Abstract: A power generation system includes a hydrothermal fluid well including a drilled hole reaching down to a hydrothermal fluid reservoir present below an ocean floor from an ocean floor surface and a casing installed in the drilled hole through a guide base on the ocean floor surface, an anode provided on a flow channel for hot water formed by the hydrothermal fluid well, a cathode provided in seawater other than the flow channel for hot water formed by the hydrothermal fluid well, and an ocean floor device that is connected with the anode and the cathode respectively and extracts generated power so as to operate. Power is easily and stably supplied on the ocean floor.

Abstract: A recovery method for recovering mineral resources from a hydrothermal fluid reservoir present beneath the ocean floor includes the steps of: (A) providing a hydrothermal fluid well by drilling a hole reaching a hydrothermal fluid reservoir from an ocean floor surface via a guide base on the ocean floor surface, and then installing a casing in the drilled hole via the guide base; (B) precipitating minerals on a mineral-culturing device by installing the mineral-culturing device on the base guide so as to cover a well head of the hydrothermal fluid well, and bringing hot water ejecting from the well head into contact with sea water on the mineral-culturing device; and (C) recovering minerals precipitated on the mineral-culturing device together with the mineral-culturing device.

Abstract: The invention is a recovery method for recovering mineral resources from a hydrothermal fluid reservoir present beneath the ocean floor, the recovery method including the steps of: (A) providing a hydrothermal fluid well by drilling a hole reaching a hydrothermal fluid reservoir from an ocean floor surface via a guide base on the ocean floor surface, and then installing a casing in the drilled hole via the guide base; (B) precipitating minerals on the mineral-culturing device by installing a mineral-culturing device on the base guide so as to cover a well head of the hydrothermal fluid well, and bringing hot water ejecting from the well head into contact with sea water on the mineral-culturing device; and (C) recovering minerals precipitated on the mineral-culturing device together with the mineral-culturing device.

Abstract: A power generation system includes a hydrothermal fluid well including a drilled hole reaching down to a hydrothermal fluid reservoir present below an ocean floor from an ocean floor surface and a casing installed in the drilled hole through a guide base on the ocean floor surface, an anode provided on a flow channel for hot water formed by the hydrothermal fluid well, a cathode provided in seawater other than the flow channel for hot water formed by the hydrothermal fluid well, and an ocean floor device that is connected with the anode and the cathode respectively and extracts generated power so as to operate. Power is easily and stably supplied on the ocean floor.

Abstract: There is provided a FAAH inhibitor and a prophylactic or therapeutic agent for cerebrovascular disorders or sleep disorders comprising it. The prophylactic or therapeutic agent comprises a compound of the formula (I0): wherein Z is oxygen or sulfur; R1 is aryl which may be substituted, or a heterocyclic group which may be substituted; R1a is a hydrogen atom, a hydrocarbon group which may be substituted, hydroxyl, etc.; R2 is piperidin-1,4-diyl which may be substituted, or piperazin-1,4-diyl which may be substituted; R3 is a group formed by eliminating two hydrogen atoms from a 5-membered aromatic heterocyclic group having 1 to 3 heteroatoms selected from nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, which may be further substituted, —CO—, etc.; and R4 is a hydrocarbon group which may be substituted, or a heterocyclic group which may be substituted; or a salt thereof.

Abstract: In a service providing system, a live-distribution service for live-distributing contents supplied according to a reservation, and a chat service for providing the use of a chat space corresponding to the reservation for the live distribution are provided. When a personal computer and another personal computer use the live-distribution service and the chat service, they need to be authenticated by a streaming server and a communication server. For authentication, both the streaming server and the communication server use a shared password registered in a reservation data base when the live distribution is reserved.

Abstract: In a service providing system, a live-distribution service for live-distributing contents supplied according to a reservation, and a chat service for providing the use of a chat space corresponding to the reservation for live distribution are provided. After the live distribution finishes, a communication server sends the whole or a part of the contents of chatting performed in the chat space corresponding to the reservation for the live distribution, to a personal computer. With this, even if the user of the personal computer, who supplies the contents, could not participate in a chat with a user of another personal computer while capturing the contents, for example, the user of the personal computer can check the contents of the chat later.

Abstract: In a service providing system, a live-distribution service for live-distributing contents supplied according to a reservation, and a chat service for providing the use of a chat space corresponding to the reservation for the live distribution are provided.

Abstract: There is provided a FAAH inhibitor and a prophylactic or therapeutic agent for cerebrovascular disorders or sleep disorders comprising it. The prophylactic or therapeutic agent comprises a compound of the formula (I0): R1—C—R2—R3—R4 (I0) wherein Z is oxygen or sulfur; R1 is aryl which may be substituted, or a heterocyclic group which may be substituted; R1a is a hydrogen atom, a hydrocarbon group which may be substituted, hydroxyl, etc.; R2 is piperidin-1,4-diyl which may be substituted, or piperazin-1,4-diyl which may be substituted; R3 is a group formed by eliminating two hydrogen atoms from a 5-membered aromatic heterocyclic group having 1 to 3 heteroatoms selected from nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, which may be further substituted, —CO—, etc.; and R4 is a hydrocarbon group which may be substituted, or a heterocyclic group which may be substituted; or a salt thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a GPR40 receptor function regulator comprising a fused imidazole compound represented by the formula: wherein each symbol is as defined in the specification, or a salt thereof or a prodrug thereof. The GPR40 receptor function regulator is useful as an agent for the prophylaxis or treatment of obesity, hyperinsulinemia, type 2 diabetes and the like.

