Abstract: An empty container pressing apparatus is disclosed. The empty container pressing apparatus includes at least one pressure applying cylinder section in which a first cylinder chamber and a second cylinder chamber separated by a pressure receiving piston which slides in a cylinder chamber having the first cylinder chamber and the second cylinder chamber are disposed. In addition, an inlet to which a pressure applying medium supplied from the outside is input and an outlet which drains the input pressure applying medium is connected to the first cylinder chamber. Further, the empty container pressing apparatus includes at least one pressing section which is connected to the pressure applying cylinder section and provides a pressing piston that moves together with the pressure receiving piston via a pressure transmitting member and applies pressing force to a empty container, and the empty container is pressed.

Abstract: A solid-state image sensor of the present invention includes a semiconductor substrate 1 having a plurality of pixels, and each of the pixels comprises an impurity layer a photoelectric converting layer, a read out region, and a gate electrode. The impurity layer includes an adjoining portion adjacent to a portion of the substrate directly beneath the gate electrode The adjoining portion includes sub-portions aligned along a width direction of a gate that is orthogonal to a transfer direction of a signal charge and a thickness direction of the substrate. An impurity density in the sub-portion 2a including a center of the adjoining portion is lower than that in the sub-portions.

Abstract: A solid-state image sensor of the present invention includes a semiconductor substrate 1 having a plurality of pixels, and each of the pixels comprises an impurity layer 2, a photoelectric converting layer 4, a read out region 5, and a gate electrode 7. The impurity layer 2 includes an adjoining portion adjacent to a portion of the substrate 1 directly beneath the gate electrode 7. The adjoining portion includes sub-portions 2a, 2b, and 2c aligned along a width direction of a gate that is orthogonal to a transfer direction of a signal charge and a thickness direction of the substrate. An impurity density in the sub-portion 2a including a center of the adjoining portion is lower than that in the sub-portions 2b and 2c.

Abstract: A speaker system which has a plurality of speaker units arranged and which realizes improvements in the directive characteristics of the array direction in a high frequency band and in the total acoustic energy is provided. The speaker system comprising: a first speaker unit; a second speaker unit connected in series with the first speaker unit; and a capacitor connected in parallel with the second speaker unit. The input current to the second speaker unit in a high frequency band attenuates whereas the input current to the first speaker unit in a high frequency band increases.

Abstract: To provide a speaker for reproducing ultrahigh frequencies which outputs ultrahigh frequencies up to 100 kHz with stable sound pressure. A speaker for reproducing ultrahigh frequencies of the present invention comprises a schematically disk-shaped piezoelectric ceramic vibrator wherein a piezoelectric ceramic and a metal substrate are bonded; a dome-shaped diaphragm attached to said piezoelectric ceramic vibrator; and a panel which fixes an outer peripheral part of said piezoelectric ceramic vibrator and has an opening part in a front face of said dome-shaped diaphragm, wherein the diameter of the dome part of said dome-shaped diaphragm is made to be 0.5 to 0.8 times the effective. movable diameter of said piezoelectric ceramic vibrator.

Abstract: A flow control method includes a step of receiving individual data of each session from a network in an individual trunk apparatus and transmitting the received individual data as a transmission side common channel data to a common buffer, a step of temporarily storing data of plural sessions received from the individual trunk apparatus all at once and monitoring the congestion of the common channel according to the common buffer use amount, and upon detection of a congestion level, a step of stopping or limiting transmission of individual data of a session corresponding to a QoS class having a low priority from the individual trunk apparatus to the common buffer.

Abstract: A magnetic disk with an embossed pattern is provided. The disk comprises a magnetic film formed on a substrate provided with an erose embossed pattern on a surface along a circumferential direction, said embossed pattern having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a inclined portion or a vertical portion between the upper surface and the lower surface. In the disk, at least the magnetic film in the inclined portion or the vertical portion of the embossed pattern is magnetized, the direction of said magnetization in the magnetic film in the inclined portion or the vertical portion in cross section in the circumferential direction of the magnetic disk is substantially parallel with a film surface of the magnetic film, and said magnetic film in the inclined portion or the vertical portion has a magnetization reversal area.

Abstract: A loudspeaker is provided, which includes a frame, a voice coil bobbin, and a diaphragm connected to the frame and the voice coil bobbin, wherein the diaphragm is connected to the voice coil bobbin in such a manner that a cone angle between the diaphragm and the voice coil bobbin becomes small enough to obtain a preferable treble reproduction threshold frequency, the diaphragm ha a first connected portion connected to the voice coil bobbin and a second connected portion connected to the frame, and the diaphragm has an arch-shaped cross section so as to have a top portion formed outward from both the first connected portion and the second connected portion.

Abstract: A superconducting laminated oxide substrate, which comprises a laminate a layer of a superconducting oxide crystal substrate made of a superconducting oxide single crystal or a superconducting oxide polycrystal and a layer of a reinforcing crystal substrate, prevents cracks from occurring in the superconducting oxide crystal substrate due to the heat treatment conducted for the purpose of forming an insulation film or a conductor film, and provides easy connectivity between electrodes and wiring formed on substrates located at upper and lower positions.

Abstract: An estimate image generating unit (26) generates an estimate image corresponding to estimate values of a position and an angle of a camera (10) stored in a position and angle information storing unit (25), and stores the estimate image into an estimate image storing unit (27). A collating unit (28) collates an estimate image with a scenery image, and corrects estimate values of a position and angles of the camera (10) according to a result of the collation. An indication image generating unit (29) generates an indication image by processing indication information stored in an indication information storing unit (23), based on position information that shows a position of the camera (10) and angle information that shows angles of the camera (10) after the correction processing stored in a position and angle information storing unit (25).

