Abstract: The present disclosure provides examples of methods and kits for easily detecting, classifying and/or purifying extracellular vesicles. The method can include subjecting, to a density gradient centrifugation, a sample solution in which the extracellular vesicles and nanoparticles coated with ligand that specifically binds to molecule present on the surface of the extracellular vesicles are mixed.

Abstract: There is provided a sintered friction material for railway vehicles that has excellent frictional properties and wear resistance even in a high speed range of 280 km/hour or more. The sintered friction material for railway vehicles is a green compact sintered material containing, in mass %, Cu: 50.0 to 75.0%, graphite: 5.0 to 15.0%, one or more selected from the group consisting of magnesia, zircon sand, silica, zirconia, mullite, and silicon nitride: 1.5 to 15.0%, one or more selected from the group consisting of W and Mo: 3.0 to 30.0%, and one or more selected from the group consisting of ferrochromium, ferrotungsten, ferromolybdenum, and stainless steel: 2.0 to 20.0%, with the balance being impurities.

Abstract: A brake disc for a railway vehicle is provided in which noise arising from the brake disc during high-speed rotation of a wheel is reduced by a large margin. A brake disc for a railway vehicle includes: a disc plate portion that has a sliding portion on a front face thereof; a plurality of through-holes that pass from the front face to a rear face of the disc plate portion and are arranged in alignment in the circumferential direction of the disc plate portion, the through-holes allowing bolts to pass therethrough for fastening together the disc plate portion and a wheel of the railway vehicle; and a groove provided to link a plurality of through-holes on the front face side of the disc plate portion.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical layered body which stably keeps light resistance such as ultraviolet resistance and oxidation resistance while keeping conventional physical properties and optical properties as the outermost surface material of an image display device, which is excellent in an antistatic property and which is capable of providing high image contrast when employed for an image display device. The optical layered body has a light transmitting substrate and a resin layer formed on one surface of the light transmitting substrate and is characterized in that the resin layer contains a binder resin, a polythiophene, an auxiliary conductive agent, and a leveling agent.

Abstract: A disclosed brake lining includes first and second friction member blocks, fastening members, spring members disposed in the fastening members, and a base plate. Each of the first friction member blocks including friction members is elastically fastened to the base plate by two of the fastening members that pass through the spring member and a first back plate. The two of the fastening members are disposed along a circumference of a circle centered around an axle. Each of the second friction member blocks including friction members is elastically fastened to the base plate by three of the fastening members that pass through the spring member and a second back plate. Two of the fastening members lying on opposite ends of each of the second friction member blocks are disposed along a circumference of a circle around the axle.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to methods of preparing stable suspensions of precious metal nanoparticles and methods for attaching bio-molecules to the nanoparticles. The formation of nanoparticles can be accomplished by either chemical synthesis or pulsed laser ablation in a liquid. The present disclosure reveals the importance of controlling the conductivity of the dispersion medium during pulsed laser ablation in a liquid to control the particle size of the nanoparticles. The present disclosure also reveals the importance of adjusting and maintaining the conductivity in a range of 25 ?S/cm or less during storage of the nanoparticles and just prior to performing bioconjugation reactions. The control of conductivity is an important process for maintaining the nanoparticles as a stable non-aggregated colloidal suspension in a dispersion medium.

Abstract: A brake disc for a railway vehicle includes: a disc plate portion that has a sliding portion of a front face; a plurality of radial fins that are provided on the rear face of a disc plate portion, and that have a shape that extends in the radial direction of the disc plate portion; and a circumferential rib that is provided between each pair of adjacent radial fins, and that has a shape that extends in the circumferential direction of the disc plate portion. A flow path for air is formed between the pair of radial fins, and the flow path for air is narrowed by the circumferential rib. On the circumferential rib, a gradual slope for suppressing fluctuations in an airflow that passes between the pair of radial fins is provided from a base part to a top part.

Abstract: In the present invention, a method of producing stable bare colloidal gold nanoparticles is disclosed. The nanoparticles can subsequently be subjected to partial or full surface modification. The method comprises preparation of colloidal gold nanoparticles in a liquid by employing a top-down nanofabrication method using bulk gold as a source material. The surface modification of these nanoparticles is carried out by adding one or multiple types of ligands each containing functional groups which exhibit affinity for gold nanoparticle surfaces to produce the conjugates. Because of the high efficiency and excellent stability of the nanoparticles produced by this method, the fabricated gold nanoparticle conjugates can have surface coverage with functional ligands which can be tuned to be any percent value between 0 and 100%.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for enhancing the optical signal of precious metal nanoparticles by introducing linker molecules for precious metal nanoparticles to form clusters in a stable colloidal suspension. The formation of clusters according to the present disclosure not only enhances the optical signal, but also can alter the optical spectrum, providing an alternative color for use in visual-based bioassays such as lateral flow immunoassays against the white test paper strips. The formed clusters are capable of passive adsorption of a variety of biomolecules which effectively bind onto the surface, requiring a minimum modification in the bio-assay protocol from that use for standard gold nanoparticles, which is being widely-used in lateral flow immunoassays.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for making a colloidal suspension of precious metal nanoparticles. The method comprises providing a target material comprising a precious metal in a liquid dispersion medium in an ablation container. The dispersion medium has an electrical conductivity within a predetermined conductivity range. Laser pulses are used to generate the nanoparticles from the target in the container. While generating the nanoparticles the electrical conductivity of the dispersion medium is monitored and maintained within the predetermined range and thereby the generated nanoparticles are produced within a predetermined size range. The generated nanoparticles are used to form a colloidal suspension.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to an in-liquid laser-based method for fabricating a solution of fine particles of amorphous solid medicinal compounds, a solution of fine particles of amorphous medicinal agents made with the method, and fine particles made with the method. By using a target solidified via a phase transition process to covert an initial crystalline structure into an amorphous solid, technical difficulties with handling a hydraulically-pressed target are overcome. The laser-based ablation process produces amorphous solid medicinal compound fine particles, which improves the bioavailability and solubility of the medicinal compound. The improvement results from a combination of: disordered crystalline structure and enlarged relative surface area by particle size reduction. The laser based method may be carried out with ultrashort pulsed laser systems, or with UV nanosecond lasers.

