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

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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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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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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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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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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　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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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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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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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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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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　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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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. 【For those viewing this document】 　Because it is a seed for unpublished patents, after concluding an agreement regarding intellectual property rights, we will accept disclosure of the details.

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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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　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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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　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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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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In the method for measuring/simulating the radio wave propagation characteristics in the space, the simulation is carried out by reflecting the interference to the measurement value derived from the cable caused by the wired connection between the measurement equipment, the specification of the radio communication adopted when the measurement equipment is connected wirelessly, the effect of the shape of the space and the existence of the obstacle in the space, but there was a problem in the accuracy of the simulation result.　 In the radio wave measurement technology introduced this time, the above-mentioned problem was solved by carrying out the radio wave measurement using the radio communication between the measurement equipment (base station and mobile terminal). In this technology, the time, frequency and phase are synchronized with each other between the base station and the mobile terminal, and the propagation characteristics of the radio wave which carries out radio communication between the mobile terminal and the base station moving in the measurement object space are continuously measured in time series in association with each position information of the mobile terminal. Currently, some principle verification has been carried out on the radio wave measurement result/visualization in the case of propagation failure, etc.

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Since two characteristics of high permeability and high magnetostriction are required for the magnetic material constituting the magnetostrictive part of the rotating shaft of the conventional torque sensor, an amorphous alloy is suitable. However, when a amorphous alloy foil is fixed to the surface of the rotating shaft with an adhesive, there is a problem that sufficient detection characteristics cannot be obtained because adhesion to the rotating shaft is poor. In addition, even when a metallic spray coating is formed on the surface of the rotating shaft by a high-speed spraying process, there is a problem that a fine amorphous metal powder must be used, which increases the manufacturing cost.　 The invention has made it possible to provide a torque sensor and its manufacturing method with improved torque detection characteristics and manufacturing cost. The invention has a magnetostrictive part including a metallic glass coating on the surface of a rotating shaft. The metallic glass coating is characterized in that a flame including the metallic powder is jetted to melt the metallic powder, and the metallic glass coating is formed using a cooling method before the flame reaches the surface of the rotating shaft. Thus, a magnetostrictive part is formed easily and quickly. It also exhibits excellent characteristics for torque detection.

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Invention of drive mechanism for all-directional movement suitable in a small area All-directional movement with simple mechanism 　Conventional : Complex & large drive mechanism Need to control many inputs by synchronization 　Invention : Simple & small with only 5 components All-directional movement by simply changing the rotation speed ratio of 2 inputs Excellent step traversability & runnability 　Traversability: Experimental confirmation of traversing a step having the same height as the wheel radius 　　　　　⇒ Able to climb over indoor thresholds and carpets 　Runnability: 1 Even 1 wheel spins out, the other wheels will move 　　　　　⇒ Runs even on uneven flooring and outdoor surfaces 2 Magnetic cog-wheel with non-contact gear is used for power transmission 　　　　　⇒ Runs in dusty and large temperature gap environments 　　　　　⇒ Able to operate in sanitary environment where machine oil is not appropriated

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　Traditionally, porous metals have been used in the field of exhaust gas purification catalysts. As this porous metal, porous metal thin films containing pores in which one or more holes are formed are known. Also disclosed are porous metal particles having a pore size of 1 μm or less formed by fusing a contact part with a plurality of metal fine particles having a primary particle size of 200 nm or less. However, there is a problem that the conventional porous metal does not have sufficient catalytic activity when used as a catalyst for exhaust gas purification. 　The present invention has made it possible to provide an exhaust gas purification catalyst having excellent oxidation performance of CO and sufficiently high catalytic activity, and a method for producing the catalyst. In the present invention, after obtaining an alloy containing a specific metal and Al, Al is eluted from the alloy to obtain a porous metal having pores having a small central pore diameter. The diameter of the central pore of the present invention is 1~15 nm. It has been confirmed that a catalyst for exhaust gas purification equipped with a porous metal having such a central pore diameter has high catalytic activity.

