Abstract: An artificial mitral valve has a ring, an anterior cusp-side region, a posterior cusp-side region and a valve leaflet connected along an outer edge of the ring. The valve leaflet includes an anterior cusp forming member connected to the anterior cusp-side region and a posterior cusp forming member connected to the posterior cusp-side region. The anterior cusp forming member is provided with has an upper edge joined to the ring and a lower edge that forms a bifurcated portion. The upper edge is made up of a pair of right and left edges that incline inward and upward from the right and left sides, and a curved edge interposed between the inclined edges that curves along the anterior cusp-side region. The posterior cusp forming member has an upper edge joined to the ring and a lower edge that forms a bifurcated portion.

Abstract: The present invention can give a joining structure using metal nanoparticles to join the same types or different types of metal where when one surface metal is Al based, the parts are joined through a joining layer containing Ni nanoparticles, whereby a good joining strength is obtained. Further, by using two joining layers (6, 8) including metal nanoparticles to sandwich metal foil (7) so as to form a joining layer and joining the same type or different types of surface metals (3-4) through this joining layer, it is possible to ease the thermal stress due to the difference in amounts of thermal expansion of joined members which have two surface metals.

Abstract: A plating apparatus (1) includes: a holding member (2) that holds a plated object (W); a spacer (4) that is stacked on the holding member (2) via a first seal member (3) in an annular shape surrounding the plated object (W), and has a through portion (45) from which the plated object (W) is exposed and which stores a plating solution; and an anode member (6) that is stacked on the spacer (4) via a second seal member (3) in an annular shape surrounding the through portion (45), and has an anode layer (62) arranged to face the plated object (W) which is exposed from the through portion (45).

Abstract: The free-piston engine 10 includes a combustion space F for combusting an air-fuel mixture, a piston 12 capable of reciprocation between a most-compressed position and a most-expanded position, suction ports 14 for introducing outside air into the combustion space F, and exhaust ports 16 for directing the exhaust gas to the outside. The piston 12 extracts power by moving from the most-compressed position to the most-expanded position by a combustion explosive force and returns from the most-expanded position to the most-compressed position by the actuation of a piston drive device. Furthermore, the piston 12 opens the exhaust port 16 to the combustion space F when the piston 12 has reached the most-expanded position, whereas the piston 12 closes the exhaust ports 16 to the combustion space F when the piston is present in a different position.

Abstract: An electrochemical analysis apparatus 1 includes a power controller 20 that generates a rectangular wave signal having a first frequency (f1) and applies the rectangular wave signal to an electrochemical cell 10 including a plurality of electrodes 11 to 13 and an electrolyte 14, a Fourier transform section 30 that Fourier-transforms a response signal of the electrochemical cell 10 to the rectangular wave signal and calculates frequency characteristics including a component of a second frequency f2 of an integer multiple of the first frequency f1, and a calculating section 40 that calculates an impedance characteristic of the electrochemical cell 10 based on the frequency characteristics calculated by the Fourier transform section 30.

Abstract: A method for treating a surface of a diamond thin film according to one aspect of the present invention performs one of a first substitution process for substituting part of hydrogen-terminals of a diamond thin film with fluorine-terminals in the absence of a fluorocarbon deposition on the surface of diamond thin film and a second substitution process for substituting part of hydrogen-terminals of a diamond thin film with fluorine-terminals in the presence of the fluorocarbon deposition on the surface of diamond thin film based on required surface properties of the diamond thin film.

Abstract: A method and a device for condensing a water-soluble organic matter, which can collect a highly concentrated water-soluble organic matter, save energy, and reduce cost of the device by reducing a membrane area. According to the present invention, the permeability ratio of a vapor-permeation separation membrane disposed at least immediately before a final outlet on a non-permeation side in the separation membrane device is lower than those of the other vapor-permeation separation membranes while a hybrid process combining distillation by the distillation column with membrane separation by the separation membrane devices including a plurality of vapor-permeation separation membranes is used and energy saving performance is maintained. Therefore, a highly concentrated and condensed component of a water-soluble organic matter is obtained.

