Tohoku Techno Arch Co., Ltd. List of Products and Services

In recent years, there has been a demand for mass culture of cells in fields such as pharmaceutical manufacturing. In order to grow cells stably in culture, lactic acid (a cellular waste product that adversely affects cells) that accumulates in the culture medium must be removed. Until now, lactic acid was removed from the culture medium using the principle of dialysis. However, in order to remove lactic acid sufficiently, the volume of the component preparation liquid tank was set to be more than 10 times the volume of the cell culture tank, so there was a problem that the required volume of liquid was enormous and costly.　 The present invention has made it possible to provide a new lactic acid removal technology that reduces the negative effects of lactic acid and lactic acid removal treatment on the growth of cells and microorganisms while increasing the lactic acid removal efficiency. An embodiment of the present invention is a lactic acid adsorbent, characterized in that it comprises a layered double hydroxide having anions and water molecules retained between layers of a plurality of metal hydroxide layers. When the present invention comes into contact with a solution containing lactic acid, lactic acid in the solution is adsorbed. Thus, the removal efficiency of lactic acid can be enhanced.

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Although the knocking phenomenon is a hindrance to the improvement of the thermal efficiency of the engine, the detailed mechanism of the occurrence of knocking has been difficult to fully understand due to the complex interaction of hydrodynamics and chemical reactions. 　The inventors performed DNS (Direct Numerical Simulation) to calculate the basic equations of a reactive fluid, and confirmed the agreement with experimental data of knocking for the first time in the world [1]. Further, by analyzing the mechanism of the occurrence of knocking in detail, it was found that there was a "critical condition" in which a flame, which is a combustion chemical reaction wave, could not exist as a flame and had to transition to severe overall ignition under extreme conditions. From this, an equivalent theory of ignition and flame was constructed, and the conditions for the occurrence of knocking were successfully derived [2]. 　The present invention makes it possible to predict the occurrence of knocking accurately and relatively simply, which has been impossible until now.

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By analyzing the status of the biological clock of living cells, it is expected to be useful for one's own physical condition, disease diagnosis and prevention. Conventional methods for collecting cells include skin biopsy, liposuction, hair collection, and oral mucosa collection with a cotton swab, but all of these methods are highly invasive. The present invention relates to a device capable of collecting cells from the mucosa minimally invasively using ultrasound.　 　To repeatedly collect cells from the mucosal tissue, a minimally invasive cell collection device was fabricated using a Langevin type vibrator, a metal rod, and a jig with a flow path. In a cell collection experiment from porcine esophageal mucosal tissue, approximately 3,000 cells were collected per minute.

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　Oxygen flowmeters are widely used in medical settings, including respiratory therapy, and in life-support devices such as heart-lung machines for serious cases. Currently, medical professionals monitor the flow rate every few hours. When it is used for a heart-lung machine for a child, it is necessary to adjust the flow rate in small amounts every few weeks, and if the flow rate stops, the result will be fatal every minute.　 　The monitoring device developed in this study can monitor the flow rate change from the outside by visual display, auditory display or both display without touching the inside of the flowmeter. [Practicality]　 ・Notice that the cylinder is empty 　The device constantly monitors that the floater is within lower to upper limit of the flow rate, and instantly notifies you when the cylinder is empty as well as when the flow rate changes. 　・Malfunction prevention 　By setting two pairs of light-emitting part and light receiving sensors up and down, it can be seen which sensor caught the floater first, so it can be seen whether the floater came from above or below. If it is judged that the floater deviated from the monitoring measurement range, an alarm is activated.

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　The refinement of internal therapeutic devices, including the diminution and canalization of catheters, is crucial in mitigating patient discomfort. Further alleviation is achievable by amalgamating multiple functions into a single device, which enables one-time internal insertion, thus streamlining the process. Notably, there has been significant progress in engineering multifunctional catheters capable of directing optical fibers and an array of sensors to the target site via actuators with precise tip control. However, the typical diameter of these advanced catheters ranges between 2 to 6 mm, which unfortunately still imposes a considerable burden on patients. 　This innovation introduces a multifunctional fiber with a sub-millimeter diameter, less than 1 mm, designed to minimize patient discomfort significantly. This slender, multifunctional fiber boasts the capability for active actuation and encompasses diverse functionalities, including an assortment of sensors—like electrochemical and temperature sensors—as well as the ability to emit light via an optical fiber and dispense substances through a hollow channel. Remarkably, the production method of this fiber is notably straightforward. 　The accompanying illustration on the right delineates the utility of this novel fiber in the detection of dopamine, demonstrating that the fiber can successfully detect dopamine concentrations as low as 10 nM, substantiating its efficacy and potential in medical applications.

