Abstract: Disclosed is an agent for use in the treatment or prevention of inflammatory bowel disease. Also disclosed is an agent for inhibiting the production of TNF-?. A therapeutic or prophylactic agent for inflammatory bowel disease comprising at least one amino acid selected from the group consisting of lysine, histidine, phenylalanine, methionine, tryptophan, glutamine, glycine, cysteine, cystine and threonine, the amino acid being administered at a dose of 0.1 to 4000 mg/kg per day; and a TNF-? production inhibitor comprising an amino acid selected from the group consisting of histidine, phenylalanine and tryptophan, the amino acid being administered at a dose of 0.1 to 4000 mg/kg per day.

Abstract: The present invention provides a piperidine derivative represented by the following formula or analogs thereto, which are used for agents for treating or preventing various diseases related to 5-HT7.

Abstract: According to the method of evaluating IBD of the present invention, amino acid concentration data on the concentration value of amino acid in blood collected from a subject to be evaluated is measured, and an inflammatory bowel disease state in the subject is evaluated based on the measured amino acid concentration data of the subject.

Abstract: A plant-culturing tool comprising a planting container for accommodating a plant, and a water storage container that can accommodate the planting container in the interior of the water storage container and that can store water, a guide mechanism in which the planting container makes sliding contact with the water storage container and is guided along a floating or sinking direction thereof. The guide mechanism is composed of a long guide surface having a long sliding portion, and a short guide surface having a short sliding portion that protrudes against the long guide surface, with the two guide surfaces making slide contact each other.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a therapeutic agent for irritable bowel syndrome of diarrhea type, ulcerative colitis, visceral pain or abdominal pain, which contains a compound of the following formula and which has 5-HT7 receptor antagonistic effect or an analogue thereof; and this therapeutic agent has an excellent therapeutic effect and a high safety:

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a plant cultivating unit that can perform a watering operation in a simple manner and can supply water uniformly to plants in locations where a floor surface is sloped, such as the rooftop of a building, without requiring separate water supply piping work. A plant cultivating unit (1) comprises a water storage tray (2) in which water can be stored and in which receivers (3) for housing the roots of plants can be arranged in an interior thereof, a water storage space (8) in the water storage tray (2) and the receivers (3) being communicated via water feeders (7), and the water stored in the water storage space (8) being able to be supplied to the plants via the water feeders (7).

Abstract: A method for preserving a cut flower involving only an easy and simple procedure, whereby the cut flower can maintain qualities similar to those of the natural state for a long period of time, and a method for manufacturing a processed cut flower that can maintain qualities similar to those of the natural state for a long period of time. The method for preserving a cut flower by replacing the tissue fluid of the cut flower by a preservative solution includes the steps of: (1) a first replacement step in which the tissue fluid of the cut flower is replaced by a hydrophilic organic solvent; and (2) a second replacement step in which the hydrophilic organic solvent having replaced the tissue fluid in the cut flower is replaced by the preservative solution of an organic solvent that has an affinity for the hydrophilic organic solvent and is nonvolatile or hardly-volatile.

Abstract: To construct the apparatus convenient in the respects of both the installing space and movability of a culturing vessel. The plant culturing vessel includes a culturing vessel 1 capable of culturing a plant therein, a tank 4 capable of reserving a culturing liquid 3 for the plant therein, a communication passage 26 communicating between the vessel 1 and the tank 4, and a pump P incorporated in the communication passage 26, the pump P being capable of feeding the liquid 3 reserved in the tank 4 to the plant culturing vessel 1. The tank 4 includes a support portion 9 capable of supporting the culturing vessel 1 upwardly of the tank 4. The communication passage 26 is disposed along the support portion. The pump P is provided integrally with the tank.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor, comprising: an undercoat layer and a photosensitive layer formed in this order on a conductive support, wherein the undercoat layer contains a titanium oxide [P] consisting of a needle-like titanium oxide [A] and a spherical titanium oxide [B] and a binder resin [R], and the compounding ratio (by weight) [A]/[B] of the needle-like titanium oxide [A] to the spherical titanium oxide [B] is 60/40 to 90/10.

Abstract: Disclosed is an agent for use in the treatment or prevention of inflammatory bowel disease. Also disclosed is an agent for inhibiting the production of TNF-?. A therapeutic or prophylactic agent for inflammatory bowel disease comprising at least one amino acid selected from the group consisting of lysine, histidine, phenylalanine, methionine, tryptophan, glutamine, glycine, cysteine, cystine and threonine, the amino acid being administered at a dose of 0.1 to 4000 mg/kg per day; and a TNF-? production inhibitor comprising an amino acid selected from the group consisting of histidine, phenylalanine and tryptophan, the amino acid being administered at a dose of 0.1 to 4000 mg/kg per day.

Abstract: To allow distribution of culturing liquid throughout culture medium in a short operation time, without having to additionally provide a supply passage communicated with a tank or a supply pump. A plant culturing apparatus includes a culturing vessel 1 for a plant A, a tank 3 for culturing liquid 2, a communication passage 4 communicating between the vessel 1 and the tank 3, and a pump P incorporated in the communication passage 4, the pump being capable of being switched over between a condition for feeding the reserved liquid 5 to the culturing vessel and a further condition for introducing into the tank, excess liquid 6 and aeration air 7. The communication passage is communicated with the culturing vessel from the bottom side thereof. To the communication passage, there is branch-connected a supply passage 12 capable of feeding the reserved liquid to the culturing vessel from a planting opening side.

