Abstract: A high-reliability IGBT drive device in which the high- and low-voltage side IGBTs are complementarily ON/OFF controlled before and after dead time. A reset pulse that turns OFF the high-voltage side IGBT is generated during the dead time as described in the following example. The reset pulse is generated immediately before an ON instruction for the low-voltage side IGBT, so that a period that begins immediately before the ON instruction for the low-voltage side IGBT and overlaps with the ON instruction, continuously during the dead time, continuously during dead time immediately before the low-voltage side IGBT turns ON, or in such a manner as to invalidate the ON instruction for the low-voltage side IGBT when an ON state of the high-voltage side IGBT is observed.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an electric power converter including means for accurately detecting a principal current of IGBT. An electric power conversion device according to the present invention includes principal current estimation means for estimating a principal current by using: an output of temperature measuring means whose diode is disposed in the same semiconductor substrate as an IGBT including an emitter having flowing therethrough the principal current and a sense emitter having flowing therethrough a sense current proportional to the principal current; the sense current; and the information, preliminarily stored in memory means, on the relationship among the semiconductor substrate temperature, the principal current and the sense currant.

Abstract: A probe is inserted at a predetermined speed into a food to be measured, and vibrations created by the insertion are acquired by a piezoelectric element. The vibrations are displayed, and the pulse number per unit time on the basis of the insertion speed of the probe is calculated so that the oral sensation of the food is quantitatively specified with the pulse number.

Abstract: A composition for regenerative treatment of cartilage disease, which comprises a PDE4 inhibitor as an active ingredient, specifically a composition comprising a PDE4 inhibitor and a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer is provided, which composition, when formulated into a form suited to administer locally to affected cartilage region, such as microsphere preparation, can provide a pharmaceutical composition showing an excellent effect in regenerative treatment of cartilage.

Abstract: An integrated circuit for driving a semiconductor device, which is adaptable for demands, such as a higher output (larger current), a higher voltage, and a smaller loss, and has a small size, is produced at a low cost, and has high reliability. A power converter including such an integrated circuit is also provided. Circuit elements constituting a drive section of an upper arm drive circuit 212, a level shift circuit 20 including a current sensing circuit 210, a drive section of a lower arm drive circuit 222, and a drive signal processing circuit 224 are integrated and built in one high withstand voltage IC chip 200. Circuit elements constituting a final output stage buffer section 213 of the upper arm drive circuit 212 are built in a vertical p-channel MOS-FET chip 213p and a vertical n-channel MOS-FET chip 213n.

Abstract: An integrated circuit for driving a semiconductor device, which is adaptable for demands, such as a higher output (larger current), a higher voltage, and a smaller loss, and has a small size, is produced at a low cost, and has high reliability. A power converter including such an integrated circuit is also provided. Circuit elements constituting a drive section of an upper arm drive circuit 212, a level shift circuit 20 including a current sensing circuit 210, a drive section of a lower arm drive circuit 222, and a drive signal processing circuit 224 are integrated and built in one high withstand voltage IC chip 200. Circuit elements constituting a final output stage buffer section 213 of the upper arm drive circuit 212 are built in a vertical p-channel MOS-FET chip 213p and a vertical n-channel MOS-FET chip 213n.

Abstract: To provide a motor drive adapted to operate stably and suffer essentially no damage, even when a high voltage is applied between grounding terminals of upper and lower arms. The motor drive of this invention includes: an arm with a first electric power semiconductor-switching element and a second electric power semiconductor-switching element, both connected in series between major terminals; and a level-shifting circuit that transmits a control signal of the first semiconductor-switching element connected to the high-voltage side of the arm, from a low-voltage circuit to a high-voltage circuit; the motor drive employing an insulated-gate bipolar transistor as the signal-transmitting high-withstand-voltage element formed in the level-shifting circuit.

Abstract: A composition for accelerating fracture healing, which has a PDE4 inhibitor as an active ingredient, specifically a composition having a PDE4 inhibitor and a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer is provided, which composition, when formulated into a form suitable for local administration such as a microsphere preparation, can provide a pharmaceutical composition showing an excellent effect in the early healing of bone fracture. The composition is useful in healing of refractory fracture of elderly people and diabetic or osteoporosis patients.

Abstract: In an electric power conversion apparatus, there is reduced deterioration in insulation of a means which is provided inside an IC chip and transmits a signal from a low electric potential system to a high electric potential system. The electric power conversion apparatus includes a lower-arm circuit 14 which transmits control signals from a micro computer 10 through the pulse transformers 22 and 23 provided inside an IC chip and outputs the control signal transmitted through the pulse transformer 23 to a lower-arm IGBT 1, a high-voltage nMOS 30 which converts the electric potential of the control signal for an upper-arm IGBT 3 transmitted through the pulse transformer 22 of the lower-arm circuit 14 and an upper-arm circuit 15 which outputs the control signal of which the electric potential is converted by the high-voltage nMOS 30 to the upper-arm IGBT 3.