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Spectroscopic imaging has been applied to analyze and identify substances, but conventional spectroscopic imaging system has problems such as miniaturization of system and high resolution analysis.　 The invention relates to a spectroscopic imaging system combining a highly sensitive image sensor and a high-speed tunable bandpass filter, and has the following features. ・Non-destructive, non-contact, rapid spectroscopic imaging are possible. ・To provide a compact, portable, low-cost spectroscopic imaging system. ・It is possible to obtain a high-resolution spectroscopic video image. ・The transmission wavelength can be controlled by applying a voltage to the liquid crystal. The invention can be applied to component analysis of food production and processing, contamination inspection, growth and yield investigation in agriculture, component analysis in the medical field, etc.

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Intelligent Reflecting Surface (IRS) is known as a means to improve wireless communication networks. IRS is a device with integrated metamaterial elements. By controlling the metamaterial elements, electromagnetic waves incident on the device can be reflected in any direction. As a result, it is possible to provide an effective communication environment even in places where radio waves are difficult to reach, such as behind a shield, and to expand the area where ultra-high-speed communication can be used.　 　However, if each carrier deploys its own IRS, problems such as landscape destruction due to an increase in communication facilities and wiring, an increase in resource and energy consumption, and redundancy of systems are expected. Therefore, there has been a need to establish a method for sharing the IRS among carriers. 　The present invention relates to a method for sharing the IRS among multiple carriers using a machine learning algorithm.

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Metal-air batteries composed of a metal electrode (negative electrode), an electrolyte, and an air electrode(positive electrode) have the advantage of being lighter than other batteries and have been used practically as power sources for hearing aids. On the other hand, the degradation of the metal electrode caused by contact with the electrolyte and the low voltage compared with other batteries have been pointed out as problems.The present invention relates to a new form of metal-air battery which solves the above problems. The present battery is a "foldable metal-air battery" in which a plurality of metal electrodes, electrolytes, and air electrodes are arranged on a sheet, and a plurality of laminates of metal electrodes/electrolytes/air lectrodes are formed by folding the sheet. Since the sheet is folded to function as a battery, the electrolyte and metal electrodes do not come into contact with each other when not in use, and deterioration can be prevented. The figure on the right shows the measured voltage when the number of cells in the laminate is increased. By stacking multiple cells as in origami, the problem of low voltage of metal-air batteries can also be solved. Since this battery solves the conventional problem and has a new foldable type, it is expected to be put into practical use in the following applications.

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In order to improve the fuel efficiency of aircraft and automobiles, it is effective to reduce the air drag, especially the friction drag, on the surface of airframes and bodies. Riblet is known as a conventional technique for reducing friction drag, but when the direction of stream line deviates from the riblet direction by more than a predetermined angle, the friction drag increases. On the other hand, there are few research examples of sandy rough surfaces (i.e. distributed micro roughness (DMR)) for reducing friction drag.　 In addition, there are many simulations focusing on turbulent flow (with high friction drag) over a rough surface, but there are few simulations focusing on the transition from laminar flow to turbulent flow. The present invention focused on the transition from laminar flow to turbulent flow, and it was clarified that the DMR can delay the transition by suppressing turbulence energy growth and reduce friction drag. Therefore, it is expected that the DMR of the present invention can be applied to the surface of transportation, thereby reducing friction drag and improving fuel consumption. The device may propose a new standard for product surface finishes.

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Optical circuits (e.g., Mach-Zehnder interferometers) based on optical interferometers important as hardware for next-generation information processing technologies using optical technology, such as optical quantum computers, optical AI accelerators, and spatial multiplexing transmission communications. Large-scale optical circuits are required for large-scale information processing, and the circuit size is limited by the area of optical tables and wafers.　 　By using the optical interferometer of the present invention, the area limitation can be alleviated and the scale of optical circuits can be further expanded.

