Abstract: An exemplary image forming apparatus includes: an illumination system which sequentially emits illuminating light beams from multiple different irradiation directions; an image sensor which captures a plurality of different images in the multiple different irradiation directions, respectively; an image processing section which forms a high-resolution image; and a memory which stores data about the ratio of light rays that have been incident on a photoelectric conversion section of each pixel of the image sensor to light rays that have passed through the upper surface of a plurality of subpixels included in the pixel with respect to each of the multiple irradiation directions. The image processing section forms the high-resolution image based on the data that has been retrieved from the memory by extracting, as a vector, a set of pixel values associated with the multiple irradiation directions from pixel values that form each of the plurality of images.

Abstract: A similar case searching apparatus includes: a search vector generating unit which: with reference to a relevance database storing the degrees of relevance between (i) a combination of the keyword extracted by the keyword extracting unit and the attribute value of the keyword obtained by the keyword attribute obtaining unit and (ii) the respective image feature quantities extracted by the image feature extracting unit, performs weighting on (i) the image feature quantities extracted by the image feature extracting unit and (ii) image feature quantities extracted from a second medical image group of medical images included in a second case data item stored in the case database, using the degrees of relevance as weights; and a similar case searching unit which searches out, from the case database, the second case data item similar to a first case data item by comparing the weighed image feature quantities (i) and (ii).

Abstract: A pathological diagnosis support apparatus which outputs a diagnostic region that is to be used as a target for diagnosis in a specimen image representing a specimen that is a target for pathological diagnosis, and includes: a target obtainment unit which obtains the specimen image and specimen information related to a scheme for preparing the specimen; a criterion obtainment unit which obtains a criterion corresponding to the specimen information from a database associating, for each of specimens, specimen information related to a scheme for preparing the specimen with a criterion indicating a condition of a positive rate which is to be satisfied by the diagnostic region in a specimen image; and an output unit which outputs, as the diagnostic region, each of one or more regions in the specimen image having the positive rate determined to satisfy a condition indicated by the criterion obtained by the criterion obtainment unit.

Abstract: A similar case searching apparatus includes: an image feature quantity extracting unit which extracts image feature quantities from an interpretation target image; a reference expression extracting unit which extracts a reference expression from a description related to a second test in a target image interpretation report; a weight determining unit which determines, for each image feature quantity, a weight which is larger as the correlation between the image feature quantity and the reference expression is higher, based on two-data correlation information; and a similar case searching unit which searches a case database for a similar case data item including a medical image similar to the interpretation target image, by weighting the image feature quantity extracted from the interpretation target image and a corresponding image feature quantity extracted from the medical image and comparing the weighted image feature quantities.

Abstract: An image measurement apparatus includes: a lighting unit that emits a first narrowband light with a bandwidth (i) narrower than a bandwidth of a visible light and (ii) including a dominant wavelength of a color of a positive cell nucleus; an image obtaining unit that obtains an examination image by capturing an image of a pathologic examination specimen to which the first narrowband light is emitted; a cell nuclei extracting unit that extracts pixels of positive cell nuclei from the examination image by comparing pixel values of the examination image with a predetermined threshold; a positive proportion calculating unit that calculates a proportion of the positive cell nuclei among cell nuclei included in the pathologic examination specimen, using the pixels of the positive cell nuclei extracted by the cell nuclei extracting unit; and an output unit that outputs the proportion.

Abstract: An ignition plug providing excellent ignition performance that can be maintained over a long period of time by restraining channeling. The ignition plug includes a ceramic insulator having an axial bore, a center electrode inserted into the axial bore, a metallic shell, and a ground electrode fixed to the metallic shell, and has a cavity defined by an inner circumferential surface of the axial bore and the forward end surface of the center electrode. The axial bore includes a first straight portion and a diameter-reducing portion. As viewed on a section which contains an axis (CL1) of the ignition plug, a relational expression ??10 is satisfied, where ? (°) is an acute angle formed by a straight line orthogonal to the axis (CL1) and the outline of the diameter-reducing portion.

