Abstract: Sensing of the pressing force of a balloon against internal body tissues is made possible using the balloon inserted into a gap in the body and pressing the internal body tissues around that gap without inserting a sensor, or the like, separately into the gap. A sensing system comprises an surgical assist manipulator provided to be able to travel by a reaction produced while it pressure-displaces the internal body tissues, a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure of fluid used to operate the surgical assist manipulator, and a pressing force measuring device for determining a pressing force applied to the internal body tissues by the surgical assist manipulator based on the measurement by the pressure sensor.

Abstract: A process for preparing polyphenylene ether by oxidizing phenols using water as a solvent, enabling polyphenylene ether to be prepared with only a small amount of oxidizer, while making it possible to reuse a solvent after reaction repeatedly. Water is used as the solvent. Phenols are oxidized under the presence of a water-soluble metal complex catalyst. For the water-soluble metal complex catalyst, it is preferable to use the one whose central metal is copper or manganese, having an amine multidentate ligand.

Abstract: A tool for objectively evaluating the technique of a medical treatment such as an operation or a palpation performed by a doctor or a medical student. A medical technique evaluation system comprises a soft material member having an incision made in itself for simulative suture by a trainee such as a doctor or a medical student and elastic deformation by a force acting on the surroundings of the incision, reflective type photointerruptor for measuring the state values in three orthogonal axes according to the elastic deformation of the soft material member and a technique evaluation device for determining the evaluation score of the technique of the suture and ligation on the basis of the measured values from the reflective type photointerruptor. The technique evaluation device substitutes values based on the measured state values in the orthogonal three axes into a predetermined evaluation function to determine the evaluation score.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing ULSI wiring in which wiring layers are separately formed via a diffusion prevention layer with an insulating interlayer portion made of SiO2. The method comprises the steps of treating, with a silane compound, an SiO2 surface on which the insulating interlayer portion is to be formed, performing catalyzation with an aqueous solution containing a palladium compound, forming the diffusion prevention layer by electroless plating, and then forming the wiring layer on this diffusion prevention layer. Furthermore, a capping layer is formed on the wiring layer by electroless plating. Consequently, the diffusion prevention layer having good adhesive properties can all be formed through a simple process by wet processes, and further, the wiring layer can directly be formed on this diffusion prevention layer by the wet process. In addition, the capping layer can directly be formed on this wiring layer by electroless plating.

Abstract: The invention provides a sound source separation system, a sound source separation method, and an acoustic signal acquisition device which can precisely separate a target sound and a disturbance sound coming from an arbitrary direction, and which ensures miniaturization of a device.

Abstract: A gold-cobalt based amorphous alloy plated film consisting of a homogeneous amorphous phase not having microcrystals is formed by electroplating conducted by use of an electroplating bath containing a gold cyanide salt in a concentration of 0.01 to 0.1 mol/dm3 in terms of gold, a cobalt salt in a concentration of 0.02 to 0.2 mol/dm3 in terms of cobalt, and a tungstate in a concentration of 0.1 to 0.5 mol/dm3 in terms of tungsten. The gold-cobalt based amorphous alloy plated film obtained consists of a homogeneous amorphous phase not having microcrystals, and has an enhanced hardness while retaining the good contact resistance and chemical stability intrinsic of gold on such levels as to be free of problems on a practical use basis; therefore, the gold-cobalt based amorphous alloy plated film is effective for use as a contact material in electric and electronic component parts such as relays.

Abstract: There is provided a method for manufacturing a patterned magnetic recording medium including a step of completely removing an etching resist on a magnetic layer 3, which is used for etching the magnetic layer 3, without deteriorating magnetic characteristics of the magnetic layer 3. The step of removing the etching resist used for etching the magnetic layer 3 includes the steps of irradiating the etching resist on the magnetic layer 3 or the first protective layer 4 with an excimer VUV laser under a reduced pressure and immersing the resist coating 5 remaining on the magnetic layer 3 or the first protective layer 4 into a resist removing agent solution to wash off the resist coating 5.

Abstract: The laminated structure includes a substrate of low dielectric constant material of silicon compound and an electroless copper plating layer laminated thereon with a barrier layer. The barrier layer is interposed between the substrate and the copper layer, and the barrier layer is formed by electroless plating. And the laminated structure is characterized in that the barrier layer is formed on the substrate with a monomolecular layer of organosilane compound and a palladium catalyst which are interposed between the substrate and the barrier layer, the palladium catalyst modifies the terminal, adjacent to the barrier layer, of the monomolecular layer, and the barrier layer includes an electroless NiB plating layer which is disposed on the substrate side, and a electroless CoWP plating layer.

Abstract: The present invention has an object of providing a drug carrier capable of controlling in vivo pharmacokinetics. The present invention is directed to a drug carrier comprising a molecular assembly having a drug incorporated therein, and the above object can be achieved by a part of the amphiphilic molecules included in the molecular assembly being released from the molecular assembly by an external environmental change. The present invention utilizes a phenomenon that the hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance of the amphiphilic molecules is shifted toward hydrophilicity by an external environmental change and thus the amphiphilic molecules are freed from the molecular assembly.

Abstract: Provided is a novel comprising culturing host cells into which a foreign gene has been introduced for producing a protein in a soluble form encoded by the foreign gene, recombinant cells are cultured in the temperature range lower than or equal to the upper temperature limit for growth of the host cells and higher than 5 degrees below the upper temperature limit for growth of the host cells after induction of expression.

