

Abstract: A filter (201) accepts spreading code sequences or the like as input sequences of a chip rate 1/D, the accepted spreading code sequences are sequentially delayed and distributed by delay circuits (202) connected in series, delay times of individual signals are an arithmetical progression with a chip length D being a common difference D, the individual signals are amplified with spreading codes by amplifiers (203), amplification factors for the individual signals are a geometrical progression of a common ratio r, the sum of the amplified signals is obtained by addition in an adder (204), and the result is sequentially output as an output sequence.

Abstract: An image projection system that communicates an image into the air includes screen material particles, a screen generation device, a delivery device and a light projecting system. The screen generation device disperses the screen material particles from the screen generation device at a targeted screen location, thereby forming a projection screen. The delivery device launches the screen generation device from a launch location to the targeted screen location in the air. The light projecting device projects light from a projection location onto the screen to form the image on the screen so as to be visible from an observation location of a viewer.

Abstract: A powdery mixture of fine SiC powder with one or more oxide sintering additives of Al2O3, Y2O3, SiO2 and CaO is blended and uniformly dispersed in a polymeric SiC precursor to prepare a matrix-forming polymeric slurry. A preform of SiC fiber, which has quasi-stoichiometric composition with high crystallinity, is impregnated with the polymeric slurry and then hot-pressed at a temperature of 1600° C. or higher in presence of a liquid phase. Since the heat-resistant SiC fiber is used as strengthening fiber, the prepreg is sintered to a dense SiC composite excellent in mechanical properties by one-step hot-pressing.

Abstract: A novel organic anion transporter gene participating in organic anion transport in the placenta; and an organic anion transporter which is a polypeptide encoded by the gene. A placental organic anion transporter OAT4, more particularly, a placental organic anion transporter OAT4 having the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:2 or an amino acid sequence derived therefrom by deletion, substitution or addition of a part of the amino acids thereof. A nucleic acid (preferably DNA) having a base sequence encoding the placental organic anion transporter OAT4 or a base sequence hybridizable therewith under stringent conditions.

Abstract: Novel calcium-independent phospholipases A2; genes encoding the same; an antibody against them; an inherent promoter or a regulator gene which comprises a base sequence occurring in intron and inducing site-specific expression in response to an external stimulus; a method of expressing a target protein in response to an external stimulus; and an organism having this gene transferred thereinto. Novel calcium-independent phospholipases A2 having an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1, 3 or 5 or an amino acid sequence derived from such an amino acid sequence by the substitution, deletion or addition of one or more amino acids; a gene having a base sequence occurring in an intron and being capable of initiating RNA transcription due to an external stimulus such as a stimulus with kainic acid or an electrical stimulus; a method of regulating expression by using the gene; and an organism having the gene transferred thereinto.

Abstract: The invention of present application relates to a method for enabling a hybrid carbon nanotube having an arbitrary composition ratio to be readily manufactured, and the hybrid carbon nanotube. A method for manufacturing a hybrid carbon nanotube, which comprises immersing a carbon nanotube having open pores in a solution having a dopant substance dissolved therein to effect a doping reaction, thereby preparing a hybrid carbon nanotube comprising a carbon nanotube and a dopant substance introduced therein.

Abstract: The invention of this application provides a method of expressing a gene, which comprises transferring a plasmid vector recombined with an exogenous gene into the kidney by administration via the renal vein so that the exogenous gene is expressed mainly in renal interstitial fibroblasts. The method of this invention can transfer the exogenous gene into the kidneys safely and efficiently and express the transgene over a long period of time.