Abstract: Methods for increasing immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels in a subject having a deficiency thereof are provided herein by administering to the subject an agent that inhibits CXCL13 activity, such as an anti-CXCL13 or an anti-CXCR5 antibody. Further provided are methods for treating an inflammatory disorder in a subject deficient for IgA by administering to the subject an agent that inhibits CXCL13 activity.

Abstract: This invention provides an adhesive agent with a stronger adhesive force that can adhere and be peeled reversibly with the irradiation of light. With the use of a liquid crystalline polymer compound containing azobenzene or a sugar alcohol derivative containing a hydroxyl group and azobenzene, a photo-reactive adhesive agent that can strongly adhere to and be peeled from a substrate reversibly with the irradiation of light can be obtained.

Abstract: A ceramic honeycomb structure having a large number of flow paths partitioned by porous cell walls, the cell walls comprising at least main crystals of aluminum titanate, in which MgO and SiO2 are dissolved to form a solid solution, and glass phases, the glass phases containing 40-80% by mass of SiO2 and 1-20% by mass of MgO, the average size of the glass phases being 30 ?m or less in a cross section of the cell walls, and the area ratio of the glass phases to the total area of the main crystals of aluminum titanate and the glass phases being 2-12% in a cross section of the cell walls, and its production method.

Abstract: The present invention provides a read sensor that can acquire data from the read object reliably, with a simple configuration, by making it possible to acquire data from the read object using both a magnetic field and an electric field. A read sensor 10 has conductive elements 30 that have a shape in which first elements 31 and second elements 32 are connected with each other along a first plane 20a, as if drawn unicursally in one stroke, so that the angle ?1 formed between a first element 31 and a second element 32 becomes a predetermined sharp angle, and a metal plate 40 that covers a second plane 20b of the dielectric plate 20, which is the back plane of the first plane 20a.

Abstract: A mount bracket system (20) includes a wall-mount part (2) including an axis portion (4) with a cylindrical column shape and a stopper (5) provided at the axis portion and having a width larger than a diameter of the axis portion (4); and a wall-mount frame (3) including a path (7) continuing from an opening (7a) and having a width larger than the diameter of the axis portion (4) and smaller than the width of the stopper (5). The path includes a projection (7b) projecting inward from an edge of the path (7), and the projection (7b) is located nearer the opening (7a) than the axis portion (4) of the wall-mount part (2) is when the axis portion (4) is retained at a retaining point of the wall-mount frame (3).

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide novel liquid crystalline compounds that are capable of inducing phase transition by a light stimulus and are useful in the display, optoelectronics, and photonics field. The present invention relates to the liquid crystalline compounds represented by general formula (1): wherein R1, R2 and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyloxy, alkanoyl, alkanoyloxy, alkoxyphenyl, and N-alkylaminocarbonyl, and n is an integer.

Abstract: A method for producing an aluminum-titanate-based ceramic honeycomb structure comprising blending TiO2 source powder and Al2O3 source powder with a TiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio of 45/55 to 55/45, and a sintering aid and/or a molding aid to prepare a moldable material, extrusion-molding the moldable material, and drying and sintering the resultant extrudate, the TiO2 source powder having a particle size distribution (mass-based frequency distribution relative to [log(particle size)]), in which both the maximum frequency in a particle size range of 0.2-4 ?m and the maximum frequency in a particle size range of 10-100 ?m are larger than those in other ranges than the two particle size ranges.

Abstract: A photoresponsive ionic organic compound of formula (I); a method of producing the same; a photoresponsive carbon nanotube (CNT) dispersant; a CNT dispersion containing the dispersant; and a method of separating a CNT from the dispersion: wherein R1, R2, and R3 each represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; A represents —CH— or a nitrogen atom; X represents an anion; and n is a number to give a charge of ?2 to nX.

Abstract: A ceramic honeycomb structure having a large number of flow paths partitioned by porous cell walls, the cell walls comprising at least main crystals of aluminum titanate, in which MgO and SiO2 are dissolved to form a solid solution, and glass phases, the glass phases containing 40-80% by mass of SiO2 and 1-20% by mass of MgO, the average size of the glass phases being 30 ?m or less in a cross section of the cell walls, and the area ratio of the glass phases to the total area of the main crystals of aluminum titanate and the glass phases being 2-12% in a cross section of the cell walls, and its production method.

Abstract: An administration server executes a process of first acquiring first resource information on a resource used by a function executed on a server to which a patch is to be applied. Then, the administration server executes a process of second acquiring second resource information on a resource accessed by the patch when the patch is executed. Thereafter, based on the first resource information acquired at the first acquiring and the second resource information acquired at the second acquiring, the administration server executes a process of determining whether to apply the patch.

Abstract: A mount bracket system (20) includes a wall-mount part (2) including an axis portion (4) with a cylindrical column shape and a stopper (5) provided at the axis portion and having a width larger than a diameter of the axis portion (4); and a wall-mount frame (3) including a path (7) continuing from an opening (7a) and having a width larger than the diameter of the axis portion (4) and smaller than the width of the stopper (5). The path includes a projection (7b) projecting inward from an edge of the path (7), and the projection (7b) is located nearer the opening (7a) than the axis portion (4) of the wall-mount part (2) is when the axis portion (4) is retained at a retaining point of the wall-mount frame (3).