Abstract: The present invention provides an agent for the prophylaxis or treatment of visceral pain associated with gastrointestinal tract diseases, which contains lysine. Using the prophylactic or therapeutic agent, gastrointestinal tract diseases accompanying visceral pain, such as intestinal disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia, gastro esophageal disease, functional abdominal pain syndrome, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease and the like can be lo treated or prevented. In addition, pharmaceutical agent, food and drink and dietary supplement for the prophylaxis or treatment of visceral pain associated with such gastrointestinal tract diseases are provided. They are highly effective for visceral pain associated with gastrointestinal tract diseases as compared to existing pharmaceutical agents, show reduced side effects, and are highly effective.

Abstract: The present invention provides a piperidine derivative represented by the following formula or analogs thereto, which are used for agents for treating or preventing various diseases related to 5-HT7.

Abstract: To provide a plant cultivating substrate which satisfies e.g. the water absorptivity required for plant cultivation, shape retentivity and flexibility and a method of manufacture thereof. In the plant cultivating substrate and the method of its manufacture, at least water-retentive filling material, water, urethane prepolymer and polyol are reacted with each other.

Abstract: [Summary] [Object] to provide a plant culturing apparatus and method which reduce the operating noise, allow liquid feeding and discharging as well as aeration within a culture vessel, thus facilitating culturing of a plant. [Solution] The plant culturing apparatus comprises: a transport unit 3 capable of transporting a fluid W between a culture vessel P for culturing a plant G and a reservoir T capable of reserving therein the fluid W to be fed to the plant G through a feed/discharge tube 2 connected and communicated with the transport unit 3 via a tube pump 1; and a direction switching unit 6 capable of switching a transporting direction of the fluid W by the transporting unit 3 between a direction for feeding the fluid W from the reservoir T to the culture vessel P and the opposite direction for discharging the fluid W from the culture vessel P to the reservoir T.

Abstract: The object of the invention is to prevent interference fringes of images and allow precise measurement of the thickness of a layer by the optical interferometry by limiting the surface roughness of a conductive substrate. The surface roughness of the conductive substrate provided in an electrophotographic photoreceptor is such that the maximum peak-to-valley roughness height (Ry)=0.8 to 1.4 ?m, the centerline average roughness (Ra)=0.10 to 0.15 ?m, the ten-point average roughness (Rz)=0.7 to 1.3 ?m, the average peak-to-peak distance (Sm)=5 to 30 ?m, and the peak count Pc=60 to 100. In such an electrophotographic photoreceptor, light for exposure can be scattered to an appropriate extent, so that interference fringes can be prevented, and an interference pattern is formed during measurement of the thickness of the photosensitive layer by the optical interferometry so that the thickness of the layer can be measured with a high precision.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a therapeutic agent for irritable bowel syndrome of diarrhea type, ulcerative colitis, visceral pain or abdominal pain, which contains a compound of the following formula and which has 5-HT7 receptor antagonistic effect or an analogue thereof; and this therapeutic agent has an excellent therapeutic effect and a high safety:

Abstract: The present invention provides animal model of chronic stress diseases produced by feeding lysine deficient diet to the animals and a method for producing the animal model. The effect of medicine on chronic stress diseases can be judged with the animal model. Effective compounds in preventing chronic stress diseases and/or treating patients suffering from chronic stress diseases can be screened by using the animal model.

Abstract: In order to allow a watering operation to take place in a stable manner and in an automatic manner to allow an amount of water as needed with growth of a plant, there is provided a plant cultivating method in which plant is cultivated in a plant cultivating flooring member 1 accommodated in a plant cultivating vessel P1 accommodated in a water reservoir vessel P2 reserving water W therein. In the method, the plant cultivating vessel P1 is constructed such that this vessel when accommodating the plant cultivating flooring member 1 therein can float on the water and the vessel includes a water inlet hole 2 formed in a bottom B thereof so as to allow intrusion of water from the outside to the inside thereof under the floating condition.

Abstract: The object of the invention is to prevent interference fringes of images and allow precise measurement of the thickness of a layer by the optical interferometry by limiting the surface roughness of a conductive substrate. The surface roughness of the conductive substrate provided in an electrophotographic photoreceptor is such that the maximum peak-to-valley roughness height (Ry)=0.8 to 1.4 &mgr;m, the centerline average roughness (Ra)=0.10 to 0.15 &mgr;m, the ten-point average roughness (Rz)=0.7 to 1.3 &mgr;m, the average peak-to-peak distance (Sm)=5 to 30 &mgr;m, and the peak count Pc=60 to 100. In such an electrophotographic photoreceptor, light for exposure can be scattered to an appropriate extent, so that interference fringes can be prevented, and an interference pattern is formed during measurement of the thickness of the photosensitive layer by the optical interferometry so that the thickness of the layer can be measured with a high precision.