Abstract: Disclosed is a minable type silicone rubber composition including as an essential components: (A) 100 parts by weight of an organopolysiloxane represented by the following average compositional formula (I) and having a polymerization degree of at least 100; R1aSiO(4-a)/2 ??(I) wherein R1 are, identical or different, unsubstituted or substituted monovalent hydrocarbon groups, and a is a positive number of 1.95 to 2.05; (B) 70 to 150 parts by weight of fumed silica having a specific surface area of more than 200 m2/g; (C) 0.1 to 30 parts by weight of an organohydrogenpolysiloxane having at least two hydrogen atoms bonded to silicon atoms in one molecule; and (D) 0.1 to 10 parts by weight of a hydrosilylation reaction catalyst.

Abstract: An endoscopic instrument includes: a high-frequency knife for carrying out incisional intervention; a wire having a distal end connected to the high-frequency knife; an outer sheath for allowing the wire to pass therethrough; a main body having a proximal end of the sheath fixed thereto; a first slider, capable of freely sliding on the main body, having the wire fixed thereto; at least a stopper projecting radially outward relative to the wire; a first abutment member making contact with the stopper and regulating distal sliding movement of the wire; and a projection-length-adjusting member, provided in the outer sheath, for regulating proximal sliding movement of the wire by making contact with the stopper. This configuration allows the high-frequency knife to be maintained at different projection lengths based on the stopper making contact with the first abutment member and the stopper making contact with the projection-length-adjusting member.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus capable of detecting sealing abnormality of each gate is disclosed. This apparatus includes an outer chamber constituting a vacuum vessel, an inner chamber disposed within the outer chamber for permitting a plasma to be formed in a vacuumed processing chamber as internally provided therein, a workpiece table below the processing chamber for holding thereon a wafer to be processed, a first gate valve disposed in a sidewall of the inner chamber for driving a gate to open and close while the wafer is transferred therethrough, and a second gate valve disposed in a sidewall of the outer chamber for opening and closing a gate while the wafer is transferred therethrough. After the wafer is put on the table, a pressure variation of an intermediate room formed between the inner and outer chambers sealed by the gate valves closed, thereby detecting a decrease in sealing performance.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus which contributes to reducing required time for maintenance and thereby to enhancing the efficiency of processing and that of apparatus operation is to be provided. A vacuum processing apparatus comprises a vacuum vessel in which a substrate-shaped sample is arranged in an internally arranged processing chamber in which the pressure is reduced; a transfer chamber to which the vacuum vessel is linked and through whose inside reduced in pressure the sample is transferred; a passage which establishes communication between the transfer chamber and the vacuum vessel in a state in which the transfer chamber and the processing chamber are linked to each other and through whose inside the sample not yet processed or already processed is transferred; and a covering member which is removably coupled to cover the internal wall face of the passage, wherein the sample is processed within the processing chamber with a plasma formed in the processing chamber.

Abstract: An endoscopic instrument includes: a knife; a wire having a distal end connected to the knife; a sheath around the wire; a main body having the freely rotative sheath fixed thereto; a slider fixed to the wire, slidable in an axial direction of the main body; a stopper projecting radially from the wire; a first-distal-regulation section in the sheath for regulating distal sliding movement of the wire by making contact with the stopper; and a second-distal-regulation section, provided distal to the first-distal-regulation section, for regulating sliding movement of the wire by making contact with the stopper, wherein the stopper is capable of moving between the first-distal-regulation section and the second-distal-regulation section by rotating the main body relative to the sheath around an axial line by predetermined angle, and at least two different projection lengths can be maintained by contacting the main body to the first-distal-regulation section or the second-distal-regulation section.

