Abstract: A novel chordin-like polypeptide is found out in a protein secreted from mesenchymal stem cells. This polypeptide is useful as a cancer marker and a remedy for parotid cancer, lung cancer, esophagus cancer, gastric cancer, duodenal carcinoma, kidney cancer, ureteral cancer, testicular cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, leukemia, intestinal cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, biliary cancer or thyroid cancer cells, etc. Moreover, it is found out that the above polypeptide has an activity of modulating bone differentiation. Thus, this polypeptide is also useful as a bone disease marker and a remedy for bone diseases such as arthritis deformans, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis.

Abstract: The invention provides an aqueous dispersion which includes i) an aqueous dispersion (I) resulting from dispersion of a block copolymer (I) composed of at least one polymer block (A) containing olefin monomer units and at least one polymer block (B) containing 2 to 100 mole percent of units derived from at least one vinyl monomer having a carboxyl or carboxylic anhydride group and 98 to 0 (zero) mole percent of units derived from another vinyl monomer or monomers copolymerizable with the carboxyl group- or carboxylic anhydride group-containing vinyl monomer, in an aqueous solution of not less than 0.05 equivalent, relative to the carboxyl or carboxylic anhydride group, of a basic substance, and ii) a polyurethane (II), iii) vinyl polymer (III) or iv) tackifier (IV) incorporated in the aqueous dispersion (I).

Abstract: A novel chordin-like polypeptide is found out in a protein secreted from mesenchymal stem cells. This polypeptide is useful as a cancer marker and a remedy for parotid cancer, lung cancer, esophagus cancer, gastric cancer, duodenal carcinoma, kidney cancer, ureteral cancer, testicular cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, leukemia, intestinal cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, biliary cancer or thyroid cancer cells, etc. Moreover, it is found out that the above polypeptide has an activity of modulating bone differentiation. Thus, this polypeptide is also useful as a bone disease marker and a remedy for bone diseases such as arthritis deformans, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis.

Abstract: The invention provides an aqueous dispersion which includes i) an aqueous dispersion (I) resulting from dispersion of a block copolymer (I) composed of at least one polymer block (A) containing olefin monomer units and at least one polymer block (B) containing 2 to 100 mole percent of units derived from at least one vinyl monomer having a carboxyl or carboxylic anhydride group and 98 to 0 (zero) mole percent of units derived from another vinyl monomer or monomers copolymerizable with the carboxyl group- or carboxylic anhydride group-containing vinyl monomer, in an aqueous solution of not less than 0.05 equivalent, relative to the carboxyl or carboxylic anhydride group, of a basic substance, and ii) a polyurethane (II), iii) vinyl polymer (III) or iv) tackifier (IV) incorporated in the aqueous dispersion (I).

Abstract: The invention provides an aqueous dispersion which includes i) an aqueous dispersion (I) resulting from dispersion of a block copolymer (I) composed of at least one polymer block (A) containing olefin monomer units and at least one polymer block (B) containing 2 to 100 mole percent of units derived from at least one vinyl monomer having a carboxyl or carboxylic anhydride group and 98 to 0 (zero) mole percent of units derived from another vinyl monomer or monomers copolymerizable with the carboxyl group- or carboxylic anhydride group-containing vinyl monomer, in an aqueous solution of not less than 0.05 equivalent, relative to the carboxyl or carboxylic anhydride group, of a basic substance, and ii) a polyurethane (II), iii) vinyl polymer (III) or iv) tackifier (IV) incorporated in the aqueous dispersion (I).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a fiber, which includes: 2 to 95% by weight, based on the total weight of the fiber, of at least one block copolymer, which includes: at least one polymer block (A) that includes 50 to 100% by weight of olefinic monomer units, based on the total weight of the block copolymer; and at least one polymer block (B) that includes 0.1 to 100% by weight of (meth)acrylic monomer units, based on the total weight of the block copolymer. Other embodiments of the invention include fibrous structures, non-woven fabrics, leather-like sheet materials, and dyed articles, which include the above-described fiber, and processes of making the above-described fiber. The present invention also relates to a composite fiber, and fibrous structures, non-woven fabrics, leather-like sheet materials, and dyed articles, which includes the above-described composite fiber, as well as processes for producing the above-described composite fiber.