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　Pulmonary fistula is a frequent complication after pneumonectomy, and the classic water seal test is still the main method of identification and evaluation. However, in the conventional method, it is necessary to remove the fistula by filling it with saline many times for evaluation of the repair, and the saline decreases the adhesion during the repair using the sheet. In recent years, another method has been reported to identify the aerosol of indocyanine green by inhaling it and using a near-infrared camera. However, since the work is complicated and the safety is unknown, a simpler method is required.　　 　Dr. Yui Watanabe of the Department of Respiratory Surgery, Institute of Aging Medicine, Tohoku University, found that monitoring the local oxygen concentration in the thoracic cavity can easily and accurately evaluate a pulmonary fistula in a short time. The present invention relates to a pulmonary fistula evaluation system and a medical device equipped with the system. If the development and implementation of the air leak detection device according to the present invention is realized, the identification and evaluation of a pulmonary fistula can be performed more easily than the conventional method.

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As represented by the microphone, the industrial application of the equipment using the sound wave for the information acquisition of the surrounding environment is carried out. In recent years, various sensing technologies have been studied for the purpose of realizing the autonomous driving in the transportation field (automobile, etc.). Among them, the technology that utilizes sound wave measurement as a sensing device is attracting attention. Traditionally, lasers and cameras have been considered as detection means, but the loss of detection sensitivity during stormy weather such as rain is a major obstacle to the realization of autonomous driving, and technological innovation has been desired. 　The present invention enables the realization of a detection device that is resistant to disturbances in the surrounding environment. In reviewing the process of converting sound waves into electrical signals, the inventors devised a new signal conversion method and successfully demonstrated a new device.

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　In recent years, for viral infectious diseases that cause significant damage to society, wastewater-based epidemiological methods that use epidemiological information contained in municipal wastewater to detect the occurrence of infectious disease patients and infectious epidemics at an early stage have attracted attention. Currently, wastewater-based epidemiological studies on infectious diseases are mainly performed by detecting viral genes using PCR. However, some problems remain, such as the time required to detect and quantify viral genes from collected wastewater samples, the necessity of sample concentration due to the low virus concentration, and the high cost and labor for analysis.　　 　In this study, we aimed to construct a sensor that can detect infectious disease-related biomarkers in wastewater quickly and simply. Biomarkers are emitted from patients with infectious diseases at higher concentrations than the virus itself. In this study, we used antiviral human immunoglobulin (Ig) A as a test substance. We attempted to construct a measurement system in which IgA in a sample is captured by antigen-antibody reaction with proteins immobilized on the electrode surface, and changes in the electrode surface state associated with the reaction are detected by electrochemical measurement.

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In today's clinical medicine, blood sampling is frequently used to diagnose and treat diseases, and the problem of shortage of medical workers has been pointed out. In addition, it is difficult for clinicians to find blood vessels with the naked eye in some patients, and there is a risk of failure in the procedure, as well as serious problems such as needlestick injuries and infections caused by blood contact. To solve these problems, automated robotic blood sampling may be effective.　 　Various types of blood sampling robots have been studied, but many automated puncturing robots use ultrasonic diagnostic imaging equipment. In order to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, it is ideal to estimate the position of blood vessels and achieve automated puncturing without contact with patients. 　The present invention relates to a method for identifying the position of three-dimensional blood vessels using two infrared cameras without complete contact. By considering the difference in refraction depending on the viewing direction of the cameras, it became possible to identify the position of blood vessels with high accuracy.

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The relationship between motor function and dementia has been pointed out, and walking speed has been investigated as one of the indicators. In addition, gait parameters that are considered to be effective for the diagnosis and evaluation of gait disorders are collected in gait measurement performed in medical settings, and by analyzing these parameters, it is possible to effectively diagnose gait disorders and determine the effects of treatment.　 　Conventional gait evaluation methods include measurement methods using stopwatches, pedometers, video cameras, etc., but it has been difficult to evaluate the characteristics of each step without being restricted by the location and walking distance. Another conventional method is to evaluate gait characteristics by integrating toe acceleration using inertial sensors. However, this method has a problem that it can only be applied to forward walking. 　The present invention relates to a method for generating three-dimensional foot-toe trajectories for each step using a small and lightweight sensor that can be attached to a subject's foot. From the three-dimensional trajectories, three-dimensional gait characteristics such as step number, step length, cadence, walking speed, distance between the foot-toe and the walking surface, and swinging angle of the foot-toe can be evaluated.

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　Helium is difficult to obtain and expensive, so cooling systems that use helium are expected to be difficult to continue using. 　 The invention enables rapid cooling without helium by continuously spraying a two-phase flow of cryogenic gaseous N2 and solid N2 (SN2 ). Specifically, it is characterized by continuously generating slush N2 by spraying at transonic speed using a Laval nozzle. 　In an example of cell freezing, a 23% improvement in cell survival rate during thawing was achieved compared to liquid nitrogen immersion. This invention has the potential for application in various cooling systems beyond this specific example. Additionally, its application for resist removal in semiconductor cleaning without harmful chemicals is also under consideration.

