Abstract: An ink supply device for a printhead includes an ink cartridge and a damper device. The ink cartridge is connected to the printhead through a flexible tube. The printhead is mounted on a carriage that reciprocates, and discharges an ink drop to perform printing. The damper device is mounted on the carriage to relax pressure fluctuation of ink supplied from the ink cartridge to the printhead. The damper device has a case, an ink introduction passage, and a flexible plate. The case defines a pressure chamber communicated with the printhead. The ink introduction passage is communicated with the flexible tube, and is communicated with the pressure chamber. The flexible plate is provided so as to define a part of the pressure chamber, and has a waveform portion formed with a plurality of waveforms.

Abstract: There is provided a medical support device for holding and positioning a needle. This device is particularly useful for positioning needles in a less invasive puncture treatment. This device comprises two rotational elements and at least one needle guide attached to a rotational element and. The needle guide guides the direction of insertion of a needle-like instrument and includes a guide portion that guides a needle or other needle-like instrument where the puncture point of the needle in a first position is different from the puncture point when the needle guide guides the needle in a second position.

Abstract: Exemplary methods, apparatus, and systems are provided for automated detection and registration of medical images using fiducial markers and processing algorithms. By either clustering fiducial markers having a different number, size, shape, configuration, or material property or by using fiducial markers arranged in a ring shape, wherein their arrangement is asymmetric, and then applying a feature extraction to extract the fiducial marker objects, and registering the fiducial marker objects with a model of the fiducial frame, automatic registration can be achieved.

Abstract: A process for producing on an industrial scale the oxidized coenzyme Q10, includes culturing a reduced coenzyme Q10-producing microorganism selected from the group consisting of the genus Rhodobacter, the genus Saitoella, the genus Schizosaccharomyces and the genus Trichosporon, to obtain microbial cells containing reduced coenzyme Q10 at a ratio of not less than 70 mole % among the entire coenzymes Q10; and one of: (a) oxidizing thus-obtained reduced coenzyme Q10 to oxidized coenzyme Q10 and then extracting the oxidized coenzyme Q10 by an organic solvent; or (b) extracting reduced coenzyme Q10 by an organic solvent and oxidizing the extracted reduced coenzyme Q10 to oxidized coenzyme Q10.

Abstract: An ink supply device for a printhead includes an ink cartridge and a damper device. The ink cartridge is connected to the printhead through a flexible tube. The printhead is mounted on a carriage that reciprocates, and discharges an ink drop to perform printing. The damper device is mounted on the carriage to relax pressure fluctuation of ink supplied from the ink cartridge to the printhead. The damper device has a case, an ink introduction passage, and a flexible plate. The case defines a pressure chamber communicated with the printhead. The ink introduction passage is communicated with the flexible tube, and is ated with the pressure chamber. The flexible plate is provided so as to define a part of the pressure chamber, and has a waveform portion formed with a plurality of waveforms.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for measuring a force (which will be referred to as surface force) acting between two material surfaces. A surface force measuring method includes moving an object (1) toward a probe (4) until the probe (4) is adsorbed to the object (1), then applying a load from an electromagnetic-force generator (20) to a supporting member (6) in a direction as to separate the probe (4) from the object (1) while gradually increasing an electric current supplied to the electromagnetic-force generator (20), obtaining a value of the electric current supplied to the electromagnetic-force generator (20) when the probe (4) is separated from the object (1), and converting the value of the electric current into a surface force acting between the probe (4) and the object (1).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing reduced coenzyme Q10 which comprises obtaining microbial cells containing reduced coenzyme Q10 at a ratio of not less than 70 mole % among the entire coenzymes Q10, optionally disrupting the cells and recovering thus produced reduced coenzyme Q10. The present invention also relates to a process for producing oxidized coenzyme Q10 which comprises either recovering oxidized coenzyme Q10 after oxidizing the above-mentioned microbial cells or disrupted product thereof, or recovering reduced coenzyme Q10 from the above-mentioned microbial cells or disrupted product thereof to oxidize thus-obtained reduced coenzyme Q10 thereafter. According to the processes of the present invention, reduced coenzyme Q10 and oxidized coenzyme Q10 can be produced simply on the industrial scale.

Abstract: A positioning apparatus including a needle holder having a through hole for regulating needle placement and movement, a needle positioning unit, and an engagement member that fixes a position of the needle holder with respect to the needle positioning unit. The needle holder is either least partially detachably attached to the needle positioning unit or deformable. The positioning apparatus may be designed to accommodate the placement of multiple needles.