Abstract: An in-body information acquiring apparatus includes a function executing unit that realizes a predetermined function inside a body of a patient. A power-supply circuit includes a power unit that includes a cell and that outputs a first current and a first voltage; and a converter that converts the first current to a second current, which is a current required to operate the function executing unit for a predetermined time, and converts the first voltage to a second voltage, which is a voltage required to operate the function executing unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a tandem solar cell constituted for the purpose of hole blocking or electron blocking so that holes are not injected from a front subcell or electrons are not injected from a rear subcell, into an intermediate layer arranged between these subcells. The tandem solar cell comprises a pair of electrodes, at least two or more subcells, and intermediate layers each arranged between two adjacent subcells, where at least one of the intermediate layers has a hole blocking layer or an electron blocking layer. In particular, holes or electrons can be blocked more completely by adjusting the thickness of the hole blocking layer or electron blocking layer to be equal to or greater than the maximum value of surface irregularity height of the subcell immediately before the hole or electron blocking layer so that the tandem solar cell can exhibit its performances sufficiently.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a wheel and a vehicle body connected with each other via a suspension having a spring. An oscillation detection unit detects an oscillation of the vehicle body in forward and backward directions. A resonance frequency detection unit detects a resonance frequency of the vehicle body according to a detection result of the oscillation detection unit. A weight determination unit determines a weight of the vehicle body according to the resonance frequency detected by the resonance frequency detection unit.

Abstract: A vacuum processing apparatus includes a transfer container for transferring a wafer in the internal space thereof reduced in pressure, a vacuum vessel coupled to the side wall of the vacuum vessel and including a processing chamber having a sample stage therein on which a wafer to be processed is mounted, a lid member opened or closed by rotation above the vacuum vessel, an inner chamber member arranged in the vacuum vessel and making up the inner wall of the processing chamber, and a jig coupled to the side wall of the vacuum vessel to lift and hold the inner chamber member by being coupled thereto. The jig includes a first joint portion having vertical and horizontal shafts, an extensible arm portion rotatable around each shaft of the first joint portion, and a second joint portion with the inner chamber member adapted to rotate around the horizontal axis thereof.

Abstract: A vacuum chamber includes: a vacuum vessel arranged at the backward side, where a wafer of a processing subject is processed inside an internal processing chamber; a transfer chamber arranged at the forward side, where said wafer is transferred at the inside thereof under atmospheric pressure; a cassette stage arranged at the forward of this transfer chamber, where a cassette storing said wafer is mounted; a lock chamber connected with said transfer chamber at the backward of said transfer chamber; a robot arranged inside said transfer chamber, where said wafer is transferred between said cassette and said lock chamber; and an aligning machine for making position of said wafer fit with the predetermined position, wherein the wafer is transferred to said lock chamber, after performing alignment of said wafer on said aligning machine, in the case where displacement amount of position of this wafer is larger than the predetermined value.

Abstract: Disclosed is a novel photosensitizer that can absorb light in a wide visible light region and in the case of a very thin film form, can enhance a light absorption efficiency by virtue of a large light absorption coefficient.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a rare earth metal-based permanent magnet with improved adhesion properties. A rare earth metal-based permanent magnet of the present invention as a means for achieving the objective has a laminated plating film, and is characterized in that the plating film comprises as an outermost surface layer a SnCu alloy plating film having a film thickness in a range from 0.1 ?m to 2 ?m, the composition of the SnCu alloy plating film is 35 mass % or more but less than 55 mass % of Sn and the rest being Cu, and a base plating film having two or more layers including at least a Ni plating film and a Cu plating film which are formed as the lower layer under the SnCu alloy plating film, and among the base plating film, the Ni plating film is located just below the SnCu alloy plating film.

Abstract: An image pickup unit having a lens barrel for an optical system includes an electrode which is formed on at least two of a one end portion of the lens barrel, the other end portion of the lens barrel, and a trunk portion of the lens barrel, a wire portion which connects the electrodes electrically, an image pickup element which is provided on one of the one end portion and the other end portion, a plurality of functional elements which is provided to the lens barrel, and a multiplexed-signal converting element which converts multiplexed signal from a plurality of external electrodes provided to the lens barrel. The wire portion transmits signals between the image pickup element and the plurality of functional elements, and the multiplexed-signal converting element.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup module which is provided with a plurality of functional elements for obtaining image information of an object to be photographed, and a signal separation circuit which separates a drive signal from a combined signal in which, at least two of a plurality of drive signals for the plurality of functional elements respectively, are superimposed, an image pickup module control section which is provided with a signal combining section which superimposes at least two of the plurality of drive signals, and a signal transmitting section which is interposed between the image pickup module and the image pickup module control section, and which transmits the combined signal in which, at least two of the plurality of drive signals are superimposed.

