Japan Vilene Company, Ltd.

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Kyushu University

Shinshu University

Shiga University of Medical Science

Fukuoka Prefectural Government

Masaaki Kawabe

Yasushi Takeuchi

Hiroaki Yamazaki

Takashi Tarao

Kazuya Sato

Rie Watanabe

Genya Anan

Takeshi Kobayashi

Akinori Minami

Masahiro Amagasa

Masashi Kaneko

Yasushi Murakami

Satoshi Kumagai

Fuminori Kimura

Hirobumi Ushijima

Daisuke Ito

Kouji Kimura

Tetsu Yamaguchi

Noriko Michihata

Takashi Nishitani

Kenichi Nomura

Yukio Kojima

Shinji Sakai

Koei Kawakami

Ken-ichi Mukaisho

Hisanao Usami

Tomohiro Nishikawa

Takanori Hattori

Kengo Noguchi

Takuya Iwasa

Provided are a cell-holding substrate holder for preparing an observation specimen, and a cell-holding substrate kit, wherein the cell-holding substrate can be easily attached and detached. Also provided is a method of preparing an observation specimen, wherein cell organelles can be satisfactorily observed using an optical microscope, while three problems of cell detachment, drying, and loss of the three-dimensional properties can be simultaneously solved. The cell-holding substrate holder comprises (1) a support platehaving a cell-holding substrate arrangement portionhaving a window portion through which water can pass; and (2) a removable sandwiching platewhich has a window portion through which water can pass, and is capable of working in conjunction with the support plateto sandwich and fix a cell-holding substratein the cell-holding substrate arrangement portion. The cell-holding substrate kitcomprises the cell-holding substrate holder and a cell-holding substrate. In the preparation method, cells are collected with an inorganic fiber aggregate, wet-fixed as they are, stained, and mounted with a mounting medium having a refractive index equivalent to that of the inorganic fiber.

Cell-holding substrate holder for preparing observation specimen, kit including same, and observation specimen preparation method

Provided is an air-permeable sheet () to be used in a state of being interposed between a suction stage () and an air-impermeable substrate () when printing is performed by a sheet-fed method on the surface of the substrate () fixed by suction to the suction stage (), the air-permeable sheet capable of printing a desired printing pattern on the surface of the substrate with high accuracy. The air-permeable sheet () includes a non-woven fabric layer () and a support layer () constituted by a woven fabric or knitted fabric.

Air-permeable sheet

An inorganic fiber structure comprising inorganic nanofibers having an average fiber diameter of 3 &#x3bc;m or less, in which an entirety including the inside thereof is adhered with an inorganic adhesive, and the porosity thereof is 90% or more, is disclosed. Furthermore, a process for producing an inorganic fiber structure is disclosed, which includes (i) a step of spinning inorganic fibers by an electrospinning method, from a spinning inorganic sol solution containing a compound mainly composed of an inorganic component; (ii) a step of forming an inorganic fiber aggregate by irradiating the inorganic fibers with ions having a polarity opposite to that of the inorganic fibers to accumulate the inorganic fibers; and (iii) a step of forming an inorganic fiber structure adhering to the inorganic fiber aggregate with an inorganic adhesive in an entirety including the inside thereof, in which an adhering inorganic sol solution containing a compound mainly composed of an inorganic component is imparted to an entirety including the inside of the inorganic fiber aggregate, and an excess adhering inorganic sol solution is removed by gas-through.

Inorganic fiber structure and process for producing same

A process of manufacturing inorganic nanofibers, without using an organic polymer, using a highly reactive metal alkoxide such as titanium alkoxide or zirconium alkoxide, in particular, a process in which inorganic nanofibers can be stably produced over a long period, is provided. It is a process of manufacturing inorganic nanofibers by electrospinning using a sol solution containing an inorganic component as a main component, characterized in that the sol solution contains a metal alkoxide having a high reactivity and a salt catalyst, and that the salt catalyst is an amine compound having an N&#x2014;N bond, an N&#x2014;O bond, an N&#x2014;C&#x2550;N bond, or an N&#x2014;C&#x2550;S bond.

Process of manufacturing inorganic nanofibers

A process for manufacturing organic fibers containing an inorganic component comprising the steps of: (1) preparing an inorganic spinnable sol solution; (2) mixing the inorganic spinnable sol solution, a solvent capable of dissolving the inorganic spinnable sol solution, and an organic polymer capable of being dissolved in the solvent to prepare a spinning solution; and (3) spinning the spinning solution to form the organic fibers containing an inorganic component composed of an inorganic gel and the organic polymer, is disclosed. The inorganic spinnable sol solution preferably has a weight average molecular weight of 10,000 or more, and the inorganic spinnable sol solution is preferably prepared from a material containing a metal alkoxide having an organic substituent. According to the process of the present invention, organic fibers containing an inorganic component having an improved mechanical strength can be produced by mixing an inorganic component into an organic component, and a nonwoven fabric containing the fibers can be provided.

