Abstract: An illumination unit includes a light guide and a light converter. Wettability which a distal end side surface of the light guide has for an enclosing member of the light converter is lower than wettability which a distal end face has for the enclosing member.

Abstract: Disclosed are a thermoacoustic engine with high conversion efficiency from heat energy to acoustic energy and a designing method for the thermoacoustic engine. A stack of the thermoacoustic engine has a plurality of flow passages extending through a thermoacoustic piping section. A hot heat exchanger is coupled to one end in a longitudinal direction of the stack. A cold heat exchanger is coupled to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the stack. And a length in the longitudinal direction of the hot heat exchanger is greater than a length in the longitudinal direction of the stack, and is greater than a length in the longitudinal direction of the cold heat exchanger.

Abstract: A light source device includes a first semiconductor light source, a second semiconductor light source, and a wavelength converter. The first semiconductor light source emits light in a first wavelength range. The second semiconductor light source emits light in a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range. The wavelength converter absorbs the light in the first wavelength range to emit light in a third wavelength range different from either of the first wavelength range and the second wavelength range, and transmits the light in the second wavelength range substantially entirely.

Abstract: Onboard terminal device includes its own vehicle information acquisition section, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication section, and a collision risk determination section. The vehicle information acquisition section acquires the vehicle information including position information of an own vehicle. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication section performs wireless communications with another vehicle to communicate one's vehicle information to another vehicle and to receive the another vehicle's information, which includes position information of the another vehicle, from the another vehicle. The collision risk determination section determines a risk of collision between the one vehicle and the another vehicle by using a predetermined determination algorithm.

Abstract: An illuminating device includes: a semiconductor light source; a temperature control unit disposed on the light source for controlling a temperature of the light source to a desired temperature; a dew condensation determination unit for determining whether dew condensation may occur based on at least a temperature associated with the illuminating device and an ambient environment condition of the illuminating device; and a temperature control mode selection control unit for selecting, as a temperature control mode of the temperature control unit, a dew condensation suppression mode in which the temperature control unit has a temperature higher than a predetermined temperature and equal to or less than an upper limit of a usable temperature of the light source, based on priority items of operational control of the illuminating device and characteristics of the light source, to temperature-control the temperature control unit, when the determination unit determines that dew condensation may occur.

Abstract: A future shape estimation apparatus includes an insertion section, a shape sensor and an insertion section future shape estimation circuit. The insertion section has flexibility and is to be inserted into an observation target object. The shape sensor detects a bending state of the insertion section and outputs a detection signal. The insertion section future shape estimation circuit estimates a future shape of the insertion section after a predetermined lapse of time based on information acquired from the detection signal output from the shape sensor, and outputs the future shape as future estimation shape information.

Abstract: An endoscope includes an illuminator to emit illumination light comprised by narrow band lights different in wavelength from an end portion of the endoscope and an imager to image an observation object illuminated by the illumination light emitted from the illuminator. The illuminator includes a light quantity output adjuster to independently control the light quantity of each of the narrow band lights. The endoscope allows observation in three types of modes of a white light mode, a special light mode, and a hybrid mode. A spectral pattern of illumination light in the hybrid mode includes at least a part of a color region of a narrow band light included in the special light mode and is different from either of a spectral pattern of illumination light in the white light mode and a spectral pattern of illumination light in the special light mode.

Abstract: An endoscope light source device includes a light source to emit light, and a speckle reduction member to scatter the light. The reduction member has a surface including thickness variation to provide the light with an optical path difference. The device also includes a drive to move the reduction member, and a lens to condense the light passed through the reduction member onto a light guide of an endoscope. The surface of the reduction member has inclination of an average inclination angle. The average inclination angle is determined so that a light quantity loss rate of the entering light into the light guide by scattering of the reduction member and refraction of the lens has a positive value equal to or smaller than an effective allowable loss rate.

Abstract: A safe driving assistance device includes a region setting section that sets a collision risk determination region used for determining presence or absence of a collision risk of a host vehicle, and a determination section that determines a collision risk between the host vehicle and another vehicle using a host vehicle collision risk determination region, another vehicle collision risk determination region, and environment data. The host vehicle collision risk determination region of the host vehicle is set based on travel data of the host vehicle, a vehicle specification of the host vehicle, and the environment data obtained by the host vehicle. The other vehicle collision risk determination region is obtained by a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device. The other vehicle collision risk determination region is the collision risk determination region of the other vehicle as a collision risk determination target with the host vehicle set by the other vehicle.

Abstract: An endoscope system includes: an excitation light source to emit excitation light; non-excitation light sources to emit non-excitation light; an optical combiner configured to integrate optical paths of the excitation light and non-excitation light into a common optical path; and a wavelength conversion unit including a wavelength conversion member disposed on the common optical path. The wavelength conversion member transmits the non-excitation light, absorbs part of the excitation light to generate wavelength-converted light, and emits illumination light including the non-excitation light and wavelength-converted light. Spectra of the non-excitation light each have a peak wavelength in a wavelength band out of a wavelength band of a spectrum of the wavelength-converted light.

