Abstract: An implant material includes a base material, and a silicon-containing carbon thin film formed on a surface of the base material. The carbon thin film contains a C—C component in which carbon atoms are bonded, and a SiC component in which carbon and silicon atoms are bonded, and a ratio of the SiC component is 0.06 or higher.

Abstract: A medical device includes a medial device body, and a diamond-like thin film covering the medical device body and containing silicon. The diamond-like thin film has a concentration of silicon which is lower in a surface thereof than in an interface thereof with the medical device body mentioned above, and continuously varies.

Abstract: A stent includes a stent body of a cylindrical configuration having outer and inner surfaces, a first coated layer coating at least the outer surface, and a second coated layer coating substantially completely over the first coated layer. The first coated layer is prepared of a first composition comprising a polymer and a vascular intimal hyperplasia inhibitor (preferably argatroban) of a kind, which does not inhibit proliferation of endothelial cells, the weight compositional ratio of the polymer to the inhibitor being within the range of 8:2 to 3:7. On the other hand, the second coated layer is prepared of a polymer alone or a second composition comprising a polymer and a drug, the weight compositional ratio of the drug to 80% by weight of the polymer being less than 20% by weight.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for evaluating the physiological activity of an external stimulus on living cells by means of a surface plasma resonance analyzer, which comprises evaluating the physiological activity of the external stimulus on the cells with an indication of a secondary signal appearing after a primary signal upon the exposure of the living cells to the external stimulus. According to the invention, the level of the physiological activity of an external stimulus on living cells can be evaluated accurately.

Abstract: A pressing mold for use in press working of a material includes a mold body, a coating film formed on the portion of the pressing mold that comes into contact with the material in the press working, the coating film being formed by PVD method. The coating film includes a TiN layer formed on a surface of the mold body, a Ti(CxNy) layer (wherein, x+y=1, x<1, and x gradually increases to 1 as it becomes more distant from the surface of the TiN layer) formed on the TiN layer, and a TiC layer formed on the Ti(CxNy) layer.

Abstract: In the wafer producing apparatus of this invention, wafers each obtained by a slicing operation of a plurality of slicing devices are transported to a common finishing device by a transport device for chamfering. When the wafer is transferred to the transport device, an identification signal for identifying the slicing device by which the wafer is obtained is stored in an identification signal storage device. When the wafer is transferred from the transport device to the finishing device, the identification signal stored in the identification signal storage device is transmitted on a finish control device. Upon completion of the chamfering operation to the wafer by the finishing device, the finish control device controls the finishing device to allow the wafer to be stored in one of a plurality of wafer storage cassettes corresponding to the inputted identification signal.

Abstract: An apparatus for slicing a work includes: a blade member rotating device which rotates a blade member having an internal circular cutting edge; a radial moving device which produces a relative movement between the blade member and a work in a radial direction of the blade member to cut an end portion of the work; an axial moving device which produces a relative movement between the blade member and the work in an axial direction of the blade member; a displacement detector which detects an axial displacement of an inner portion of the rotating blade member; a rotational controller which controls the rotational speed of the blade member based on a detected axial displacement to reduce the axial displacement; and an axial movement controller which controls the axial relative movement between the blade member and the work based on the detected axial displacement so that an actual cutting position of the internal cutting edge with respect to the work is at a predetermined cutting reference position.

Abstract: A detecting device for use in a slicing apparatus which includes a blade member having an internal cutting edge in the form of a circle, a rotating driver for rotating the blade member about a center of the circle of the internal cutting edge, and a radial movement driver for producing a relative movement between the blade member and a work in a radial direction of the blade member so that an end portion of the work is cut into a piece by the internal cutting edge of the blade member, the detecting device being adapted for detecting a displacement of the blade member, includes: a detector which is disposed at a position being spaced away from the blade member and the work and allowing the piece in the process of being cut to intervene between the detector and the blade member and being operable to detect a distance to a specified position of the blade member; and a corrector which is operable to eliminate an influence to the distance detection which is caused by the intervention of the piece.

Abstract: A rod-shaped workpiece W is supported at its circumferential surface by a shoe 14 and a pair of rolls 16 and 17, and is rotated by the rolls 16 and 17. The rod-shaped workpiece W is ground by being abut against a backing plate 19 at its one end by the rotation of the rolls 16 and 17, and put in abrasive contact with a sectionally arch-shaped groove-like circumferential surface 20b of a grinding wheel 20 at its other end surface. A floating plate 37 is provided so that a slight gap takes place is in a guide hole 42 of a housing 36. A sphere 39 supported by a support member 38 is provided in a retaining recess 47 on a rear end surface of the floating plate 37, and the floating plate 37 is swingably supported.

Abstract: A method and device are adapted for detecting and controlling the flexure of a flat ring blade member of a slicing machine in which a workpiece is placed in the blade member, and a relative movement is rendered between the blade member being rotated and a workpiece in a radial direction of the blade member to produce a wafer of the workpiece. An axial load acting between the workpiece and the blade member is detected. A flexure amount of the blade member is calculated on the basis of the axial load detected. The flexure of the blade member is corrected on the basis of the flexure amount calculated.