Abstract: A preformed of SiC fiber, which is coated with one or more of C, BN and SiC, is impregnated with a slurry, which suspends fine SiC powder and a sintering additive therein. The impregnated preform is hot-pressed at 1600-1800° C. with a pressure of 10 MPa or more. The sintering additive may be one or more of Al2O3, Y2O3, SiO2 and CaO. The slurry may futher contain a silicone polymer selected from polycarbosilane, polyvinylsilane and polymethylsilane. Reaction of SiC fiber with a matrix is inhibited by the coating, so as to manufacture a SiC fiber-reinforced SiC-matrix composite remarkably improved in mechanical properties.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for differentiating demential diseases comprising measuring the concentration of human lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase in a sample of a body fluid collected from a subject and kits for differentiating demential diseases comprising an antibody specific to human lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase.

Abstract: A meso porous transition metal oxide comprising one or more transition metal oxides, wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Hf, Ta, W and Re, and the pore wall of the meso pore thereof has a crystalline structure; and a method for preparing the meso porous transition metal oxide, characterized as comprising a step of carrying out a secondary calcination at 600-800° C. for 10 minutes to 10 hours.

Abstract: An optical microscope of high stability such that problems wherein an image of a sample becomes unsharp during observation and movement (drift) of the object point (object) occurs are solved because the defocusing in the Z direction attributable to thermal expansion of the optical microscope is compensated. The optical instruments are characterized as comprising an optical system unit symmetrical to the optical axis in terms of weight and shape and a peripheral unit having a sample positioning mechanism is constituted by combining components having temperature dependences close to zero.

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: The present invention provides a method for preparing ester or thioester that can conduct catalytic esterification reaction with an equimolar amount of carboxylic acid and alcohol, or catalytic thioesterification reaction with carboxylic acid and an equimolar amount or small amount of thiol, and can be expected as an industrial method that needs an enormous amount of synthesis in the light of green chemistry. By using hafnium chloride (IV), especially tetravalent hafnium compounds represented by hafnium chloride (IV)·(THF)2 or hafnium (IV)t-butoxide as a (poly) condensation catalyst, direct condensation reaction is conducted from carboxylic acid and an equimolar amount of alcohol or a little smaller amount of thiol, in the nonpolar solvent such as toluene and the like, in a deoxidization atmosphere and under heating reflux, and the reaction synthesizes ester monomer or thioester monomer, polyester or polythioester.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a nonhuman model animal of Th2-mediated hyperimmune response lacking PIR-B gene function on its chromosome by which the Th2-mediated immune response mechanism and allergy onset mechanism in vivo can be analyzed and which is liable to suffer from not only hyper-response of B cells but also allergy, and an inducer/promoter or an inhibitor for Th2-mediated immune response, etc. with the use of the nonhuman model animal of Th2-mediated hyperimmune response. The nonhuman model animal of Th2-mediated hyperimmune response is prepared by integrating a fragment comprising exons 1 to 7 and the domain in the 5? side of exon 8 of mouse PIR-B gene and another fragment containing exons 10 to 14 into a vector pMC1-Neo, cleaving it with Xho I-Sal I, integrating it into a vector pIC19R-MC1tk having herpes virus thymidine kinase to thereby construct targeting vector, transferring the targeting vector into ES cells and then injecting the ES cells into blastcyst.

Abstract: Disclosed is a probe for mass spectrometry of liquid samples, which may effectively ionize the sample without adding a protic solvent to the mobile phase in the ionization method in mass spectrometry of liquid samples. The probe according to the present invention has a structure represented by the Formula [I]: R2-A-R1[I] (wherein R1 represents an ionic functional group which becomes an ion in a solvent, R2 represents a structure which can bind to other substance, and A represents an arbitrary spacer moiety).

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing motor neurons and GABAergic neurons characterized by including suspension-culturing embryonic stem cells in the presence or absence of a protein noggin to form embryoid bodies, selectively amplifying into neural stem cells from them by suspension culture in the presence of a fibroblast growth factor and a sonic hedgehog protein, and then differentiating the same. According to this method, at least motor neurons and GABAergic neurons can be systemically and efficiently produced from ES cells. Selective acquisition of neurons would be applicable to transplant therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's chorea, Alzheimer's disease, etc.

Abstract: A strong-magnetic-force field generating device is provided which can increase a magnetic force field and which can make the magnetic force field spatially uniform without adding an additional superconducting magnet to a commercially-available superconducting magnet. In the strong-magnetic-force field generating device, a disc ferromagnetic element is arranged inside a bore and above the equatorial plane thereof in a solenoid superconducting magnet, whose central axis is directed in a vertical direction, so as to be symmetric with respect to the central axis; and a ring ferromagnetic element is arranged above the disc ferromagnetic element so as to be out of contact with the disc ferromagnetic element and so as to be symmetric with respect to the central axis.

Abstract: The invention of this application provides a method comprising introducing a reporter nucleic acid molecule that expresses a fluorescent protein under control of the promoter/enhancer of a gene that is expressed in dopaminergic neurons, into each of cells, and isolating fluorescence-emitting cells. The invention also provides a method for visualizing and identifying dopaminergic neurons alive that exist with in cells, which comprises introducing the above-mentioned reporter nucleic acid molecule into each of cells, and measuring the fluorescence distribution within the cells. The invention further provides a method for identifying a dopaminergic neurons-inducing factor, which comprises introducing the reporter nucleic acid molecule into cells that have the ability to differentiate into dopaminergic neurons, then incubating the cells with a candidate substance, and determining whether the candidate substance is a dopaminergic neurons-inducing factor by using the fluorescence of the cells as an indicator.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel clock proteins BMAL2 (Brain-Muscle-Arnt-Like protein2), which is crucial for the clock oscillation mechanism including photic-input pathway and output pathway, novel clock genes encoding the proteins, a screening method using the proteins to screen a promoter or a suppressor of the promoter transactivation, and the like. Genes for cCLOCK, cPER2, cBMAL1 were isolated from the chicken pineal gland which is a material suitable for studying circadian clock, then cDNA encoding the novel clock protein cBMAL2 having homology with cBMAL1 was isolated and sequenced. Further, BMAL2 cDNAs in human, mouse and rat were isolated respectively from the human embryonic kidney cell line, the mouse mid brain and the rat early fibroblast, and sequences of these cDNAs were determined. BMAL2 forms a heterodimer with CLOCK or BMAL1, etc. and it also forms a homodimer.