Abstract: A silica-based interlayer insulating layer having a low dielectric constant is formed with SOG material on a substrate, in which a wiring-layer forming space is then formed. If necessary, a UV ray irradiation is performed under an oxidizing atmosphere. A Si—OH bond is formed on a surface of the insulating layer. A monomolecular layer film is then adhered to the inner surface of the space, which is then modified to be a catalyst with a solution containing Pd compound. On the catalyst monomolecular layer, a copper-diffusion-resistant film is formed by electroless plating, on which a copper plate is then formed as a wiring layer.

Abstract: A process for producing a perpendicular magnetic recording medium comprises forming metallic nuclei or a seed layer on a non-magnetic substrate, and forming a soft magnetic under layer on the metallic nuclei or the seed layer by means of electroless plating. The soft magnetic under layer is formed while an external parallel magnetic field is applied to the non-magnetic substrate, and the substrate is rotated such that the substrate is maintained parallel to the parallel magnetic field.

Abstract: A method for growing a ?-Ga2O3 single includes preparing a ?-Ga2O3 seed crystal and growing the ?-Ga2O3 single crystal from the ?-Ga2O3 seed crystal in a predetermined direction.

Abstract: A novel nonvolatile memory element, which can be manufactured by a simple and high yield process by using an organic material and has a high on/off ratio, and a method for manufacturing such nonvolatile memory element. A switching layer (14) made of an electrical insulating radical polymer is provided between an anode layer (12) and a cathode layer (16). Further, a hole injection transport layer (13) is provided between the switching layer (14) and the anode layer (12), and an electron injection transport layer (15), between the switching layer (14) and the cathode layer (16). An intermediate layer is provided between the switching layer and the adjacent layer. The radical polymer is preferably nitroxide radical polymer. The switching layer (14), the hole injection transport layer (13) and the electron injection transport layer (15) are formed by being stacked by a wet process.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring a glucose concentration is noninvasive, accurate, and compact. The apparatus includes a detection unit (10) and a principal component analysis (PCA) unit (20). The detection unit includes a light source (11) to emit mid-infrared light, an ATR prism (12) to receive the mid-infrared light with a measuring object placed on the ATR prism, and a spectrum detector (13) to detect an absorption spectrum from the mid-infrared light from the ATR prism. The PCA unit includes a loading memory (24) to store a glucose corresponding loading and a personal data memory (28) to store personal data in the form of a calibration curve. According to the detected absorption spectrum, stored loading, and stored personal data, the PCA unit computes a glucose concentration of the measuring object.

Abstract: A hydrotalcite-like substance that is capable of ion exchange with target anions, being of small crystal size and that exhibits large basal spacing, excelling in anion exchange performance; a process for producing the same; and a method of immobilizing hazardous substances. A hydrotalcite-like substance is produced by mixing an acidic solution containing aluminum ions and magnesium ions with an alkaline solution containing an alkali to thereby synthesize a hydrotalcite-like substance, followed by, without ageing, water removal or neutralization. The molar ratio of aluminum ions and magnesium ions is preferably in the range of 1:5 to 1:2. Hazardous substances can be immobilized by pulverizing the hydrotalcite-like substance after synthesis and adding the powder to a subject, or adding a hydrotalcite-like substance in slurry form to a subject, or carrying out addition so as to cause the synthesis directly at the position of the subject.

Abstract: An intraocular tension measuring method comprising vibrating an eyeball to be examined by a sound wave, measuring vibration of the eyeball to be examined by a noninvasive means to determine a Q value of resonance of the eyeball to be examined, and calculating intraocular tension from the Q value, and an intraocular tension measuring device comprising a vibrating means for vibrating an eyeball to be examined by a sound wave, a measuring means for noninvasively measuring vibration of the eyeball to be examined, a Q value calculating means for calculating a Q value of resonance of the eyeball to be examined from the vibration measured by the measuring means, and an intraocular tension calculating means for calculating intraocular tension from the Q value.

Abstract: To provide a matching technology for determining the similarity between two objects at high velocity with high precision. A matching method for comparing a set of feature points of two objects projected to an N-dimensional space and determining the similarity between the two objects, includes a mapping step (S3) of mapping the set to a one-dimensional space, a pairing step (S6) of creating a set of pairs of a feature point of first object that is the most approximate to a feature point of second object, a partial-set creating step (S7) of partly extracting the pairs in small order of the pair distance from the set of the pairs of the feature points and creating a partial set of the pairs of the feature points, an average-value calculating step (S8) of calculating a rating-scale of the pair belonging to the partial set of the pair of the feature points, and a determining step (S10) of determining the similarity between the first object and the second object on the basis of an average value of the distance.

Abstract: In a method for suppressing a noise by the spectrum subtraction method, it is possible to improve the noise suppression capability by simultaneously obtaining a frequency resolution required for the noise estimation spectrum and a temporal resolution required for the noise suppression spectrum. The signal length of an observation signal cut out for analyzing the spectrum of the observation signal used for estimation calculation of the noise spectrum is set longer than the signal length of an observation signal cut out for analyzing the spectrum of the observation signal as a value to be subtracted for performing subtraction with the noise spectrum.

Abstract: To provide a matching technology for determining the similarity between two objects at high velocity with high precision. A matching method for comparing a set of feature points of two objects projected to an N-dimensional space and determining the similarity between the two objects, includes a mapping step (S3) of mapping the set to a one-dimensional space, a pairing step (S6) of creating a set of pairs of a feature point of first object that is the most approximate to a feature point of second object, a partial-set creating step (S7) of partly extracting the pairs in small order of the pair distance from the set of the pairs of the feature points and creating a partial set of the pairs of the feature points, an average-value calculating step (S8) of calculating a rating-scale of the pair belonging to the partial set of the pair of the feature points, and a determining step (S10) of determining the similarity between the first object and the second object on the basis of an average value of the distance.