Abstract: An optical fiber is vibrated at an emitting end part by a scanning part, and light is irradiated from an emitting end face of the optical fiber onto an object to scan the object. The scanning part includes a pair of first direction coils facing each other in a first direction across the emitting end part, and a permanent magnet installed as penetrating the emitting end part. The permanent magnet is magnetized in the axial direction of the emitting end part. The scanning part drives, by supplying power to the first direction coils, the emitting end part to vibrate in the first direction in the second or higher-order resonance mode, forming nodes of the vibration within the permanent magnet. When in a state of non-vibration in the first direction, a relative distance between the permanent magnet and the first direction coils is smaller than that in other directions.

Abstract: Provided is a calibration method for flowmeters in a blood dialysis system, whereby highly accurate calibration can be performed even by omitting a reference flowmeter not directly relating to dialysis therapy. This calibration method comprises: while preventing outflow into a blood channel in a blood purifier, supplying a liquid to a channel, said channel passing through an inflow flowmeter and an outflow flowmeter; and then calibrating the inflow flowmeter and the outflow flowmeter correction whereby, at the time of liquid supply, a value measured by the outflow flowmeter is equalized to a value measured by inflow flowmeter.

Abstract: A blood purification device for purifying blood drawn from a body and then returning the blood into the body, including: a pump provided midway along a fluid path through which blood or a dialysis fluid flows; a valve that is provided midway along the fluid path and closes or opens a part of the fluid path; and a control unit that causes a blood purification process of passing the blood or the dialysis fluid through the fluid path for blood purification, a priming process of driving the pump and the valve to supply a priming fluid to the fluid path before the blood purification processing, and a pressure reduction process of reducing pressure in a gap in the fluid path to a negative pressure state before supply of the priming fluid.

Abstract: This method is for calibrating an optical scanning apparatus that includes an optical fiber with a tip supported to allow vibration and an actuator that drives the tip of the optical fiber in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber. The method includes arranging a position sensitive detector that detects a position of emitted light from the tip of the optical fiber (step S02) and detecting the position of the emitted light with the position sensitive detector while supplying light to the optical fiber and driving the tip of the optical fiber (step S03). The step of detecting (step S03) is performed using an interference fringe reducer that reduces interference fringes occurring along an optical path reaching the position sensitive detector.

Abstract: This dialysis-fluid supply system, which mixes a diluent and at least two drugs to generate a dialysis fluid, and outputs said dialysis fluid, is provided with: a mixing tank which mixes the drugs and the diluent to generate the dialysis fluid; a storage tank which stores and outputs the dialysis fluid generated by the mixing tank; a transport mechanism for transporting, to the storage tank, the dialysis fluid generated by the mixing tank; an output mechanism for outputting, to a dialysis device, the dialysis fluid stored in the storage tank; and a control unit for controlling the driving of the transport mechanism and the output mechanism.

Abstract: This dialysis-fluid supply system, which mixes a diluent and at least two drugs to generate a dialysis fluid, and outputs said dialysis fluid, is provided with: two tanks which mix the drugs and the diluent to generate the dialysis fluid, and store said dialysis fluid; a water supply device and a drug supply device which supply the diluent and the drugs to each of the tanks; mechanisms for outputting, to a dialysis device, the dialysis fluid stored in each of the tanks; and a control unit for controlling the driving of these. During output of the dialysis fluid from at least one of the tanks, the control unit sequentially switches the supply destination tank for the drugs and the diluent, and the dialysis-fluid output source tank, between the two tanks in order to generate the dialysis fluid in the other tank.

Abstract: This optical scanning actuator can improve yield and assembly efficiency. An optical scanning actuator (10) includes a piezoelectric element (14) that is joined to a displaceably supported emission end (11a) of an optical fiber (11) and displaces the emission end (11a) in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis direction of the optical fiber (11) by expanding and contracting in the optical axis direction. The piezoelectric element (14) includes an identifier (16) for identifying a polarization direction, the identifier (16) being formed physically.

Abstract: The method includes a process of (i) and a process of (ii) in this order. In the process of (i), the potential of a first anode and the potential of a first cathode are adjusted in an aqueous solution containing chloride ions so as to increase the concentration of free chlorine in the aqueous solution. In the process of (ii), the potential of a second anode and the potential of a second cathode are adjusted in the aqueous solution so as to decrease the concentration of free chlorine in the aqueous solution. The difference between the potential of the second anode and the potential of the second cathode in the process of (ii) is smaller than the difference between the potential of the first anode and the potential of the first cathode in the process of (i).

Abstract: Provided is an optical scanning observation apparatus including: a light source unit (30) for outputting laser light; a scanning part (23) for scanning, on an object of observation (70), a condensing position of the laser light output from the light source; and a detection unit (40) for sampling signal light obtained through scanning of the laser light, and converting the signal light into an electric signal, in which a sampling time for detecting signal light per one sampling is varied in accordance with changes in scanning rate of the scanning part (24) scanning on the object of observation (70). In this manner, variation in resolution of an image resulting from changes in scanning rate per each sampling can be reduced.

