Abstract: A blood-vessel-shape measuring apparatus that can accurately measures a shape of a section of a blood vessel is provided. A blood-vessel-shape calculating means 62 calculates, based on respective echo signals detected by first and second arrays 26, 28 that are placed on a skin 20 of a brachial portion 14 as a portion of a living being such that each of the first and second arrays 26, 28 is across a brachial artery 18 located under the skin 20, respective positions of respective portions of the arterial wall that are located right below the first and second arrays 26, 28 and correspond to supersonic-wave elements 26n of the first array 26 and supersonic-wave elements 28n of the second array 28, and calculates, based on the respective positions of the respective portions of the arterial wall that correspond to the supersonic-wave elements 26n, 28n, a shape of the brachial artery 18 on an orthogonal section thereof.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of diagnosing a risk of a thermolabile phenotype disease including or caused by influenza encephalitis/encephalopathy, Reye's syndrome, RS virus infectious disease, adenovirus infectious disease, rhinovirus infectious diseases, bastard measles, Japanese encephalitis, malaria infectious disease, Kawasaki disease and sudden infant death syndrome, characterized by examining whether or not an enzymatic activity of at least one enzyme involved in any of various transporters, carnitine cycle, long-chain ? oxidation cycle, medium-chain/short-chain ? oxidation cycle, electron transfer, synthesis of a ketone and production of ATP involved in energy metabolism in mitochondria is significantly lower compared with healthy subjects at 39° C. or higher when referring the enzymatic activity at 37° C. as to 100%.

Abstract: A method for modifying the surface of a substrate includes the following steps: (1) a step for forming a polysilazane coating by applying a polysilazane onto the surface of a substrate; (2) a step for applying an organic compound of which main backbone comprises an organic group represented by the following formula [1]: —[(R)mO]n— (wherein R represents an alkylene group, and m and n respectively represent a positive number of not less than 1) onto the surface of the polysilazane coating; and (3) a step for heating the substrate having undergone the steps (1) and (2), thereby converting the polysilazane to silica and bonding the organic compound to the silica of the silica layer.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of growing a non-polar a-plane gallium nitride. In the method, first, an r-plane substrate is prepared. Then, a low-temperature nitride-based nucleation layer is deposited on the substrate. Finally, the non-polar a-plane gallium nitride is grown on the nucleation layer. In growing the non-polar a-plane gallium nitride, a gallium source is supplied at a flow rate of about 190 to 390 ?mol/min and the flow rate of a nitrogen source is set to produce a V/III ratio of about 770 to 2310.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of growing a non-polar a-plane gallium nitride. In the method, first, an r-plane substrate is prepared. Then, a low-temperature nitride-based nucleation layer is deposited on the substrate. Finally, the non-polar a-plane gallium nitride is grown on the nucleation layer. In growing the non-polar a-plane gallium nitride, a gallium source is supplied at a flow rate of about 190 to 390 ?mol/min and the flow rate of a nitrogen source is set to produce a V/III ratio of about 770 to 2310.