Abstract: A cross-section processing and observation method includes: forming a cross section in a sample by a focused ion beam through etching processing; obtaining a cross-section observation image through cross-section observation by the focused ion beam; and forming a new cross section by performing etching processing in a region including the cross section and obtaining a cross-section observation image of the new cross section. A surface observation image of a region including a mark on the sample and the cross section is obtained. A position of the mark is recognized in the surface observation image and etching processing is performed on the cross section by setting, in reference to the position of the mark, a focused ion beam irradiation region in which to form the new cross section. Cross-section processing and observation is thus enabled continuously and efficiently using a focused ion beam apparatus having no SEM apparatus.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide, with regard to a method for lowering the molecular weight of polysaccharides contained in a cellulosic biomass by mixing the cellulosic biomass with ionic liquid, a method for controlling such rate of lowering of molecular weight. Also, a method for producing sugar, alcohol, or organic acid using the controlling method is provided. The method comprises mixing a cellulosic biomass with ionic liquid under an atmosphere with a partial pressure ratio differing from that of air. Under such an atmosphere with oxygen partial pressure higher than that of air, the rate of lowering molecular weight can be increased, and under an atmosphere with nitrogen partial pressure or carbon dioxide partial pressure higher than that of air or a reduced-pressure atmosphere, the rate of lowering molecular weight can be decreased.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a useful substance efficiently from cellulose without using any cellulase preparation. According to the disclosures of the present specification, in the production of a useful substance from a cellulose-containing material, the cellulose-containing material is brought into contact with an ionic liquid to cause the ionic liquid to permeate the cellulose-containing material, and a carbon source comprising the cellulose in the cellulose-containing material is simultaneously saccharified and fermented by a cellulase-producing microorganism in the presence of the ionic liquid.

Abstract: The apparatus for working and observing samples comprises a sample plate on which a sample is to be placed; a first ion beam lens barrel capable of irradiating a first ion beam over a whole predetermined irradiation range at one time; a mask that can be arranged between the sample plate and the first ion beam lens barrel, and shields part of the first ion beam; mask-moving means capable of moving the mask; a charged particle beam lens barrel capable of scanning a focused beam of charged particles in the range irradiated with the first ion beam; and detection means capable of detecting a secondarily generated substance.

Abstract: There is provided a method of arranging, as a composite charged-particle beam system, a gas ion beam apparatus, an FIB and an SEM in order to efficiently prepare a TEM sample. The composite charged-particle beam system includes an FIB lens-barrel 1, an SEM lens-barrel 2, a gas ion beam lens-barrel 3, and a rotary sample stage 9 having an eucentric tilt mechanism and a rotating shaft 10 orthogonal to an eucentric tilt axis 8. In the composite charged-particle beam system, an arrangement is made such that a focused ion beam 4, an electron beam 5 and a gas ion beam 6 intersect at a single point, an axis of the FIB lens-barrel 1 and an axis of the SEM lens barrel 2 are orthogonal to the eucentric tilt axis 8, respectively, and the axis of the FIB lens-barrel 1, an axis of the gas ion beam lens-barrel 3 and the eucentric tilt axis 8 are in one plane.

Abstract: The invention provides a promoter that can be used in the presence of an organic acid. The promoter includes DNA with promoter activity of high osmolarity response 7 gene (HOR7 gene), glycelaldehyde 3 phosphate dehydrogenase 2 gene (TDH2 gene), heat shock protein 30 gene (HSP30), hexose transport protein 7 gene (HXT7 gene), thioredoxin peroxidase 1 gene (AHP1 gene), or membrane protein 1 associated gene gene) of yeasts.

Abstract: A cellobiohydrolase that can contribute to a synergistic effect on cellulose degradation and the use of such cellobiohydrolase in cellulose degradation are provided. The synergistic effect is achieved by an enzyme preparation for cellulose degradation containing a cellobiohydrolase originating in Phanerochaete chrysosporium and belonging to GHF6 or a variant thereof, and an endoglucanase originating in a different source other than Phanerochaete chrysosporium.

Abstract: The present teachings relate to an acid-resistant endoglucanase, which is a protein exhibiting excellent endoglucanase activity under acidic conditions. The present teachings provide a protein having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2, a protein having an amino acid sequence with one or more amino acid modifications in the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2 and having endoglucanase activity, or a protein having an amino acid sequence with at least 75% homology to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2 and having endoglucanase activity.

Abstract: This invention provides a polynucleotide that encodes a protein having lactate dehydrogenase activity and such protein that can be used for producing D-lactic acid. This polynucleotide has the nucleotide sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 (a), and it hybridizes under stringent conditions with a probe comprising all or part of the nucleotide sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 or a complementary strand thereof and encodes a protein having D-lactate dehydrogenase activity (b).

Abstract: An apparatus is provided that precisely conduct ion beam etching to a sample having the properties of which easily change by electron beam irradiation with no loss of ease of operation and throughput. An apparatus includes an ion beam lens barrel and an electron beam lens barrel, which can observe or measure the conditions of a sample with an electron beam in the process of etching with an ion beam, wherein first, an observation image is obtained that includes the entire process area formed by secondary signals generated by an electron beam, secondly, an irradiation permit area and an irradiation inhibit area are defined in the observation image, and thirdly, electron beam irradiation is restricted only to the irradiation permit area.