Abstract: Disclosed are a novel ionic organic compound and a method for producing the ionic organic compound by a simple process. Also disclosed are a hydrogelling agent composed of an ionic organic compound obtained by the method, an alcohol gelling agent, a gel which uses the gelling agent, while using water or methanol as a medium, and a carbon nanotube dispersant composed of the compound. Specifically disclosed is an ionic organic compound represented by general formula (1). The compound is obtained by a condensation reaction of (A) an aromatic diamide compound or cyclohexane diamide compound having a 4-(chloromethyl)benzamide group at both ends, and (B) a compound selected from N,N,N?,N?-tetramethylalkylenediamines which may have a substituent wherein there are 1-6 carbon atoms between nitrogen atoms. The thus-obtained ionic organic compound serves as a gelling agent which is capable of gelling a neutral aqueous solution or an alcohol.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide novel liquid crystalline compounds that are capable of inducing phase transition by a light stimulus and are useful in the display, optoelectronics, and photonics field. The present invention relates to the liquid crystalline compounds represented by general formula (1): wherein R1, R2 and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyloxy, alkanoyl, alkanoyloxy, alkoxyphenyl, and N-alkylaminocarbonyl, and n is an integer.

Abstract: A vinyl monomer is graft polymerized on an aromatic hydrocarbon-based polymer film substrate to introduce graft chains into the substrate and thereafter a functional monomer represented by the following formula and having sulfonic acid groups or functional groups capable of conversion to sulfonic acid groups is graft polymerized to introduce the sulfonic acid groups or the functional groups capable of conversion to sulfonic acid groups: where R is an aromatic ring or an aliphatic chain; X is (1) —OH, (2) —OLi, —ONa or —OK, (3) —F or —Cl, or (4) —OCnH2n+1 where n is an integer of 1 to 7. Since the graft chains obtained by graft polymerization of the vinyl monomer can also be utilized as scaffold polymers, the graft polymerizability of the functional monomer to the aromatic hydrocarbon-based polymer film substrate is sufficiently improved to enable the preparation of a polymer electrolyte membrane that excels not only in proton conductivity and mechanical strength but also in dimensional stability.

Abstract: A functional membrane and a production method thereof including: an ion irradiation step in which a polymer film substrate is irradiated with high energy heavy ions at 104 to 1014 ions/cm2, to generate active species in the film substrate; and a graft polymerization step in which after the ion irradiation step, the film substrate is added with one or more monomers selected from a group A consisting of monomers each having a functional group and 1 to 80 mol % of a monomer including a group B consisting of a crosslinking agent(s) for the group A monomer(s), and the film substrate and the monomer(s) are graft-polymerized. There is obtained a functional membrane having high functionality in conjunction with the gas barrier property intrinsically possessed by a polymer film substrate, in particular, a polymer electrolyte membrane optimal as a polymer electrolyte membrane for use in fuel cells, high in proton conductivity and excellent in gas barrier property.

Abstract: An object is to provide an electrolyte membrane that maintains excellent cell characteristics for a long time under high temperature and low water retention, as this is the most important point in fuel cells. A process for producing a polymer electrolyte membrane for fuel cells is provided, which process comprises in sequence: forming graft molecular chains by graft-polymerization of a vinyl silane coupling agent on a polymer film substrate that has phenyl groups capable of holding sulfonic acid groups; introducing sulfonic acid groups into phenyl groups contained in the graft molecular chains; and hydrolyzing and condensing alkoxy groups contained in the graft molecular chains so that a silane crosslinked structure is introduced between the graft molecular chains. A polymer electrolyte membrane produced by the process is also provided.

Abstract: A radiation imaging apparatus is provided. The radiation imaging apparatus includes a radiation detector including a plurality of detector modules disposed therein, each detector module including a plurality of radiation detecting elements, wherein each of the detector modules includes a temperature sensor. The radiation imaging apparatus further includes an acquiring device configured to acquire temperature characteristic information of sensitivities of the radiation detecting elements from a storing device in which the temperature characteristic information is stored in advance, and a correcting device configured to correct data detected by the radiation detecting elements, based on temperature information acquired by the temperature sensor and the temperature characteristic information acquired by the acquiring device.

Abstract: A photoresponsive ionic organic compound of formula (I); a method of producing the same; a photoresponsive carbon nanotube (CNT) dispersant; a CNT dispersion containing the dispersant; and a method of separating a CNT from the dispersion: wherein R1, R2, and R3 each represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; A represents —CH— or a nitrogen atom; X represents an anion; and n is a number to give a charge of ?2 to nX.

Abstract: Polymer ion-exchange membranes having outstanding electrical conductivity, water retention and oxidation resistance are produced by the steps of uniformly mixing an organic high-molecular weight resin with functional inorganics having the abilities to promote graft polymerization of polymerizable monomers, adsorb water and conduct protons, irradiating the resulting functional inorganics/polymer membrane to initiate graft polymerization or graft copolymerization of polymerizable monomers having functional groups, and then introducing sulfonic acid groups into the graft chains.

Abstract: A polymer film substrate is irradiated with ions to make a large number of nano-sized through-holes and the substrate may be further irradiated with ionizing radiation so that a functional monomer may be grafted or co-grafted onto a surface of the film and within the holes; in addition, sulfonic acid group(s) may be introduced into the graft chains to produce a polymer ion-exchange membrane that may have high oxidation resistance, dimensional stability, electrical conductivity and/or methanol resistance, as well as may have an ion-exchange capacity controlled over a wide range.