Abstract: An optical measuring device includes: an emission device configured to emit a scanning light, of which an optical axis parallelly moves, to an object; a light receiving element configured to perform photoelectric conversion with respect to the scanning light after passing over the object; a calculation device configured to calculate, from a voltage wave obtained from time change of an electrical signal that is output by the light receiving element, a distance corresponding to a time range from a first edge with respect to a voltage value where the scanning light is not interrupted by the object and a second edge with respect to a voltage value where the scanning light is interrupted by the object, when a part of the scanning light is interrupted by the object for the time range.

Abstract: An optical measuring device includes: an emission device configured to emit a scanning light, of which an optical axis parallelly moves, to an object; a light receiving element configured to perform photoelectric conversion with respect to the scanning light after passing over the object; a calculation device configured to calculate, from a voltage wave obtained from time change of an electrical signal that is output by the light receiving element, a distance corresponding to a time range from a first edge with respect to a voltage value where the scanning light is not interrupted by the object and a second edge with respect to a voltage value where the scanning light is interrupted by the object, when a part of the scanning light is interrupted by the object for the time range.

Abstract: A learning apparatus (500) according to the present invention includes a detection unit (510) that detects, as a candidate region of a learning target, a region detected by one of first detection processing of detecting an object region from a predetermined image and second detection processing of detecting a change region from background image information and the image, and not detected by the other, an output unit (520) that outputs at least a part of the candidate region as a labeling target, and a learning unit (530) that learns a model for performing the first detection processing or a model for performing the second detection processing by using the labeled candidate region as learning data.

Abstract: An optical measuring device includes: an emission device configured to emit a scanning light, of which an optical axis parallely moves, to an object; a light receiving element configured to perform photoelectric conversion with respect to the scanning light after passing over the object; a calculation device configured to calculate, from a voltage wave obtained from time change of an electrical signal that is output by the light receiving element, a distance corresponding to a time range from a first edge with respect to a voltage value where the scanning light is not interrupted by the object and a second edge with respect to a voltage value where the scanning light is interrupted by the object, when a part of the scanning light is interrupted by the object for the time range.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide signal sequence information capable of secreting an antibody to the outside of cells in generation of the antibody by microorganisms of genus Bifidobacterium, and an antibody expression vector capable of secreting an antibody to the outside of cells by utilizing the signal sequence information. As a means for achieving the aforementioned object, there is prepared Bifidobacterium longum, which is transformed with a vector having inserted thereinto a DNA insert comprising the 5?-terminus of an antibody gene linked to the 3?-terminus of a DNA encoding a signal peptide-linker conjugate having a linker linked to the C-terminus of a signal peptide consisting of an amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1.

Abstract: A correction device for an optical measuring apparatus obtains correction data for each scanning position of a light beam from an optical measuring apparatus that includes a light beam scanner which scans with a light beam a measuring region where a measured object is placed, and a light receiver which receives a transmitted light beam from the measuring region. The correction device includes a translucent scale having scale marks arranged at a predetermined pitch, and a support to mount the scale in the measuring region so that an arrangement direction of the scale marks is a scanning direction of the light beam.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide signal sequence information capable of secreting an antibody to the outside of cells in generation of the antibody by microorganisms of genus Bifidobacterium, and an antibody expression vector capable of secreting an antibody to the outside of cells by utilizing the signal sequence information. As a means for achieving the aforementioned object, there is prepared Bifidobacterium longum, which is transformed with a vector having inserted thereinto a DNA insert comprising the 5?-terminus of an antibody gene linked to the 3?-terminus of a DNA encoding a signal peptide-linker conjugate having a linker linked to the C-terminus of a signal peptide consisting of an amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1.

Abstract: A shape measuring apparatus includes: an irradiating part configured to irradiate work with a linear line laser, the irradiating part including: a light source configured to produce light; and an optical element configured to linearly spread the light from the light source and generate the line laser, the optical element being constructed rotatably around an optical axis of the line laser; and an imaging part configured to image the line laser reflected by the work.

Abstract: A correction device for an optical measuring apparatus obtains correction data for each scanning position of a light beam from an optical measuring apparatus that includes a light beam scanner which scans with a light beam a measuring region where a measured object is placed, and a light receiver which receives a transmitted light beam from the measuring region. The correction device includes a translucent scale having scale marks arranged at a predetermined pitch, and a support to mount the scale in the measuring region so that an arrangement direction of the scale marks is a scanning direction of the light beam.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method of efficiently constructing a gene delivery carrier having a favorable activity and expression efficiency of a protein expressed by a gene introduced by transformation. Moreover, an object of the present invention is to provide a pharmaceutical composition comprising a gene delivery carrier constructed by the construction method and a therapeutic agent for solid tumor comprising the resistant bacterium.