Abstract: After a certain direction of a sample piece is allowed to coincide with an intersection line made by two planes of a surface of the sample and a conical side plane obtained by rotating, around a manipulator rotation axis, a line segment which is vertical to the surface of the sample and of which one end is an intersection of the surface of a sample and the manipulator rotation axis, the sample piece is supported by a manipulator and the manipulator rotation axis is operated.

Abstract: Lactic acid with high optical purity that has not previously been achieved is produced. It has been found that the optical purity of lactic acid is reduced as the racemization reaction of lactic acid proceeds when lactic acid coexists with glycerol. By reducing the amount of glycerol prior to concentrating lactic acid by heating, the optical purity of lactic acid after concentration by heating can be maintained at a high level.

Abstract: A processing apparatus uses a focused charged particle beam to process a micro sample that is supported on a micro mount part. The micro mount part is supported on a micro sample stage and locally cooled by a cooling unit. The micro mount part is thermally independent of the micro sample stage and, due to its small size, can be cooled rapidly by the cooling unit.

Abstract: There is provided a method of arranging, as a composite charged-particle beam system, a gas ion beam apparatus, an FIB and an SEM in order to efficiently prepare a TEM sample. The composite charged-particle beam system includes an FIB lens-barrel 1, an SEM lens-barrel 2, a gas ion beam lens-barrel 3, and a rotary sample stage 9 having an eucentric tilt mechanism and a rotating shaft 10 orthogonal to an eucentric tilt axis 8. In the composite charged-particle beam system, an arrangement is made such that a focused ion beam 4, an electron beam 5 and a gas ion beam 6 intersect at a single point, an axis of the FIB lens-barrel 1 and an axis of the SEM lens barrel 2 are orthogonal to the eucentric tilt axis 8, respectively, and the axis of the FIB lens-barrel 1, an axis of the gas ion beam lens-barrel 3 and the eucentric tilt axis 8 are in one plane.

Abstract: To include a focused ion beam apparatus fabricating a sliced specimen by processing a specimen as well as observing the sliced specimen, a scanning electron microscope observing the slice specimen, a gas-ion beam irradiation apparatus performing finishing processing by irradiating a gas-ion beam onto a surface of the sliced specimen, a specimen stage on which the sliced specimen is fixed and having at least one or more rotation axis, a specimen posture recognition means recognizing positional relation of the sliced specimen with respect to the specimen stage and a specimen stage control means controlling the specimen stage based on a specimen posture recognized by the posture recognition means and an installation angle of the gas-ion beam irradiation apparatus in order to allow an incident angle of the gas-ion beam with respect to the obverse or the reverse of the sliced specimen to be a desired value.

Abstract: The apparatus for working and observing samples comprises a sample plate on which a sample is to be placed; a first ion beam lens barrel capable of irradiating a first ion beam over a whole predetermined irradiation range at one time; a mask that can be arranged between the sample plate and the first ion beam lens barrel, and shields part of the first ion beam; mask-moving means capable of moving the mask; a charged particle beam lens barrel capable of scanning a focused beam of charged particles in the range irradiated with the first ion beam; and detection means capable of detecting a secondarily generated substance.

Abstract: To provide a method of controlling film thickness of dielectric multilayer film, such as optical thin film, with high precision, an optical film thickness controlling apparatus and a dielectric multilayer film manufacturing apparatus that can control the film thickness based on the same method, and dielectric multilayer film manufactured using the controlling apparatus or manufacturing apparatus. An optical film thickness controlling apparatus includes a film formation device 15 having a rotatable substrate 23 and a sputtering target 28, a photodiode 16 that detects each of a plurality of monochromatic light beams applied to the rotatable substrate along a radius thereof at predetermined intervals, and an A/D converter 17, in which a movable shutter 29 that moves along the direction of the radius of the rotatable substrate 23 to shut off film formation on the substrate 23 is provided between the substrate 23 and the target 28.

Abstract: A method of controlling film thickness of dielectric multilayer film with high precision, an optical film thickness controlling apparatus and a dielectric multilayer film manufacturing apparatus that can control the film thickness. An optical film thickness controlling apparatus includes a film formation device having a rotatable substrate and a sputtering target, a photodiode that detects each of a plurality of monochromatic light beams applied to the rotatable substrate along a radius thereof at predetermined intervals, in which a movable shutter that moves along the direction of the radius of the rotatable substrate to shut off film formation on the substrate between the substrate and the target. From each of the monochromatic light beams, a quadratic regression function of reciprocal transmittance is calculated by a least squares method, and a CPU and a motor driver move the movable shutter to shut off the film formation at the film formation region.

Abstract: Lactic acid with high optical purity that has not previously been achieved is produced. It has been found that the optical purity of lactic acid is reduced as the racemization reaction of lactic acid proceeds when lactic acid coexists with glycerol. By reducing the amount of glycerol prior to concentrating lactic acid by heating, the optical purity of lactic acid after concentration by heating can be maintained at a high level.

Abstract: This invention provides a polynucleotide that encodes a protein having lactate dehydrogenase activity and such protein that can be used for producing D-lactic acid. This polynucleotide has the nucleotide sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 (a), and it hybridizes under stringent conditions with a probe comprising all or part of the nucleotide sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 or a complementary strand thereof and encodes a protein having D-lactate dehydrogenase activity (b).