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Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) are highly crystalline nanofibers obtained from wood pulp. CNFs are environmentally compatible new materials with excellent mechanical properties such as light weight, high strength, and low thermal expansion. Because of these outstanding mechanical characteristics, CNFs are expected to be applied to automotive components, electronic devices, gas barrier materials, and medical materials. On the other hand, chemical fibers made of cellulose, known as rayon, are also used in clothing and tire materials as regenerated fibers made from wood pulp and cotton cellulose. Regenerated fibers using CNF as a raw material have been researched and developed, however the mechanical properties of the fabricated single cellulose filaments have not been sufficient. By developing an innovated CNF orientation control method using flow and electric fields, we have successfully fabricated high-strength cellulose single filament.

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In the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been raging since 2020, the health care crisis and economic stagnation have become major problems. We must solve these challenges and prepare for other pandemics by emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases in the future. 　 　Although neutralizing antibodies are protective against viral challenge, the adaptive T cell immune response is a major determinant of the clinical outcome after viral infection. 　In this study, the inventor aims the establishment of the technique that predicts disease severity by means of specific or cross-reactive mobilization of T cell immunity to four subtypes of human common cold coronavirus (HCoVs-229E, -OC43, -NL63, and -HKU1) and SARS-CoV-2 from convalescent COVID-19 patients and SARS-CoV-2–unexposed donors. Using ELISPOT technology, this study succeeded in developing a prediction equation for severe disease, thus establishing a prediction method (see figure). 　In addition, the data accumulated and the knowledge obtained in this study are very useful for the countermeasures against emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases of concern in the future. We believe this novel technique is able to release many people from excess behavioral restrictions or a deterioration in the economy.

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Conventional immune checkpoint (CP) inhibitors (e.g. PD-1 and CTLA-4 inhibitors) have revolutionized cancer immunotherapy, but are ineffective in approximately 40-80% of patients and have side effects such as autoimmune inflammation. The myeloid CP molecule LILRB4 (B4) has the unique property of being involved in immune evasion of cancer while also being involved in the exacerbation of autoimmune diseases, and is expected to be a new drug target, but its ligand was unknown. The present invention identifies fibronectin (FN) as the only physiological ligand for B4 and finds that immune control is possible by inhibiting the binding of B4 to FN, and relates to a novel CP inhibitor based on this finding. Following patterns can be considered for immunoregulation by blocking the binding between B4 and its ligand FN : (1) FN analog (competitively binds to B4-FN) (2) Anti-B4 antibody (acts on B4 and inhibits B4-FN binding) *Company X has Phase 1b data for its in-house anti-B4 antibody in cancer immunotherapy. Data disclosure may be possible through negotiation (terms to be determined). (3) Anti-FN antibody (acts on FN and inhibits B4-FN binding) Further, B4 as a biomarker for lung cancer patients’ prognosis prediction was verified by our original B4 monoclonal antibody that inhibits B4-FN binding (data not shown).​

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The deep ultraviolet light emitting device (DUV-LED) is fabricated from AlGaN-based nitride semiconductor. As the substrate material of the AlGaN-based DUV-LED, high lattice consistency with AlGaN, wider band gap than AlGaN, and high thermal conductivity are required, and aluminum nitride (AlN) which satisfies these conditions is noticed.　 　Since AlN shows high dissociation pressure at high temperature, it is difficult to grow AlN crystal by crystal growth technique from melt such as CZ method. Therefore, single crystal growth using sublimation method is mainly carried out. However, the sublimation method requires extremely high temperature to sublimate AlN, which makes it difficult to increase the size of crystal, reduce impurities such as carbon, and reduce the cost. 　The present invention has made it possible to grow high-quality AlN single crystal at a higher growth rate than the conventional liquid phase growth technique by the liquid phase growth method using Fe-based flux.

