Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for predicting a risk of developing cancer. DNA samples were prepared from blood and cancer tissues of 2480 cancer patients and analyzed for the nucleotide sequences of exon regions using NGS. As a result, among the cancer patients, 7 patients were confirmed to have D49H mutation or A159D mutation which is a germ cell mutation.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for predicting a risk of developing cancer. DNA samples were prepared from blood and cancer tissues of 2480 cancer patients and analyzed for the nucleotide sequences of exon regions using NGS. As a result, among the cancer patients, 7 patients were confirmed to have D49H mutation or A159D mutation which is a germ cell mutation.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for collecting highly accurate data for diagnosis, useful in diagnosing the presence or absence of extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma, intrahepatic bile duct carcinoma, or gallbladder carcinoma, and a kit for diagnosis. When the concentration of CEACAM1 in a blood sample collected from a test subject is detected using a kit for diagnosis comprising an antibody specifically binding to CEACAM1 or a labeled product thereof, or the like and the CEACAM1 concentration is higher than the concentration of CEACAM1 in a blood sample derived from a non-carcinoma control subject or higher than a certain threshold value (cutoff value), data can be collected for diagnosing the test subject as having a high possibility of having extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma, intrahepatic bile duct carcinoma, or gallbladder carcinoma.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for collecting highly accurate data for diagnosis, useful in diagnosing the presence or absence of extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma, intrahepatic bile duct carcinoma, or gallbladder carcinoma, and a kit for diagnosis. When the concentration of CEACAM1 in a blood sample collected from a test subject is detected using a kit for diagnosis comprising an antibody specifically binding to CEACAM1 or a labeled product thereof, or the like and the CEACAM1 concentration is higher than the concentration of CEACAM1 in a blood sample derived from a non-carcinoma control subject or higher than a certain threshold value (cutoff value), data can be collected for diagnosing the test subject as having a high possibility of having extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma, intrahepatic bile duct carcinoma, or gallbladder carcinoma.

Abstract: A tube pump for an ink jet printer includes a driving wheel that is selectively driven in a forward or reverse direction in accordance with the rotation of a drive source. The driving wheel contains two slots that extend symmetrically and radially from the center of the driving wheel. The pump also includes two rollers that are coupled to the drive wheel via roller shafts respectively extending from a radial center of the rollers into the slots. A pressing piece is also provided that forces the shafts into the radially outermost end of the slots to press a tube of the tube pump when said drive wheel rotates in reverse and forces the shafts into the radially innermost end of the slots to not press the tube when said drive wheel rotates in the forward direction. In an alternative arrangement, the tube pump contains a pump chamber, and a tube having an .alpha.-like-shaped loop portion is inserted into and disposed along the inner wall of the pump chamber.

Abstract: First and second cap members seal nozzle openings of first and second ink jet recording heads and are disposed on a side of a slider facing the nozzle openings. The slider is rotatably supported at the center portion in the longitudinal direction by a supporting member which is rotatable about a rotation shaft elongated in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage, and which is vertically movable in accordance with the movement of the carriage. When the carriage is moved, the slider swings about the shaft in a manner similar to a seesaw, whereby the two cap members are sequentially fitted into the recording heads.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge is provided removably mountable onto an ink supply needle of the ink-jet type recording apparatus body. The cartridge has a housing provided with an ink supply port extending through and projecting from a wall of the housing and into the chamber of the housing. A porous member having ink impregnated thereon is positioned inside the chamber of the housing abutting against the ink supply port. A filter is mounted on the inner end opening of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge is further provided with a packing member for resiliently abutting against the outer periphery of the ink supply needle and is positioned adjacent one end of the ink supply port. The outer opening of the ink supply port is sealed with a sealing member through which the ink supply needle penetrates.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus which includes a recording head communicated via an ink supply needle with an ink tank and including electrodes for detecting a remaining amount of ink and being responsive to a print signal for spouting ink drops to recording paper, a capping unit abutting against the front of said recording head for holding the nozzle openings in an airtight state, a suction pump for supplying negative pressure to the capping unit, a resistance value detection circuit for detecting electric resistance across the electrodes for detecting a remaining amount of ink, a reference value storage unit for storing a resistance value across the electrodes relative to the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank, a resistance value comparison unit for comparing the resistance across the electrodes with the reference value, and a pump control unit responsive to the resistance value comparison result for controlling a pulse motor driving the suction pump.