Abstract: A sheath apparatus includes, a plurality of node rings configured to be tilted with respect to each other, each node ring defining a substantially cylindrical wall and having at least one hole passing through said cylindrical wall, the plurality of node rings being arranged next to each other along a linear axis such that consecutive node rings contact each other at a contact plane; a manipulating wire going through the holes in said stacked node rings; and a position restoring component configured to restore said stacked node rings from a tilted position to an original position, wherein said position restoring component is located inside or outside of the stacked node rings.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for measuring a force (which will be referred to as surface force) acting between two material surfaces. A surface force measuring method includes moving an object (1) toward a probe (4) until the probe (4) is adsorbed to the object (1), then applying a load from an electromagnetic-force generator (20) to a supporting member (6) in a direction as to separate the probe (4) from the object (1) while gradually increasing an electric current supplied to the electromagnetic-force generator (20), obtaining a value of the electric current supplied to the electromagnetic-force generator (20) when the probe (4) is separated from the object (1), and converting the value of the electric current into a surface force acting between the probe (4) and the object (1).

Abstract: A sheath apparatus includes, a plurality of node rings configured to be tilted with respect to each other, each node ring defining a substantially cylindrical wall and having at least one hole passing through said cylindrical wall, the plurality of node rings being arranged next to each other along a linear axis such that consecutive node rings contact each other at a contact plane; a manipulating wire going through the holes in said stacked node rings; and a position restoring component configured to restore said stacked node rings from a tilted position to an original position, wherein said position restoring component is located inside or outside of the stacked node rings.

Abstract: The present invention provides a medical instrument which is capable of reducing damage, such as cutting of a wire, to the medical instrument even if excessively large load is applied to an inserting portion. A medical instrument including: a deformable portion; a wire configured to deform the deformable portion; a driving unit configured to drive the wire; a drive control unit configured to control the driving unit; and a load detecting unit configured to detect load applied to the deformable portion, wherein when the load detected by the load detecting unit exceeds a threshold value, the drive control unit controls the driving unit to retain posture of the deformable portion.

Abstract: To prevent a medical apparatus such as an endoscope or an electrophysiological catheter that includes an insertion portion to be inserted into the body of a patient from breaking at any unexpected positions. A medical apparatus includes a bendably deformable portion, a deforming-force-transmitting mechanism that is connected to a part of the bendably deformable portion, and an operation portion that applies a deforming force or a shape retaining force to the bendably deformable portion by controlling a tension applied to the deforming-force-transmitting mechanism. The deforming-force-transmitting mechanism includes a tension reducing mechanism.

Abstract: When a bendable medical instrument is used, the present invention reduces a risk that a body of the medical instrument is damaged. The present invention provides a medical instrument which includes: a deformable portion; a wire configured to deform the deformable portion; and a driving unit configured to transmit driving force to the wire, wherein: the medical instrument includes a load detecting unit configured to detect load applied to the deformable portion; and when the load detected by the load detecting unit exceeds a threshold value, the driving unit breaks connection between the wire and the driving force.

Abstract: An apparatus including a tendon-driven device such as an endoscope comprising a bendable body, a tendon attached to and extending a length of said body, and an actuator that will actuate said tendon based on a control signal from a controller. The controller is configured to send said control signal to said actuator and comprises a forward-kinematic-mapping unit that estimates an angular displacement, wherein the kinematic-mapping unit is configured for: providing a tension value of the tendon to obtain a desired angular displacement wherein the tension has a nonlinear relationship with the desired angular displacement based on information of friction where the tension is greater that would be calculated without including the effect of friction. The friction coefficient may be determined as it changes over time.

Abstract: An electrostatic charged particle beam lens includes an electrode including a flat plate having a first surface having a normal line extending in a direction of an optical axis and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the electrode having a through-hole extending from the first surface to the second surface. When an opening cross section is defined as a cross section of the through-hole taken along a plane perpendicular to the normal line and a representative diameter is defined as a diameter of a circle obtained by performing regression analysis of the opening cross section, a representative diameter of the opening cross section in a first region that is on the first surface side and a representative diameter of the opening cross section in a second region that is on the second surface side are smaller than a representative diameter of the opening cross section in a third region that is a region in the electrode disposed between the first surface and the second surface.

Abstract: A microstructure includes a substrate, and a grating provided in the substrate and made of metal. The grating is provided with a plurality of holes. The plurality of holes are arranged in a first direction. In a plane containing the first direction, the maximum value of the distance between the center of gravity of a grating region composed of the grating and the plurality of holes and the outer edge of the grating region is less than 1.39 times the minimum value of the distance between the center of gravity of the grating region and the outer edge of the grating region.

Abstract: An optical system for a charged particle includes a first member though which a charged particle beam is transmitted and a second member to control optically the charged particle beam transmitted through the first member. The second member has a fixing portion fixed to the first member. A slit is arranged between a part of the second member and the fixing portion to separate the part of the second member from the fixing portion, such that the part of the second member is a cantilever beam structure pivotal in relation to the fixing portion.