Abstract: A heat exchanger has multiple laminated fins 30. Each fin 30 has multiple tops 34 and multiple bottoms 36 arranged to have a preset acute angle ? (for example, 30 degrees) to an air flow line at an air inlet and to make an air flow in a cavity region behind each of multiple heat transfer tubes 22a to 22c in an air flow direction at an air outlet. This design of the fins 30 produces effective secondary flows of the air to improve the heat transfer efficiency and makes an additional contribution to heat exchange, due to the air flow in the cavity region behind each of the heat transfer tubes 22a to 22c in the air flow direction. This arrangement effectively prevents separation of the air flow and a local speed increase of the air flow, while improving the overall heat exchange efficiency by production of the effective secondary flows of the air.

Abstract: Context-based word prediction is provided. A software application utilizes words contained in an application document to provide context-based word prediction in the same or a related document. The software application creates an application defined data source and populates the data source with words occurring in a document. When the same or a related document is being edited via an input method, for example, typing, speech recognition, electronic handwriting, etc., a prediction engine presents candidate words from the application defined data source that match current text input, and the user may choose from the presented candidate words for automatic population into the document being edited. Information from the application defined data source may be transferred between computing devices, for example, between a mobile computing device and a desktop (non-mobile) computing device.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided to predict and suggest one or more candidates. Words, acronyms, compound words, phrases, and other textual and symbolic representations can be predicted and suggested to a user as part of an input process or other user operation. In an embodiment, a number of textual candidates can be predicted based in part on user input and data stored in a store component. The number of predicted textual candidates can be suggested to a user as a number of suggested textual candidates. Embodiments enable a user to select an appropriate textual candidate from the number of suggested textual candidates, while reducing a number of associated user operations.

Abstract: The invention relates to a mold that has an improved releasability for a photocured resin and an improved robustness. First, an electron beam resist 17 is coated on a quartz substrate 15 having the nature of being transmissive to ultraviolet light. A resist pattern 17a is formed by irradiation with electron beams. Thereafter, the quartz substrate is dry etched using etching gas such as carbon tetrafluoride to form a pattern 15a on the quartz substrate 15. A photocatalytic titanium oxide film 11 is formed as by sputtering on the surface of the quartz substrate 15 with the pattern 15a formed on it to fabricate an NIL mold 10.

Abstract: The invention provides an SOI substrate 10 comprising on one major surface of a silicon single crystal 13 a silicon thin-film layer 11 via a buried silicon oxide film 12, characterized in that a substrate warp preventive layer 14 is provided on another major surface of the silicon single crystal 13. The invention also provides a charged particle beam exposure mask blank and a charged particle beam exposure mask having high mask pattern alignment precision, each using that SOI substrate. The invention has the advantages of being easy to fabricate, and capable of preventing a warp in the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an SOI substrate as a mask substrate for the charged particle beam exposure of which a silicon oxidized film has a suitable thickness for the fabrication of a mask, a silicon membrane layer has a suitable thickness as a mask membrane and is a low stress membrane having no defects and excellent uniformity and relates to its forming method. The SOI substrate is an SOI wafer which is obtained by forming an oxidized film on a first silicon wafer, forming a separation layer by hydrogen ion implantation into the first silicon wafer via the oxidized film, bonding the first silicon wafer onto a second silicon wafer, and cleaving the first silicon wafer from the second silicon wafer at the separation layer so that a silicon membrane layer is formed on the second silicon layer via the oxidized film.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming system having a pickup roller (36a) that extracts and supplies a recording paper (P) housed in a paper cassette (33), a photosensitive drum (31b) that forms an image on the recording paper (P) supplied by the pickup roller (36a), and the like. In the case that multi-feeding has occurred in which when the pickup roller (36a) supplies a first recording paper (P1) another recording paper (P2) is also supplied, and the first recording paper (P1) is between the photosensitive drum (31b) and the other recording paper (P2), image forming processing for the first recording paper (P1) by the image forming system is continued.

