Abstract: A nitrile hydratase variant of the present invention comprises substitution of at least one amino acid with another amino acid to improve two or more properties of nitrile hydratase by substitution of one amino acid.

Abstract: Background object disposing means (88) disposes a background object (74) representing a background, which is photographed outside a target region (62) of a photographed image (60), on a virtual space (70). Subject object disposing means (90) disposes a subject object (74) between a viewpoint (72) and the background object (76) so that a position at which the subject object (76) is displayed to be superimposed on the background object (74) in a virtual space image (64), and a position of the target region (62) in the photographed image (60), correspond to each other. Composition target object disposing means (92) disposes a composition target object (78) representing a composition target, which is to be displayed to be combined with a real-world space (70) in the virtual space image (64), between the background object (74) and the subject object (76).

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer element includes a plurality of electrostatic capacitance type ultrasound cells each having a lower electrode portion and a membrane including an upper electrode portion that are oriented and disposed via a cavity circular in plan view, and a thickness of the cavity monotonously decreases in a curved manner toward an outer circumferential portion from a center portion of the cavity.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer array according to an embodiment includes a substrate, a plurality of groove-like recesses arranged at a predetermined interval on one surface of the substrate, a cell region arranged between the recesses on the one surface side of the substrate, a flexible film configured to cover the substrate and the cell region and having fragility lower than fragility of the substrate, and a dividing groove having a width smaller than a width of the recess and reaching from the other surface of the substrate to the flexible film in the recess.

Abstract: The present invention provides a retroviral vector containing a transcription unit comprising a transcription regulatory sequence and a gene encoding a polypeptide having single-stranded RNA-specific endoribonuclease activity which is placed so that its expression can be controlled by the regulatory sequence, wherein the unit is placed so that the direction of the transcription of mRNA from the unit is opposite to the direction of transcription of the RNA genome of the retroviral vector. By using the vector constructed as described above, viral supernatant showing high gene transfer efficiency can be prepared. The retroviral vector of the present invention is useful for the treatment and/or prevention of cancers and virus infections.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer according to the invention includes a flexible sheet, a rigid body portion including a lower electrode made of at least a thin-film conductive material on a surface of the flexible sheet, a dividing portion which divides the rigid body portion into segments, and a plurality of transducer elements including the divided rigid body portion, has at least one transducer cell composed of one of the segments, an insulating partition portion bonded to the segment, an air gap portion surrounded by the partition portion, an upper electrode opposed to the lower electrode extending to the partition portion to sandwich the air gap portion therebetween, and an upper insulating layer formed on the upper electrode, and includes an upper protection film which continuously covers a surface portion of the transducer elements and the dividing portion.

Abstract: An ultrasound element includes a silicon substrate, a lower electrode layer that has a plurality of lower electrode sections, and a plurality of lower wiring sections, and is connected to a lower electrode terminal to which a drive signal and a bias signal are applied, a lower insulating layer, an upper insulating layer in which a plurality of cavities smaller than the respective lower electrode sections are formed, an upper electrode layer that has a plurality of upper electrode sections that are disposed to face the respective lower electrode sections via the respective cavities, and are smaller than the lower electrode sections and larger than the cavities, and a plurality of upper wiring sections, and is connected to an upper electrode terminal at a ground potential that detects a capacitance signal, and a protection layer.

Abstract: A US element includes a silicon substrate, wherein a lower electrode layer that has a plurality of lower electrode sections, and a plurality of lower wiring sections, and is connected to a lower electrode terminal to which a drive signal and a bias signal are applied, a lower insulating layer, an upper insulating layer in which a plurality of cavities are formed, an upper electrode layer that has a plurality of upper electrode sections and a plurality of upper wiring sections, and is connected to an upper electrode terminal at a ground potential for detecting a capacitance signal, and a protection layer are sequentially stacked on the silicon substrate, and the US element further includes a shield electrode section that is formed at least at an upper side of the lower wiring sections, and is connected to a shield electrode terminal at a ground potential.

Abstract: A light source apparatus includes: at least one solid-state light source configured to output light in a predetermined wavelength range; a first optical system including at least one aspherical surface configured to convert a light flux from the solid-state light source into a substantially parallel light flux; an output unit including at least one light emitter that is excited by the light and emits visible light with a wavelength longer than that of the light, the output unit being configured to output light containing the light and the visible light; and a second optical system including at least one concave reflecting surface and being configured to reflect the light on the concave reflecting surface, the light coming from the solid-state light source and being converted into the substantially parallel light flux by the first optical system, to collect the light to the light emitter of the output unit.

Abstract: An ultrasound unit includes an ultrasound array that has a plurality of ultrasound elements, each of which has a first principal surface that is rectangular where a transmitting and receiving portion, a signal electrode terminal, and a ground electrode terminal are arranged in a longer side direction, longer sides of the ultrasound elements being coupled, one or more short-lines that are connected to a plurality of ground electrode terminals, a ground line that is connected to the short-line, and a plurality of signal lines, each of which is connected to one of the signal electrode terminals, and adjoining ultrasound elements of the ultrasound elements are coupled such that the signal electrode terminals are arranged alternately on opposite sides in the longer side direction of the transmitting and receiving portions that are rectangular.

