Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes: an array transducer in which a plurality of elements are arranged; a transmitting unit that transmits an ultrasound beam to a subject; a receiving unit that receives ultrasound echoes from the subject to acquire element data; an element data analysis unit that analyzes the element data to acquire element data information; a collation pattern database in which a plurality of collation patterns that are associated with a plurality of examination parts of the subject and are related to the element data information are stored in advance; and a part recognition unit that collates the element data information using the collation pattern to perform part recognition determining from which examination part of the subject the ultrasound echoes have been reflected.

Abstract: Provided is a shock wave focusing device for a shock wave ablation system for coagulating and necrosing cardiac muscle tissue that becomes a cause of arrhythmia. A shock wave generation apparatus (10) comprises: a shock wave focusing device (11) which has a concave surface (11a); an optical fiber (12) which is inserted into the shock wave focusing device (11); a tubular catheter (13) which guides the optical fiber; an enclosure (14) which constitutes a space to be filled with liquid at the tip of the optical fiber (12); and the liquid (L) which is filled into the enclosure (14). The shock wave focusing device (11) is configured from a ring-shaped coupling part (16) provided with a central hole (11b), and 16 blade parts (17) curved outward from the edge of the coupling part (16) toward the front and provided elastically to the edge of the coupling part (16), and can be folded by rotating the blade parts (17) with respect to the coupling part (16).

Abstract: A cleaning device (100) according to the present invention is constituted by including in a cleaning nozzle member (21) provided inside a cleaning tank (2): a large pipe diameter part (211) that supplies a cleaning fluid (31) pressure-fed from a retention tank (3); a small pipe diameter part (212) that increases the speed of a flow rate for the cleaning fluid (31) flowing in the large pipe diameter part; a conical pipe diameter part (213) that generates a fluid that includes minute bubbles by cavitation; and a guide pipe diameter part (214) for accommodating an object (5) to be cleaned. The cleaning fluid (31) is ejected to the entirety of the object (5).

Abstract: There are provided a vascular information acquisition device, an endoscope system, and a vascular information acquisition method that can accurately acquire vascular information on a blood vessel of a target layer that is an object to be measured of a subject. A first blood vessel extraction unit (82) analyzes the image of a target layer to be measured and extracts a blood vessel (first blood vessel) from the image of a target layer. A blood vessel specification unit (84) specifies a blood vessel (second blood vessel) extending to a non-target layer from the target layer. In a case in which the second blood vessel is specified, a second blood vessel extraction unit (83) analyzes the image of the non-target layer in which the second blood vessel is present and extracts the specified second blood vessel from the image of the non-target layer.

Abstract: An endoscope system includes a correction-value calculating unit that calculates a correction value of data to be used for calculation of the biological information or the like; an index-value calculating unit that calculates one type of index value or a plurality of types of index values to be used as a determination reference for determining whether, for example, the correction value is to be calculated; a determination unit that determines, by using the one type of index value or the plurality of types of index values, whether an endoscope image is appropriate for correction; and a correction unit that, if the determination unit determines that the endoscope image is appropriate for correction, corrects the endoscope image, the biological information, or the data by using the correction value calculated by using the endoscope image that has been determined to be appropriate for correction.

Abstract: An endoscope system includes a correction-value calculating unit that calculates a correction value of data to be used for calculation of biological information or the like; an index-value calculating unit that calculates one type of index value or a plurality of types of index values to be used as a determination reference for determining whether the correction value is to be calculated or whether the correction value is to be used; a display unit that displays the one type of index value or the plurality of types of index values; an input unit that inputs an instruction for calculating the correction value or an instruction for executing correction by using the correction value; and a correction unit that, if the correction-value calculating unit calculates the correction value in response to the instruction for calculating the correction value or if the instruction for executing correction is issued, executes correction by using the correction value.

Abstract: In this ultrasound diagnostic device and ultrasound diagnostic image data processing method, an element data determination unit compares a pre-set threshold value with the average value of the amplitude values in the element direction of the element data calculated by an average value calculation unit in the element direction, and an RF data calculation unit performs a process in which the element data of which the absolute value of the amplitude value is the maximum is adopted as the RF data without phasing addition when the average value (Aa) is greater than the threshold value. Meanwhile, when the average value (Ab) is equal to or lower than the threshold value, the RF data calculation unit performs a process in which the average values of all the amplitude values in the element direction of the element data are adopted as the RF data without phasing addition.

Abstract: Provided is an imaging device capable of improving imaging accuracy while suppressing increase in a size of the device and cost thereof. An imaging device includes: a light source which is a semiconductor laser that radiates infrared light to an imaging target; a polarizing filter that blocks light that is reflected by a surface of the imaging target and transmits light that is reflected inside the imaging target; and an image sensor that receives the light that is transmitted through the polarizing filter and captures an image of the imaging target.

Abstract: In the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, the ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver transmits and receives an ultrasonic beam to a subject to generate reception data; the delay correction unit corrects a delay time of the reception data to align a phase of the reception data; the reception aperture level setting unit sets two or more reception aperture levels of reception data from reception data after correction of the delay time; the image producer produces ultrasound images corresponding to the set reception aperture levels, by performing phase matching addition on the reception data after correction of the delay time; and the image quality determination unit determines image qualities of the ultrasound images corresponding to the set reception aperture levels and selects an ultrasound image having a predetermined image quality.

Abstract: A correction image fluctuation amount obtained in a calibration mode and a measurement image fluctuation amount obtained in a measurement mode are compared with each other. On the basis of the comparison result, a temporary correction value, which satisfies a specific condition among temporary correction values stored in the correction value storage unit, is determined as a measurement correction value to be used for correction in a correcting unit.

