Abstract: A piezoelectric transformer that includes a piezoelectric body having driving portions and a power generating portion, an input electrode, and an output electrode. The driving portions and the power generating portion are arranged in the lengthwise direction of the piezoelectric body. The driving portions are disposed symmetrically relative to a plane that passes through a center of the piezoelectric body in the lengthwise direction and is orthogonal to the lengthwise direction, occupy no less than half of the regions in the piezoelectric body, and are include two or more adjacent polarized regions.

Abstract: In a piezoelectric ceramic base, a contact interface in contact with an electrode has recess portions surrounded by crystal particles. An average depth T of the recess portions is preferably 1 to 10 ?m, and an occupation rate of the recess portions at the contact interface is preferably 65% or more of an area ratio.

Abstract: An auxiliary tunneling apparatus includes a reaction force receiver and first and second split components. In the excavation of a second tunnel by a boring machine, the reaction force receiver forms a replacement face of a side wall of the second tunnel on a first tunnel side where the first and second tunnels intersect each other, and a gripper of the boring machine pushes against the replacement face. The first and second split components are installed to push against the side wall of the first tunnel, support the reaction force receiver within the first tunnel, and move back and forth with respect to the side wall of the first tunnel.

Abstract: This tunnel excavation method includes a step of excavating three first tunnels that are substantially parallel to each other in a first excavation step. Second tunnels are excavated that intersect the first tunnels in a second excavation step. A boring machine is used that performs excavation in a state in which a gripper pushes against the side wall of the tunnel.

Abstract: An efficient polishing method for polishing an alloy material to have an excellent mirror surface is provided. The alloy material contains a main component and 0.1% by mass or more of an element that has a Vickers hardness (HV) different from the Vickers hardness of the main component by 5 or more. A polishing composition used in the polishing method contains abrasive grains and an oxidant. The alloy material is preferably an aluminum alloy, a titanium alloy, a stainless steel, a nickel alloy, or a copper alloy. It is also preferable that the alloy material is subjected to preliminary polishing before being subjected to polishing in which the polishing composition is used.

Abstract: A polishing composition containing at least water and silica and satisfying all of the following conditions (a) through (d) is provided. Condition (a) The specific surface area of the silica contained in the polishing composition is 30 m2/g or more. Condition (b) Silica having a particle size of 10 to 50 nm is contained in the amount of 2% by mass or more. Condition (c) Silica having a particle size of 60 to 300 nm is contained in the amount of 2% by mass or more. Condition (d) The value obtained by dividing the average particle size of the silica specified in the condition (c) by the average particle size of the silica specified in the condition (b) is 2 or more.

Abstract: The present invention provides a zinc oxide-based ultraviolet light emitting material showing intense emission in the ultraviolet region. The present invention is an ultraviolet light emitting material containing: zinc and oxygen as main components; at least one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, gallium, and indium, as a first sub-component; and phosphorus as a second sub-component. This material has n-type conductivity.

Abstract: Gas turbine blades which simplify the formation of cooling channels provided inside the turbine blades while simultaneously avoiding loss of turbine blade strength and rigidity due to forming of the cooling channels. Cooling channels provided in the interior of a gas turbine blade include a plurality of straight channel-like base-side elongated holes extending in a longitudinal direction at a base side of the turbine blade, a plurality of straight channel-like tip-side elongated holes extending in a longitudinal direction at a tip side of the turbine blade, and a plurality of communicating hollow portions interposed at connection portions between the two types of elongated holes to allow the two types of elongated holes to communicate with each other, and have larger cross-sectional areas than the channel cross-sectional areas of both elongated holes. The communicating hollow portions are formed to match the position of a platform portion of the turbine blade.

Abstract: Disclosed is a polishing composition that contains at least abrasive grains, an oxidizing agent having a redox potential equal to or greater than 1.8 V at a pH for application of polishing, and water. The abrasive grains are preferably composed of at least one substance selected from among silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, cerium oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium oxide, manganese oxide, silicon carbide, and silicon nitride. The oxidizing agent is preferably composed of at least one substance selected from among sodium persulfate, potassium persulfate, and ammonium persulfate. The polishing composition preferably has a pH equal to or less than 3.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of producing an ultraviolet light emitting phosphor material. This method includes a step of heat-treating a composition containing zinc and oxygen as main components and at least one selected from the group consisting of aluminum, gallium and indium as a sub-component, in the presence of at least two coexisting substances selected from the group consisting of zinc oxide, gallium oxide and phosphorus oxide under a non-oxidizing atmosphere.

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing ceramic plates, a Pd paste which does not diffuse into ceramic is formed; metal films each having a thickness such that ceramic layers to be formed after firing are not connected to each other in the lamination direction are formed on surfaces of ceramic green sheets using the Pd paste; then, a firing treatment at a firing temperature, which is a high temperature at which no glass component remains on surfaces of the ceramic layers after the firing and which is equal to or lower than a decomposition temperature of a ceramic material forming the ceramic layers, is performed for a laminate; oxygen present at the interfaces between the ceramic layers and the metal layers is removed by immersing a sintered body in n-butyl alcohol so as to separate the ceramic layers and the metal layers.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of producing turbine blade, which comprises, (a) forging a plurality of turbine blades in a state where the plurality of turbine blades are integrally connected in a longitudinal direction, (b) heat treating the plurality of turbine blades in the integrally connected state, (c) machining the plurality of turbine blades in the integrally connected state, and (d) separating the plurality of turbine blades into individual turbine blades. According to the method, the number of processes for the forging work can be decreased, and forging efficiency can be enhanced. Moreover, an amount of burr which occurs during the forging work can be reduced, and hence, a yield of material can be improved, as compared with a case where the turbine blade is forged as a single body.

