Abstract: An optical communication module and an optical communication device including the same are provided. For example, a first semiconductor chip on which a laser diode is formed and a second semiconductor chip on which a laser diode driver circuit, etc. for subjecting the laser diode to drive by current are formed are mounted on a package printed circuit board to be close to each other. Temperature detecting means is further formed on the second semiconductor chip (laser diode driver circuit, etc.). The temperature detecting means detects a temperature variation ?T of the first semiconductor chip (laser diode) transmitted via a wiring in the package printed circuit board and controls the magnitude of the driving current of the laser diode driver circuit based on a detection result.

Abstract: A filter 2 for collecting PMs, a microwave transmitter 30 for emitting electromagnetic waves whose frequency is dozens of GHz-a few of THz onto the filter 2, a microwave receiver 31 for detecting an intensity of the electromagnetic waves that have transmitted through the filter 2, and a computing means for computing a collection amount of PMs from the intensity that has been detected with the microwave receiver 31 are included. Since it is possible to detect the distribution of the collection amount of PMs with good accuracy, it is possible to carry out a recycling process in a state where the collection amount does not become too much, and thereby it is possible to make a reducing-agent supply amount into exhaust gases minimum at the time of the recycling process.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for improving cognitive performance that encompasses all of: sense; perception; recognition; judgment; and action or suppression; and is based on a higher brain function. The method for improving cognitive performance of the present invention includes administering astaxanthin and/or an ester thereof to an individual. The cognitive performance is, for example, at least one selected from the group consisting of judging ability, spatial attention-allocating ability, concentration on the recognition of surroundings, and agility as determined by speed and/or accuracy of a body reaction which requires a higher brain function.

Abstract: The method of the present invention for producing ?-chitin comprises a step of cultivating an alga capable of producing ?-chitin using a medium that contains nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), silicon (Si), and selenium (Se), wherein the weight ratio of phosphorus to nitrogen (P/N) is 0.1 or above, the weight ratio of silicon to nitrogen (Si/N) is 0.1 or above, and nitrogen (N) is contained at 160 ppm or more. It is preferable that selenium (Se) is present in the medium at a concentration of 0.08 ppm to 0.008 ppb.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for connecting an optical transmission/reception module and a circuit board in order to reduce electrical crosstalk effectively in single-fiber bidirectional optical transmission/reception equipment. The optical transmission/reception equipment includes an optical transmission/reception module which has at least one transmission subassembly with a built-in light-emitting device, one or a plurality of reception subassemblies each having a built-in light-receiving device, and a housing for fixing the transmission subassembly and the reception subassembly/subassemblies, and a circuit board on which an electronic device is mounted. At least one stem base part constituting a stem/stems of the reception subassembly/subassemblies and a stem base part constituting a stem of the transmission subassembly are directly connected to a ground pattern of the circuit board.

Abstract: A neurocyte protective agent that is capable of alleviating mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in neurocytes is provided. The neurocyte protective agent and the agent for protecting neurodegenerative diseases according to the present invention comprise astaxanthin and/or an ester thereof. In particular, the neurocyte protective agent of the present invention is effective in protecting against the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra and noradrenergic neurons of the locus ceruleus, and it is expected that ingestion of the neurocyte protective agent will serve as fundamental therapy for Parkinson's disease.

Abstract: The semiconductor optical device is mounted junction down on a mounting plate via the solder metal of the mounting plate. The electrode of the semiconductor optical device facing the mounting plate is partially coated with a dielectric film and the dielectric film is in contact with the solder metal on the mounting plate. The reaction between the semiconductor optical device and the solder metal of the mounting plate can be suppressed without deteriorating the thermal conductivity between the semiconductor optical device and the mounting plate. Therefore, it is possible to improve the reliability of the semiconductor optical device mounted in the junction down form since diffusion of the solder metal into the semiconductor can be prevented.