Abstract: A multi-function printer (MFP) has a main control circuit for setting the operation mode of the apparatus to either a normal operation mode or a power-saving operation mode. There are provided a main power supply circuit and an auxiliary power supply circuit for supplying power to the main control circuit in the normal operation mode and in the power-saving operation mode, respectively. The MFP also has a power detection circuit for detecting a state of power supply from the main power supply circuit to the main control circuit. If a power-save request is followed by a start-up request, when an amount of power detected by the power detection circuit is greater than a predetermined value, the main control circuit stops an operation relating to the power-save request and initiates an operation according to a start-up request.

Abstract: The present invention provides a mask blank used for the charged particle beam exposure made by employing an SOI substrate having a silicon membrane higher reliability in quality, without the problem of deformation due to the compression stress of a silicon oxide film as an intermediate layer of the SOI substrate, and provides a method for forming a mask blank and a mask used for the charged particle beam exposure. The mask blank used for the charged particle beam exposure made by employing an SOI substrate having a front-side silicon membrane and a back-side silicon layer with a silicon oxide layer interposed therebetween is characterized in that the back-side silicon layer and the silicon oxide film of said SOI substrate are partially removed to form an opening to be an exposed region and an etching stop layer having lower stress is formed in the opening.

Abstract: A multi-function printer (MFP) has a main control circuit for setting the operation mode of the apparatus to either a normal operation mode or a power-saving operation mode. There are provided a main power supply circuit and an auxiliary power supply circuit for supplying power to the main control circuit in the normal operation mode and in the power-saving operation mode, respectively. The MFP also has a power detection circuit for detecting a state of power supply from the main power supply circuit to the main control circuit. If a power-save request is followed by a start-up request, when an amount of power detected by the power detection circuit is greater than a predetermined value, the main control circuit stops an operation relating to the power-save request and initiates an operation according to a start-up request.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided which includes a first image forming section for performing image formation based on monochromatic image data, and a second image forming section for performing image formation based on color image data. The first and second image forming sections are arranged in mutually different positions along a path for conveying recording paper. The image forming apparatus further includes an image processing section for outputting monochromatic image data and color image data, which have undergone image processing, to the first image forming section and the second image forming section respectively, at individual timings for forming images an either one or both sides of the recording paper.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an SOI substrate as a mask substrate for the charged particle beam exposure of which a silicon oxidized film has a suitable thickness for the fabrication of a mask, a silicon membrane layer has a suitable thickness as a mask membrane and is a low stress membrane having no defects and excellent uniformity and relates to its forming method. The SOI substrate is an SOI wafer which is obtained by forming an oxidized film on a first silicon wafer, forming a separation layer by hydrogen ion implantation into the first silicon wafer via the oxidized film, bonding the first silicon wafer onto a second silicon wafer, and cleaving the first silicon wafer from the second silicon wafer at the separation layer so that a silicon membrane layer is formed on the second silicon layer via the oxidized film.

Abstract: The present invention provides a mask blank used for the charged particle beam exposure made by employing an SOI substrate having a silicon membrane higher reliability in quality, without the problem of deformation due to the compression stress of a silicon oxide film as an intermediate layer of the SOI substrate, and provides a method for forming a mask blank and a mask used for the charged particle beam exposure. The mask blank used for the charged particle beam exposure made by employing an SOI substrate having a front-side silicon membrane and a back-side silicon layer with a silicon oxide layer interposed therebetween is characterized in that the back-side silicon layer and the silicon oxide film of said SOI substrate are partially removed to form an opening to be an exposed region and an etching stop layer having lower stress is formed in the opening.

Abstract: A high-strength dual-phase stainless steel strip has a chemical composition consisting of 0.04-0.15 mass % C, 10.0-20.0 mass % Cr, 0.5-4.0 mass % Ni and the balance being Fe except inevitable impurities, and a metallurgical structure composed of 20-85 vol. % martensite grains and the balance ferrite grains with prior austenite grains controlled to 10 &mgr;m or less in size. The stainless steel strip is conditioned to hardness of HV 300 or more. Transformation strains are uniformly distributed in a steel matrix during martensitic transformation, so that the steel strip is formed and straightened to a belt shape without Lüders band. Consequently, steel belts with fine external appearance are manufactured from the stainless steel strip.