Abstract: A diagnostic support apparatus includes a base vector matching unit configured to match test image base vectors used for a base representation of a test image feature quantity of a test image and normal image base vectors used for a base representation of a normal image feature quantity of a normal image, a lesion determination unit configured to determine that the test image includes an image of a lesion site when a difference between a test image base coefficient and a normal image base coefficient is greater than a threshold, the test image base coefficient being a coefficient with which the test feature quantity is transformed to the base representation, and the normal image base coefficient being a coefficient with which the normal feature quantity is transformed to the base representation, and a determination result output unit configured to output a result of the determination by the lesion determination unit.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus including: an examination image obtaining unit obtaining an examination image of an examination subject; a shift-invariant feature quantity calculating unit calculating, for each pixel, a shift-invariant feature quantity represented by predetermined base vectors, from the examination image obtained by the examination image obtaining unit; a selecting unit selecting, on the examination image, a pixel having a matching degree lower than or equal to a predetermined threshold, between (i) a relative positional relationship of classes in normal images each of which does not include a lesion site and (ii) a relative positional relationship of the classes to which shift-invariant feature quantities respectively belong in the examination image, the classes being obtained by clustering the shift-invariant feature quantities: calculated from pixels included in the normal images; and represented by the predetermined base vectors; and an output unit outputting a result of the selection perfo

Abstract: An image measurement apparatus includes: an image acquiring unit that acquires a sample image that is an image obtained by capturing an image of a sample; a standard color space converting unit that converts the sample image into a standard sample image that is an image in a standard color space; a color distribution normalizing unit that converts the standard sample image into a normalized sample image by converting pixel values of pixels in the standard sample image to cause a color distribution vector indicating a color distribution of the standard sample image to match a predetermined standard color distribution vector indicating a standard color distribution; and a positive rate acquiring unit that detects positive pixels by performing threshold processing on pixel values of pixels in the normalized sample image, and acquires a positive rate indicating a proportion of the detected positive pixels.

Abstract: A similar case searching apparatus includes: a search vector generating unit which: with reference to a relevance database storing the degrees of relevance between (i) a combination of the keyword extracted by the keyword extracting unit and the attribute value of the keyword obtained by the keyword attribute obtaining unit and (ii) the respective image feature quantities extracted by the image feature extracting unit, performs weighting on (i) the image feature quantities extracted by the image feature extracting unit and (ii) image feature quantities extracted from a second medical image group of medical images included in a second case data item stored in the case database, using the degrees of relevance as weights; and a similar case searching unit which searches out, from the case database, the second case data item similar to a first case data item by comparing the weighed image feature quantities (i) and (ii).

Abstract: A medical image compression device includes: a compression target obtaining unit obtaining a target medical image to be compressed and diagnostic finding information for the target image; a clinical condition range obtaining unit dividing the target image into regions for the respective clinical conditions based on the diagnostic finding information; a pixel value prediction unit, for an arbitrary pixel, referring to a prediction knowledge database, and calculating a prediction probability of a value of a prediction target pixel based on the clinical condition of the prediction target pixel and the appearance distribution of the value of the prediction target pixel; a coding unit coding the value of the prediction target pixel based on the prediction probability of the pixel value; and an output unit outputting a code of the prediction target pixel after being coded by the coding unit.

Abstract: The diagnostic support apparatus includes a feature quantity calculation unit vectorizing a test image into shift-invariant feature quantities, a base representation unit transforming the shift-invariant feature quantities of the test image into a linear combination of base vectors with first coefficients, the base vectors being calculated from a plurality of vectors representing shift-invariant feature quantities of a plurality of normal structural images including no lesion site, a lesion determination unit determining that the test image includes a lesion site when a difference between the first coefficients and second coefficients is greater than a determination threshold value, the second coefficients being used to transform shift-invariant feature quantities calculated from one of the normal structural images into a linear combination of the base vectors, and an output unit outputting a result of the determination by the lesion determination unit.

