Abstract: Disclosed herein is an osteopontin production inhibitor capable of preventing a disease resulting from increased production of osteopontin. The osteopontin production inhibitor contains a dictyopyrone derivative or a dihydrodictyopyrone derivative as an active ingredient. The dictyopyrone derivative is preferably a compound represented by Chemical Formula 1 or 2, and the dihydrodictyopyrone derivative is preferably a compound represented by Chemical Formula 3 or 4.

Abstract: A garment hanger includes a hook composed of a metal wire, and a hanger body to which the hook is detachably connected for holding clothes therearound, the hanger body being integrally formed of a resin, the hook including a hook portion, a bending portion through which the hook is connected to the hanger body, and a shaft portion connecting the hook portion and the bending portion to each other, the hanger body including a shaft guide formed therethrough with a path through which the shaft portion of the hook is inserted, and a hook-receiving unit to which the bending portion is engaged and in which the bending portion is housed when the bending portion is pulled up with the shaft portion being inserted into the path of the shaft guide, to thereby connect the hook to the hanger body.

Abstract: When a group III nitride crystal is grown in a pressurized atmosphere of a nitrogen-containing gas from a melt 50 including at least a group III element, nitrogen and an alkali metal or an alkali earth metal, a melt-holding vessel 160 that holds the above-described melt 50 is swung about two axes different in direction from each other such as an X-axis and a Y-axis.

Abstract: A water storage structure includes an impermeable layer including a plurality of hydrophobic particles, a water retentive layer provided on the impermeable layer and capable of holding a predetermined volume of liquid, and a pavement layer provided on the water retentive layer and including a tube penetrating from a first surface to a second surface.

Abstract: A method for producing a high-quality group-III element nitride crystal at a high crystal growth rate, and a group-III element nitride crystal are provided. The method includes the steps of placing a group-III element, an alkali metal, and a seed crystal of group-III element nitride in a crystal growth vessel, pressurizing and heating the crystal growth vessel in an atmosphere of nitrogen-containing gas, and causing the group-III element and nitrogen to react with each other in a melt of the group-III element, the alkali metal and the nitrogen so that a group-III element nitride crystal is grown using the seed crystal as a nucleus. A hydrocarbon having a boiling point higher than the melting point of the alkali metal is added before the pressurization and heating of the crystal growth vessel.

Abstract: A stage comprises a linear guide rail (2) for guiding a movable table (4), a driven bar (12), a linear drive actuator in contact with the driven bar (12) to transmit driving force to the driven bar (12), and parallel plate springs (30) for holding opposite ends of the driven bar (12). A drive transmitting surface of the linear drive actuator is provided so as to be separated from the movable table (4), and this prevents the accuracy of positioning from being reduced. Also, the parallel springs (30) reduce deforming forces applied to sections supporting the driven bar (12), and this prevents the driven bar from being damaged. The configuration makes the stage highly accurate and highly reliable.

Abstract: An optical module includes: an optical receiving module 101 provided with a plurality of leads 105 for transmitting an electrical signal at 15 Gbit/s or more; a printed circuit board 103 provided with a pad 106 that is connected with the plurality of leads 105 by solder; and a metal thin plate 102 that is provided between the printed circuit board 103 and the optical receiving module 101 when the optical receiving module 101 is mounted on the printed circuit board 103. The thickness of the metal thin plate 102 is defined in such a manner that a distance between the plurality of leads 105 and the pad 106 is in the range of 50 to 500 ?m after the optical receiving module. 101 is mounted on the printed circuit board 103.

Abstract: A method for producing a high-quality group-III element nitride crystal at a high crystal growth rate, and a group-III element nitride crystal are provided. The method includes the steps of placing a group-III element, an alkali metal, and a seed crystal of group-III element nitride in a crystal growth vessel, pressurizing and heating the crystal growth vessel in an atmosphere of nitrogen-containing gas, and causing the group-III element and nitrogen to react with each other in a melt of the group-III element, the alkali metal and the nitrogen so that a group-III element nitride crystal is grown using the seed crystal as a nucleus. A hydrocarbon having a boiling point higher than the melting point of the alkali metal is added before the pressurization and heating of the crystal growth vessel.

Abstract: An artificial soil structure includes a water shield layer provided on a soil layer and including water repellent sand processed by water repellent treatment, a water retentive layer provided on the water shield layer and including water retentive sand with no water repellent treatment, and a water repellent soil body provided partially in the water shield layer so as to penetrate the water shield layer and be in contact with the soil layer and the water retentive layer, the soil body including sand processed by water repellent treatment, wherein the water shield layer has water infiltration pressure higher than that of the water repellent soil body.

Abstract: Anisotropic rare earth-iron based resin bonded magnet comprises: [1] a continuous phase including: (1) a spherical Sm2Fe17N3 based magnetic material covered with epoxy oligomer where its average particle size is 1 to 10 ?m, its average aspect ratio ARave is 0.8 or more, and mechanical milling is not applied after Sm—Fe alloy is nitrided; (2) a linear polymer with active hydrogen group reacting to the oligomer; and (3) additive; and [2] a discontinuous phase being an Nd2Fe14B based magnetic material coated with the epoxy oligomer where its average particle size is 50 to 150 ?m, and its average aspect ratio ARave is 0.65 or more, further satisfying: [3] the air-gap ratio of a granular compound on the phases is 5% or less; and [4] a composition where crosslinking agent with 10 ?m or less is adhered on the granular compound is formed at 50 MPa or less.