Abstract: The invention is to provide an aqueous dispersion having good adhesiveness, especially airtight adhesiveness to various substrates, and having good storage stability, good weather resistance and good hydrophobicity. The aqueous dispersion comprises a block copolymer composed of polymer blocks (A) consisting essentially of olefin monomer units and polymer blocks (B) comprising from 2 to 100 mol % of units of vinyl monomers having a carboxyl group or a carboxylic acid anhydride group and from 0 to 98 mol % of units of other vinyl comonomers capable of copolymerizing with the vinyl monomers, dispersed in an aqueous solution of at least 0.05 equivalents, relative to the carboxyl group or the carboxylic acid anhydride group, of a basic substance.

Abstract: An axis seal device is provided between a vessel filled with a first gas of a first gas pressure and a rotation axis passing through the vessel. The axis seal device includes first to third dry gas seal sections. The first dry gas seal section is provided such that the rotation axis is rotatable, and has a first space section with a second gas pressure. The second dry gas seal section is provided subsequently to the first dry gas seal section such that the rotation axis is rotatable, and has a second space section with a third gas pressure. The third dry gas seal section is provided subsequently to the second dry gas seal section such that the rotation axis is rotatable, and has a third space section with a fourth gas pressure. The first gas pressure is lower than the second gas pressure, the second gas pressure is higher than the third gas pressure, the third gas pressure is higher than the fourth gas pressure and an atmospheric pressure, and the fourth gas pressure is lower than the atmospheric pressure.

Abstract: The invention provides an aqueous dispersion which includes i) an aqueous dispersion (I) resulting from dispersion of a block copolymer (I) composed of at least one polymer block (A) containing olefin monomer units and at least one polymer block (B) containing 2 to 100 mole percent of units derived from at least one vinyl monomer having a carboxyl or carboxylic anhydride group and 98 to 0 (zero) mole percent of units derived from another vinyl monomer or monomers copolymerizable with the carboxyl group- or carboxylic anhydride group-containing vinyl monomer, in an aqueous solution of not less than 0.05 equivalent, relative to the carboxyl or carboxylic anhydride group, of a basic substance, and ii) a polyurethane (II), iii) vinyl polymer (III) or iv) tackifier (IV) incorporated in the aqueous dispersion (I).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a fiber, which includes:

Abstract: An article packaging system has a magazine case charging mechanism for picking up and charging magazine cases one by one to a subsequent stage, a magazine case aligning mechanism for aligning the charged magazine cases in one direction, a small outer shipping package producing mechanism for storing a magazine case into a small package thereby to produce a small outer shipping package, a pack production mechanism for combining packs in a predetermined combining pattern, a large outer shipping package producing mechanism for assembling a plurality of packs in a predetermined assembling pattern into an assembly, and storing the assembly into a corrugated box to produce a large outer shipping package, and a production information management computer for controlling the above mechanisms in a centralized fashion.

Abstract: A thermoplastic polymer composition is provided that includes 100 parts by weight of a block copolymer and/or its hydrogenate having polymer blocks of an aromatic vinyl compound and polymer blocks of a conjugated diene compound, and from 5 to 95 parts by weight of a block copolymer having polymer blocks of an aromatic vinyl compound and/or an olefinic compound and polymer blocks having a constitutional unit derived from a (meth) acrylic compound, a laminate containing a layer of the composition, and a hot-melt adhesive that includes the composition. Because it has good melt adhesiveness, the composition of the invention can firmly adhere in melt to various polar or non-polar materials. Using the composition, it is easy to produce laminates having a layer of the composition and a layer of some other material, through melt shaping or any other melt adhesion techniques.

Abstract: A process for producing polymers having terminal functional group which may be protected, comprises polymerizing a radical-polymerizable monomer with a polymerization initiator comprising at least one member selected from the group (A) consisting of thio-S-carboxylic acids represented by the following general formula (1) and dithiocarboxylic acids represented by the following general formula (2) and at least one member selected from the group (B) consisting of polysulfides represented by the following general formula (3), polysulfides represented by the following general formula (4) and sulfoxides:. ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 represents a hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent including functional group; ##STR2## wherein R.sup.2 represents a hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent including functional group; ##STR3## wherein R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 each represents a hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent including functional group and n is an integer of 2 or more; andR.sup.5 --(S)m-R.sup.