Abstract: A culture apparatus which supplies a culture medium, which is a cell culture solution, to culture cells includes a culture cartridge including a culture space where the cells can be seeded, a supply path for supplying the culture medium to the culture space, and a collection path for collecting the culture medium passing through the culture space. The culture cartridge is configured to be attachable and detachable, and includes connecting parts and for connecting, when attached, the culture space to the supply path and the collection path.

Abstract: A valve device includes a liquid contact part having a valve part provided in a flow path to distribute a liquid, and a valve drive part that is removably joined to the liquid contact part and drives the valve part to open/close. In the valve part of the liquid contact part, a diaphragm valve is provided, and at a substantially central portion of the diaphragm valve, a valve stem is provided to project. The valve stem is inserted slidably in a stem hole opened and provided in a joint surface between the liquid contact part and the valve drive part. On joint surfaces between the liquid contact part and the valve drive part, fitting joint parts by which the liquid contact part and the valve drive part are positioned and removably fitted and joined to each other are provided.

Abstract: A perfusion culture apparatus, capable of culturing cells having a multilayer structure, includes (i) a film, which is a sheet-shaped carrier on which cells are seeded in a state in which a liquid medium is allowed to pass through the sheet-shaped carrier; (ii) a vessel, which holds the film in a state in which the liquid medium is in contact with front and rear surfaces of the film; and (iii) a gas chamber, which applies pressure from outside to the liquid medium on the side in contact with either of the front and rear surfaces of the film to form a pressure difference between the liquid medium on the side in contact with the one surface and the liquid medium on the side in contact with the other surface, the liquid medium passing through the film in accordance with the pressure difference.

Abstract: Provided are a knockout mouse, a method for screening a substance for suppressing mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, and a method for selecting a technique for suppressing mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. A knockout mouse 30 or more days of age that has lost the function of the Girdin gene in at least the nervous tissues and exhibits the phenotypes of (1), (2), and (3) below. (1) hippocampal sclerosis should be present, (2) extrahippocampal brain damage should be limited, and (3) spontaneous epilepsy that can be said to be of hippocampal origin should be present.

Abstract: A shape-memory alloy valve device includes a shape-memory alloy wire configured to make a valve member perform an opening/closing operation and a valve actuation control unit configured to control an opening/closing operation of the valve member. The valve actuation control unit controls energization of the shape-memory alloy wire in accordance with an input valve open signal or an input valve close signal so as to make the shape-memory alloy wire contract by raising a temperature of the shape-memory alloy wire beyond an operating environmental temperature, thereby controlling valve opening/closing. A preheating unit heats the shape-memory alloy wire to a preset preheat set temperature by energizing the shape-memory alloy wire from a power circuit when the temperature of the shape-memory alloy wire which is measured by a temperature measurement unit is lower than the preheat set temperature.

Abstract: A valve device includes a liquid contact part having a valve part provided in a flow path to distribute a liquid, and a valve drive part that is removably joined to the liquid contact part and drives the valve part to open/close. In the valve part of the liquid contact part, a diaphragm valve is provided, and at a substantially central portion of the diaphragm valve, a valve stem is provided to project. The valve stem is inserted slidably in a stem hole opened and provided in a joint surface between the liquid contact part and the valve drive part. On joint surfaces between the liquid contact part and the valve drive part, fitting joint parts by which the liquid contact part and the valve drive part are positioned and removably fitted and joined to each other are provided.

Abstract: A shape-memory alloy valve device includes a shape-memory alloy wire configured to make a valve member perform an opening/closing operation and a valve actuation control unit configured to control an opening/closing operation of the valve member. The valve actuation control unit controls energization of the shape-memory alloy wire in accordance with an input valve open signal or an input valve close signal so as to make the shape-memory alloy wire contract by raising a temperature of the shape-memory alloy wire beyond an operating environmental temperature, thereby controlling valve opening/closing. A preheating unit heats the shape-memory alloy wire to a preset preheat set temperature by energizing the shape-memory alloy wire from a power circuit when the temperature of the shape-memory alloy wire which is measured by a temperature measurement unit is lower than the preheat set temperature.

Abstract: For the present small solenoid valve, a stem is coupled to a solenoid plunger, and a valve body is attached to a distal end of the stem. A circular-ring shaped valve seat on which the valve body is seated is provided in a valve chamber of a valve casing, and a seal ring is externally fitted on the stem between the valve chamber and the solenoid plunger with an outer peripheral portion of the seal ring made to contact with an inner surface of the valve casing. The valve casing and the seal ring are made of a rubber-like polymer elastic body, a first port is connected to communicate with the valve chamber, and a second port is connected to communicate with an inner side of the valve seat. At actuation of the solenoid, when the stem moves in an axial direction, the seal ring follows the movement by only elastic deformation without sliding.

Abstract: A micro peristaltic pump of a peristaltic pump device presses a rotor against a circular arc shaped flow path inside a microfluidic chip formed to be sheet-like, rotary-drives the rotor by a motor, and causes the circular arc shaped flow path to make a peristaltic motion by the rotation of the rotor, to send a fluid. The peristaltic pump device is provided with a rotation sensor that detects a rotational position of the rotor, a memory that stores in advance a rotational position of the rotor and rotation speed data of the motor corresponding to the rotational position, and a control circuit that calculates a command rotation speed of the motor from data stored in the memory based on a detection signal of the rotation sensor, and controls rotation of the motor based on the command rotation speed.