Abstract: A shape measuring apparatus includes: an irradiating part configured to irradiate work with a linear line laser, the irradiating part including: a light source configured to produce light; and an optical element configured to linearly spread the light from the light source and generate the line laser, the optical element being constructed rotatably around an optical axis of the line laser; and an imaging part configured to image the line laser reflected by the work.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a cytosine deaminase (CD)-expressing, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-resistant microorganism which can grow in anaerobic tumor tissues, can express CD, and has a resistance to 5-FU at a concentration that is at least effective for antitumor activity. More specifically, the method is a method (A) comprising performing subculture or acclimation culture of a CD-expressing microorganism which can grow in anaerobic tumor tissues, in the presence of 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC), or a method (B) comprising (1) performing subculture or acclimation culture of a microorganism which can grow in anaerobic tumor tissues and does not express CD, in the presence of 5-FU to produce a 5-FU-resistant microorganism and (2) transforming the 5-FU-resistant microorganism by introducing a CD gene. The present invention also provides the CD-expressing, 5-FU-resistant microorganism and a pharmaceutical composition comprising the microorganism.

Abstract: The present invention provides an obligately anaerobic lactic acid bacterium having no risk of causing side effects in normal tissue and promising as a safe therapeutic agent and a gene transporter for a disease that is in an anaerobic environment such as a solid tumor, a preparation method therefor, and an expression vector useful in the preparation method. The obligately anaerobic lactic acid bacterium of the present invention has been artificially mutated from being facultatively anaerobic to being obligately anaerobic and, furthermore, is capable of being transformed by an expression vector having introduced thereinto a gene for expressing an active protein useful for the treatment of a disease that is in an anaerobic environment.

Abstract: The present invention provides a shuttle vector for a microorganism of the genus Bifidobacterium (BM) and Escherichia coli having a wide host range and a large copy number in BM and capable of highly expressing a desired protein when used as an expression vector; an expression vector capable of expressing a desired gene in BM by use of the shuttle vector; BM transformed with the expression vector; and an antitumor agent comprising the BM as an active ingredient. It comprises a pTB6-derived region portion comprising a replication origin (oriV)-repB region of pTB6 but not comprising MembB, MobA, OrfI, and oriT regions of pTB6 and an Escherichia coli-derived plasmid portion comprising a replication origin (Puc Ori) region of Escherichia coli but having deleted DNA encoding an N-terminal region of an ampicillin resistance gene (ampR) expression product ?-lactamase.

Abstract: The present invention provides an obligately anaerobic lactic acid bacterium having no risk of causing side effects in normal tissue and promising as a safe therapeutic agent and a gene transporter for a disease that is in an anaerobic environment such as a solid tumor, a preparation method therefor, and an expression vector useful in the preparation method. The obligately anaerobic lactic acid bacterium of the present invention has been artificially mutated from being facultatively anaerobic to being obligately anaerobic and, furthermore, is capable of being transformed by an expression vector having introduced thereinto a gene for expressing an active protein useful for the treatment of a disease that is in an anaerobic environment.

Abstract: The present invention provides a bacterium belonging to the genus Bifidobacterium, by which DNA coding for a protein having an antitumor activity or DNA coding for a protein having the activity of converting a precursor of an antitumor substance into the antitumor substance is delivered to tumor tissues specifically under anaerobic conditions thereby expressing the protein encoded by the DNA, as well as a pharmaceutical composition comprising said anaerobic bacterium.

Abstract: The present invention provides a shuttle vector for a microorganism of the genus Bifidobacterium (BM) and Escherichia coli having a wide host range and a large copy number in BM and capable of highly expressing a desired protein when used as an expression vector; an expression vector capable of expressing a desired gene in BM by use of the shuttle vector; BM transformed with the expression vector; and an antitumor agent comprising the BM as an active ingredient. It comprises a pTB6-derived region portion comprising a replication origin (oriV)-repB region of pTB6 but not comprising MembB, MobA, OrfI, and oriT regions of pTB6 and an Escherichia coli-derived plasmid portion comprising a replication origin (oriC) region of Escherichia coli but having deleted DNA encoding an N-terminal region of an ampicillin resistance gene (ampR) expression product ?-lactamase, and constitute a shuttle vector for Escherichia coli with a BM having an average copy number of 6 to 30.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a cytosine deaminase (CD)-expressing, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-resistant microorganism which can grow in anaerobic tumor tissues, can express CD, and has a resistance to 5-FU at a concentration that is at least effective for antitumor activity. More specifically, the method is a method (A) comprising performing subculture or acclimation culture of a CD-expressing microorganism which can grow in anaerobic tumor tissues, in the presence of 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC), or a method (B) comprising (1) performing subculture or acclimation culture of a microorganism which can grow in anaerobic tumor tissues and does not express CD, in the presence of 5-FU to produce a 5-FU-resistant microorganism and (2) transforming the 5-FU-resistant microorganism by introducing a CD gene. The present invention also provides the CD-expressing, 5-FU-resistant microorganism and a pharmaceutical composition comprising the microorganism.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method of efficiently constructing a gene delivery carrier having a favorable activity and expression efficiency of a protein expressed by a gene introduced by transformation. Moreover, an object of the present invention is to provide a pharmaceutical composition comprising a gene delivery carrier constructed by the construction method and a therapeutic agent for solid tumor comprising the resistant bacterium.

Abstract: The present invention provides a bacterium belonging to the genus Bifidobacterium, by which DNA coding for a protein having an antitumor activity or DNA coding for a protein having the activity of converting a precursor of an antitumor substance into the antitumor substance is delivered to tumor tissues specifically under anaerobic conditions thereby expressing the protein encoded by the DNA, as well as a pharmaceutical composition comprising said anaerobic bacterium.