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　Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a disorder that affects young and old people and significantly reduces their quality of life. It has been thought to be caused by a decrease in estrogen, but estrogen replacement therapy has not been sufficiently effective, and there is currently no effective oral treatment that is the first choice, so the development of new therapeutic agents is expected. Because of the poor prognosis of SUI in patients with high serum luteinizing hormone (LH) levels before radical prostatectomy, the inventors considered LH to play an important role in urinary function.　 　To test this hypothesis, they found that the gonadotropin-releasing hormone GnRH antagonists degarellirex or cetrorellix suppressed LH and improved urethral pressure in model rats that reproduced the menopausal state by removing the bilateral ovaries and had elevated LH. The results showed that there is a relationship between SUI and elevated LH, and that GnRH antagonists that suppress LH may be novel therapeutic agents.　

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　Periodontitis, which causes resorption of alveolar bone, affects most adults and causes tooth loss as it progresses. In recent years, dental Cone Beam CT has become popular, enabling three-dimensional confirmation of the morphology of alveolar bone. However, in most cases, only visual qualitative morphological evaluation was performed, and there was no method to detect minute morphological changes over time or to quantitatively analyze the amount of changes. The present invention makes it possible to visualize and quantify changes in the surrounding bone morphology by performing precise alignment using morphological information of only the root portion of any tooth.　 　FIG. A shows alveolar bone CT images of the same patient taken at different times, but it is difficult to confirm at a glance the exact area where bone was absorbed (yellow arrow) and the amount of bone resorption over a period of two years. By performing a semi-automatic analysis of about 10 seconds using the program of this invention, it is possible to display the resorbed bone in red (FIG. B) and calculate the amount of bone resorption by volume. As shown in FIG. C, it is also possible to color the root surface of the tooth to discriminate the areas where bone is still covered (green) and where bone is lost due to resorption (red).

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　Helium is difficult to obtain and expensive, so cooling systems that use helium are expected to be difficult to continue using. 　 The invention enables rapid cooling without helium by continuously spraying a two-phase flow of cryogenic gaseous N2 and solid N2 (SN2 ). Specifically, it is characterized by continuously generating slush N2 by spraying at transonic speed using a Laval nozzle. 　In an example of cell freezing, a 23% improvement in cell survival rate during thawing was achieved compared to liquid nitrogen immersion. This invention has the potential for application in various cooling systems beyond this specific example. Additionally, its application for resist removal in semiconductor cleaning without harmful chemicals is also under consideration.

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Helium is difficult to obtain and expensive, so cooling systems that use helium are expected to be difficult to continue using. 　 The invention enables rapid cooling without helium by continuously spraying a two-phase flow of cryogenic gaseous N2 and solid N2 (SN2 ). Specifically, it is characterized by continuously generating slush N2 by spraying at transonic speed using a Laval nozzle. 　In an example of cell freezing, a 23% improvement in cell survival rate during thawing was achieved compared to liquid nitrogen immersion. This invention has the potential for application in various cooling systems beyond this specific example. Additionally, its application for resist removal in semiconductor cleaning without harmful chemicals is also under consideration.

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Oxide dispersion strengthened alloy is an alloy where the hard oxide particles are dispersed inside the crystal grains of the metal matrix. By having more oxide particles inside the crystal grains of the matrix phase with uniform dispersion, it is difficult for the oxide particles to agglomerate or coarse even when exposed to a high-temperature environment for a long period of time, which makes difficult for the material to deteriorate its strength property. 　In the casting method, metallic liquid and oxide solids having different density are difficult to mix homogeneously, and oxide particles are pushed by the solid-liquid interface of solidification and agglomerate in the final solidified part, which prevents them from being uniformly dispersed in the matrix. In addition, the laser and electron beam additive manufacturing methods involve the powder particles melting process which causes the agglomeration of fine oxide particles and makes it difficult to disperse them uniformly inside the matrix. 　This invention solves the above problem and provides a technology that can fabricate oxide dispersion strengthened alloys with fine oxide particles uniformly dispersed inside the crystal grains of the matrix phase when using the additive manufacturing method.

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Effect At room temperature, a superb computing ability is fulfilled by using MTJ, comparable with quantum annealing. Background Quantum annealing has been intensively investigated recent years. However, it requires a superconductivity condition (at extreme low temperature), and complicate system like quantum bit connection. Meanwhile, magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), a solid-state component gives probability output in MRAM, has been noticed among those research. This invention applies MTJ’s property and successfully provides a probability information processing computer system, which is comparable with quantum annealing’s computing ability but much simpler to use.