Process for manufacturing organic fibers containing inorganic component and nonwoven fabric containing the same

Disclosed is a fine-fibers-dispersed nonwoven fabric comprising dispersed fine fibers having a fiber diameter of 4 &#x3bc;m or less and a fiber length of 3 mm or less, wherein an adhesion rate of substances adhered to the nonwoven fabric is 0.5 mass % or less. Further, a process and an apparatus for manufacturing the fine-fibers-dispersed nonwoven fabric, as well as a sheet material comprising the fine-fibers-dispersed nonwoven fabric are also disclosed.

Fine-fibers-dispersed nonwoven fabric, process and apparatus for manufacturing same, and sheet material containing same

A method of producing fibrous aggregate, comprising: a supplying and discharging step in which a fiberizable liquid is supplied from a means for storing a fiberizable liquid to a means for discharging a fiberizable liquid via a supplying pipe, and the fiberizable liquid is discharged from the discharging means; and

Method and apparatus of producing fibrous aggregate

A separator for an electric double layer capacitor, characterized in that a thickness of the entire separator is 25 &#x3bc;m or less, a layer of an ultrafine fibrous aggregate prepared by an electrostatic spinning process is contained, an average fiber diameter of ultrafine fibers constituting the ultrafine fibrous aggregate layer is 1 &#x3bc;m or less, and a maximum pore size of the ultrafine fibrous aggregate is not more than 3 times a mean flow pore size is disclosed.

Separator for electric double layer capacitor and electric double layer capacitor containing same

A process for manufacturing an inorganic material-based article comprising the steps of (1) forming a sol solution mainly composed of an inorganic component, (2) producing inorganic material-based gel fine fibers by extruding the resulting sol solution from a nozzle, and at the same time, applying an electrical field to the extruded sol solution to thin the extruded sol solution, and then, collecting inorganic material-based gel fine fibers on a support, (3) drying the collected inorganic material-based gel fine fibers to produce inorganic material-based article containing inorganic material-based dried gel fine fibers, and then, (4) sintering the inorganic material-based article containing inorganic material-based dried gel fine fibers to produce inorganic material-based article containing inorganic material-based sintered fine fibers.

Process for manufacturing inorganic article

Disclosed is a powders-affixed nonwoven fabric prepared from a fiber web comprising powder materials and fine short fibers having a fiber diameter of 4 &mgr;m or less and a fiber length of 3 mm or less in a dispersed state in the powders-containing fiber web, the powders-containing fiber web being formed by a method other than a wet-laid method. Further, a process for manufacturing the powders-affixed nonwoven fabric, and a sheet material comprising the powders-affixed nonwoven fabric are also disclosed.

Powders-affixed nonwoven fabric, process for manufacturing same, and sheet material containing same

Sulfur containing atomic group introduced porous article, process for introducing a sulfur containing atomic group onto the outer-inner surfaces of a porous article, and a battery separator

Apparatus and method for discharge treatment

A porous article wherein a sulfur containing atomic group is introduced onto at least a part of outer-inner surfaces of the article, a ratio (S/C) of the number of sulfur atoms (S) to the number of carbon atoms (C) on the surface onto which the sulfur containing atomic group is introduced is 7&times;10,or more, a ratio (O/C) of the number of oxygen atoms (O) to the number of carbon atoms (C) on the surface onto which the sulfur containing atomic group is introduced is 0.2 or more, and the ratio (S/C) and the ratio (O/C) are determined by means of an X-ray photoelectron spectrophotometer is disclosed.

Sulfur containing atomic group introduced porous article

A process for electret treatment is described, involving (1) placing the dielectric article between a combination of a first ion-repulsive electrode and a first ion-attractive electrode and between a combination of a second ion-repulsive electrode and a second ion-attractive electrode, under a specified arrangement; (2) supplying a first positive ion and a first negative ion from a first ion generating means between the dielectric article and the first ion-repulsive electrode, the first ion generating means being selected from an alternating current surface discharge element and an alternating current corona-type ion generating element; (3) applying a direct current voltage between the first ion-repulsive electrode and the first ion-attractive electrode to produce a first potential difference therebetween, whereby only one of the first positive and negative ions is moved in a specified direction, and is transferred on the dielectric article; (4) supplying a second positive ion and a second negative ion from a second ion generating means between the dielectric article and a second ion-repulsive electrode, the second ion generating means being selected from specified elements; and (5) applying a direct current voltage between the second ion-repulsive electrode and the second ion-attractive electrode to produce a second potential difference therebetween, whereby only the second ion having polarity opposite to polarity of the first ion transferred on the dielectric article is moved in a specified direction, and is transferred on the dielectric article.

Process and apparatus for manufacturing an electret article

A modified porous non-conductor is provided wherein its outer and inner, surfaces have been treated by placing the porous non-conductor between a pair of electrodes which are located opposite to each other and carry a dielectric layer on a surface facing the other electrode, respectively, so that the porous non-conductor is brought into contact with both dielectric layers without coming into contact with the electrodes; and then, applying an alternating current voltage having a frequency of about 0.1 Khz to about 100 Khz between the electrodes to thereby induce an electric discharge in voids contained in the porous non-conductor and sandwiched between a pair of the electrodes.

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Masaaki Kawabe