Abstract: An objective lens switching mechanism holds a plurality of objective lenses respectively disposed on each of the plurality of lens mounts, moves the plurality of objective lenses between a first position on the lens mounts and a second position above the lens mounts by a rotating mechanism and moves the plurality of objective lenses from the second position above the lens mounts to another second position above the lens mounts.

Abstract: To make a user interested in a service if the user provides a response, a message-browsing system includes an image storage unit storing user images which are displayed on a screen and correspond to the multiple users, respectively, an input instruction unit providing a response in multiple response forms to a post, the response forms corresponding to multiple fixed response sentences which are different from each other, a motion storage unit storing motion information defining motions of the user images, which is associated with the multiple response forms, respectively, and a setting unit selecting motion information corresponding to a response form of a response provided to a post, and setting a motion of a user image corresponding to a user contributing the post, the user image being displayed on a screen of another user providing the response.

Abstract: To make a user interested in a service even if feelings of a sentence cannot be identified, a message-browsing system includes an image storage unit storing user images corresponding to the multiple users, respectively, a motion storage unit storing motion information defining motions of the images associated with types of feelings or forms of posts, a keyword storage unit storing keywords according to the types, a determination unit determining whether or not any of the types can be identified by finding keywords stored in the keyword storage unit in a sentence of a post, and a setting unit, when a type of feelings can be identified, selecting motion information corresponding to the identified feelings, selecting motion information corresponding to a form of the post when the type cannot be identified, and setting a motion of a user image corresponding to the user contributing the post based on the selected motion information.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a process for producing an octadiene from 2,7-octadienyl formate in an industrially useful manner in which palladium can maintain its catalytic activity for a long period of time. More specifically, the present invention relates to a process for producing an octadiene which includes the steps of continuously adding 2,7-octadienyl formate into a reaction system in which a mixture of a palladium compound, a tertiary organophosphorus compound and a solvent is present; and subjecting the 2,7-octadienyl formate to reaction while continuously distilling off a reaction product containing the resulting octadiene out of the reaction system.

Abstract: An immunity-inducing agent comprising as an effective ingredient(s) at least one polypeptide selected from the following polypeptides, the polypeptide(s) having an immunity-inducing activity/activities, or as an effective ingredient(s) a recombinant vector(s) which comprise(s) a polynucleotide(s) encoding the polypeptide(s) and is/are capable of expressing the polypeptide(s) in vivo can be used for therapy and/or prophylaxis of cancer: (a) a polypeptide consisting essentially of not less than 7 consecutive amino acids in any one of the amino acid sequences shown in the odd number IDs of SEQ ID NOs:3 to 95 in SEQUENCE LISTING; (b) a polypeptide having a sequence identity of not less than 90% with the polypeptide (a) and consisting essentially of not less than 7 amino acids; and (c) a polypeptide comprising the polypeptide (a) or (b) as a partial sequence thereof.

Abstract: There is provided an exposure control apparatus including a photometry amount acquisition unit for acquiring a measured light amount as a photometry amount; a light emission amount control unit for increasing a light emission amount of a light emission unit as the photometry amount is smaller when the photometry amount is within a certain light amount range; and a gain control unit for increasing a gain to an output signal of an image sensor as the photometry amount is smaller when the photometry amount is not within the light amount range and setting the gain to a constant value when the photometry amount is within the light amount range, an image capturing apparatus including the exposure control apparatus, and a method of controlling exposure using the apparatus.

Abstract: The present invention provides a polymeric piezoelectric material comprising an aliphatic polyester (A) with a weight-average molecular weight of from 50,000 to 1,000,000 and having optical activity, and a stabilizing agent (B) with a weight-average molecular weight of from 200 to 60,000 having at least one kind of functional group selected from the group consisting of a carbodiimide group, an epoxy group and an isocyanate group, wherein the crystallinity of the material obtained by a DSC method is from 20% to 80%, and a content of the stabilizing agent (B) is from 0.01 part by mass to 10 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the aliphatic polyester (A), as well as a process for producing the same.