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In recent years, with the rapid development of high-performance IT products and electric vehicle batteries, the demand for small capacitors with high capacity having high function such as memory is increasing. Solid, non-toxic and inexpensive materials are required for such capacitors. However, solid-state electric double layer capacitors are not yet in use. In addition, amorphous titania and amorphous fluorine polymers with nano sized irregularities on their surfaces have been developed to create quantum size effect-based energy storage materials. However, amorphous titania-based energy storage materials have low electricity storage capacity. 　This invention is able to provide ultracapacitor materials and ultracapacitors capable to store a larger quantity of electricity using amorphous titania. This invention includes Ti and a valve metal and has a plurality of irregularities on its surface comprising an amorphous ultracapacitor material composed mainly of TiO6.

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Biomaterials such as artificial joints are made of Ti (titanium), which can adhere directly to the bone. It is known that biomaterials can be coated with ACP film (amorphous calcium phosphate) to improve osteogenic potential. However, ACP film dissolves in vivo in a short period of time, so the improvement is required to retain for a long time. One idea is to add Ta (tantalum) to prevent dissolution but this method does not have antibacterial properties. It is possible to add Ag (silver) to the ACP film to give antibacterial properties, but the dissolution is not possible to control. 　This invention is about a biomaterial and its manufacturing method that can prevent the ACP film dissolution of the surface while having excellent antibacterial properties. The biomaterial is characterized by an ACP film with Ag and Ta dopped on the substrate surface. The coating film is formed by RF magnetron sputtering method. The addition of Ta suppresses the ACP film dissolution while having an excellent antibacterial properties due to the Ag addition. This invention has made possible to sustain an excellent antimicrobial properties over a long period of time.

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The gas permeability in the blast furnace deteriorates due to excessive coke degradation during the low coke rate operation in order to reduce CO2 emission. The coke strength after reaction (CSR) is a parameter to evaluate coke quality and is used as an indicator of permeability in blast furnace operation. 　However, CSR is an index that averages the high-temperature deformation behavior of each cokes, and can’t estimate the complex deformation behavior of individual coke particles. Existing method for flow phenomena visualization and clogging prediction using kinetic model is computationally demanding and limited in the ability to analyze stochastic deformation behavior in a scaling manner. 　This invention applied deep learning using Deep Neural Network (DNN), which is a typical AI method, to the coke 3D deformation process. Machine learning was performed to estimate of the deformation process using DNN. As shown in fig.1, the loss function (deviation from the “estimated value”) decreased with the number of learning sessions, and the recognition accuracy shows over 97%. This indicates that DNN can classify the deformation of every CSR accurately and reduce the computational load for coke deformation prediction remarkably. Therefore, machine learning can easily recognize the coke 3D shape deformation which is difficult to recognize intuitively.

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　Currently, further improvement of memory storage density is required with the information society development. The magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM), which can record information nonvolatilely for a long time, is expected to replace semiconductor memory as the next-generation memory. However, the performance is lower than semiconductor memory in term of power consumption, operating speed and signal delay, and has a low compatibility with optical information technology. 　This invention is able to provide an optical spin device that can store information non-volatilely and operate at high speed with low power consumption, and to provide an information storage device using this device. This invention has a magnetic material layer and a spin defect layer. It can store magnetic information non-volatilely and can operate at high speed with low power consumption. In addition, the information storage device equipped with this optical spin device is able to write and read information at high speed and high sensitivity, and is highly compatible with optical information technology, which is expected to develop rapidly in the future.

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TMR sensor is known to be a high sensitivity magnetic sensor which uses the tunnel magnetoresistance effect (TMR) in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). The TMR sensor performance can be controlled by controlling the magnetic anisotropy (HK) of the free layer. Therefore, it is expected to be applied to the bio-magnetic measurement device that detects the weak magnetic field of a living body at room temperature, the battery level detector for electric vehicle, non-destructive inspection to detect the rupture or deterioration of reinforcing steel bar in concrete structure, etc.　　 　NiFe alloy, CoFeB alloy and CoFeSiB alloys have been conventionally developed as free layer of MTJ devices for TMR sensor, but higher sensitivity and lower cost are required. 　This invention focused on FeSiAl alloy (Sendust) to produce the Sendust thin film of nanometer order thickness which was not able to fabricate. Therefore, this alloy is applied to the free layer to fabricate the MTJ devices that achieve the same level of sensor sensitivity as NiFe alloy, etc. It has been also revealed that the soft magnetic property is excellent over a wider range of composition compared with conventional Sendust.

