Abstract: The present invention provides an image compositing apparatus capable of producing a natural composite image, with a simple structure and a less occupying space. The present invention also provides a method for compositing an image by providing shadow-free conditions in a limited space for chroma-keying so that a subject image and a desired background image are naturally integrated as one image.

Abstract: This invention provides a method for producing semiconductor nanoparticles having a monodispersed distribution of particle sizes and the semiconductor nanoparticles produced by the same, which were insufficient in conventional reversed micelle methods. This method for producing semiconductor nanoparticles comprises steps of: forming semiconductor nanoparticles in the reaction field in the micelle or in the reversed micelle; and regulating the particle size of the semiconductor nanoparticles by size-selective photoetching, wherein the reaction field in the micelle or in the reversed micelle serves also as the dissolution field for ions that are produced when the semiconductor nanoparticles are subjected to size-selective photoetching. In this method, particle sizes of the semiconductor nanoparticles are regulated by adjusting the size of the dissolution field for ions and regulating the reactivity of size-selective photoetching.

Abstract: Identically shaped spots can be formed sequentially and stably by a spotting pin comprising a bar-like plunger 20. Four projections each formed in the shape of a top portion of a quadrangular pyramid are formed on the head of the plunger 20. The apexes 21 of the quadrangular pyramids constituting the projections are located inside a virtual plane extending from the peripheral wall of the plunger.

Abstract: A means of simultaneously detecting the characteristics of a plurality of proteins is provided. The protein detection method is a method of simultaneously detecting a plurality of proteins contained in a sample and comprises the steps of: arranging, on a substrate, a plurality of substances to be arranged, which form specific complexes with analytes; forming a plurality of first specific conjugates by allowing a specific binding reaction to occur on the above substrate between the analytes contained in the sample and the above plurality of arranged substances; forming a plurality of second specific complexes by allowing a specific binding reaction to occur between substances, which form specific complexes with the analytes and are labeled with a fluorescence reagent or an RI reagent, and the above plurality of first specific conjugates; and identifying the analytes contained in the sample by detecting the labels contained in the above plurality of second specific complexes.

Abstract: A synthetic image print system has an additional image extraction function for extracting additional images based on extraction criteria. An additional image extraction program, the data of each additional image, and an additional image feature information file listing features of each additional image are stored on storage. Of all additional images, the additional images with the feature information corresponding with the extraction criteria are extracted. The features of a photographed image, a search keyword inputted by a user, the user profile information and the like are used as the extraction criteria.

Abstract: A spotting pin 10 capable of spotting equal amounts of a solution in a sequential manner comprises a first member 11 having a solution holding portion 13 formed at the tip thereof for holding a predetermined amount of solution, and a second member 12 having a solution supply portion 14 for holding the solution by a capillary action, the second member adapted to slide along the first member. As the solution supply portion 14 is brought into contact with the solution holding portion 13, the solution enters the solution holding portion 13 from the solution supply portion 14 by a capillary action. As the solution supply portion 14 and the solution holding portion 13 are separated from each other, a predetermined amount of the solution can be carried in the solution holding portion 13. Then, as the solution holding portion 13 is brought into contact with a water-absorbing support 21, a spot 22 of a predetermined amount of the solution can be formed thereon.

Abstract: The present invention enables the accurate management of the total number of spotting counts for each spotting pin. An IC chip is installed on the spotting pin to allow the IC chip to accumulate spotting-count information, and during each spotting time the information is loaded up and displayed.

Abstract: The present invention aims at minimizing the influence of residual fluorescence emitted from adjacent spots, upon reading time-resolved fluorescence. The path of laser beam scan is set to be intermittent such that residual fluorescence from adjacent spots gives no effect. In other words, the spots are read in a skipping manner.

Abstract: The present invention measures defect fluorescence exhibited from a defect level mainly on a semiconductor nanoparticle surface site which has an energy level existing inside the forbidden band of energy levels inside the semiconductor nanoparticle.

Abstract: Retrying processing in access of data having different properties required such as reliability and real time property of the access is optimized. In a magnetic disk apparatus connected to a host computer 10 through a connection interface and including a magnetic disk controller and a magnetic disk, the magnetic disk controller includes a retrying table in which an area address, an area size, a retrying limit value and the like are set for each of a plurality of storage areas A, B and the like of the magnetic disk and the retrying limit value set in the retrying table from the host computer is used to optimize the retrying processing for data having different reliability or real time property of access such as management data and image/audio data stored in each of the storage areas A, B and the like individually.