Abstract: A probe is inserted at a predetermined speed into a food to be measured, and vibrations created by the insertion are acquired by a piezoelectric element. The vibrations are displayed, and the pulse number per unit time on the basis of the insertion speed of the probe is calculated so that the oral sensation of the food is quantitatively specified with the pulse number.

Abstract: A composition for accelerating fracture healing, which has a PDE4 inhibitor as an active ingredient, specifically a composition having a PDE4 inhibitor and a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer is provided, which composition, when formulated into a form suitable for local administration such as a microsphere preparation, can provide a pharmaceutical composition showing an excellent effect in the early healing of bone fracture. The composition is useful in healing of refractory fracture of elderly people and diabetic or osteoporosis patients.

Abstract: The present invention provides a high-reliability IGBT drive device that is capable of avoiding an accident such as an upper/lower arm short circuit when a malfunction occurs due to a potential change at a connection point between series-connected IGBTs. High- and low-voltage side IGBTs are complementarily ON/OFF controlled before and after dead time. A reset pulse that turns OFF the high-voltage side IGBT is generated during the dead time as described in the following example. The reset pulse is generated (1) immediately before an ON instruction for the low-voltage side IGBT, (2) in such a manner as to have a period that begins immediately before the ON instruction for the low-voltage side IGBT and overlaps with the ON instruction, (3) continuously during the dead time, (4) continuously during dead time immediately before the low-voltage side IGBT turns ON, or (5) in such a manner as to invalidate the ON instruction for the low-voltage side IGBT when an ON state of the high-voltage side IGBT is observed.

Abstract: To provide a motor drive adapted to operate stably and suffer essentially no damage, even when a high voltage is applied between grounding terminals of upper and lower arms. The motor drive of this invention includes: an arm with a first electric power semiconductor-switching element and a second electric power semiconductor-switching element, both connected in series between major terminals; and a level-shifting circuit that transmits a control signal of the first semiconductor-switching element connected to the high-voltage side of the arm, from a low-voltage circuit to a high-voltage circuit; the motor drive employing an insulated-gate bipolar transistor as the signal-transmitting high-withstand-voltage element formed in the level-shifting circuit.

Abstract: A composition for regenerative treatment of cartilage disease, which comprises a PDE4 inhibitor as an active ingredient, specifically a composition comprising a PDE4 inhibitor and a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer is provided, which composition, when formulated into a form suited to administer locally to affected cartilage region, such as microsphere preparation, can provide a pharmaceutical composition showing an excellent effect in regenerative treatment of cartilage.

Abstract: An integrated circuit for driving a semiconductor device, which is adaptable for demands, such as a higher output (larger current), a higher voltage, and a smaller loss, and has a small size, is produced at a low cost, and has high reliability. A power converter including such an integrated circuit is also provided. Circuit elements constituting a drive section of an upper arm drive circuit 212, a level shift circuit 20 including a current sensing circuit 210, a drive section of a lower arm drive circuit 222, and a drive signal processing circuit 224 are integrated and built in one high withstand voltage IC chip 200. Circuit elements constituting a final output stage buffer section 213 of the upper arm drive circuit 212 are built in a vertical p-channel MOS-FET chip 213p and a vertical n-channel MOS-FET chip 213n.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an electric power converter including means for accurately detecting a principal current of IGBT. An electric power conversion device according to the present invention includes principal current estimation means for estimating a principal current by using: an output of temperature measuring means whose diode is disposed in the same semiconductor substrate as an IGBT including an emitter having flowing therethrough the principal current and a sense emitter having flowing therethrough a sense current proportional to the principal current; the sense current; and the information, preliminarily stored in memory means, on the relationship among the semiconductor substrate temperature, the principal current and the sense currant.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a novel method of detecting a function or activity of a polypeptide which is related to bone metabolism, in particular, differentiation (maturation) of osteoblast or morphological change (retraction), specifically relating to a polypeptide which comprises an amino acid sequence shown by SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID NO: 4, an amino acid sequence in which one or several amino acids are deleted, substituted or added in the amino acid sequence shown by SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID NO: 4, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid which is capable of hybridizing under stringent condition with a nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence shown by SEQ ID NO: 1 or SEQ ID NO: 3, or a complement sequence thereof.

Abstract: There is provided a water based ink capable of decolorizing or discoloring written or printed letters or images through an organic solvent or heating, which is used for a writing instrument such as roller balls, makers, etc., printing inks, ink jets and the like. The water based ink comprises a colorant consisting of spherical fine grains colored by a color former, the spherical fine grains consisting of at least one member selected from polyolefins and other polymers containing, as a constitutional unit, at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile, styrene, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, methyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate.

Abstract: A thrust jig with a concave-convex shape is pierced into a food sample to generate and detect an oscillation spectrum and an acoustic spectrum, which is analyzed in main component to calculate a main component value as the texture of the food sample.

Abstract: A composition for regenerative treatment of cartilage disease, which comprises a PDE4 inhibitor as an active ingredient, specifically a composition comprising a PDE4 inhibitor and a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer is provided, which composition, when formulated into a form suited to administer locally to affected cartilage region, such as microsphere preparation, can provide a pharmaceutical composition showing an excellent effect in regenerative treatment of cartilage.