Abstract: Provide is a stable metallic nanostructure that causes no aggregation when surface-modified with biomolecule-reactive functional molecules. 30 to 90% of the surface of the metallic nanostructure is covered with at least one or more types of colloid-stabilizing functional molecules. Furthermore, the metallic nanostructure is covered with one or more types of biologically functional molecules.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical layered body which stably keeps light resistance such as ultraviolet resistance and oxidation resistance while keeping conventional physical properties and optical properties as the outermost surface material of an image display device, which is excellent in an antistatic property and which is capable of providing high image contrast when employed for an image display device. The optical layered body has a light transmitting substrate and a resin layer formed on one surface of the light transmitting substrate and is characterized in that the resin layer contains a binder resin, a polythiophene, an auxiliary conductive agent, and a leveling agent.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical layered body which stably keeps light resistance such as ultraviolet resistance and oxidation resistance while keeping conventional physical properties and optical properties as the outermost surface material of an image display device, which is excellent in an antistatic property and which is capable of providing high image contrast when employed for an image display device. The optical layered body has a light transmitting substrate and a resin layer formed on one surface of the light transmitting substrate and is characterized in that the resin layer contains a binder resin, a polythiophene, an auxiliary conductive agent, and a leveling agent.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a stable metallic nanostructure that causes no aggregation when surface-modified with biomolecule-reactive functional molecules. 30 to 90% of the surface of a metallic nanostructure is covered with at least one or more types of colloid-stabilizing functional molecules. The remaining portions on the surface of the metallic nanostructure are further covered with one or more types of biologically functional molecules.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for making a colloidal suspension of precious metal nanoparticles. The method comprises providing a target material comprising a precious metal in a liquid dispersion medium in an ablation container. The dispersion medium has an electrical conductivity within a predetermined conductivity range. Laser pulses are used to generate the nanoparticles from the target in the container. While generating the nanoparticles the electrical conductivity of the dispersion medium is monitored and maintained within the predetermined range and thereby the generated nanoparticles are produced within a predetermined size range. The generated nanoparticles are used to form a colloidal suspension.

Abstract: A method of pulsed laser processing of solid surface for enhancing surface hydrophobicity is disclosed wherein the solid surface is covered with a transparent medium during laser processing and the laser beam incidents through the covering medium and irradiates the solid surface. Two effects are obtained simultaneously. One is the laser-induced texture formation directly under the laser irradiation. The other is the deposition of the laser-removed materials along the laser scan lines. Both effects introduce surface roughness on nanometer scales, and both enhance surface hydrophobicity, rendering superhydrophobicity on the surfaces of both the laser-irradiated solid and the covering medium. Because the beam scan line spacing can be larger than a single scan line width by multiple times, this method provides a high processing speed of square inch per minute and enables large area processing.

Abstract: An device for Raman spectroscopy such as surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is disclosed herein. Various embodiments may be utilized to prepare a SERS substrate using several deposition techniques such as pulsed laser deposition. Some embodiments optimize coverage, volume, or elements of SERS active metals. The method is a single step inexpensive method for preparing a SERS active substrate. In some embodiments a coating layer underneath the SERS active metals is utilized for additional enhancements.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to methods of preparing stable suspensions of precious metal nanoparticles and methods for attaching bio-molecules to the nanoparticles. The formation of nanoparticles can be accomplished by either chemical synthesis or pulsed laser ablation in a liquid. The present disclosure reveals the importance of controlling the conductivity of the dispersion medium during pulsed laser ablation in a liquid to control the particle size of the nanoparticles. The present disclosure also reveals the importance of adjusting and maintaining the conductivity in a range of 25 ?S/cm or less during storage of the nanoparticles and just prior to performing bioconjugation reactions. The control of conductivity is an important process for maintaining the nanoparticles as a stable non-aggregated colloidal suspension in a dispersion medium.

Abstract: In the present invention, a method of producing stable bare colloidal gold nanoparticles is disclosed. The nanoparticles can subsequently be subjected to partial or full surface modification. The method comprises preparation of colloidal gold nanoparticles in a liquid by employing a top-down nanofabrication method using bulk gold as a source material. The surface modification of these nanoparticles is carried out by adding one or multiple types of ligands each containing functional groups which exhibit affinity for gold nanoparticle surfaces to produce the conjugates. Because of the high efficiency and excellent stability of the nanoparticles produced by this method, the fabricated gold nanoparticle conjugates can have surface coverage with functional ligands which can be tuned to be any percent value between 0 and 100%.