Abstract: A needle-type fluorescence sensor that measures glucose based on fluorescence produced by excitation light is provided. The needle-type fluorescence sensor includes a needle body section including a sensor portion disposed in a needle distal end portion and metal lines disposed from the sensor portion to a needle proximal end portion, and a connector which is integrated with the needle body section and in which the metal lines extend. The sensor portion includes a silicon substrate having first and second principal surfaces, a PD device that converts fluorescence into an electric signal, an LED device that transmits fluorescence and emits excitation light, and an indicator layer that interacts with an analyte under the excitation light to produce fluorescence. The PD device, the LED device, and the indicator layer overlap with each other above the first principal surface of the silicon substrate.

Abstract: A light source apparatus includes a polarization conversion element, a fluorescent substance and a light source element. The polarization conversion element has a p/s-polarizing beam splitter film to separate polarization components of incident light into p-polarization component and s-polarization component. The fluorescent substance emits visible light as the incident light that is incident on the p/s-polarizing beam splitter film, which visible light is generated by that the fluorescent substance is excited by excitation light, and has a wavelength of longer wavelength region than a wavelength of the excitation light. The light source element emits a laser beam having a predetermined wavelength as the excitation light to irradiate the fluorescent substance with the excitation light so that a laser beam having a polarization plane between the polarization plane of p-polarized light and the polarization plane of s-polarized light exiting from the fluorescent substance is emitted as the incident light.

Abstract: This invention relates to a sensing method and a sensing device for quantifying the concentration of an analyte by using the property that interaction between an analyte and a labeled compound changes fluorescence intensity. A fluorescence sensor is used to acquire fluorescence intensity at predetermined quantification time points. Then, the concentration of an analyte is quantified in accordance with a non-steady concentration quantification law comprising the relationship between the acquired fluorescence intensity and the time derivative quantity thereof.

Abstract: An aluminum alloy propeller shaft including a tube made of an aluminum alloy, and a pair of yoke members made of an aluminum alloy, the yoke members including cylindrical base portions friction-welded to opposite end portions of the tube, each of the yoke members including a tip end portion having a pair of bearing retaining holes aligned with each other in a radial direction of the base portion. Variation in length between a central axis of the bearing retaining holes in one of the yoke members and a central axis of the bearing retaining holes in the other yoke member with respect to a reference length is set within a range of from +2.0 mm to ?2.0 mm. A friction welding process of producing an aluminum alloy propeller shaft, including a friction step, a position displacement detection step, a rotation stop step and an upset step.

Abstract: A heat transfer sheet adhering apparatus, for adhering a heat transfer sheet to a ring-shaped member adapted to be used in a substrate processing apparatus, includes a heat transfer sheet mounting part configured to mount the heat transfer sheet thereon; a ring-shaped member supporting part configured to support the ring-shaped member; and a vertically movable pressing part configured to press the ring-shaped member supported by the ring-shaped member supporting part against the heat transfer sheet mounted on the heat transfer sheet mounting part. The pressing part is configured to press the ring-shaped member gradually from an inner peripheral side to an outer peripheral side of the ring-shaped member or from the outer peripheral side to the inner peripheral side of the ring-shaped member.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer array according to an embodiment includes a substrate, a plurality of groove-like recesses arranged at a predetermined interval on one surface of the substrate, a cell region arranged between the recesses on the one surface side of the substrate, a flexible film configured to cover the substrate and the cell region and having fragility lower than fragility of the substrate, and a dividing groove having a width smaller than a width of the recess and reaching from the other surface of the substrate to the flexible film in the recess.

Abstract: Background object disposing means (88) disposes a background object (74) representing a background, which is photographed outside a target region (62) of a photographed image (60), on a virtual space (70). Subject object disposing means (90) disposes a subject object (74) between a viewpoint (72) and the background object (76) so that a position at which the subject object (76) is displayed to be superimposed on the background object (74) in a virtual space image (64), and a position of the target region (62) in the photographed image (60), correspond to each other. Composition target object disposing means (92) disposes a composition target object (78) representing a composition target, which is to be displayed to be combined with a real-world space (70) in the virtual space image (64), between the background object (74) and the subject object (76).

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer includes a substrate and a lower electrode layer, a lower insulating layer, an upper insulating layer, and an upper electrode layer. The lower insulating layer and the upper insulating layer are arranged to be opposed to each other via an air gap section. The upper insulating layer and the lower insulating layer are different in a material and thickness and satisfy Equation 1 below. In Equation 1, K1 represents a relative dielectric constant of the lower insulating layer, K2 represents a relative dielectric constant of the upper insulating layer, T1 represents thickness of the lower insulating layer, T2 represents thickness of the upper insulating layer, ?1(x) represents a charge density distribution in the lower insulating layer, and ?2(y) represents a charge density distribution in the upper insulating layer.