Abstract: A NOx occluding and reducing catalyst 20 is provided in an exhaust gas passage of an engine to occlude the NOx in the exhaust gas of a lean air-fuel ratio. The engine is provided with an injector for directly injecting the fuel into the combustion chamber, and the fuel fed by a fuel pump into a common rail with pressure is injected. The additive containing a sulfur-solidifying agent that forms a solid sulfate upon the reaction with sulfur in the fuel due to combustion, is injected into the common rail from a tank due to a pump, and is supplied into the combustion chamber through the injector together with the fuel. When the condition of the atmosphere of the NOx occluding and reducing catalyst is the one where the NOx in the exhaust gas is little absorbed, the ECU adjusts the discharge amount of the pump, and decreases the amount of the additive injected into the common rail or interrupts the injection. This decreases the consumption of the sulfur-solidifying agent.

Abstract: The present invention provides a highly reliable ridge-waveguide semiconductor laser diode and an optical module. The p-side electrode of the ridge-waveguide laser diode has a first conductor layer region and a second conductor layer region formed on the first conductor layer region. At least one of facets of the second conductor layer region is recessed inward from a reflection facet. Thus, the ridge-waveguide semiconductor laser diode has a structure in which strain which is caused by the electrode stress to be applied on the diode facet is reduced and the saturable absorption does not occur. The ridge-waveguide semiconductor laser diode thus obtained is highly reliable, and the optical module using the same is remarkably high in reliability.

Abstract: An optical transmission device suitable for a high-speed and large-capacity optical transmission system. An optoelectronic waveguiding device including an optical waveguide layer and cladding layers each having a larger band gap than that of the optical waveguide are deposited above and beneath the optical waveguide layer formed on a semiconductor substrate. The waveguide and cladding layers comprise optical waveguides each having a MQW structure in a direction of a light propagation axis of the optical waveguide layer. Among these optical waveguides, there exists first and second optical waveguides, whose layer structures may be mutually different. The optoelectronic waveguiding device maybe characterized in that an optical waveguide made of a bulk crystal exists in a connection part between the MQW structure waveguides each having a different layer structure. The specific connected optoelectronic waveguiding device elements may include semiconductor lasers, modulators and/or amplifiers.

Abstract: The present invention provides a highly reliable ridge-waveguide semiconductor laser diode and an optical module. The p-side electrode of the ridge-waveguide laser diode has a first conductor layer region and a second conductor layer region formed on the first conductor layer region. At least one of facets of the second conductor layer region is recessed inward from a reflection facet. Thus, the ridge-waveguide semiconductor laser diode has a structure in which strain which is caused by the electrode stress to be applied on the diode facet is reduced and the saturable absorption does not occur. The ridge-waveguide semiconductor laser diode thus obtained is highly reliable, and the optical module using the same is remarkably high in reliability.

Abstract: A server system has servers that can be operated through switching as a primary system and a standby system, and a shared disk unit for storing data accessed by the servers. Each of the servers has a driver that acquires information on a configuration inside the shared disk unit after starting of the system. The driver sets the shared disk unit in an active state in which an access request can be sent to the shared disk unit. Access control determines whether the access request issued by an application should be sent on the basis of a management table indicating inhibited types of access requests for each access destination. The access control sends the access request to the driver when the access request is not inhibited for an access destination of the access request. By this arrangement, hot standby switching processing can be performed at high speed.

Abstract: An optical transmission device suitable for a high-speed and large-capacity optical transmission system. An optoelectronic waveguiding device including an optical waveguide layer and cladding layers each having a larger band gap than that of the optical waveguide are deposited above and beneath the optical waveguide layer formed on a semiconductor substrate. The waveguide and cladding layers comprise optical waveguides each having a MQW structure in a direction of a light propagation axis of the optical waveguide layer. Among these optical waveguides, there exists first and second optical waveguides, whose layer structures may be mutually different. The optoelectronic waveguiding device maybe characterized in that an optical waveguide made of a bulk crystal exists in a connection part between the MQW structure waveguides each having a different layer structure. The specific connected optoelectronic waveguiding device elements may include semiconductor lasers, modulators and/or amplifiers.

Abstract: An optical modulator having a good reflection characteristic over a broad band is provided, with a small semiconductor chip area, by use of a semiconductor chip on which a semiconductor optical modulator is mounted. A typical example of the optical modulator has a structure in which a semiconductor chip provided with an electro-absorption semiconductor optical modulator comprising an electrode of traveling wave modulator is mounted on a dielectric substrate provided with a transmission line, and the characteristic impedance of at least a part of the transmission line is set to be greater than the output impedance of a modulator driver circuit and the impedance of an optical modulator portion. By this, a broad band optical modulator with excellent reflection characteristic can be provided by use of a semiconductor chip which is small in area.