Abstract: A perfusion culture apparatus, capable of culturing cells having a multilayer structure, includes a film, which is a sheet-shaped carrier on which cells are seeded in a state in which a liquid medium is allowed to pass through the sheet-shaped carrier, and a vessel, which holds the film in a state in which the liquid medium is in contact with front and rear surfaces of the film, and a gas chamber, which applies pressure from outside to the liquid medium on the side in contact with either of the front and/or rear surfaces of the film to form a pressure difference between the liquid medium on the side in contact with the one surface and the liquid medium on the side in contact with the other surface. The liquid medium passes through the film in accordance with the pressure difference.

Abstract: Inside a case (1) of a culture medium exchange unit, a well plate (3) with wells (4) is disposed, and cells and a culture medium are placed into each of the wells (4) of the well plate (3) and cell culture is performed, and after a predetermined period of time, the culture medium inside each well (4) is exchanged. The well plate (3), a supply liquid contact part (8) of a supply pump (6), a supply tube (9), supply nozzles (10), discharge nozzles (17), discharge tubes (15), and discharge liquid contact parts (14) are disposed so as to be removable from the case (1) and replaceable.

Abstract: Provided are a knockout mouse, a method for screening a substance for suppressing mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, and a method for selecting a technique for suppressing mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. A knockout mouse 30 or more days of age that has lost the function of the Girdin gene in at least the nervous tissues and exhibits the phenotypes of (1), (2), and (3) below. (1) hippocampal sclerosis should be present, (2) extrahippocampal brain damage should be limited, and (3) spontaneous epilepsy that can be said to be of hippocampal origin should be present.

Abstract: Provided is an embedding medium for specimen preparation that, when preparing a curable base material nonpenetrating specimen, involves no thermal invasion of the tissue, minimizes wrinkling and tearing during thin slicing, and makes it possible to confirm the position of the tissue in the embedding medium, and also for preparing a curable base material penetrating specimen on the same plane as a curable base material nonpenetrating specimen. The problem can be solved by using an embedding medium for specimen preparation that includes gelatin that is in a liquid state at 15° C.-25° C. and assumes a solid state at 4° C. when made into an aqueous solution.

Abstract: A circular arc shaped flow path (21) is formed as a microfluidic flow path in a sheet-like microfluidic chip (20). A roller (15) on a rotor (10) is pressed against the circular arc shaped flow path (21) in the microfluidic chip (20), the rotor (10) is rotary-driven by a driving motor 4, and the circular arc shaped flow path (21) is caused to make a peristaltic motion by rotation of the rotor (10), to send a liquid in the flow path. On the flat surface of the rotor (10), a plurality of rollers (15) are held so as to be pressed in contact with the circular arc shaped flow path (21), to freely rotate on the flat surface perpendicular to a rotary shaft (13) of the rotor (10). The circular arc shaped flow path (21) is disposed along the rotational trajectory of the plurality of rollers (15).

Abstract: For the present small solenoid valve, a stem is coupled to a solenoid plunger, and a valve body is attached to a distal end of the stem. A circular-ring shaped valve seat on which the valve body is seated is provided in a valve chamber of a valve casing, and a seal ring is externally fitted on the stem between the valve chamber and the solenoid plunger with an outer peripheral portion of the seal ring made to contact with an inner surface of the valve casing. The valve casing and the seal ring are made of a rubber-like polymer elastic body, a first port is connected to communicate with the valve chamber, and a second port is connected to communicate with an inner side of the valve seat. At actuation of the solenoid, when the stem moves in an axial direction, the seal ring follows the movement by only elastic deformation without sliding.

Abstract: The slide type valve of the present invention has a structure in which a movable flowpath forming member is pressed toward a slidable sealing member by use of a spring member and in which the load of the slidable sealing member received from the movable flowpath forming member becomes equal to a constant spring load determined by a spring force of the spring member. Additionally, an attachment member holding the movable flowpath forming member that is movable to the fixed flowpath forming member has a housing hole whose shape substantially coinciding with the shape of the movable flowpath forming member. The movable flowpath forming member is housed in the housing hole so as to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the first end surface of the fixed flowpath forming member, and, accordingly, the load distribution is uniformed both in a first seal sliding surface and in a second seal sliding surface of the slidable sealing member.

Abstract: The slide type valve of the present invention has a structure in which a movable flowpath forming member is pressed toward a slidable sealing member by use of a spring member and in which the load of the slidable sealing member received from the movable flowpath forming member becomes equal to a constant spring load determined by a spring force of the spring member. Additionally, an attachment member holding the movable flowpath forming member that is movable to the fixed flowpath forming member has a housing hole whose shape substantially coinciding with the shape of the movable flowpath forming member. The movable flowpath forming member is housed in the housing hole so as to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the first end surface of the fixed flowpath forming member, and, accordingly, the load distribution is uniformed both in a first seal sliding surface and in a second seal sliding surface of the slidable sealing member.

Abstract: A compact solenoid including a coil and a frame located outside the coil for constituting a magnetic circuit. The frame includes four bars extending in parallel to the axial direction of the coil and located proximate to the outer circumferential face of the coil. Each of the bars has a generally triangular cross section. The four bars are disposed to have a mutual positional relationship corresponding to vertexes of a square.

Abstract: The compact solenoid of the present invention conduces to further miniaturization of a compact solenoid. The compact solenoid includes a coil and a frame located outside the coil for constituting a magnetic circuit. The frame includes four bars extending in parallel to the axial direction of the coil and located proximate to the outer circumferential face of the coil. Each of the bars has a generally triangular cross section. The four bars are disposed to have a mutual positional relationship corresponding to vertexes of a square.