Abstract: An Numb protein expression inhibitor comprising, as active ingredient, Musashi protein, a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence obtained by replacement, deletion, addition or insertion of at least one amino acid in an amino acid sequence of Musashi protein, or a gene encoding said polypeptide. By the present invention, a new function of Musashi protein has been elucidated. Described specifically, Musashi protein inhibits expression of Numb protein having a neuronal differentiation regulating function and potentiates the activity of the Notch signaling system, so that Musashi protein can be used as a therapeutic for various diseases of the central nervous system.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring skin permeable gas, which can be used to obtain clinical information by noninvasive and bloodless operations and is useful for in-home medical care and health management. The apparatus includes a device for collecting skin permeable gas including a container for storing skin permeable gas; a partition, disposed at a lower section inside the container, having an opening at the center thereof; and an operating member for opening and closing the opening of the partition.

Abstract: Organic semiconductor layers (2, 4) are laminated sandwiching an insulator thin layer (3), and translucent electrodes (1, 5) are formed on the surfaces of the organic semiconductor layers (2, 4), respectively. While a voltage is applied so that the electrode (1) is positive with respect to the electrode (5) and the opposite surfaces of the device are irradiated with two lights (6, 7) simultaneously, photocurrent multiplication is occurred to allow a photocurrent to flow in the device. However, no photocurrent multiplication occurs to allow no flow of photocurrent when the device is irradiated with one of the lights (6, 7).

Abstract: A method for detecting a cytokine in a biological fluid sample with a high sensitivity is provided. A time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA) method including a step of forming on a solid phase a composite in which a cytokine is captured and which includes a fluorescent structural portion which has been complexed with a lanthanoid metal ion, and measuring fluorescence of the fluorescent structural portion. The composite is formed of a structure in which (a) a first antibody including a portion bound to a solid phase and a region bindable to a cytokine; (b) the cytokine; (c) a second antibody including a region bindable to the cytokine and a portion to which biotin is bound; (d) a conjugate including streptoavidin or avidin and a fluorescent structural portion capable of being complexed with a lanthanoid metal ion; and (e) the lanthanoid metal ion are bound. The fluorescent structural portion is represented by General Formula (I): R—Ar—C(?O)—CH2—C(?O)—CnF2n—X.

Abstract: The present invention provides an genetically engineered cDNA of the rat bcl-x gene, which has at least one substitution selected from the substitutions that change residues 22 Tyr to Phe, residues 26 Gln to Asn and residues 165 Arg to Lys, in the coding region of rat bcl-x cDNA of SEQ ID NO: 1, a recombinant vector containing the engineered cDNA, a cell into which the recombinant vector was introduced, and an improved protein of Bcl-xL. The improved protein of Bcl-xL is useful as an ingredient for remedies for various diseases accompanied with cell death since it effectively inhibit cell death such as apoptosis.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring skin permeable gas, which can be used to obtain clinical information by noninvasive and bloodless operations and are useful for in-home medical care and health management. The device for collecting skin permeable gas includes a cylindrical member including a spiral groove, a cover disposed on the upper surface of the cylindrical member, a gas-introducing section connected to the cover, a gas delivery section connected to the cover, and a sealing member for sealing the groove of the cylindrical member and for maintaining air contained in the groove at a predetermined temperature. After components in the air maintained at a predetermined temperature are analyzed, the sealing member is detached from the cylindrical member and the cylindrical member from which the sealing member is detached is then brought into intimate contact with skin of a subject to collect the skin permeable gas.

Abstract: A zinc(II) complex which is lowly toxic, has high insulin-like activity, and is effectively usable as a hypoglycemic agent for the prevention or treatment of diabetes; a hypoglycemic agent containing the complex; a medicinal preparation which contains the complex and is useful as a preventive/remedy for diabetes; and a food containing the complex, such as a health food or supplementary health food. The hypoglycemic agent contains an organic zinc(II) complex having as a ligand a compound selected among aminoalkylpyridines, bis-optically active amino acids, bisaminoalkylcarboxylic acids, oligopeptides, oligopseudopeptides, di-substituted aminocarboxylic acids, ?- and ?-hydroxycarboxylic acids, vitamins, glutamine derivatives, etc.

Abstract: A zinc(II) complex which is lowly toxic, has high insulin-like activity, and is effectively usable as a hypoglycemic agent for the prevention or treatment of diabetes; a hypoglycemic agent containing the complex; a medicinal preparation which contains the complex and is useful as a preventive/remedy for diabetes; and a food containing the complex, such as a health food or supplementary health food. The hypoglycemic agent contains an organic zinc(II) complex having as a ligand a compound selected among aminoalkylpyridines, bis-optically active amino acids, bisaminoalkylcarboxylic acids, oligopeptides, oligopseudopeptides, di-substituted aminocarboxylic acids, ?- and ?-hydroxycarboxylic acids, vitamins, glutamine derivatives, etc.