Automatic analyzer for blood or bone marrow. Has a pipetting robot automatically dispensing the (diluted) blood onto a slide in the form of two streaks. Microscopic images of the blood streaks are taken and the cells are counted and identified by an image recognition system. The analyzer can also strain blood and take images at defined wavelength-bands using either a filter or a tuneable LED.

Cushioning element (4) for footwear, having a deformable filling (12) and an envelope (10) that encloses the deformable filling. The envelope is arranged for forming at least one flow channel (837). In use, at least part of the deformable filling flows into the at least one flow channel as a result of increased pressure of the deformable filling caused by a mechanical load The deformable filling contains solid bodies and further contains a lubricating fluid for mutually lubricating the solid bodies. A dimension of the at least one flow channel is arranged for hindering entrance of the solid bodies into the at least one flow channel during cushioning.

A semiconducting compound comprising the structure: (I) where R1 to R4 independently comprise, but are not limited to, optionally substituted straight, branched or cyclic alkyl chains having 2 to 20 (e.g. 2 to 12) carbon atoms, alkoxy, amino, amido, silyl, alkyl, alkenyl, aryl or hetero aryl; where X1 and X2 independently comprise S, O, NR5 or SiR6R7 where R5 to R7 independently comprise C1 to C5 branched, straight or cyclic alkyl chains; and where Ar1 comprises a heterocyclic ring, and where n is an integer between 1 and 4.

An applicator instrument for dispensing surgical fasteners includes a housing, an elongated shaft extending from the housing, a firing rod disposed inside the elongated shaft and being movable within a first plane between a retracted position and an extended position, an advancer disposed inside the elongated shaft and being moveable within a second plane between a retracted position and an extended position, and a staging assembly located adjacent the distal end of the elongated shaft and being adapted to align surgical fasteners with a distal end of the firing rod. The staging assembly is held below the second plane by the advancer when the advancer is in the extended position and the staging assembly is adapted to move into at least partial alignment with the distal end of the firing rod when the advancer is in the retracted position.

An ion source includes an arc chamber having an extraction aperture, and a plasma sheath modulator. The plasma sheath modulator is configured to control a shape of a boundary between plasma and a plasma sheath proximate the extraction aperture. The plasma sheath modulator may include a pair of insulators positioned in the arc chamber and spaced apart by a gap positioned proximate the extraction aperture. A well focused ion beam having a high current density can be generated by the ion source. A high current density ion beam can improve the throughput of an associated process. The emittance of the ion beam can also be controlled.

The present application discloses microbially-stable solutions of water- solubilized lipophilic vitamins, such as Vitamin E. These solutions contain from about 0.5% to about 30% of a salt selected from potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, potassium phosphate, calcium phosphate, potassium sulfate, calcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, potassium iodide, and mixtures of these salts. The method of providing microbially-stable solutions of such water-solubilized lipophilic vitamins, as well as food and beverage products containing those microbially-stabilized water-solubilized lipophilic vitamins, are also disclosed.

Disclosed is an organic EL device using an organic EL element, which is reduced in the thickness, and wherein changes in the properties of the constituent components of the organic EL element are prevented over a long period of time. Specifically disclosed is an organic EL device which comprises: a first substrate; a plurality of organic EL elements that are arranged on the first substrate; a first inorganic material layer (109) that covers the plurality of organic EL elements; an active layer (114) that is provided in a region on the substrate where the plurality of organic EL elements are not arranged and is composed of a material that is hygroscopic and/or easily oxidized; a second inorganic material layer (116) that covers the active layer (114); a second substrate that is arranged so as to face the first substrate with the plurality of organic EL elements being interposed therebetween; and a sealing member (113) that is arranged in the gap between the first substrate and the second substrate so as to surround the plurality of organic EL elements and the active layer (114). In the organic EL device, the active layer (114) is exposed to a sealed space (110), which is formed by the first substrate, the second substrate and the sealing member (113), through a through hole (115) that is provided in the second inorganic material layer (116).

Provided is an EUV mask blank comprising a low-reflection layer that has excellent EUV mask blank characteristics. In particular, reflectance in the wavelength region of pattern inspection light is low and etching speed is sufficient and resist adhesion is good, and it is therefore possible to solve problems that include resist pattern loss and resist pattern defects when a fine resist pattern having a width of approximately 100 nm or less is formed in an etching process that uses a chlorine gas. A reflection-type mask blank for EUV lithography in which a reflection layer for reflecting EUV light, an absorbent layer for absorbing EUV light, and a low-reflection layer that has low reflectance with respect to mask-pattern inspection light (wavelength of 190-260 nm) are formed on a substrate in said order, wherein the low-reflection layer is a laminated structure in which a first layer having a silicon (Si) + nitrogen (N) total content of 95 at% or greater, and a second layer having a tantalum (Ta) + oxygen (O) + nitrogen (N) total content of 95 at% or greater or a second layer having a tantalum (Ta) + nitrogen (N) total content of 95 at% or greater, are laminated in said order from the absorbent layer side.

Disclosed are: a sealing material sheet for a solar cell module, which can be formed without the occurrence of formation of a gel, and enables the formation of a sealing material layer having a high cross-linking rate even when used after the elapse of a certain period; and a solar cell module which is produced using the sealing material sheet and has excellent durability. Specifically disclosed are: a sealing material sheet for a solar cell module, which comprises an ethylene/(vinyl acetate) copolymer and an organic peroxide, wherein the organic peroxide has a volatilization ratio of 15 mass% or less under specific conditions and has a degradation temperature at which the amount thereof is decreased by half after an hour of 115 to 140°C, and wherein the content of the organic peroxide is 0.4 to 1.0 part by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the ethylene/(vinyl acetate) copolymer; and a solar cell module produced using the sealing material sheet.

Disclosed is a highly efficient silent discharge plasma device which does not require an additive gas. Specifically disclosed is a silent discharge plasma device, which comprises two electrodes that are arranged so as to face each other and at least one dielectric body that is arranged between the electrodes, and which causes an electric discharge of a gas by supplying the gas between the electrodes and applying an alternating current voltage between the electrodes, thereby generating plasma. At least one of the surfaces of the electrodes or the dielectric body, said surfaces being in contact with the electric discharge, is provided with a semiconductive discharge boundary layer that is obtained by dispersing fine noble metal particles in an oxide in such an amount that the weight ratio of the fine noble metal particles to the oxide is 0.05-10 wt% (inclusive).