Abstract: A ferritic stainless steel sheet, which is press-formed to a product shape without such dimensional defects as spring-back or torsion, has an alloying composition consisting of C up to 0.10%, Si up to 1.0%, Mn up to 1.0%, P up to 0.050%, S up to 0.020%, Ni up to 2.0%, 8.0-22.0% of Cr, N up to 0.05%, optionally one or more of Al up to 0.10%, Mo up to 1.0%, Cu up to 1.0%, 0.010-0.50% of Ti, 0.010-0.50% of Nb, 0.010-0.30% of V, 0.010-0.30% of Zr and 0.0010-0.0100% of B, and the balance being essentially Fe with the provision that a value-FM defined by the formula (1) is adjusted to 0 or less. Its mechanical properties are controlled to a plane anisotropic degree (rmax−rmin) of Lankford value (r) ≦0.80 and an anisotropic degree (&sgr;max−&sgr;min) of 0.2%-yield strength ≦20 N/mm2. The stainless steel sheet is manufactured by hot-rolling a stainless steel having the specified composition and then batch-annealing the hot-rolled steel sheet 1-24 hours at 700-800° C.

Abstract: A high-strength austenitic stainless steel strip exhibiting excellent flatness with Vickers hardness of 400 or more has the composition comprising: C up to 0.20 mass %, Si up to 4.0 mass %, Mn up to 5.0 mass %, 4.0-12.0 mass % Ni, 12.0-20.0 mass % Cr, Mo up to 5.0 mass %, N up to 0.15 mass % and the balance being Fe except inevitable impurities having a value Md(N) in a range of 0-125 defined by the formula Md(N)=580-520C-2Si-16Mn-16Cr-23Ni-26Cu-300N-10Mo. The material has a dual-phase structure of austenite and martensite involving a reverse-transformed austenite at a ratio of 3 vol. % or more. The material is manufactured by solution-heating a steel strip having the above composition, cold-rolling the steel strip to generate a deformation-induced martensite, and then re-heating at 500-700° C. to induce a phase reversion from martensite to at least 3 vol. % austenite. The reversion effectively flattens the steel strip.

Abstract: During recording paper fed from paper supply unit passes through main conveying path, back-surface monochromatic image data is supplied to first image forming section; during switching back along discharged-paper conveying path, top-surface color image data is supplied to second image forming section; during passage through main conveying path again via sub conveying path, top-surface monochromatic image data is supplied to first image forming section; during passage along discharged-paper conveying path toward discharge tray, back-surface color image data is supplied to second image forming section. During paper having passed through main conveying path is switched back along discharged-paper conveying path and is then guided, through sub and main conveying paths, to discharged-paper conveying path and discharged onto discharge tray, monochromatic and color images are formed on both surfaces of paper.

Abstract: A high-strength austenitic stainless steel strip excellent in flatness of shape with Vickers hardness of 400 or more is newly proposed, which has the composition consisting of C up to 0.20 mass %, Si up to 4.0 mass %, Mn up to 5.0 mass %, 4.0-12.0 mass % Ni, 12.0-20.0 mass % Cr, Mo up to 5.0 mass %, N up to 0.15 mass % and the balance being Fe except inevitable impurities under the condition that a value Md(N) defined by the formula (1) is in a range of 0-125. It has a dual-phase structure of austenite and martensite involving reverse-transformed austenite at a ratio of 3 vol. % or more. It is manufactured by solution-heating a steel strip having the composition, cold-rolling the steel strip to generate deformation-induced martensite, and then re-heating at 500-700° C. to induce reversion. The reversion effectively flattens a shape of the steel strip.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a voltage generating section for generating one of an AC voltage and a voltage obtained by superposing an AC voltage on a DC voltage; an image carrier; and a contact charger for receiving the voltage generated by the voltage generating section and giving a surface potential corresponding to the received voltage to the image carrier by contact. Further, it includes a latent image forming section for forming a latent image by scanning the image carrier with a predetermined scanning period, and a control section for controlling the voltage generating section and the latent image forming section. The control section controls the voltage generating section and the latent image forming section so that a period of an AC component of the voltage generated by the voltage generating section is N times or 1/N times as long as the scanning period, where N is a natural number.