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a Josephson junction, a first superconductive layer is formed on a substrate. An insulating film is formed on the first superconductive layer. The insulating film is etched to have an inclination portion. The first superconductive layer is etched using the etched insulating film as a mask, to have an inclination portion. A barrier layer is formed on a surface of the inclination portion of the first superconductive layer. A second superconductive layer is formed on the barrier layer and the inclination portion of the insulating layer.

Abstract: A C-terminal &agr;-amidating enzyme of Xenopus laevis and precursor thereof produced by a recombinant DNA technique; a DNA coding for the enzyme or precursor thereof; a plasmid containing the DNA; a host organism transformed with the plasmid; a process for production of the enzyme using the transformant; and a process for production of a C-terminal &agr;-amidated peptide using the enzyme.

Abstract: Negative stiffness is generated for a vibration system of a speaker unit by using a movable magnet attached to the vibration system of the speaker unit and also a ring-like stationary magnet arranged coaxially at the outer radius thereof in order to increase equivalently internal volume of a cabinet. In addition, an offset in the displacement direction of the vibration system of the speaker unit is detected with a Hall element and fed back to a power amplifier in order to correct the offset in the displacement direction of the vibration system of the speaker unit. As a result, a reliable and practical bass reproduction speaker apparatus can be obtained, and the speaker apparatus is noise-free and excellent in bass reproduction performance even with a cabinet of small capacity.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a Josephson junction, a first superconductive layer is formed on a substrate. An insulating film is formed on the first superconductive layer. The insulating film is etched to have an inclination portion. The first superconductive layer is etched using the etched insulating film as a mask, to have an inclination portion. A barrier layer is formed on a surface of the inclination portion of the first superconductive layer. A second superconductive layer is formed on the barrier layer and the inclination portion of the insulating layer.

Abstract: A magnetic disk with an embossed pattern is provided. The disk comprises a magnetic film formed on a substrate provided with an erose embossed pattern on a surface along a circumferential direction, said embossed pattern having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a inclined portion or a vertical portion between the upper surface and the lower surface. In the disk, at least the magnetic film in the inclined portion or the vertical portion of the embossed pattern is magnetized, the direction of said magnetization in the magnetic film in the inclined portion or the vertical portion in cross section in the circumferential direction of the magnetic disk is substantially parallel with a film surface of the magnetic film, and said magnetic film in the inclined portion or the vertical portion has a magnetization reversal area.

Abstract: A piston ring is made of martensitic stainless steel. Except for the outer circumferential surface of the piston ring, a nitrided layer having a Vickers hardness of 700 or more is formed on the upper and lower surfaces and inner circumferential surface, and a nitrided layer having a Vickers hardness of less than 700 is formed below the nitrided layer. A hard film is then formed by ion plating only on the outer circumferential surface of the piston ring. The hard film formed by ion plating and the nitrided layer with a Vickers hardness of 700 or more are separated without making contact in the vicinity of at least one of corner sections formed by the upper and lower surfaces and outer circumferential surface. The distance is within a range of 0.001 to 0.3 mm. The nitrided layers can be formed just on the upper and lower surfaces of the piston ring.

Abstract: Stabilized carrier recovery is achieved even at the time of a low C/N ratio by measuring the phase of a signal and controlling VCO or NCO (Numerical Controlled Oscillator) using only a period having few constellation points. At this time, false lock phenomenon is avoided as follows. That is, relatively short SYNC modulated by an already-known pattern is entered into a modulation wave, VCO or NCO oscillation frequency is swept in a wide range and sweep is stopped at a frequency in which the SYNC can be received, thereby carrying out coarse control AFC. Further, a period having long to some extent, having few constellation points is provided in the modulation wave and then, a difference between the frequency of a received modulated signal and a local oscillation signal of VCO or NCO is obtained in this period.

Abstract: A superconducting power circuit comprises a bridge circuit, comprising superconducting switch elements having two or more Josephson junctions incorporated at each side of a rhombus-shaped bridge line, the superconducting switch elements being freely switchable by an outside magnetic field; and a control section which uses the outside magnetic field to switch one pair of the superconducting switch elements, arranged on opposite sides of the bridge circuit, to a superconductive state, and switch another pair of the superconducting switch elements to a normal-conductive state; the superconducting power circuit enables a large low-voltage dc current to be converted with high efficiency.

Abstract: A method for checking an ATM point- to-multipoint connection between a paging sender and a plurality of paging receivers in a mobile communications system is disclosed. The paging sender transmits a check cell to the paging receivers through the point-to-multipoint connection at regular intervals. Each of the paging receivers determines whether the check cell is received within a second predetermined time period longer than the first predetermined time period. When the check cell has not been received for the second predetermined time period, a connection resetting request is transmitted to the paging sender to reset the point-to-multipoint connection.

Abstract: A nitrided layer is formed on a piston ring and a hard film is formed by arc ion plating on the nitrided layer at the outer circumferential surface. The hard film has a crystal structure comprised of mixed phases of CrN and TiN, and contains oxygen in a solid solution state in the CrN and TiN crystals. The hard film comprises chromium of 40 to 75 percent by weight, titanium of 10 to 40 percent by weight, oxygen of 0.5 to 15 percent by weight, and the remainder of nitrogen. The crystal particle size is within 1 &mgr;m. The Vickers hardness of the hard film is in a range of 1300 to 2300. The crystals of CrN and TiN have a preferred orientation of (200) surface or preferred orientation of (111) surface parallel to a surface being covered, and has a columnar structure developing in a columnar shape from the base material toward the film surface. Carbon in a solid solution state may be contained instead of oxygen, and both oxygen and carbon may be contained in a solid solution state.