Abstract: There is disclosed a resist composition that remarkably improves the resolution of photolithography using a high energy beam such as ArF excimer laser light as a light source, and exhibits excellent resistance to surface roughness and side lobe under use of a halftone phase shift mask; and a patterning process using the resist composition. The positive resist composition at least comprises (A) a resin component comprising a repeating unit represented by the following general formula (1); (B) a photoacid generator generating sulfonic acid represented by the following general formula (2) upon exposure to a high energy beam; and (C) an onium salt where a cation is sulfonium represented by the following general formula (3), or ammonium represented by the following general formula (4); and an anion is represented by any one of the following general formulae (5) to (7).

Abstract: In a positive resist composition comprising (A) a resin component which becomes soluble in an alkaline developer under the action of an acid and (B) a photoacid generator, component (A) is a polymer of formula (1) wherein R1 is H, methyl or trifluoromethyl, R2 and R3 are alkyl, R4 is a monovalent hydrocarbon group, X1 is O, S or CH2CH2, X2 is O, S, CH2 or CH2CH2, n is 1 or 2, a1, a2, c, d1 and d2 each are from 0 to less than 1, b is from 0.01 to less than 1, and a1+a2+b+c+d1+d2=1. The resist composition forms a pattern with high rectangularity at an enhanced resolution when processed by ArF lithography.

Abstract: In a positive resist composition comprising (A) a resin component which becomes soluble in an alkaline developer under the action of an acid and (B) a photoacid generator, component (A) is a polymer of formula (1) wherein R1 is H, methyl or trifluoromethyl, R2 and R3 are alkyl, R4 is a monovalent hydrocarbon group, X1 is O, S or CH2CH2, X2 is O, S, CH2 or CH2CH2, n is 1 or 2, a and b each are from 0.01 to less than 1, c, d1 and d2 each are from 0 to less than 1, and a+b+c+d1+d2=1. The resist composition forms a pattern with high rectangularity at an enhanced resolution when processed by ArF lithography.

Abstract: An accuracy of the sex determination which is visually inspected by human based on a reference drawing of an egg shape prepared for every parent chicken is insufficient and it takes much time to perform such a determination. Thus, the sex of the fertilized egg is determined by using parameters representing features developed on a surface shape of the above described fertilized egg which are quantified based on contour image data of the above described fertilized egg obtained by taking an image of the fertilized egg which is placed on a setting stand.

Abstract: An elastic wave generator includes an excitation coil, a magnetostriction oscillator around which the excitation coil is wound and an oscillator support. The excitation coil is wound around the oscillator, which is made of laminated magnetostriction sheets having a positive strain characteristic, in which length varies directionally upon magnetic excitation. The oscillator support has a first support surface bearing against a first end surface of the magnetostriction oscillator, intersecting the direction along which the length of the magnetostriction oscillator changes and a second support surface shrink-fit against a second end surface of the magnetostriction oscillator, intersecting the direction along which the length of the magnetostriction oscillator changes. Thus, the changes in the length of the magnetostriction oscillator due to the magnetic excitation of the excitation coil appearing at the first and second end surfaces is directly supported by the first and second support surfaces.

Abstract: The present invention provides a practical, reliable, high-speed, automated method for determining the sex of a fertilized chicken egg using threshold values obtained by measuring the shapes of a plurality of eggs of a given variety of chicken, determining the sex of the chicks actually hatched from the eggs, correlating the shape of the egg to the sex of the hatchling and extracting distinctive common features of the egg shape (regardless of size) to accurately and reliably determine the sex of fertilized eggs.

Abstract: An accuracy of the sex determination which is visually inspected by human based on a reference drawing of an egg shape prepared for every parent chicken is insufficient and it takes much time to perform such a determination. Thus, the sex of the fertilized egg is determined by using parameters representing features developed on a surface shape of the above described fertilized egg which are quantified based on contour image data of the above described fertilized egg obtained by taking an image of the fertilized egg which is placed on a setting stand.

Abstract: An elastic wave generator comprising an excitation coil (36), a magnetostriction oscillator (34) around which the excitation coil is wound and an oscillator support (22). The excitation coil is wound around the oscillator (34) which is made of a lamination of magnetostriction sheets having a metallic crystalline structure which exhibits positive strain characteristics in which its length varies directionally upon magnetic excitation. The oscillator support (22) has a first support surface (1A) shrink-fit against a first end surface (34A) of the magnetostriction oscillator (34) intersecting the direction along which the length of the magnetostriction oscillator (34) changes and a second support surface (1B) shrink-fit against a second end surface (34B) of the magnetostriction oscillator (34) intersecting the direction along which the length of the magnetostriction oscillator (34) changes.

Abstract: An acoustic wave transmission system comprises an acoustic wave generating metal tubular member for converting information about the bottom of a borehole, which is obtained by a bottom hole sensor, into an acoustic wave. The acoustic wave generating metal tubular member includes a acoustic wave generating mechanism having at least a magnetostrictive oscillator which is mounted in a recess formed in an outer wall of the acoustic wave generating metal tubular member, and on which a compressive load is imposed by means of a pre-load mechanism using a vise. The magnetostrictive oscillator is constructed of a stack of thin plates each made of a metal magnetostrictive material having a property of increasing its dimensions when magnetized, the thin plates being bonded together by a heat-resistant adhesive. The magnetostrictive oscillator can thus have a buckling strength large enough to resist the compressive load imposed thereon by the pre-load mechanism and a stress due to a strain caused in itself.

Abstract: A nondestructive testing apparatus is provided with a wave transmitter by a metal-based magnetostrictive vibrator, a magnetically excited current feeding device for feeding the magnetically excited current to the magnetostrictive vibrator, a wave receiver for detecting an acoustic elastic wave propagating through the measurement object, a filter for extracting a signal in a target frequency band to be measured, and an automatically amplifying rate controlling function-equipped amplifier for automatically controlling the amplifying rate so as to obtain a given magnitude amplitude regardless of the magnitude of the reflection wave or the transmission wave detected by the wave receiver, which constitute a feedback loop.

Abstract: A vibration exciter machine has magneto striction elements (5,6) supported by a driven pile (2), for providing a vibration of up and down direction to the driven pile (2), and a drive circuit (D1) for controlling expansion and contraction movement of the magneto striction elements (5,6) by changing a supply time period of a current supplied to the magneto striction elements (5,6). By controlling of the drive circuit (D1) the supply time period of the current which flows in the magneto striction elements (5,6) is changed to control the expansion and contraction movement of the elements (5,7). Thereby a horizontal vibration component can be eliminated and only vertical vibration component can be transmitted to the driven pile material (2).

Abstract: An information transmitting apparatus using a tube includes a magnetostrictive vibrator to generate a first elastic wave depending upon underground information, a resonance tube body resonating with the elastic wave to generate a second elastic wave having a natural frequency, and a drill string to propagate the second elastic wave, thereby permitting a long transmission distance.

Abstract: A non-destructive examination device has an excitation current generation device for supplying an excitation current based on a control signal from a control device, a vibration excitor device for generating an elastic wave in accordance with athe excitation current and for vibrating an examination target to be examined by using the elastic wave; a response detection device (an acceleration sensor) for detecting a response of the vibration of the examination target caused by the elastic wave and for processing the response data in order to select desired examination information. The excitation current generation device generates the excitation current of an alternating pulse wave such as a pulse wave, or a rectangular wave, or a triangular wave, or a sine wave based on the control signal which is also a pulse signal. It can be acceptable to incorporate a plurality of the vibration excitor devices on the examination target in the non-destructive examination device.