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　Optical fiber has been put into practical use by using the parallelism and multiplexing characteristics of the light as a wave. However, the corresponding photoelectric conversion equipment is required with the increase of the information to be transmitted, resulting in larger device and higher electric power consumption. On the other hand, unlike light, electron cannot incorporate parallelism and multiplexing characteristics, so in principle, electronic device such as semiconductor integrated circuit can not transmit multiple pieces of information simultaneously.　 　This invention can perform multiplex transmission of information with solid-state electronic device, which has been performed with optical fiber so far, by focusing on "electron spin wave" having wave characteristic, that is to say using its wavelength as information and superimposing electron spin wave on each other. This eliminates the need for sequential calculation when processing multiplex information, and it is expected to replace existing photoelectric conversion device by its miniaturization and electric power consumption reduction, potentially contributing to the vast increase in information processing in the future. Also, the device that collectively transmits, processes and records multi-state information using multiplex electron spin wave could be realized.

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There are various schemes to electrically control magnetic materials. Several functional elements such as random number generation, oscillator, wave detection and memory based on the previously discovered phenomena have been proposed so far. However, elements that use ferromagnetic material is sensitive to magnetic field noise caused by external magnetic field, needs magnetic field control by an external mechanism to control oscillator and wave detector frequency, and requires miniaturization.　 　This technology solves the above issues based on the new phenomenon, so called continuous rotation of chiral spin structure in non-collinear antiferromagnetic materials, and provides ultra compact, low power consumption and highly stable elements.

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Recycled smelting using steel scrap can significantly reduce carbon usage and CO2 emission compared to current method, and it is an effective mean to reduce the actual increasing amount of steel scrap.　 　However, the contamination of tramp elements, such as Cu/Ni/Sn, which are difficult to remove by oxidation and evaporation, causes the property and workability deterioration of steel material. In addition, since tramp elements are concentrated each time the steel scrap is recycled, they become the cause of the inability to increase recycling rate. The conventional method of copper removal using sulfide flux has been considered, but this is a batch process using a large amount of sulfide. 　This invention is about a technology to promote ion separation of Cu in molten iron into molten slag using electrochemical method, which enables in principle continuous processing. Moreover, not only purification of molten iron but also recycling of recovered electrodeposited copper can be considered.

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Conventionally, for porous metals (Nano-microporous metals) having micropores of nano or micrometer size, a dealloying (deconditioning) method has been used to obtain porous bodies by corrosion-removing only noble metals from alloys of noble and noble metals in aqueous solution. However, there is a problem that the target metals are limited in that it is possible to fabricate nano-microporous metals only in noble metals and their alloys with respect to the standard hydrogen electrode potential.　　 　The present invention can easily fabricate nano-microporous bodies in vulgar metals and their alloys that could not be fabricated in principle by conventional methods. As one specific example, the nano-porous bodies were successfully fabricated in pure metals such as titanium, niobium, and molybdenum, alloys such as beta titanium and stainless steel (austenitic and ferritic), and carbon.

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　The superconducting quantum bit is composed of a single or multiple superconducting tunnel junctions (Josephson junctions). Research and development of typical charge type and magnetic flux type qubits are active. The current mainstream of high integration is Transmon, a modified version of the charge type, which has advantage of long coherence time, but has disadvantage of small anharmonicity, which can cause error. On the other hand, the magnetic flux type has advantage of large anharmonicity, but has disadvantage of short coherence time. Adding a shunt capacitor to increase coherence time causes increased footprint (the area occupied by a single qubit).　 　This invention solves above problem, and it is about a technology that can achieve high integration with a small footprint while maintaining a practically tolerable coherence time and anharmonicity.

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Phenyl sulfate (PS) is known to be a renal disease marker. After its ingestion, phenol is produced from tyrosine due to the intestinal bacteria action and it is absorbed in the intestines, then metabolized to PS in the liver. For healthy individuals, PS is excreted from the body as urine, but when kidney function is impaired, PS is not excreted and accumulates in the body. 　So far, PS detection was done using LC-MS or TOFMS equipment so the conventional method was not done simply. The inventor succeeded to product an antibody against PS. Using this antibody, it may be possible to easily detect PS, such as by ELISA method.

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Rotavirus is a major cause of acute enteritis in infants and young livestock. It kills 500,000 people per year, mainly in developing countries, and also causes enormous economic losses to livestock production. Inventors focus on immunobiotics and found that new Ligilactobacillus and Lactiplantibacillus strains enhance anti-viral immune activity. ・Isolation of several anti-virus immune-enhancing Ligilactobacillus and Lactiplantibacillus strains from the small intestine of Wakame-fed pigs. ・These strains are deposited in NITE in Japan.