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Many drugs have been developed from natural products produced by filamentous fungi. On the other hand, it has been reported that many biosynthetic genes of unexplored natural products that can be candidates for drugs are dormant on the genome of filamentous fungi. Using a large-scale genome rearrangement technology "TAQing system (A technique in which the restriction enzyme TAQI is introduced into a cell to simultaneously and multiply break DNA double strands, followed by recombination repair to produce a variety of genomic rearrangements)," the inventors generated a number of mutant strains of filamentous fungi in which dormant biosynthetic genes were activated, and succeeded in remarkably inducing the production of natural products not produced by wild strains. 　The development of a secondary metabolic activation method using the TAQing system has been investigated using the model filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans.

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　Age-related hearing loss makes everyday communication, such as talking, difficult for older adults. Although support with devices such as hearing aids has become mainstream for older adults with hearing loss, it has not been possible for older adults to improve their own hearing. Conventional methods for improving hearing include listening to sounds with white noise, but the problem is that the training cannot be continued because it is monotonous and boring.　 　The present invention is a method for training hearing by gradually reducing the volume of auditory stimuli while playing a game (brain training). Because of the game format, older adults can continue training in a fun and motivating manner. In addition, it is expected that the hearing of older adults will be improved and they will be able to lead a comfortable life regardless of the equipment and environment.

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Diabetic kidney disease(DKD) occurs in approximately 20-30% of all diabetic subjects. It is difficult to identify type 2 diabetes patients who are at risk of developing progressive DKD based only measurements of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and albuminuria. In this study, from animal experiments and the U-CARE cohort study, inventors showed that phenyl sulfate(PS) could be a predictor and a risk factor for developing progressive DKD.

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"Percutaneous administration" which penetrates the drug from the skin surface is utilized for compresses, nicotine patches, etc.. "Iontophotolysis" which accelerates the penetration of the drug by a weak electric current is utilized for high-speed administration of local anesthetics and penetration enhancement of cosmetic ingredients, etc.. However, generation of iontophotolysis requires power and wiring, and is not suitable for personal use at home. Disposable patches that do not require an external power source by using an enzyme-loaded electrode are expected to have drug penetration and cosmetic effects by iontophoresis.　 [Effect] ・No need for an external power source for enzymatic bioelectricity generation ・Disposable because only organic materials are used ・High safety because the maximum current is less than 0.5 mA/cm2 ・Enhanced drug penetration confirmed by a study using pig skin

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Silicon carbide materials and silicon carbide fiber-reinforced composites are expected to replace Zircaloy and other metals as structural materials for next-generation nuclear reactors. However, these materials require anticorrosion coatings when they are exposed to radiation, high temperatures, and high-pressure water. Although metal coatings have been used in the past, there has been a problem that they cannot fully exert their anticorrosion function due to delamination and cracking of the substrate caused by thermal expansion coefficient differences and swelling differences.　 　A silicon carbide layer, an intermediate layer and a coating layer are laminated on a substrate. As a result, it has become possible to provide a silicon carbide material or a silicon carbide fiber-reinforced composites composed of full ceramics with improved anticorrosion function by alleviating thermal expansion coefficient difference and swelling difference with a base material.

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In an apparatus for generating a plasma by a high frequency discharge and extracting an ion beam, a high frequency electric field leaks to a beam extraction interface being distant from the plasma generator; the oscillation of the interface leads to a divergence of the beam. The beam divergence has been a serious problem in thermonuclear fusion plasma reactors, since a part of high intensity beam cannot reach the core of the magnetically confined plasma.　 The present invention is an ion beam generator that uses a certain technique to compensate the oscillation of the beam extraction interface and provide a collimated high intensity ion beam extracted from an rf plasma source. Conversely, it is also possible to expand the divergence angle by superimposing the oscillation of the beam extraction interface to form a large diameter ion beam for material processing.

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Magnetic sensors with wide dynamic range and high sensitivity have been developed. Various types of sensors, such as SQUID magnetometers and Hall sensors, have been used. Cantilever-type magnetic sensors using mechanical resonant frequency have especially attracted attention because of their low power consumption, small size, and potential for wide dynamic range. However, while they exhibit high sensitivity near the resonance frequency, there is an issue that sensitivity and resolution are not sufficient for magnetic fields below the resonance frequency including DC magnetic fields.　 The present invention relates to a cantilever-type magnetic sensor. The sensitivity and bandwidth can be adjusted electrically by introducing a magnetic excitation component. This enables high sensitivity and wide-band magnetic field detection. 【 For those who see this document 】 　Since it is a seed for unpublished patents, it is possible to disclose the description after the conclusion of the IP contract.

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