Abstract: A polishing composition contains at least abrasive grains and water and is used in polishing an object to be polished. The abrasive grains are selected so as to satisfy the relationship X1×Y1?0 and the relationship X2×Y2>0, where X1 [mV] represents the zeta potential of the abrasive grains measured during polishing of the object by using the polishing composition, Y1 [mV] represents the zeta potential of the object measured during polishing of the object by using the polishing composition, X2 [mV] represents the zeta potential of the abrasive grains measured during washing of the object after polishing, and Y2 [mV] represents the zeta potential of the object measured during washing of the object after polishing. The abrasive grains are preferably of silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, cerium oxide, zirconium oxide, silicon carbide, or diamond. The object is preferably of a nickel-containing alloy, silicon oxide, or aluminum oxide.

Abstract: Provided is a polishing composition containing at least aluminum oxide abrasive grains and water, and having a pH of 8.5 or higher. The aluminum oxide abrasive grains have a specific surface area of 20 m2/g or less. It is preferable for the aluminum oxide abrasive grains to have an average secondary particle size of 0.1 ?m or more and 20 ?m or less. The polishing composition is used for polishing hard and brittle materials having a Vickers hardness of 1,500 Hv or higher, such as sapphire, silicon carbide, and gallium nitride.

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing ceramic plates, a Pd paste which does not diffuse into ceramic is formed; metal films each having a thickness such that ceramic layers to be formed after firing are not connected to each other in the lamination direction are formed on surfaces of ceramic green sheets using the Pd paste; then, a firing treatment at a firing temperature, which is a high temperature at which no glass component remains on surfaces of the ceramic layers after the firing and which is equal to or lower than a decomposition temperature of a ceramic material forming the ceramic layers, is performed for a laminate; oxygen present at the interfaces between the ceramic layers and the metal layers is removed by immersing a sintered body in n-butyl alcohol so as to separate the ceramic layers and the metal layers.

Abstract: In a plasma display panel, a protective layer of a front plate is formed of a base protective layer and a particle layer. The base protective layer is a thin film of metal oxide containing at least one of magnesium oxide, strontium oxide, calcium oxide, and barium oxide. The particle layer is formed in a manner that single-crystal particles of magnesium oxide having a peak of emission intensity at 200-300 nm two times or higher than another peak of emission intensity at 300-550 nm in the emission spectrum in cathode luminescence emission are stuck on the base protective layer. A panel driving circuit drives the plasma display panel with a subfield structure in which subfields are temporally disposed so that a magnitude of luminance weight has a monotonous decrease from a subfield where an all-cell initializing operation is performed to a subfield where a next all-cell initializing operation is performed.

Abstract: Protective layer (26) of front plate (20) of a plasma display panel has base protective layer (26a) and particle layer (26b). Base protective layer (26a) is formed of a thin film of metal oxide containing at least one of magnesium oxide, strontium oxide, calcium oxide, and barium oxide. Particle layer (26b) is formed by sticking, to base protective layer (26a), single crystal particles (27) of magnesium oxide having an NaCl crystal structure that is surrounded by a specified two-type orientation face formed of (100) face and (111) face or a specified three-type orientation face formed of (100) face, (110) face, and (111) face. The panel driving circuit drives the panel while temporally disposing the subfields so that the luminance weight monotonically decreases from a subfield in which an all-cell initializing operation is performed to the subfield immediately before the subfield in which its next all-cell initializing operation is performed.

Abstract: A plasma display device has a crystal particle made of MgO single crystal where the cathode luminescence emission spectrum exhibits a desired characteristic, and displays an image by a driving method in the initializing period. The initializing period has the first half for applying the voltage, which gradually increases from a first voltage and to a second voltage, to a second electrode, and the latter half for applying the voltage, which gradually decreases from a third voltage and to a fourth voltage.

Abstract: Gas turbine blades which simplify the formation of cooling channels provided inside the turbine blades while simultaneously avoiding loss of turbine blade strength and rigidity due to forming of the cooling channels. Cooling channels provided in the interior of a gas turbine blade include a plurality of straight channel-like base-side elongated holes extending in a longitudinal direction at a base side of the turbine blade, a plurality of straight channel-like tip-side elongated holes extending in a longitudinal direction at a tip side of the turbine blade, and a plurality of communicating hollow portions interposed at connection portions between the two types of elongated holes to allow the two types of elongated holes to communicate with each other, and have larger cross-sectional areas than the channel cross-sectional areas of both elongated holes. The communicating hollow portions are formed to match the position of a platform portion of the turbine blade.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of producing an ultraviolet light emitting phosphor material. This method includes a step of heat-treating a composition containing zinc and oxygen as main components and at least one selected from the group consisting of aluminum, gallium and indium as a sub-component, in the presence of at least two coexisting substances selected from the group consisting of zinc oxide, gallium oxide and phosphorus oxide under a non-oxidizing atmosphere.