Abstract: A method for producing a high-quality group-III element nitride crystal at a high crystal growth rate, and a group-III element nitride crystal are provided. The method includes the steps of placing a group-III element, an alkali metal, and a seed crystal of group-III element nitride in a crystal growth vessel, pressurizing and heating the crystal growth vessel in an atmosphere of nitrogen-containing gas, and causing the group-III element and nitrogen to react with each other in a melt of the group-III element, the alkali metal and the nitrogen so that a group-III element nitride crystal is grown using the seed crystal as a nucleus. A hydrocarbon having a boiling point higher than the melting point of the alkali metal is added before the pressurization and heating of the crystal growth vessel.

Abstract: There is provided a garment hanger having a function of preventing shoulder portions of a garment from losing their original shapes, capable of being vertically stacked and not bulky in packing to reduce transportation cost, and not requiring time and effort to assemble into a three-dimensional shape. A hanger includes a hook portion and a hanger main body having a pair of left and right shoulder support portions for supporting shoulder portions of a garment, wherein upper faces of the shoulder support portions are inclined from a front side toward a back side of the hanger main body, a front-back thickness of each of the shoulder support portions is greater than a basic thickness of the hanger main body, and overlap thicknesses between the front and back shoulder support portions when the plurality of hanger main bodies are stacked in a thickness direction are greater than or equal to a difference between the front-back thicknesses and the basic thickness.

Abstract: In an optical transmission module having a communication module which is freely movable in a case, when a tensile force is generated on an optical cable after connection of an optical transmission module, optical coupling surface and an optical axis center follow each other and thus stable optical transmission can be constantly performed.

Abstract: A search article estimation apparatus is provided that is capable of estimating an article that a user is trying to search for, even when the user cannot accurately provide information on the article that the user wants to search for. The state of access to a storage equipment by the user and a change in articles in the storage equipment during the access are checked by a sensing apparatus. If there is no change in articles, then a search state detection means determines that the user has performed an article search but has been unable to find the article. Furthermore, a search article estimation means refers to a storage location database and estimates an article that should originally be stored in the storage equipment, to be the article that the user is searching for.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus performs dither processing on image data to form an image subjected to pseudo-halftone processing. The image forming apparatus includes a dither processing unit that performs dither processing on image data, and a dither pattern generation unit that generates a dither matrix for use in the dither processing, in accordance with an output gradation level. The dither matrix has a size of M×N pixels, and has a plurality of halftone dots arranged in a predetermined pattern in accordance with the output gradation level in order to represent a gradation of each color. The plurality of halftone dots are arranged in the dither matrix such that the halftone dots corresponding to at least two colors are substantially identical in color area ratio to each other in the dither matrix irrespective of a relative position with respective to the colors.

Abstract: For adjusting a positional relationship between a specimen and a probe to measure an electric characteristic of the specimen through a contact therebetween, a base table holding a specimen table holding the specimen and a probe holder holding the probe is positioned at a first position to measure the positional relationship between the probe and the specimen at the first position, and subsequently positioned at a second position to measure the positional relationship therebetween at the second position so that the probe and the specimen are contact each other at the second position, the specimen table and the probe holder are movable with respect to each other on the base table at each of the first and second positions to adjust the positional relationship between the probe and the specimen, and a measuring accuracy at the second position is superior to a measuring accuracy at the first position.

Abstract: A stage comprises a linear guide rail (2) for guiding a movable table (4), a driven bar (12), a linear drive actuator in contact with the driven bar (12) to transmit driving force to the driven bar (12), and parallel plate springs (30) for holding opposite ends of the driven bar (12). A drive transmitting surface of the linear drive actuator is provided so as to be separated from the movable table (4), and this prevents the accuracy of positioning from being reduced. Also, the parallel springs (30) reduce deforming forces applied to sections supporting the driven bar (12), and this prevents the driven bar from being damaged. The configuration makes the stage highly accurate and highly reliable.

Abstract: A digital broadcast reproducer includes a reproduction unit for reproducing the content of a channel of digital broadcast by using plural tuners, and a controller for controlling the plural tuners and the reproduction unit. Upon detecting the initiation of a zapping operation, the controller controls the reproduction unit in such a manner that the reproduction unit reproduces the content of a desired channel selected by one of the plural tuners and simultaneously prepares for the reproduction of the content of the next desired channel selected by the other of the plural tuners while switching between the plural tuners at a predetermined time interval.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided with a control section which stores detection results of a toner sensor regarding detection patterns. When forming a plurality of detection patterns on an intermediate transfer belt, the control section determines circumference-directional lengths of the detection patterns formed this time, based on the detection results of the toner sensor regarding the detection patterns formed immediately before. Thereby, the waste toner amount and toner consumption are not only decreased but also the time taken to detect the density of a detection pattern is reduced, while maintaining the detecting accuracy thereof.

Abstract: There are provided a lens holder being capable of holding a lens and having flange portions at opposite end portions thereof along an optical axis, a planary-driven actuator including driving arm portions having lens holder support points for holding the outer surface of the lens holder at a plurality of opposing positions and having free-end side contact portions, a lens-holder retaining plate having spring-characteristic portions, and fixing frames which form the outer surfaces of a lens holder driving device and fix the respective components.