Abstract: A nickel-hydrogen secondary battery includes an electrode group comprising a separator, a positive electrode, and a negative electrode, and the positive electrode contains a positive electrode active material including a base particle comprising a nickel hydroxide particle containing Mn in solid solution and a conductive layer comprising a Co compound and covering the surface of the base particle, wherein the X-ray absorption edge energy of Mn detected within 6500 to 6600 eV by measurement with an XAFS method is 6548 eV or higher.

Abstract: An on-board terminal device includes a location measuring section that measures a location of an own vehicle, a wireless communication section that transmits own vehicle information including location information of the own vehicle to other vehicles and receives other vehicle information including location information of the other vehicles from the other vehicles by execution of wireless communication with the other vehicles, and a monitoring section that estimates the location of the other vehicles and calculates a relative distance between the own vehicle and the other vehicles when the wireless communication has been interrupted, and executes an alarm process for preventing collision of the own vehicle and the other vehicles when the relative distance is less than a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: The present invention provides a microneedle device comprising: a substrate; a microneedle disposed on the substrate; and a coating layer formed on the microneedle; in which the coating layer comprises a recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone, arginine, and glycerin, in the coating layer, the mass of arginine is 0.07 to 0.75-fold of the mass of the recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone and the mass of glycerin is 0.1 to 2.75-fold of the mass of the recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone.

Abstract: A light source apparatus includes a light source optically connectable to a scope including a light guide configured to guide light, and first and second illumination light emission units configured to radiate illumination light based on the guided light on a subject, and a light quantity distribution changing device disposed on an optical path of the light emitted from the light source. The light quantity distribution changing device is configured to control a light quantity of the light brought into each of the first illumination light emission unit and the second illumination light emission unit, so as to change a light quantity distribution of the illumination light radiated on the subject.

Abstract: An endoscope system includes an illumination section, a color component ratio measurement section and a light quantity ratio adjustment circuit. The illumination section including a light source sequentially or simultaneously radiates an illumination light being a plurality of narrow-band lights having wavelengths different from each other and having light quantities which are independently controllable each other, on an observation object. The color component ratio measurement section measures a color component ratio of the illumination light. The light quantity ratio adjustment circuit adjusts a light quantity ratio of the narrow-band lights based on an output from the color component ratio measurement section and performs color correction to cause the illumination light to be a desired color.

Abstract: An endoscope light source device includes a light source to emit light, and a speckle reduction member to scatter the light. The reduction member has a surface including thickness variation to provide the light with an optical path difference. The device also includes a drive to move the reduction member, and a lens to condense the light passed through the reduction member onto a light guide of an endoscope. The surface of the reduction member has inclination of an average inclination angle. The average inclination angle is determined so that a light quantity loss rate of the entering light into the light guide by scattering of the reduction member and refraction of the lens has a positive value equal to or smaller than an effective allowable loss rate.

Abstract: A light source illumination unit has operation modes including at least a normal electric power mode to operate with first electric power consumption, and a low electric power mode to operate with second electric power consumption lower than the first electric power consumption. A controller selects at least one of the operation modes in accordance with the current usage, and controls the light source illumination unit in accordance with the selected operation mode.

Abstract: A light source apparatus irradiates an observation target with first light in a wavelength region which does not include a wavelength region where an absorption peak of a target substance included in the observation target is present and second light in a wavelength region where the absorption peak is present. An image acquiring circuit includes an emphasized image information generating circuit which generates emphasized image information on the basis of first image information acquired by an imaging apparatus when the observation target is irradiated with the first light and second image information acquired by the imaging apparatus when the observation target is irradiated with the second light.

Abstract: A first light source module includes a light source-side connection hole to which a irradiation-side connector of a irradiation module is mechanically detachably attached. The light source-side connection hole is made common to the first irradiation-side connector, which is mounted in the first irradiation module, and the second irradiation-side connector, which is mounted in the second irradiation module, such that the light source-side connection hole is connectable to the first irradiation-side connector and the second irradiation-side connector.

Abstract: Provided is a zirconia sintered body that uses coloring of cerium oxide, the zirconia sintered body exhibiting a bright red color. The zirconia sintered body includes an oxide of cerium is an amount of 0.5% by mole or more and less than 4% by mole in terms of CeO2, yttria in an amount of 2% by mole or more and less than 6% by mole, an oxide of aluminum in an amount of 0.1% by weight or more and less than 2% by weight, and the balance being zirconia. The oxide of cerium contains trivalent cerium, and the zirconia has a crystal structure including a tetragonal phase.