Abstract: A digital specimen manufacturing device comprises: a reduction processing unit which generates a reduced image by reducing a high resolution image of a first magnification into a second magnification image; an operation instruction unit which instructs the imaging unit to update the second magnification and recapture the low resolution image when information indicates the difference between the reduced image and the low resolution image is not within the allowable error range; and an image processing unit which obtains a third magnification, and outputs an image of the digital specimen by reducing the high resolution image into an image of the third magnification which an image magnification greater than the updated second magnification and smaller than the first magnification.

Abstract: A plasma jet ignition plug including a wire-wound resistor for restraining the radiation of noise while allowing application of a sufficiently large current for generation of plasma to a spark discharge gap at the time of ignition. The wire-wound resistor having an inductance of 1 ?H to 100 ?H inclusive and a resistance of 1? or less, and is provided on at least one of a center electrode and a ground electrode. The wire-wound resistor restrains current which is generated by the influence of stray capacitance present in the plasma jet ignition plug, thereby reducing noise.

Abstract: A similar case searching apparatus includes: an image feature quantity extracting unit which extracts image feature quantities from an interpretation target image; a reference expression extracting unit which extracts a reference expression from a description related to a second test in a target image interpretation report; a weight determining unit which determines, for each image feature quantity, a weight which is larger as the correlation between the image feature quantity and the reference expression is higher, based on two-data correlation information; and a similar case searching unit which searches a case database for a similar case data item including a medical image similar to the interpretation target image, by weighting the image feature quantity extracted from the interpretation target image and a corresponding image feature quantity extracted from the medical image and comparing the weighted image feature quantities.

Abstract: A plasma jet spark plug capable of preventing a channeling progress and having excellent heat conduction. The plasma jet spark plug comprised of: a ceramic insulator having a small diameter portion which assumes a linear shape in an axial direction, and a center electrode has an outer diameter increasing in the order of a frontmost portion, a step portion, a front end portion and a body portion.

Abstract: A current of sufficient size to form plasma at ignition of a plasma jet ignition plug flows to a spark discharge gap while suppressing noise occurrence. There is provided an ignition apparatus of a plasma jet ignition plug, which includes a resistor R1, with one end connected to a diode D1 disposed between the plasma jet ignition plug 100 and a high-voltage generation circuit 210 and with the other end electrically connected to a center electrode 40 of the plasma jet ignition plug 100, and a capacitor C1, with one end connected to the center electrode 40 of the plasma jet ignition plug 100 and with the other end grounded.

Abstract: An ignition plug providing excellent ignition performance that can be maintained over a long period of time by restraining channeling. The ignition plug includes a ceramic insulator having an axial bore, a center electrode inserted into the axial bore, a metallic shell, and a ground electrode fixed to the metallic shell, and has a cavity defined by an inner circumferential surface of the axial bore and the forward end surface of the center electrode. The axial bore includes a first straight portion and a diameter-reducing portion. As viewed on a section which contains an axis (CL1) of the ignition plug, a relational expression ??10 is satisfied, where ? (°) is an acute angle formed by a straight line orthogonal to the axis (CL1) and the outline of the diameter-reducing portion.

Abstract: A control system for controlling the ignition of a plasma-jet spark plug provided in an internal combustion engine senses an operating condition of the internal combustion engine, and determines an ignition mode of the plasma-jet spark plug in accordance with the sensed operating condition. The control system performs an ignition control of breaking down the insulation across a spark discharge gap by applying a first electric power to the plasma-jet spark plug, and producing plasma in the vicinity of the spark discharge gap by applying a second electric power to the spark discharge gap in a state of dielectric breakdown. The control system performs this ignition control according to the ignition mode determined as mentioned above.

Abstract: A spark plug comprising a center electrode, a first noble metal tip joined to the center electrode, an insulator, a metallic shell, a ground electrode joined to the metallic shell and including an outer layer and an inner layer, and a second noble metal tip joined to the ground electrode by way of a melted portion, wherein in a cross section of the ground electrode, the protrusion height A of the second noble metal tip is 0.4mm or more, the ground electrode includes a substantially flat joining surface to which the second noble metal tip is joined and an outwardly curved surface, the inner layer has at the joining surface side a substantially flat surface or recessed surface, and the minimum distance F between the melted portion and the inner layer is 0.1mm or more.