Abstract: A rotation detecting apparatus includes a direct-current motor, a power source part, an energization detecting part, and a rotation state detecting part. The direct-current motor is configured so that an inductance between a pair of brushes periodically changes in accordance with a rotation. The power source part applies a power source voltage between the pair of brushes. In the power source voltage, an alternating-current voltage is superimposed on a direct-current voltage. The energization detecting part detects an electric quantity related to the alternating-current voltage applied from the power source part to the direct-current motor. The rotation state detecting part detects at least one of a rotation angle, a rotation direction, and a rotation speed of the direct-current motor based on a change in an amplitude of an alternating-current component in the electric quantity detected by the energization detecting part.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process of producing an activated carbon for an electric double layer capacitor, which can produce easily and inexpensively an activated carbon free from fusing of carbon particles during activation and having a small diameter, a uniform particle diameter, and a relatively large specific surface area on a commercial scale. The process comprises the steps of calcining an easily graphitizable carbon material so that the reduction rates of the hydrogen/carbon atomic ratio (H/C) and the volatile components in the carbon material are 4 percent or more and 5 percent or more, respectively after calcination and activating the carbon material thereby producing an activated carbon for an electric double layer capacitor, having an average particle diameter of 0.5 to 7 ?m and a BET specific surface area of 1500 to 3000 m2/g.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus composed of a processing chamber in a vacuum vessel to which a gas is fed to form a plasma, a sample stage in which a channel for a heat exchange medium is formed, beams for supporting the sample stage in the horizontal direction, a cylindrical space at atmospheric pressure formed below the channel in the sample stage, coupling paths for communicating the inner wall of the cylindrical space with the exterior of the vacuum vessel, a piping conduit for medium formed in the coupling path, a drive mechanism to drive pins for a wafer, and metal blocks covering junctions between the piping conduits for medium and the sample stage, whereby a gas at high temperature is supplied to between the metal blocks and is exhausted through the coupling path.

Abstract: The invention relates to the use of a precipitated silica, pretreated by at least one organosilane hydrophobing compound or one hydrophobing silicone oil, as a reinforcing filler for silicone elastomer, the said pretreated silica being incorporated in the silicone elastomer by cold mixing and having the following features: —a BET specific surface ranging from 50 to 450 m2/g, —a water wettability lower than 80, —a sulfur content lower than 0.1% by weight. The invention is directed to the curable silicone elastomer composition thus obtained.

Abstract: A vacuum processing apparatus which includes a vacuum vessel having a processing chamber provided therein into which a processing gas is supplied to form a plasma and which processes a wafer located in the processing chamber, and a vacuum transfer vessel having a vacuumed transfer chamber coupled with the vacuum vessel provided therein into which the wafer is transferred. A resin-made film having a plasma resistance is bonded onto a surface of a lid of the vacuum transfer vessel on the side of the transfer chamber.

Abstract: In a piezoelectric actuator control device for controlling operation of one or more piezoelectric actuators, when receiving a drive signal of a low level, a discharging switch is repeatedly turned on and off in order to discharge electric charge accumulated in the piezoelectric actuator. That is, the discharging switch is kept ON until a discharging current from a piezoelectric actuator reaches a peak threshold value Ip. When the discharging current reaches the peak threshold value Ip, the discharging switch is turned OFF and kept OFF until a discharging current from a piezoelectric actuator reaches a peak threshold value Ip. The device has a threshold value setting circuit for increasing the peak threshold value according to a discharging period of time.