Abstract: An ionic polymer that binds to an ionic polymer such as DNA is identified. In order to identify an ionic polymer that is positively charged, for example, another, negatively charged, polymer is immobilized on a substrate or a bead. A positively charged ionic polymer is adsorbed on the substrate or bead. When the surrounding ionic environment is suddenly decreased, the adsorbed complex is stabilized, whereas the structure of the immobilized, non-adsorbed ionic polymer becomes unstable. By providing the immobilized ionic polymer with a marker for differentiating a stable structure from an unstable one, it can be determined on which immobilized ionic polymer the ionic polymer to be identified has been adsorbed.

Abstract: Conventionally, reaction measurement for a reaction using semiconductor nanoparticles has been conducted by measuring absorbance and fluorescence intensity in a solution, and thus only a relative evaluation has been available, and its operation is complicated. The present invention provides an industrial evaluation method that is simply performed by conducting the measurement after a semiconductor nanoparticle solution is dried. Further, the measurement in a dry condition allows semiconductor nanoparticles to be applied to biopolymer microarrays or the like.

Abstract: The disk array controller includes a plurality of interfaces with respective processors for connecting with a host computer or disk devices, duplicated shared memories connected in a one to one ratio between each interface and respective access paths, a selector connected to the plurality of interfaces, and a cache memory connected to the selector. The number of access paths between the selector and the plurality of interfaces is greater than the number of access paths between the cache memory and the selector. Each processor performs dual writing in the duplicated shared memories.

Abstract: A method is provided for the orthocorrection of a satellite-acquired image. This method can be applied even if ground control points are not set. Without propagation of an error throughout the image and also without needing an excessively large amount of calculations, the method makes it possible to correct ground-relief-associated distortions caused by the relief of a ground surface. According to the method, a plurality of control planes of different elevations are set relative to a control plane of a zero elevation of a reference rotating ellipsoidal earth model. A corrected image is divided into blocks by lattices of equal intervals. With respect to each of these blocks, distortion model formulas in the form of bilinear functions are determined for the respective control planes.

Abstract: Retrying processing in access of data having different properties required such as reliability and real time property of the access is optimized. In a magnetic disk apparatus connected to a host computer 10 through a connection interface and including a magnetic disk controller and a magnetic disk, the magnetic disk controller includes a retrying table in which an area address, an area size, a retrying limit value and the like are set for each of a plurality of storage areas A, B and the like of the magnetic disk and the retrying limit value set in the retrying table from the host computer is used to optimize the retrying processing for data having different reliability or real time property of access such as management data and image/audio data stored in each of the storage areas A, B and the like individually.

Abstract: Hybridization using a deoxyribonucleic acid chip is accelerated while strengthening bonding, and sensitivity and accuracy upon scanning is improved even after washing salts off. A deoxyribonucleic-acid-binding protein is used in a hybridization solution for a deoxyribonucleic acid chip so as to strengthen hybridization signal intensity. In addition, background noises are reduced by use of pure water in a washing process. As a result, a S/N ratio upon the hybridization can be improved.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to accomplish the automatic preparation of road data in which roads and intersections are expressed by polygons that show accurate agreement with the complicated road shapes on city maps. In simple polygon preparation processing 3, the respective line segments of road network data 2 in which roads are expressed as line segments are expanded in the direction of the width dimension, thus producing simple road polygon data 4 which has a width that is slightly greater than the width of the roads in the city map data 5. Next, in scissors data preparation processing 6, scissors data 7 which defines the outlines of roads is prepared from the city map data 5 by connecting shape lines in the vicinity of roads. Next, in road polygon preparation processing 9, road polygon data 9 which shows good agreement with the shapes of roads in the city map data is prepared by trimming the simple road polygons along the road outlines defined by the scissors data.

Abstract: A method and apparatus generates data concerning a partition of land such as farmland based on an observation image of the surface of the earth photographed by a high-altitude flying vehicle such as a satellite or airplane at high speed while reducing the burden on the user. The method comprises the steps of extracting edges in the observation image; extracting a rectangle region on the image by determining and connecting points of intersection of a plurality of straight lines extending radially from a point on the image and the edges; and adjusting the extracted rectangle region by refining and correcting it.

Abstract: A technique is provided that easily detects biopolymers such as a DNA or a protein by utilizing semiconductor nanoparticles having different excitation wavelengths and fluorescence due to differences in particle size. By binding the semiconductor nanoparticles with avidin (or biotin), detection of biopolymers labeled with biotin (or avidin) is enabled.

Abstract: Detects the presence of binding between a sample biopolymer and a probe biopolymer and the amount of binding, without modifying the sample biopolymer in any way. The present invention provides a reagent for biopolymer detection comprising semiconductor nanoparticles on which a functional group having a positive or negative charge is exposed, and a method for biopolymer detection which detects the presence of binding between a sample biopolymer and a probe biopolymer and the amount of binding by electrostatically binding a semiconductor nanoparticle on which a functional group having a positive or negative charge is exposed to a negative or positive charge of the sample biopolymer.