Abstract: A photoelectric element 1 includes a first electrode, an electron transport layer supporting a photosensitizer, a hole transport layer, and a second electrode, and these components are stacked in the above order. The electron transport layer is formed of an organic compound produced by electrolytic polymerization of a precursor having, within one molecule thereof, two or more moieties each having a structure represented by the following structural formula (1). The photoelectric element 1 includes a gel layer composed of the organic compound and an electrolyte solution infiltrated into the organic compound.

Abstract: A surface chemical treatment apparatus provided with: a first conduit having an opening at one end and communicating with a liquid supply means at the other end; a second conduit having at one end an opening that surrounds the opening of the first conduit and communicating with a liquid suction means at the other end; and a moving mechanism for moving the openings of the first and second conduits relative to the solid phase surface, so as to make a surface chemical treatment possible in a fine pattern by allowing the patterning solution to be dispensed through the opening of the first conduit while allowing the solution to be suctioned up together with the surrounding liquid phase or gas phase medium through the opening of the second conduit that surrounds the opening of the first conduit and, thus, preventing seepage of the solution in all directions.

Abstract: A hydrotalcite-like substance capable of ion exchange with target anions, being of small crystal size that exhibits large basal spacing and excels at anion exchange performance; a process for producing the same; and a method of immobilizing hazardous substances. The hydrotalcite-like substance is produced by mixing an acidic solution containing aluminum and magnesium ions with an alkaline solution containing an alkali to synthesize a hydrotalcite-like substance, followed by, without ageing, water removal or neutralization. The molar ratio of aluminum ions and magnesium ions is preferably in the range of 1:5 to 1:2. Hazardous substances can be immobilized by pulverizing the hydrotalcite-like substance after synthesis and adding the powder to a subject, or adding a hydrotalcite-like substance in slurry form to a subject, or carrying out addition so as to cause the synthesis directly at the position of the subject.

Abstract: A method of extracting parallelism of an original program by a computer includes: a process of determining whether or not a plurality of macro tasks to be executed after a condition of one conditional branch included in the original program is satisfied are executable in parallel; and a process of copying the conditional branch regarding which the macro tasks are determined to be executable in parallel, to generate a plurality of conditional branches.

Abstract: A battery system includes: a secondary battery; a memory portion that stores information which includes a measurement frequency, a measurement temperature, and an initial limiting capacitance of one secondary battery; a temperature measuring section; a power supply section which applies an AC signal of 0.5 mHz to 10 mHz, to the secondary battery at 40° C. to 70° C.; a measuring portion which measures an impedance of the secondary battery by the AC signal; and a calculating portion that calculates the degree of degradation of the secondary battery.

Abstract: A lithium sulfur secondary battery includes a positive electrode containing a sulfur-based positive electrode active substance, an electrolytic solution, a negative electrode containing a negative electrode active substance that occludes and releases lithium, and a polymeric film that covers a surface of the positive electrode and allows lithium cations to pass but does not allow polysulfide anions to pass.

Abstract: An electrochemical analysis apparatus includes a power controller, a Fourier transform unit, and a calculating unit. The power controller generates a rectangular-wave signal, a first frequency F and a duty ratio D, and applies the signal to an electrochemical cell. The Fourier transform unit performs Fourier transform on first data obtained by sampling a response signal of the cell to calculate a first frequency characteristic including a component of a second frequency integer times as high as the first frequency. The Fourier transform unit performs Fourier transform on second data, a sampling start time of which is (1/F)·D (seconds) different from the first data from which the first frequency characteristic is calculated, to calculate a second frequency characteristic including a component of the second frequency. The calculating unit calculates an impedance characteristic of the cell based on the first frequency characteristic and the second frequency characteristic.

