Abstract: The present invention is intended to provide piezoelectric ceramic materials having far better strain characteristics than that of conventional piezoelectric ceramics, as well as a novel method for producing such piezoelectric ceramics, and the present invention involves solid solution piezoelectric ceramics primarily comprising the complex perovskite compound Pb(Ni⅓Nb⅔)O3, the simple perovskite compound PbTiO3, and PbZrO3, wherein the aforementioned ceramics primarily comprise compositions within a triangle in which the compositional vertices are (X=52, Y=34, Z=14), (X=49, Y=37, Z=14), and (X=49, Y=34, Z=17), where Pb(Ni⅓Nb⅔)O3 is X mol %, PbTiO3 is Y mol %, and PbZrO3 is Z mol % (X+Y+Z=100) among the triangular coordinates in the phase diagram in which the vertices are Pb(Ni⅓Nb⅔) O3, PbTiO3, and PbZrO3, as well as a method for producing such solid solution ceramics.

Abstract: An unsymmetrical dioxazine compound represented by the formula (1-1) or (1-2) below, a dichroic dye, a liquid crystal composition containing the same, and a liquid crystal display element fabricated with the same: (In the formula, each of Y1 to Y3 stands for a group represented by the formula (2) or (3) ; X stands for H or the like; h is an integer of 0 to 2; A stands for phenylene or the like; E stands for phenylene or the like; G stands for H, F, or the like; i is an integer of 1 to 2; j is an integer of 0 to 2, each of J and M stands for phenylene or the like; and Q stands for H, F or the like.

Abstract: The invention relates to a mold having split dies to be arranged in opposition about a substrate and an outer frame situated about the perimeter of the split dies, wherein the outer frame and split dies function as a wedge and move slidably so as to convert the load produced by a vertical uniaxial press into load applied from two opposing directions across the horizontal, the split dies move in such a way as to compress the titanium or titanium alloy substrate and uniformly press the side faces thereof so as to impart the required configuration to the substrate, and to artificial bone having high biological affinity produced by the mold.

Abstract: A human-derived bradeion protein, which has the following properties: (i) it is a transmembranous protein; (ii) it has a structure characteristic of growth hormone and cytokine receptors even in a structure of its transmembranous portion when its structure is determined by a hydrophobicity analysis according to Kyte-Doolittle method; (iii) it is expressed at a high level in a human adult brain, and in less amount in the heart, while it is not expressed in other adult organs or fetus; (iv) it induces programmed cell death (apoptosis) when over-expressed in a cultured human nerve cell lines; (v) it induces termination of cell division and aging when over-expressed in a cultured human normal cell; (vi) it is located in cytoplasm, and forms an intracellular aggregate when overexpressed; and (vii) besides human adult neurons, it is specifically expressed in a human colorectal cancer cell line or in a skin cancer cell line, or an analogue thereof.

Abstract: An efficient method for therapeutic treatment of leukemia is provided in which a patient's body fluid during external circulation is brought into direct contact with an adsorbent material capable of specifically and selectively adsorbing leukemic cells in the body fluid. The leukemic cell-adsorbing material is a composite of a lectin protein coupled with a physiologically inert carrier material such as a galactan polysaccharide in the form of beads. The lectin protein may be obtained from a mushroom fungus such as Agrocybe cylindracea or a leguminous seed such as from the jequirity bean plant. The lectin protein and carrier material can be bound by forming chemical linkages between amino groups in the lectin protein and functional groups in the carrier material, and unreacted functional groups of the carrier material may be blocked with an amino acid. A leukemic cell-adsorbing column may be formed by filling the leukemic cell-adsorbing material into a tubular body to form an adsorbent bed.

Abstract: A transportation system with high-efficiency and large-capacity utilizing potential energy. A transportation vehicle travels at a high speed by potential energy by a level difference on a magnetic levitation guide disposed in a vacuum transportation passage to transport transportation cargoes to a destination location. The transportation vehicle is levitated on the magnetic levitation guide non-contactingly and with a low frictional resistance utilizing a superconduction. Superconductive magnetic levitation holds the transportation vehicle at a stable floated position mainly utilizing a binding force by the pinning effect of a superconductor.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a plant into which DNA encoding a basidiomycete-derived peroxidase is transferred, said DNA being expressed therein, and to a method for decomposing and removing hazardous chemicals in an environment effectively by using the plant.

Abstract: The present invention provides a secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) fusion protein obtainable by fusing SPARC to thioredoxin; a nucleic acid encoding the fusion protein; a recombinant vector capable of expressing the fusion protein, a method for producing and purifying the fusion protein; and a research reagent or pharmaceutical composition comprising the fusion protein as an active ingredient. In particular, the present invention relates to the use of a thioredoxin SPARC fusion protein for basic research in neurobiology and/or to its use for treating various neuropathologies.