Abstract: A sheet transporting device includes a drive roller including a high rigidity roller having a surface coated with ceramic particles and a follower roller including an elastic roller having a surface coated with a low friction material. A sheet of printing medium is nipped and fed by the drive roller and the transporting roller.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge is provided removably mountable onto an ink supply needle of the ink-jet type recording apparatus body. The cartridge has a housing provided with an ink supply port extending through and projecting from a wall of the housing and into the chamber of the housing. A porous member having ink impregnated thereon is positioned inside the chamber of the housing abutting against the ink supply port. A filter is mounted on the inner end opening of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge is further provided with a packing member for resiliently abutting against the outer periphery of the ink supply needle and is positioned adjacent one end of the ink supply port. The outer opening of the ink supply port is sealed with a sealing member through which the ink supply needle penetrates.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes: an ink-jet recording head; a carriage on which the ink-jet recording head is mounted, the carriage being capable of traveling between a printing and a non-printing area, the carriage having an operating lever on non-printing area thereof; and a wiper for wiping the ink-jet recording head in the non-printing area, the wiper having a projected piece including two tilted sides, the tilted sides being projecting toward the passage in which the carriage moves when the wiper is set in position where the wiper is capable of wiping, wherein, while the carriage is moved in the directions of printing and non-printing area of the carriage, the operating lever comes in contact with the projected piece of the wiping lever so as to move the wiping means out of the traveling passage of the carriage.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge is provided removably mountable onto an ink supply needle of the ink-jet type recording apparatus body. The cartridge has a housing provided with an ink supply port extending through and projecting from a wall of the housing and into the chamber of the housing. A porous member having ink impregnated thereon is positioned inside the chamber of the housing abutting against the ink supply port. A filter is mounted on the inner end opening of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge is further provided with a packing member for resiliently abutting against the outer periphery of the ink supply needle and is positioned adjacent one end of the ink supply port. The outer opening of the ink supply port is sealed with a sealing member through which the ink supply needle penetrates.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus which includes a recording head communicated via an ink supply needle with an ink tank and including electrodes for detecting a remaining amount of ink and being responsive to a print signal for spouting ink drops to recording paper, a capping unit abutting against the front of said recording head for holding the nozzle openings in an airtight state, a suction pump for supplying negative pressure to the capping unit, a resistance value detection circuit for detecting electric resistance across the electrodes for detecting a remaining amount of ink, a reference value storage unit for storing a resistance value across the electrodes relative to the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank, a resistance value comparison unit for comparing the resistance across the electrodes with the reference value, and a pump control unit responsive to the resistance value comparison result for controlling a pulse motor driving the suction pump.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge is provided removably mountable onto an ink supply needle of the ink-jet type recording apparatus body. The cartridge has a housing provided with an ink supply port extending through and projecting from a wall of the housing and into the chamber of the housing. A porous member having ink impregnated thereon is positioned inside the chamber of the housing abutting against the ink supply port. A filter is mounted on the inner end opening of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge is further provided with a packing member for resiliently abutting against the outer periphery of the ink supply needle and is positioned adjacent one end of the ink supply port. The outer opening of the ink supply port is sealed with a sealing member through which the ink supply needle penetrates.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge is provided removably mountable onto an ink supply needle of the ink-jet type recording apparatus body. The cartridge has a housing provided with an ink supply port extending through and projecting from a wall of the housing and into the chamber of the housing. A porous member having ink impregnated thereon is positioned inside the chamber of the housing abutting against the ink supply port. A filter is mounted on the inner end opening of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge is further provided with a packing member for resiliently abutting against the outer periphery of the ink supply needle and is positioned adjacent one end of the ink supply port. The outer opening of the ink supply port is sealed with a sealing member through which the ink supply needle penetrates.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge is provided removably mountable onto an ink supply needle of the ink-jet type recording apparatus body. The cartridge has a housing provided with an ink supply port extending through and projecting from a wall of the housing and into the chamber of the housing. A porous member having ink impregnated thereon is positioned inside the chamber of the housing abutting against the ink supply port. A filter is mounted on the inner end opening of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge is further provided with a packing member for resiliently abutting against the outer periphery of the ink supply needle and is positioned adjacent one end of the ink supply port. The outer opening of the ink supply port is sealed with a sealing member through which the ink supply needle penetrates.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge is provided removably mountable onto an ink supply needle of the ink-jet type recording apparatus body. The cartridge has a housing provided with an ink supply port extending through and projecting from a wall of the housing and into the chamber of the housing. A porous member having ink impregnated thereon is positioned inside the chamber of the housing abutting against the ink supply port. A filter is mounted on the inner end opening of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge is further provided with a packing member for resiliently abutting against the outer periphery of the ink supply needle and is positioned adjacent one end of the ink supply port. The outer opening of the ink supply port is sealed with a sealing member through which the ink supply needle penetrates.

Abstract: An ink jet printer, including a gap regulating member that can forward a recording medium correctly by causing the recording medium to approach a recording head as closely as possible involving minimal parts. An upper surface of the gap regulating member serves as a surface for guiding travel of an ink jet head and a lower surface thereof serves as a surface for guiding a recording medium. The gap regulating member is disposed adjacent to a start end of an upwardly rotating region on a sheet feed roller in such a manner that the gap regulating member intersects a circumferential surface of the sheet feed roller at a small angle.

Abstract: A sheet feeding mechanism for a printing apparatus capable of achieving accurate sheet feed performance free from slanted sheet feeding, dislocation between pages in printing on copy sheets, out-of-pitch printing, and the like. The sheet feeding mechanism includes a pair of confronting roller units capable not only of applying a driving-like sheet feed force to both front and back surfaces of a copy sheet, but also of maintaining a constant pressure contact force from each roller. The shafts of the pair of confronting roller units are driven so that the sheet feed force is stable. The pressure contact force is produced by a structure wherein each roller is biased by independent loading.

Abstract: A sheet feeding mechanism for a serial printing apparatus capable of achieving accurate sheet feed performance free from slanted sheet feeding, dislocation between pages in printing on copy sheets, out-of-pitch, and the like. The sheet feeding mechanism includes a platen for receiving a bias force from a print head, first and second guide plates of the platen, first and second pairs of sheet feed rollers disposed outside the guide plates, a sheet guide member secured to move together with the print head, and a mechanism for elastically biasing a portion of the sheet guide member which confronts the platen onto the platen at all times. The first and second guide plates are positioned so as to be substantially coplanar with a print region of the platen, wherein one of the guide plates is positioned before the platen in the path of a sheet and the other guide plate is positioned after the platen in the path of a sheet.