Abstract: An optical fiber made up of a core for propagating the light and a cladding covering the core for interrupting light propagated within the core. The optical fiber includes a tip formed by sharpening an end of the core in a tapering fashion, a light-shielding coating layer formed on the surface of the tip and an aperture formed by exposing the foremost part of the tip from the light-shielding coating layer to outside. The light-shielding coating layer operates as a light shielding portion for interrupting the light radiated on other than the aperture and light enters or exits only at the aperture, and light is propagated in the core as it is repeatedly reflected at a core-cladding boundary and is collected at the tip so as to be radiated via the aperture. The light entering the tip via the aperture is conducted into the core via the tip.

Abstract: An electrostatic levitating electrode (10) is split into four equal segments on a circular insulating substrate (4) with isolating strips (11a, 11b) interposed between them. A positive voltage and a negative voltage are alternately applied to these four electrodes (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d), which are sector-shaped. In order to prevent the concentration of electric charge in such case, the corner portions of the sector-shaped electrodes (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) are formed to have roundness (13). Furthermore, a lead wire (12a) is connected to the outer side of the sector-shaped electrode (10a), a lead wire (12b) is connected to the outer side of the sector-shaped electrode (10b), a lead wire (12c) is connected to the outer side of sector-shaped electrode (10c), and a lead wire (12d) is connected to the outer side of sector-shaped electrode (10d).

Abstract: A ferromagnetic member (21) of a movable part (2) is disposed on a side of a stationary part (1) such that the ferromagnetic member (21) faces a high temperature superconductor (11) of the stationary part (1). The high temperature superconductor (11) is brought into a superconductive state by cooling it to a temperature below a critical temperature in a magnetic field. The magnetic flux pinned to the high temperature superconductor (11) is caused to pass through the ferromagnetic member (21) so that an attractive force is generated between the high temperature superconductor (11) and the ferromagnetic member (21) to hold the movable part (2). When the ferromagnetic member (21) has a shape such that when the gap becomes lower than a predetermined value, the attractive force decreases, the movable part (2) can be stably suspended in a non-contacting manner, without the necessity of control, by the combination of the high temperature superconductor (11) and the ferromagnetic member (21).

Abstract: A process for providing cDNAs containing full primary structure information of proteins by selectively synthesizing full-length cDNAs containing sequences starting from the capped region of mRNAs is disclosed. The invention provides a process for producing an intermediate for the synthesis of a full-length cDNA, which comprises the steps of treating mRNA extracted from cells to eliminate the phosphate group from the 5' end of an uncapped degraded mRNA; decapping from the 5' end of a capped intact mRNA; and ligating either a DNA oligonucleotide or a DNA-RNA chimeric oligonucleotide represented by the following general formula [I] to the 5' end phosphate group formed in the above step by the action of T4 RNA ligase, thereby selectively adding either the DNA oligonucleotide or the DNA-RNA chimeric oligonucleotide having an arbitrary sequence to the 5' end of the intact mRNA.5'-dN1-dN2- . . . -dNm-N1-N2- . . .

Abstract: An electrostatic actuator according to the present invention includes a first member having a plurality of striped electrodes insulated from one another and arranged in a prescribed direction with a prescribed spacing between them, a second member having a plurality of striped electrodes insulated from one another and arranged in a prescribed direction with a prescribed spacing between them, and continuous-waveform polyphase AC power supplies applied to the electrodes of the first member and the electrodes of the second member, one or both of the first member and second member being moved by an electrostatic coulomb force between the first member and the second member.

Abstract: A crystal solution growth method for growing a crystal by providing a temperature difference between the higher and lower regions of a solvent, and disposing a source crystal at a high temperature region of the solution and a seed crystal at a low temperature region of the solution. The crystal solution growth method includes the steps of: placing the seed crystal on a recess of a heat sink, the heat sink being disposed under the solvent and the recess being defined on the top surface of the heat sink; placing a seed stopper on the seed crystal to fix the seed crystal, the seed stopper having a tubular part with an inner diameter generally same as the seed crystal and a seed crystal fixing part for fixing the seed crystal formed at one end of, the tubular part on the seed crystal side; and forming a temperature difference between the higher and lower regions of the solvent and growing a crystal oil the surface of the seed crystal.

Abstract: An electrostatic actuator according to the present invention includes a first member having a plurality of striped electrodes insulated from one another and arranged in a prescribed direction with a prescribed spacing between them, a second member having a plurality of striped electrodes insulated from one another and arranged in a prescribed direction with a prescribed spacing between them, and continuous-waveform polyphase AC power supplies applied to the electrodes of the first member and the electrodes of the second member, one or both of the first member and second member being moved by an electrostatic coulomb force between the first member and the second member.

Abstract: Group II-VI compound semiconductor crystal containing Zn as group II element or mixed crystal containing the compound semiconductor crystal is etched by an etchant made of H.sub.2 SO.sub.4 aqueous solution dissolved with potassium permanganate KMNO.sub.4. Preferably, an etchant is moved round in a cylindrical vessel by a stirrer, and group II-VI compound semiconductor wafers are held by a jig, disposed generally in parallel with the flow of the etchant, immersed into the etchant, and mirror-etched.