Abstract: A microscopic examination device includes: a camera that images an observation area of an examination subject observed with a microscope device so as to acquire an image of the observation area; and one or more processors including hardware, the one or more processors being configured to: align the image of the observation area with an area in a reference image, the area corresponding to the image of the observation area; generate a navigation map from the reference image by recording, on the reference image, a position of the image of the observation area in the reference image; calculate a direction of movement to an unobserved area in the navigation map, the unobserved area being an area where the position of the image of the observation area is not recorded; and present an access method to the unobserved area on a basis of the direction of movement.

Abstract: A microscopic examination device includes: a camera that images an observation area of an examination subject observed with a microscope device so as to acquire an image of the observation area; and one or more processors including hardware, the one or more processors being configured to: align the image of the observation area with an area in a reference image, the area corresponding to the image of the observation area; generate a navigation map from the reference image by recording, on the reference image, a position of the image of the observation area in the reference image; calculate a direction of movement to an unobserved area in the navigation map, the unobserved area being an area where the position of the image of the observation area is not recorded; and present an access method to the unobserved area on a basis of the direction of movement.

Abstract: A piezoelectric actuator (1) includes: a piezoelectric element (3); and a first frictional portion (10) and a second frictional portion (12) that are disposed on one principal surface (2d) of the piezoelectric element (3). The first frictional portion (10) is disposed at a position other than the antinodes of the piezoelectric element (3) at which a distance from one of the end surfaces (2a) is less than ? L, where L represents a length in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric element (3). The second frictional portion (12) is disposed at a position other than the antinodes of the piezoelectric element (3) at which a distance from the other of the end surfaces (2b) is less than ? L.

Abstract: An observation device includes: a camera that acquires an observation image by photographing a subject; one or more processors comprising hardware, the one or more processors being configured to: generate a reference image by performing image processing on the acquired observation image for eliminating an abnormality in the observation image; and a display that displays the generated reference image and the observation image in a switching manner.

Abstract: A disclosed microscopy method includes: setting a first capturing condition for previous capturing to generate a previous image for generating a primary image based on a subject, the previous capturing being sweep capturing that is capturing while changing a focal plane position with respect to the subject, such that brightness saturation does not occur in the previous image; causing an imaging apparatus to capture the previous image in accordance with the first capturing condition for the previous capturing set at the setting; setting a second capturing condition for primary capturing to generate the primary image on the basis of the previous image captured through the previous capturing by the imaging apparatus, the primary capturing being the sweep capturing; and causing the imaging apparatus to capture the primary image in accordance with the second capturing condition that has been set in the setting the second capturing condition.

Abstract: A microscopy system includes: an imaging unit configured to capture a subject image generated by an observation optical system of a microscope, and acquire an image; a shifting unit configured to shift positions of a focal plane and a field of view of the observation optical system; an imaging control unit configured to cause the imaging unit to acquire a multi-focused image by shifting the positions of the focal plane and the field of view in one exposure period of the imaging unit; a shift amount acquisition processing unit configured to acquire a shift amount, by which the position of the field of view is shifted; an all-focused image generating unit configured to respectively generate plural all-focused images based on plural multi-focused images and on blurring information; and a display unit configured to consecutively display the generated plural all-focused images.

Abstract: An image observation device configured to: generate a reference image on a basis of one or more two-dimensional images of a Z-stack image constituted of two-dimensional images acquired by shifting a focal position; generate, on the generated reference image, a frame having window portions covering different small regions and superimposed on the reference image; allow a user to operate the generated frame; allocate different focal ranges to the respective window portions of the frame; generate, for the respective small regions covered by the respective window portions, omnifocal images by using, among the two-dimensional images in regions corresponding to the respective small regions, the two-dimensional images in the focal ranges allocated to the respective window portions; replace the regions of the reference image in the respective window portions with the respective generated omnifocal images based on the different focal ranges; and display the reference image, the frame, and the omnifocal images.