Abstract: The present invention provides a mutant androgen receptor (AR) useful for screening an agent for the prophylaxis/treatment of androgen-independent cancer and the like, DNA encoding the AR and the like. It also provides a method of producing a mutant AR expressing cancer cell line in vitro, a method of screening for an anti-antiandrogen drug using the mutant AR expressing cancer cell line obtained by this method, a method of classifying anti-androgen drugs, a cocktail therapy agent comprising a combination of anti-androgen drugs classified by this method and the like.

Abstract: The present invention provides an androgen receptor antagonistic agent and a superior prophylactic or therapeutic agent for hormone-sensitive cancer, which contain a compound of the formula: wherein, R1 is a hydrogen atom, a group binding through a carbon atom, a group binding through a nitrogen atom, a group binding through an oxygen atom or a group binding through a sulfur atom, R2 is a hydrogen atom, a group binding through a carbon atom, a group binding through a nitrogen atom, a group binding through an oxygen atom or a group binding through a sulfur atom, R3 is a hydrogen atom, a hydrocarbon group which may have substituent(s), an acyl group or a heterocyclic group which may have substituent(s), R4 is a hydrogen atom, a group binding through a carbon atom, a group binding through a nitrogen atom, a group binding through an oxygen atom or a group binding through a sulfur atom, and R5 is a cyclic group which may have substituent(s); or a salt thereof, or its prodrug.

Abstract: In a service providing system, a live-distribution service for live-distributing contents supplied according to a reservation, and a chat service for providing the use of a chat space corresponding to the reservation for live distribution are provided. After the live distribution finishes, a communication server sends the whole or a part of the contents of chatting performed in the chat space corresponding to the reservation for the live distribution, to a personal computer. With this, even if the user of the personal computer, who supplies the contents, could not participate in a chat with a user of another personal computer while capturing the contents, for example, the user of the personal computer can check the contents of the chat later.

Abstract: In a service providing system, a live-distribution service for live-distributing contents supplied according to a reservation, and a chat service for providing the use of a chat space corresponding to the reservation for the live distribution are provided.

Abstract: In a service providing system, a live-distribution service for live-distributing contents supplied according to a reservation, and a chat service for providing the use of a chat space corresponding to the reservation for the live distribution are provided. When a personal computer and another personal computer use the live-distribution service and the chat service, they need to be authenticated by a streaming server and a communication server. For authentication, both the streaming server and the communication server use a shared password registered in a reservation data base when the live distribution is reserved.

Abstract: A Kir6.2 gene-defective, non-human mammal, a mouse in particular, its tissues and cells are provided, wherein the ATP-sensitive potassium channel Kir6.2 gene, one of the subunits of KATP channels essential for insulin secretion by pancreatic &bgr;-cells, is lost from one or both of the allelic loci.

Abstract: An expression vector for the expression of an exogenous gene in an animal cell, which contains a chick .beta.-actin gene promoter and a restriction enzyme site for incorporating an exogenous gene at the downstream of said promoter and a process for expressing an exogenous gene, which comprises incorporating said exogenous gene into the expression vector at the restriction enzyme site for incorporating the exogenous gene, introducing said vector into an animal cell and culturing the obtained transformed animal cell. The expression system of the present invention can be applied to an expression of any exogenous gene and has an extremely high expression efficiency and is applicable to a wide range of host cells, and hence can sufficiently be utilized for industrial-scale production of a useful material.

Abstract: An expression vector for the expression of an exogenous gene in an animal cell, which contains a chick .beta.-actin gene promoter and a restriction enzyme site for incorporating an exogenous gene at the downstream of said promoter and a process for expressing an exogenous gene, which comprises incorporating said exogenous gene into the expression vector at the restriction enzyme site for incorporating the exogenous gene, introducing said vector into an animal cell and culturing the obtained transformed animal cell. The expression system of the present invention can be applied to an expression of any exogenous gene and has an extremely high expression efficiency and is applicable to a wide range of host cells, and hence can sufficiently be utilized for industrial-scale production of a useful material.

Abstract: Disclosed are (1) a method of producing D-ribose which comprises cultivating a microorganism belonging to the genus Bacillus having D-ribose producing ability in a medium, the microorganism belonging to the genus Bacillus containing a DNA sequence participating in expression of a gluconate operon which is partly or wholly modified so as to highly express the gluconate operon in the microorganism belonging to the genus Bacillus, accumulating D-ribose, and collecting D-ribose thus obtained; (2) a novel microorganism belonging to the genus Bacillus having D-ribose producing ability transformed with DNA which contains a DNA sequence participating in expression of a gluconate operon which is partly or wholly modified so as to highly express the gluconate operon in the microorganism belonging to the genus Bacillus; (3) novel DNA in which a promoter of a gluconate operon of a microorganism belonging to the genus Bacillus is modified so as to highly express said gluconate operon in the microorganism belonging to the

Abstract: A recombinant Marek's disease virus which comprises a Marek's disease virus genom and a DNA fragment incorporated therein, said DNA fragment being constructed by incorporating a promoter derived from an animal cell or an animal virus and a structural gene coding for an exogenous protein into a gene fragment derived from a Marek's disease virus, a process for preparing the same which comprises preparing a gene fragment wherein a structural gene coding for an exogenous gene is linked to the downstream of a promoter derived from an animal cell or an animal virus, incorporating said gene fragment into a BamHI - H fragment of a gene of a Marek's disease virus type I, and incorporating said fragment into a Marek's disease virus type I genome, and a multivalent live vaccine for birds comprising the same.