Abstract: A module for optical communication intended for decreasing the consumption power of a modulator integrated laser, in which a, multiple-quantum well constituting a laser active layer region comprises InGaAlAs/InGaNAs to keep the reliability and optical power level even when a chip is kept at a high temperature, and the difference of wavelength between the oscillation wavelength and the band gap wavelength of the modulator and the laser should be made greater in proportion with the elevation of the chip setting temperature for maintaining the transmission performance, by which the temperature difference between the module case temperature and the chip setting temperature is reduced to decrease the module consumption power.

Abstract: In aiming at cost lowering of an optical module and an optical transmission apparatus and with the objective of providing a semiconductor light receiving element that has a good coherence with the other edge emitting/incidence type optical devices and is capable of performing the positioning easily and with a high accuracy, in the edge emitting/incidence type light receiving element in which the light absorbing layer 19 has been formed, the space region is formed so as to provide at least 100 &mgr;m2 of the marker detecting region 24, thereby facilitating detection of marker 23 on the optical device 26 and executing the positioning of the light receiving element with a high accuracy, the space region resulting from eliminating a part of the light absorbing layer 19 that absorbs the detection light of the light receiving element, the transmission amount of the detection light toward the marker detecting region that is parallel to a primary plane being equal to 30% or higher, the detection light having penetrat

Abstract: A NOx occluding and reducing catalyst 20 is provided in an exhaust gas passage of an engine to occlude the NOx in the exhaust gas of a lean air-fuel ratio. The engine is provided with an injector for directly injecting the fuel into the combustion chamber, and the fuel fed by a fuel pump into a common rail with pressure is injected. The additive containing a sulfur-solidifying agent that forms a solid sulfate upon the reaction with sulfur in the fuel due to combustion, is injected into the common rail from a tank due to a pump, and is supplied into the combustion chamber through the injector together with the fuel. When the condition of the atmosphere of the NOx occluding and reducing catalyst is the one where the NOx in the exhaust gas is little absorbed, the ECU adjusts the discharge amount of the pump, and decreases the amount of the additive injected into the common rail or interrupts the injection. This decreases the consumption of the sulfur-solidifying agent.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of solidifying sulfur component being the cause of “SOx poisoning” by use of a sulfur solidifier. The solidifier includes a metal element having a function of oxidizing the sulfur component and a basic metal element. And the solidifier solidifies sulfur component before exhaust gas flows into an NOx-occluding reduction-type exhaust purifying catalyst located on an exhaust path. Since the foregoing sulfur solidifier includes the above metal element and the basic metal element, it can effectively solidify the sulfur component which are the cause of the SOx poisoning, and ensure improvement in purification performance.

Abstract: An optical modulator having a good reflection characteristic over a broad band is provided, with a small semiconductor chip area, by use of a semiconductor chip on which a semiconductor optical modulator is mounted. A typical example of the optical modulator has a structure in which a semiconductor chip provided with an electro-absorption semiconductor optical modulator comprising an electrode of traveling wave modulator is mounted on a dielectric substrate provided with a transmission line, and the characteristic impedance of at least a part of the transmission line is set to be greater than the output impedance of a modulator driver circuit and the impedance of an optical modulator portion. By this, a broad band optical modulator with excellent reflection characteristic can be provided by use of a semiconductor chip which is small in area.

Abstract: The object of disclosing the novel art consists in providing a highly reliable mesa-structured avalanche photo-diode using a novel structure capable of keeping the dark current low, and a fabrication method thereof. The avalanche photo-diode for achieving the object has an absorption layer for absorbing light to generate a carrier, a multiplication layer for multiplying the generated carrier, and a field control layer inserted between the absorption layer and the multiplication layer. Moreover, a first mesa including at least part of the multiplication layer and part of the field control layer is formed over a substrate, a second mesa including another part of the field control layer and the absorption layer is formed over the first mesa, the area of the top surface of the first mesa is greater than that of the bottom surface of the second mesa, and a semiconductor layer is formed over the part of the first mesa top surface not covered by the second mesa and the side surface of the second mesa.