Abstract: A microscopy system includes: an imaging unit that acquires an image by capturing an object image generated by an observation optical system; a shift unit that shifts a focal plane and a position of a field of view of the observation optical system; an imaging control unit that causes the imaging unit to acquire a multi-focus superimposed image including image information on planes in an optical axis direction of the observation optical system by shifting the focal plane and the position of the field of view during one exposure period; a shift amount acquisition processing unit that acquires a shift amount by which the position of the field of view is shifted; an all-in-focus image generation unit that generates all-in-focus images based on multi-focus superimposed images, respectively, acquired under conditions in which the shift amounts are different; and a display unit that displays the all-in-focus images.

Abstract: A microscopy system includes: an image acquisition unit configured to acquire slice images generated by capturing an object image while shifting a focal position along an optical axis of an observation optical system included in a microscope; an image shift processing configured to relatively shift, with respect to one slice image among the slice images, another slice image in a plane including the one slice image; an all-in-focus image generation unit configured to generate all-in-focus images by combining the one slice image and the other slice image relatively shifted with respect to the one slice image under conditions in which shift amounts of the other slice image with respect to the one slice image are different; and a display unit configured to display the all-in-focus images.

Abstract: An image observation device configured to: generate a reference image on a basis of one or more two-dimensional images of a Z-stack image constituted of two-dimensional images acquired by shifting a focal position; generate, on the generated reference image, a frame having window portions covering different small regions and superimposed on the reference image; allow a user to operate the generated frame; allocate different focal ranges to the respective window portions of the frame; generate, for the respective small regions covered by the respective window portions, omnifocal images by using, among the two-dimensional images in regions corresponding to the respective small regions, the two-dimensional images in the focal ranges allocated to the respective window portions; replace the regions of the reference image in the respective window portions with the respective generated omnifocal images based on the different focal ranges; and display the reference image, the frame, and the omnifocal images.

Abstract: A disclosed microscopy method includes: setting a first capturing condition for previous capturing to generate a previous image for generating a primary image based on a subject, the previous capturing being sweep capturing that is capturing while changing a focal plane position with respect to the subject, such that brightness saturation does not occur in the previous image; causing an imaging apparatus to capture the previous image in accordance with the first capturing condition for the previous capturing set at the setting; setting a second capturing condition for primary capturing to generate the primary image on the basis of the previous image captured through the previous capturing by the imaging apparatus, the primary capturing being the sweep capturing; and causing the imaging apparatus to capture the primary image in accordance with the second capturing condition that has been set in the setting the second capturing condition.

Abstract: A microscopy system includes: an imaging unit configured to capture a subject image generated by an observation optical system of a microscope, and acquire an image; a shifting unit configured to shift positions of a focal plane and a field of view of the observation optical system; an imaging control unit configured to cause the imaging unit to acquire a multi-focused image by shifting the positions of the focal plane and the field of view in one exposure period of the imaging unit; a shift amount acquisition processing unit configured to acquire a shift amount, by which the position of the field of view is shifted; an all-focused image generating unit configured to respectively generate plural all-focused images based on plural multi-focused images and on blurring information; and a display unit configured to consecutively display the generated plural all-focused images.

Abstract: A piezoelectric actuator (1) includes: a piezoelectric element (3); and a first frictional portion (10) and a second frictional portion (12) that are disposed on one principal surface (2d) of the piezoelectric element (3). The first frictional portion (10) is disposed at a position other than the antinodes of the piezoelectric element (3) at which a distance from one of the end surfaces (2a) is less than ? L, where L represents a length in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric element (3). The second frictional portion (12) is disposed at a position other than the antinodes of the piezoelectric element (3) at which a distance from the other of the end surfaces (2b) is less than ? L.