Abstract: A 3,5-dioxa-12-azawurtzitane compound represented by the formula (I) shown in the specification. The dioxaazawurtzitane compound may be prepared by reacting an amino acid, an oligo- or polypeptide or a polyamino acid with a trialdehyde represented by formula (II) shown in the specification.

Abstract: This invention relates to method for improving selectivity in liquid phase chemical reactions by flowing a reaction solution through a solution reaction column packed with particles having a multiplicity of nanometer-order pores, wherein the chemical reaction solution containing molecules to be reacted is flowed through mesopores having diameter on the order of several nanometers and length on the order of several ten nanometers, while simultaneously subjected to activating of the reaction thereof with reaction-initiating/accelerating means during the process; and a solution flow reaction system therefor.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of separating and recovering carbon dioxide from combustion exhausted gas, which method includes: bringing the combustion exhausted gas in contact with water, under a pressure-increased condition, to form carbon dioxide hydrate; and thus separating and recovering carbon dioxide contained in the combustion exhausted gas. According to the method, CO2 of high purity can be separated and recovered from the combustion exhausted gas at low cost and with low energy consumption. There is also disclosed an apparatus for separation and recovery of CO2 which apparatus is employed in the method.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of measuring a rheological property of a composite filled with particles, and evaluation equipment, in which in situ measurement is performed of the rheological property of a composite filled with particles obtained by mixing a particulate material as raw material with a liquid material, in a condition with the original material structure maintained, without destroying the material by applying external force such as shearing force thereto, comprising a step of measuring the coagulation structure of the particulate material within the composite filled with particles as an anisotropy signal, and a step of employing the amount of this anisotropy as an index of the rheological property value of the composite.

Abstract: A diffusion source included a diffusion source layer is diffused into both a source area and a drain area in a self-aligning manner by using heat treatment, and after the self-aligning thermal diffusion, a gate insulating film and a metal gate electrode are formed over both the gate area and the thermally diffused diffusion source layer. Then, a lift-off operation is performed to form a gate stacking structure having the gate insulating film and the gate electrode formed only according to the gate area.

Abstract: A semiconductor optical pulse compression waveguide with a novel structure that can greatly reduce its size, and be simply fabricated. The semiconductor optical pulse compression waveguide is composed of a semiconductor optical waveguide which guides an optical signal and includes an optical pulse compression region. The optical pulse compression region includes at least one saturable amplifier region that loses its amplification characteristic after amplifying a fixed amount of optical energy, and at least one saturable absorber region that loses its absorption characteristic after absorbing a fixed amount of optical energy, where the saturable amplifier region and the saturable absorber region are disposed alternately in series in the optical pulse compression region.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for detecting a low molecular weight compound in a solution which utilizes a quartz resonator and which comprises capturing a low molecular weight compound between an adsorptive film (A) for a low molecular weight compound provided on the surface of a quartz resonator and an adsorptive film (A) for a low molecular weight compound provided on the surface of a signal enhancing material and comprises detecting the shift in frequency of the quartz resonator before and after the capture.

Abstract: A 3,5-dioxa-12-azawurtzitane compound represented by the formula (I) shown in the specification. The dioxaazawurtzitane compound may be prepared by reacting an amino acid, an oligo- or polypeptide or a polyamino acid with a trialdehyde represented by formula (II) shown in the specification.

Abstract: A diffusion source included a diffusion source layer is diffused into both a source area and a drain area in a self-aligning manner by using heat treatment, and after the self-aligning thermal diffusion, a gate insulating film and a metal gate electrode are formed over both the gate area and the thermally diffused diffusion source layer. Then, a lift-off operation is performed to form a gate stacking structure having the gate insulating film and the gate electrode formed only according to the gate area.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of measuring the internal structure (packing structure or dispersion condition of particulate material) of a composite filled with particles having an irregular matrix by observations based on its optical anisotropy, in which the internal structure (packing structure or dispersion condition of particulate material) of the composite obtained by mixing particulate material as raw material with a liquid material is made visible by utilizing the photoelasticity based on local rearrangement of liquid material molecules or difference of refractive indices of the particulate material and liquid material, and the structure thereof are observed, and an evaluation device using this principle of measurement.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a silicon carbide-boron nitride composite material, which synthesised according to an in-situ chemical reaction between silicon nitride, boron carbide and carbon, and which contains fine boron nitride particles dispersed in a silicon carbide matrix, wherein aforementioned composite material is obtained by molding a powder mixture containing each of the components required in the in-situ reaction and sintering the mixture.

Abstract: Disclosed is an economical method for the preparation of chondroitin sulfates A and C useful as an effective ingredient of medicaments from fish scales as a waste material discharged from fishery in large quantities. Fish scales are enzymatically decomposed in an aqueous medium in the presence of a protease to isolate the chondroitin sulfate compounds and by-product polypeptides followed by removal of the by-product polypeptides from the aqueous solution by a cation-exchange treatment and then the aqueous solution of the chondroitin sulfate compounds is subjected to fractional precipitation by the addition of ethyl alcohol as the precipitant.