Abstract: An object is prevented from being sandwiched between robot arms without the occurrence of unintentional operating restrictions of the robot arms. Provided is a robot system including: a robot body that is provided with at least two links that are relatively moved by at least one joint; a sensor that detects the distances from mutually opposed surfaces of the at least two links to an object inserted between the surfaces; and a control unit that performs an interference avoidance operation if the distances detected by the sensor are less than a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A building material having a caulking on a shiplap portion. The caulking is covered with a caulking-coating film. The building material demonstrates superior cuttability and adhesion with the shiplap portion and demonstrates almost free of staining caused by bleeding of the oil and the like. The caulking preferably contains either a styrene-based block copolymer resin, or a mixture of an olefin-based resin and an adhesive resin. A method for producing the building material includes a step of heating a caulking material to a temperature equal to or higher than a softening point of the caulking material, a step of forming a bead-like caulking by applying the heated caulking material onto a shiplap portion formed in a base material, and a step of coating the caulking with a caulking-coating material.

Abstract: Provided is a microorganism detection method which is highly versatile and applicable to both the test for the detection of specified microorganisms and the microbial enumeration test under the same test conditions for Kampo extract preparations and crude drugs containing a variety of antimicrobial substances, is able to effectively reduce the influence of antimicrobial substances in a test sample, and may detect target microorganisms with high precision. This method is a microorganism detection method in a test sample having antimicrobial activity, including a step of preparing a sample liquid containing a test sample having antimicrobial activity and a step of culturing a target microorganism in a culture medium, the method including allowing a (meth)acrylic acid ester-based synthetic adsorbent to act on the sample liquid and/or the culture medium.

Abstract: An endoscope system has an oxygen saturation calculation unit that calculates the oxygen saturation of an observation target using an LUT. The endoscope system includes: an image acquisition unit that acquires a correction image obtained by imaging the observation target before calculating the oxygen saturation; an image correction amount calculation unit that calculates an image correction amount for an oxygen saturation calculation image using the correction image; an image correction unit that corrects the oxygen saturation calculation image according to the image correction amount; and a storage unit that stores the correction image and an oxygen saturation image, which shows the oxygen saturation calculated by the oxygen saturation calculation unit using the oxygen saturation calculation image after correction, so as to be associated with each other.

Abstract: An endoscope system has an oxygen saturation calculation unit that calculates the oxygen saturation of an observation target using an LUT. The endoscope system includes: an image acquisition unit that acquires a correction image obtained by imaging the observation target before calculating the oxygen saturation; an oxygen saturation correction amount calculation unit that calculates an oxygen saturation correction amount with respect to the oxygen saturation using the correction image; an oxygen saturation correction unit that corrects the oxygen saturation calculated by the oxygen saturation calculation unit according to the oxygen saturation correction amount; and a storage unit that stores the correction image and an oxygen saturation image, which shows the oxygen saturation after correction, so as to be associated with each other.

Abstract: Provided are a sound speed calculation system and a sound speed calculation method that can calculate a sound speed in a region of interest of a subject with high accuracy. A focus (F) of ultrasonic waves (w) is set in a portion that is farthest in the transmission direction of the ultrasonic waves (w) in a region of interest (35). Several second ultrasound transducers (51) to (69) receive ultrasound echoes from the focus (F).

Abstract: Using ultrasound frame data generated from the ultrasound echo reflected from the living tissue, the movement amount of the living tissue and its representative value are calculated. In a case where the representative value of the tissue movement amount is equal to or greater than a threshold value, a hue conversion LUT_large having a large degree of hue change is used, and an elastic image in which distortion is expressed by hue corresponding to the magnitude is generated. On the other hand, in a case where the representative value of the movement amount of the living tissue is less than the predetermined threshold value, a hue conversion LUT_small having a small degree of hue change is used to generate an elastic image.

Abstract: A balancer, attachable via its attaching portion to a rotatable body, and rotatable together therewith about its rotation axis, includes: weights of same mass and shape; and a weight holder with storage chambers for housing the weights, respectively, such that the weights can oscillate in arbitrary directions. The weight is shaped similar to and smaller than the chamber. The chamber is a cylindrical space extending alongside its central axis; and has concave curved ends perpendicular to the central axis. Midpoints of the central axes of the chambers are contact points on a circumference of a circle having the rotation axis as its center and being on an arbitrary plane perpendicular to the rotation axis; and are positioned so that they create a rotational symmetry around the rotation axis. The balancer can correct dynamic imbalance in rotatable bodies, such as machine tools, at both low-speeds and high-speeds of rotation.

Abstract: Provided is a server device capable of increasing the availability of a device by urging a user who uses the device to perform actions related to maintenance service. In this server device, an information transceiver receives operation information about a device. A remaining life determination unit determines the remaining life of the device or a component of the device based on the operation information. When the determined remaining life reaches a predetermined remaining life or becomes shorter than the predetermined remaining life, a transmission destination setting unit sets a device that is possessed by a person having a predetermined relationship with the user of the device as a transmission destination for the transmission of maintenance service information based on relationship information indicating the relationship between the user of the device and another person who is not the user. The information transceiver transmits the maintenance service information to the transmission destination.

Abstract: A control method of the present disclosure is a control method of an information processing apparatus which includes a storage unit that stores predetermined resource information related to a resource required for a living activity of a user, the method including: an acquiring step of acquiring device information; an estimating step of estimating a living activity of the user; a competition extracting step of extracting a living activity group including living activities for which the resources are likely to compete among the living activities, based on the resource information; a resource judging step of judging whether a required resource has been secured for each of the living activities, based on the device information and the resource information; and an inhibition extracting step of extracting, as an inhibited living activity, a living activity for which it has been judged that the required resource has not been secured.