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　Microneedles with lots of painless needles are expected to spread rapidly in the beauty field and be used more for self-medication and simple vaccine administration, which are the cornerstones of remote medical treatment. However, conventional methods of applying (or encapsulating) a drug or vaccine to a microneedle and eluting them after skin prick have limited injection volume and speed. The inventors have developed a porous microneedle (PMN), which imparts an electrical "flow" (electroosmotic flow) that allows for high volume and high speed injection with an electric "microneedle pump" and rapid collection of subcutaneous tissue fluid.　

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Electrochemical strain microscopy (ESM) is known as a technique for probing ion mobility, ion conductivity, etc. in a solid material at a nanoscale. The ESM method is a method for detecting a signal of a local volume change (electrochemical distortion) of a solid generated with the movement of ions by applying a voltage, and for imaging and outputting the detected signal. 　The ESM method provides an image showing the distribution of ion motion states, but the sharpness of the image depends on the ionic conductivity of the solid material. Therefore, in a solid material having a relatively low ionic conductivity, sufficient S/N ratio cannot be obtained, and it is difficult to evaluate the motion state of ions with high accuracy. 　The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and by applying a high-frequency bias voltage, it is possible to dramatically enhance a response signal generated in accordance with a motion state of ions. According to the present invention, even in a material having a relatively low ionic conductivity, a distribution image can be obtained with sufficient sharpness.

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Since the invention of the electron microscope (EM), electrostatic and magnetic round lenses (with cylindrically symmetric lensing action) have been used in the field of charged particle optics. These lenses in principle incapable of producing negative spherical aberration, which had long limited the spatial resolution of EMs. Modern EMs are equipped with spherical aberration correctors consisting of multipole lenses and achieve angstrom-scale resolution. However, such devices are expensive (over a million dollars) and complicated systems. This invention solves above problems in order to have high precision, simple and low-cost electron beam focusing device. It claims the configuration of electron round lens, including concave lens with positive spherical aberration and convex lens with negative spherical aberration due to cylindrically symmetric polarized light beam.

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The inventors have previously developed G-CaMP and R-CaMP (CaMP) as proteinaceous fluorescent calcium sensors. By introducing CaMP into a cell, the location of the cell can be identified and changes in calcium ion concentration can be observed as changes in CaMP fluorescence intensity. ・G-CaMP7, G-CaMP7.09: Displays green fluorescence. ・R-CaMP1.07: Displays red fluorescence and can be used in combination with the photo-stimulation probe Channelrhodopsin-2, which is commonly used for cell function manipulation.

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In general, the near-infrared band (multispectral band) has worse spatial resolution than the panchromatic band, so its data volume is smaller. In the future, artificial satellites will be able to take images of almost the entire Earth once a day, accumulating a huge amount of data. Analyzing all of these images will require an enormous time and an improvement of computer performance. 　This invention is about a method which reduces the analysis time and computer processing power by identifying area 1 where objects are floating on sea using the near-infrared band with low data volume, then making object-based analysis by creating panchromatic band images of the neighborhood area 2. In addition, spatial information such as the floating object size, quantity, location, etc. can be extracted with high accuracy.

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It is known that if a person’s posture is maintained in a sitting position for an excessively long period of time, it can be harmful to his/her health. For example, it is known that there is a correlation between abovementioned period of time and the probability of suffering from diseases such as musculoskeletal disorder, heart failure, or lifestyle-related disease. 　In this invention, the chair seat is slightly inclined in order to guide the person to standing position naturally. Another key feature is the realization of a tilt method that does not interfere with the user's original task, such as desk work. 　In addition, various applications can be envisioned by linking with functions provided by smartdevices such as reminder function, etc.

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This invention is related to the eye gaze detection and eye gaze input device. 　In conventional eye gaze detection and eye gaze input device, the device needs to be installed in the environment or mounted on a wearable device. However, those devices have certain limitation, such as the position range where the function can be used for the former, while the latter requires the user to wear the device. 　This invention uses only a smartphone, and it is possible to run the function of eye gaze detection and eye gaze input with 6 degrees of freedom regardless of the user's standing position or the environment area if the user holds the smartphone naturally [1]. 　In detail, the system estimates where the user is looking in the environment by combining the user's gaze direction detection using the smartphone's front camera and self-position estimation using the back camera/depth sensor and 3D map of the environment (acquired in advance).

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