Abstract: A microscopy system includes: an imaging unit that acquires an image by capturing an object image generated by an observation optical system; a shift unit that shifts a focal plane and a position of a field of view of the observation optical system; an imaging control unit that causes the imaging unit to acquire a multi-focus superimposed image including image information on planes in an optical axis direction of the observation optical system by shifting the focal plane and the position of the field of view during one exposure period; a shift amount acquisition processing unit that acquires a shift amount by which the position of the field of view is shifted; an all-in-focus image generation unit that generates all-in-focus images based on multi-focus superimposed images, respectively, acquired under conditions in which the shift amounts are different; and a display unit that displays the all-in-focus images.

Abstract: A microscopy system includes: an image acquisition unit configured to acquire slice images generated by capturing an object image while shifting a focal position along an optical axis of an observation optical system included in a microscope; an image shift processing configured to relatively shift, with respect to one slice image among the slice images, another slice image in a plane including the one slice image; an all-in-focus image generation unit configured to generate all-in-focus images by combining the one slice image and the other slice image relatively shifted with respect to the one slice image under conditions in which shift amounts of the other slice image with respect to the one slice image are different; and a display unit configured to display the all-in-focus images.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes: a stage on which an object is configured to be placed; an imaging unit having an imager configured to image the object; a movement mechanism configured to perform a relative movement between the stage and the imaging unit in at least one direction within a placement plane for placing the object; a tilt mechanism configured to tilt at least one of an imaging surface of the imager and the stage relative to a moving direction of the movement mechanism; and a tilt angle setting unit configured to set a tilt angle of the tilt mechanism based on at least a magnification of the imaging unit and a size of an effective area on the imaging surface, the effective area being an area into which observation light from the object is introduced.

Abstract: Provided is a method for producing biodiesel fuel having an excellent oxidative stability and fluidity at low temperature, wherein the method provides selective hydrogenation of a poly-unsaturated fatty acid alkyl ester to the mono-unsaturated fatty acid alkyl ester while inhibiting the formation of the trans-isomer, and a biodiesel fuel composition. In the method for producing biodiesel fuel, a fatty acid alkyl ester prepared from fat and/or waste edible oil by transesterification reaction, and/or (2) a fatty acid alkyl ester treated by esterification reaction of a fatty acid is hydrogenated in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst containing at least one of noble metals selected from those of Groups 8-10 in the periodic table under low hydrogen pressure.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes: a stage on which an object is configured to be placed; an imaging unit having an imager configured to image the object; a movement mechanism configured to perform a relative movement between the stage and the imaging unit in at least one direction within a placement plane for placing the object; a tilt mechanism configured to tilt at least one of an imaging surface of the imager and the stage relative to a moving direction of the movement mechanism; and a tilt angle setting unit configured to set a tilt angle of the tilt mechanism based on at least a magnification of the imaging unit and a size of an effective area on the imaging surface, the effective area being an area into which observation light from the object is introduced.

Abstract: An imaging device includes: an imaging unit configured to image an object to acquire an image of the object; an imaging controller configured to cause the imaging unit to execute imaging while moving an observation region of the imaging unit with respect to the object in at least two different directions; a degradation information acquisition unit configured to acquire degradation information that indicates degradation caused in the image acquired by the imaging unit due to the moving of the observation region; and an image processing unit configured to perform, on at least two images, image composite processing and image restoration processing based on the degradation information, the at least two images having been acquired, by the imaging unit, by moving a same observation region in different directions.

Abstract: Provided is a method for producing biodiesel fuel having an excellent oxidative stability and fluidity at low temperature, wherein the method provides selective hydrogenation of a poly-unsaturated fatty acid alkyl ester to the mono-unsaturated fatty acid alkyl ester while inhibiting the formation of the trans-isomer, and a biodiesel fuel composition. In the method for producing biodiesel fuel, a fatty acid alkyl ester prepared from fat and/or waste edible oil by transesterification reaction, and/or (2) a fatty acid alkyl ester treated by esterification reaction of a fatty acid is hydrogenated in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst containing at least one of noble metals selected from those of Groups 8-10 in the periodic table under low hydrogen pressure.