Abstract: Disclosed is a mobile body which plans an avoidance operation of the mobile body and an expected avoidance operation which is expected of a mobile obstacle, thereby improving efficiency of the avoidance operation. A mobile body (1) which moves along an operation target includes mobile obstacle detection means (6) and (7) for detecting a mobile obstacle in the vicinity of the mobile body (1), approach determination means (15) for determining whether or not the mobile obstacle and the mobile body approach each other within a predetermined interval, and operation planning means (16) for, when the approach determination means (15) determines that the mobile obstacle and the mobile body (1) approach each other within the predetermined interval, planning the avoidance operation of the mobile body (1) and an expected avoidance operation which is expected of the mobile obstacle.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a magnetic recording medium is provided including a disk-shaped non-magnetic substrate and at least a perpendicular magnetic layer formed on the disk-shaped non-magnetic substrate, wherein the perpendicular magnetic layer has a structure in which an FePt or CoPt nanoparticle array is formed on a formation surface, on which a plurality of striations each having a circumferential directional component are formed, by a texturing treatment; a manufacturing method thereof; and a magnetic record/reproduction apparatus including the magnetic recording medium or a magnetic recording medium manufactured according to the manufacturing method.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a power semiconductor device, which is capable of being operable regardless of thermal stress generation, reducing a heat generation from wire, securing the reliability of bonding portion when the device is used for dealing with a large amount current and/or under a high temperature atmosphere, a method of manufacturing the device and a bonding wire. In a power semiconductor device in which a metal electrode (die electrode 3) on a power semiconductor die 2 and another metal electrode (connection electrode 4) are connected by metal wire 5 using wedge bonding connection, the metal wire is Ag or Ag alloy wire of which diameter is greater than 50 ?m and not greater than 2 mm and the die 3 has thereon one or more metal and/or alloy layers, each of the layer(s) being 50 ? or more in thickness and a metal for the layer is selected from Ni, Cr, Cu, Pd, V, Ti, Pt, Zn, Ag, Au, W and Al.

Abstract: An image completion system includes a first endoscope for obtaining an operating field image, a second endoscope for imaging the object space in a line-of-sight direction different from that of the first endoscope to obtain a completing image, a first device for measuring separating distances between a reference point and a large number of set points that are set in the object space, a second device for measuring three-dimensional positions of the endoscopes, and an image processing device for obtaining, image information on cutoff regions in the object space that are hidden on the depth sides of surgical instruments by imaging the surgical instruments in the operating field image together with the object space, and for replacing image information on the surgical instruments S in the operating field image with the obtained image information or superimposing the obtained image information onto the image information on the surgical instruments.

Abstract: A highly thermally conductive printed circuit board prevents electrochemical migration by inhibiting elution of copper ions. The printed circuit board is a metal-base printed circuit board including a metal base plate having an insulating resin layer and a copper foil layer stacked thereon in this order. In the printed circuit board, the insulating resin layer contains a first inorganic filler made of inorganic particles having particle diameters of 0.1 nm to 600 nm with an average particle diameter (D50) of 1 nm to 300 nm, and a second inorganic filler made of inorganic particles having particle diameters of 100 nm to 100 ?m with an average particle diameter (D50) of 500 nm to 20 ?m, and the first inorganic filler and the second inorganic filler are uniformly dispersed in the insulating resin layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrode composite that has a reaction interface with a large area and can constitute a photoelectric element having high electron transport properties between the reaction interface and the electrode. The electrode composite of the present invention includes a first electrode and a conductive particle layer stacked on the first electrode. The conductive particle layer includes conductive particles containing acicular particles. The conductive particle layer has a three-dimensional porous network structure that is formed by the interconnection of the conductive particles. The three-dimensional network structure is joined to the first electrode. The conductive particle layer contains pores having a pore size of 50 nm or more in a total volume of 50% or more based on the volume of all pores in the conductive particle layer.