Abstract: The invention provides a polymeric piezoelectric material including a helical chiral polymer having a weight-average molecular weight of from 50,000 to 1,000,000 and having optical activity, wherein a crystallinity of the material measured by a DSC method is from 20% to 80%, and a product of a standardized molecular orientation MORc measured by a microwave transmission type molecular orientation meter based on a reference thickness of 50 ?m and the crystallinity is from 25 to 250.

Abstract: The invention relates to an immunity-inducing agent comprising, as an active ingredient, at least one polypeptide having immunity-inducing activity that is selected from among polypeptides (a), (b), and (c): (a) a polypeptide of at least seven contiguous amino acids of the amino acid sequence shown by any even SEQ ID number selected from SEQ ID NOs: 2 to 30 listed in the Sequence Listing; (b) a polypeptide of at least seven amino acids having 90% or more sequence identity with the polypeptide (a); and (c) a polypeptide comprising the polypeptide (a) or (b) as a partial sequence thereof, or a recombinant vector comprising a polynucleotide encoding said polypeptide and capable of expressing said polypeptide in vivo.

Abstract: The invention relates to an immunity-inducing agent comprising, as an active ingredient, at least one polypeptide having immunity-inducing activity that is selected from among polypeptides (a), (b), and (c): (a) a polypeptide of at least seven contiguous amino acids of the amino acid sequence shown by any even SEQ ID number selected from SEQ ID NOs: 2 to 30 listed in the Sequence Listing; (b) a polypeptide of at least seven amino acids having 90% or more sequence identity with the polypeptide (a); and (c) a polypeptide comprising the polypeptide (a) or (b) as a partial sequence thereof, or a recombinant vector comprising a polynucleotide encoding said polypeptide and capable of expressing said polypeptide in vivo.

Abstract: A sewing machine capable of mode switching between a normal sewing mode and a free motion sewing mode including a feed dog switcher that switches a feed dog between an active state in which the feed dog is moved above and below a needle plate and an inactive state in which the feed dog is lowered below the needle plate, a first instruction issuer that instructs execution of fastening stitching at a beginning of pattern sewing sequence, a second instruction issuer that instructs execution of fastening stitching at an end of pattern sewing sequence, and a controller that, when in the free motion sewing mode, activates the feed dog by the feed dog switcher in response to an incoming instruction signal from the first or the second instruction issuer to execute fastening stitching through control of feed dog based on fastening stitching data to longitudinally feed a workpiece cloth.

Abstract: A sewing machine that sews a work cloth being moved by a user includes a detection device that detects the work cloth, a movement calculation device that calculates movement data of the work cloth, a movement data storage device that stores the movement data, a movement data creation device that causes the detection device and the movement calculation device to respectively detect the work cloth and calculate the movement data for each stitch, and that stores the movement data into the movement data storage device, a line segment specification device that specifies a line segment based on the movement data, a determination device that determines whether a stitch to be formed next will overlap with an already formed stitch corresponding to the specified line segment, and an error control device that performs an error correction operation based on a determination result.

Abstract: A fluorescent tube is prevented from being wrongly attached and broken when being attached, and luminance nonuniformity of backlight due to luminance difference generated in a tube axis direction of the fluorescent tube is reduced. A backlight device 2 is provided with a plurality of fluorescent tubes 21 having electrodes 211 at both ends; a bundling member 213 for bundling wirings 212 pulled out from the electrode 211 on one side of two or more of the fluorescent tubes 21; and a conducting means 31 for achieving conduction between the electrodes of the two fluorescent tubes among the fluorescent tubes 21 by being connected with the bundling member 213. The conducting means 31 permits a current to be carried between the electrodes of the two fluorescent tubes 21, which are bundled by the one bundling member 213, and the conducting means are arranged on inverter circuit substrate 28, respectively, not to be adjacent to each other.