Abstract: An optical scanning actuator (1) includes an optical fiber (2) having a tip (2a) supported to allow vibration and includes a piezoelectric element (4) that generates a driving force by expanding and contracting in the direction of the optical axis of the optical fiber (2), the driving force driving the tip (2a) of the optical fiber (2) in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis. The optical scanning actuator (1) has rotational asymmetry or two-fold rotational symmetry about the optical axis of the optical fiber (2), and the resonance direction of the tip (2a) of the optical fiber (2) and the direction of the driving force of the piezoelectric element (4) are substantially parallel.

Abstract: In a light irradiation apparatus, an elongated body has flexibility that allows for elastic restoration. An LED chip is closely fixed to a tip portion of the elongated body and emits ultraviolet light. A cover unit covers the LED chip so as to protect the LED chip and allows the ultraviolet light emitted by the LED chip to pass through the cover unit. A conductive unit extends in a longitudinal direction of the elongated body and passes electric current for allowing the LED chip to emit light. An insulation unit covers the conductive unit so as to ensure electrical insulation of the conductive unit.

Abstract: An optical fiber is vibrated at an emitting end part by a scanning part, and light is irradiated from an emitting end face of the optical fiber onto an object to scan the object. The scanning part includes a pair of first direction coils facing each other in a first direction across the emitting end part, and a permanent magnet installed as penetrating the emitting end part. The permanent magnet is magnetized in the axial direction of the emitting end part. The scanning part drives, by supplying power to the first direction coils, the emitting end part to vibrate in the first direction in the second or higher-order resonance mode, forming nodes of the vibration within the permanent magnet. When in a state of non-vibration in the first direction, a relative distance between the permanent magnet and the first direction coils is smaller than that in other directions.

Abstract: In a light irradiation apparatus, an elongated body has flexibility that allows for elastic restoration. An LED chip is closely fixed to a tip portion of the elongated body and emits ultraviolet light. A cover unit covers the LED chip so as to protect the LED chip and allows the ultraviolet light emitted by the LED chip to pass through the cover unit. A conductive unit extends in a longitudinal direction of the elongated body and passes electric current for allowing the LED chip to emit light. An insulation unit covers the conductive unit so as to ensure electrical insulation of the conductive unit.

Abstract: A seal member and outer cylinder needle (OCN) tip part for blocking, in a fluid-tight state, both external peripheral space (EPS) end parts formed between the external-peripheral-surface of an inner needle (IN) and internal peripheral surface of an OCN, for slidably holding the IN in close contact; an opening part formed on the OCN external-peripheral-surface and for intravascular communication with the EPS; an OCN connection part for communicating between the EPS and blood circuit end; an IN connection part for communicating between the IN internal space and other blood circuit end. The movable IN positioned between the projecting position where the tip part protrudes from the OCN tip and the housed position housing the tip inside the OCN. The IN punctures the blood vessel interior while holding the projecting position, and moved to the housed position after puncture allowing blood to extracorporeally circulate via the OCN and IN connection part.

Abstract: Provided is a nonlinear optical device capable of alleviating, without the need for a complicated compensation mechanism, temporal broadening and the waveform distortion resulting from a group-velocity dispersion slope, to thereby irradiate an object with short optical pulses having high peak power. The nonlinear optical device includes a short optical pulse source (10) for generating short optical pulses and a short optical pulse delivery system (20) for delivering the short optical pulses generated from the short optical pulse source to an object, in which there is generated substantially no nonlinear optical effect and there is substantially no amount of group-velocity dispersion, the short optical pulse source generates short optical pulses, and the short optical pulses have a spectral width (full width at half maximum) ?FWHM satisfying ?1<?FWHM<?2.

Abstract: Provided is an optical scanning observation apparatus including: a light source unit (30) for outputting laser light; a scanning part (23) for scanning, on an object of observation (70), a condensing position of the laser light output from the light source; and a detection unit (40) for sampling signal light obtained through scanning of the laser light, and converting the signal light into an electric signal, in which a sampling time for detecting signal light per one sampling is varied in accordance with changes in scanning rate of the scanning part (24) scanning on the object of observation (70). In this manner, variation in resolution of an image resulting from changes in scanning rate per each sampling can be reduced.

Abstract: The optical fiber delivery system for delivering optical short pulses includes: a chirped pulse source (10) for emitting an up-chirped optical short pulse having high peak power; optical waveguide unit (20) for delivering the optical short pulse emitted from the chirped pulse source (10); negative group-velocity dispersion generation unit (30) for providing negative group-velocity dispersion to the optical short pulse exited from the optical waveguide unit (20); and an optical fiber (40) for delivering the optical short pulse exited from the negative group-velocity dispersion generation unit (30), along a desired distance, in which the optical short pulse emitted from the chirped pulse source (10) is adapted to be exited, from the optical fiber (40), as a down-chirped optical short pulse that is substantially free of waveform distortion resulting from higher-order dispersion.