Abstract: A sewing machine for a user to perform sewing while moving a work cloth includes: a detecting device that detects the work cloth; a movement calculating device that calculates, by two-dimensional coordinate data, a movement direction and a movement quantity of the work cloth between previous detection and current detection of the work cloth when the work cloth is detected; a movement data storage device that stores movement data serving as two-dimensional coordinate data indicative of the movement direction and the movement quantity; a movement data creating device that detects the work cloth on a one by one needle basis of sewing, calculates the movement data, and stores the calculated data in the movement data storage device; a cloth feed mechanism that moves the work cloth; and a reproduction sewing control device that performs sewing while moving the work cloth based on the movement data stored in the movement data storage device.

Abstract: A fluorescent tube is prevented from being wrongly attached and broken when being attached, and luminance nonuniformity of backlight due to luminance difference generated in the tube axis direction of the fluorescent tube is reduced. In a backlight device (2), a plurality of fluorescent tube sets, each of which is composed of four fluorescent tubes (21) having electrodes (211) at the both ends and a pair of lamp holders (5) storing portions close to the both electrodes at the both ends of the four fluorescent tubes (21), and the fluorescent tube sets are driven by a pair of inverter circuit board.

Abstract: A sewing machine that enables a user to perform sewing while moving a piece of work cloth, the sewing machine including: a main shaft that drives a needle bar equipped with a sewing needle, a sewing machine motor that rotary-drives the main shaft, a detection device that detects an actual movement distance of the piece of work cloth, a target pitch storage device that stores a predetermined length as a target pitch, which is a target value of stitch pitches of the piece of work cloth, an agreement degree calculation device that calculates an agreement degree between the target pitch and a stitch pitch in actual sewing that is to be determined based on the actual movement distance of the piece of work cloth which is detected by the detection device; and a notification device that notifies of the agreement degree calculated by the agreement degree calculation device.

Abstract: A frame is narrowed by a technically reasonable design, without technical limitation for frame narrowing which tends to be considered troublesome when bent-tube type fluorescent tubes having U-shaped bent portions are to be alternately arranged to face each other nor without the trouble of storing the bent-type fluorescent tubes in a chassis while being manufactured. A backlight device (2) is provided with a backlight chassis (23) wherein a plurality of fluorescent tubes (21) having electrodes are arranged and stored, and an inverter circuit board is arranged on the rear surface of the backlight chassis (23). Furthermore, the backlight device (2) is provided with a storing section (30), which is attached to the backlight chassis (23) by storing a conductive holding section for holding the electrodes.

Abstract: A sewing machine capable of sewing a manually moved workpiece cloth in free motion includes a carrier that carries the workpiece cloth and being manually moved to move the workpiece cloth; a support element that movably supports the carrier; a movement amount detector that detects an amount of carrier movement; a specifier that specifies a stitch pitch; a comparator that produces a comparison of the amount of carrier movement with the stitch pitch; a regulator provided at the support element and that regulates carrier movement; and a controller that controls the regulator such that the amount of carrier movement does not exceed the stitch pitch based on the comparison produced by the comparator.

Abstract: A sewing machine includes a sewing machine motor that vertically drives a sewing needle via a main shaft; a sewing speed commander that produces a command sewing speed determined by rotational speed of the sewing machine motor; a stitch-pitch specifier that specifies a stitch pitch to be applied to manually fed sewing operation; a consumed thread amount detector that detects a consumed needle-thread amount in each ongoing sewing cycle; a sewing speed controller that controls sewing speed at the command sewing speed when the command sewing speed is equal to or less than a predetermined reference sewing speed, and that controls sewing speed at a target sewing speed calculated based on the consumed needle-thread amount and the stitch pitch when the command sewing speed is greater than the reference sewing speed.

Abstract: An embroiderable sewing machine, including a plurality types of embroidery frames that hold a workpiece cloth to be embroidered; a carriage allowing selective attachment and detachment of the embroidery frames; a transfer mechanism that transfers the carriage independently in two orthogonal directions; a first detector that outputs a constant signal corresponding to the type of embroidery frame attached to the carriage; a second detector capable of outputting a detection signal based on presence and absence of a detection subject provided at the embroidery frame; and a signal converter that converts the constant signal outputted from the first detector into a periodic signal based on the detection signal outputted from the second detector.