Abstract: An optical density changing element comprising: an anode; and a cathode, wherein at least one of the anode and the cathode comprises a first compound that changes a spectral absorption spectrum of the first compound in a wavelength of 400 to 700 nm by providing an electron to or receiving an electron from the at least one of the anode and the cathode, and wherein at least one of the anode and the cathode comprises a second compound that does not change a spectral absorption spectrum of the second compound in a wavelength of 400 to 700 nm by providing an electron to or receiving an electron from the at least one of the anode and the cathode.

Abstract: An control apparatus for an optical density changing element comprising: an electromotive force generating element comprising an electromagnetic wave sensor (example: phototransistor) and a voltage source (example: battery), wherein the electromotive force generating element generates an electromotive force; an optical density changing element (light regulating filter) including an electrochromic material driven by the electromotive force; and a resistor connected in parallel to the optical density changing element.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of reading an image, which comprises exposing a color photosensitive material having at least three photosensitive layers containing blue-, green- and red-photosensitive silver halide emulsions, respectively, on a transparent support, processing the exposed color photosensitive material at a processing temperature of 50° C. or more to form a silver image, and substantially reading the silver image.

Abstract: A silver halide color photosensitive material comprises at least one light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and at least one nonlight-sensitive layer. At least one of the nonlight-sensitive layers contains colloidal silver. The colloidal silver-containing nonlight-sensitive layer or a nonlight-sensitive layer adjacent to the colloidal silver-containing nonlight-sensitive layer contains a compound capable of releasing a development inhibitor or a precursor thereof by a coupling reaction with an oxidized developing agent. At least one layer selected from the group consisting of the light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and the nonlight-sensitive layer contains a compound (B), which is a compound having at least three hetero atoms and capable of enhancing the photographic speed of the photosensitive material in comparison to the same photosensitive materials without the compound.

Abstract: There is provided a vacuum control system for allowing the degree of vacuum in a vacuum vessel to be kept constant, effectively and accurately removing vaporized components degassed into the vacuum vessel through a gas permeation diaphragm by stably introducing a very small amount of air into a vacuum exhaust path, and thus operating stably, and a vacuum degassing apparatus employing the vacuum control system. The vacuum control system controls the rotatory power of a DC brushless motor, continuously controls displacement of a vacuum pump, and thus keeps the degree of vacuum in a vacuum vessel constant, by decompressing the inside of the vacuum vessel using an exhaust vacuum pump which operates with the DC brushless motor, monitoring the inside pressure of the vacuum vessel using a pressure sensor, and controlling a voltage applied to the DC brushless motor on the basis of an output signal resulting from measurement of the inside pressure of the vacuum vessel by the pressure sensor.

Abstract: A method for forming color images comprising subjecting a silver halide color photosensitive material to a development processing in the presence of a compound (A) defined below, wherein the silver halide color photosensitive material having a blue-sensitive unit, a green-sensitive unit and a red-sensitive unit, each of which comprises at least one silver halide emulsion layer, and at least one non-light-sensitive layer on a support, compound (A): a heterocyclic compound having one or two hetero atoms, the heterocyclic compound being capable of increasing speed of the silver halide color photosensitive material by the presence thereof in comparison to the case where the heterocyclic compound is absent.

Abstract: Disclosed is a silver halide color photographic lightsensitive material comprising a support and, superimposed thereon, a blue-sensitive layer unit, a green-sensitive layer unit and a red-sensitive layer unit, each of these layers comprising at least two silver halide emulsion layers with different photographic speeds, together with at least one antihalation layer, wherein couplers capable of color formation are contained in a total coating amount of 0.02 mmol/m2 to 2 mmol/m2.

Abstract: A silver halide color photosensitive material comprises at least one light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and at least one nonlight-sensitive layer. At least one of the nonlight-sensitive layers contains colloidal silver. The colloidal silver-containing nonlight-sensitive layer or a nonlight-sensitive layer adjacent to the colloidal silver-containing nonlight-sensitive layer contains a compound capable of releasing a development inhibitor or a precursor thereof by a coupling reaction with an oxidized developing agent. At least one layer selected from the group consisting of the light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and the nonlight-sensitive layer contains a compound (B), which is a compound having at least three hetero atoms and capable of enhancing the photographic speed of the photosensitive material in comparison to the same photosensitive materials without the compound.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus records an image by adhering ink droplets ejected from a recording head to a long recording material. A solvent in the ink droplets is removed by a heating and drying section, and a transparent sheet material is laminated onto an image recording surface of the recording material by a laminating section. Subsequently, the recording material is cut into pieces by a first cutter along boundaries of recorded images, which boundaries extend in a transverse direction of the recording material. A piece having images recorded thereon is transferred to a conveyance belt, conveyed, cut for each of the images by a second cutter, and accumulated in a print accumulating section via a conveyance belt. A piece having a single image recorded thereon is conveyed on another conveyance belt and accumulated in the print accumulating section. Thus, processing time per image can be reduced.

Abstract: A silver halide color photosensitive material has, on a support, a unit blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, a unit green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and a unit red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, each comprising two or more light-sensitive layers having the same color sensitivity but differing in speed to each other. The silver halide color photosensitive material contains at least one compound represented by the following general formula (I) or general formula (II); and at least one of the light-sensitive layers contains silver halide grains in which tabular grains each having an aspect ratio of 5.0 or more account for 60% or more of the total projected area of the silver halide grains.

Abstract: A device and a method for determining amounts of each of composition constituents necessary for giving a functional mixture functionality, without actual creation of the functional mixture, by varying the amounts in accordance with correlation coefficients between each of the composition constituents of previously obtained functional mixtures. The Mahalanobis distance for the amounts of N composition constituents, the Mahalanobis distance for the amounts of N-1 composition constituents from which one of the constituents is excluded, and the difference therebetween are calculated. The amount of composition constituent whose exclusion corresponds to the largest such difference is varied and the Mahalanobis distance is calculated again. Amounts of composition constituents for which the Mahalanobis distance is a minimum are selected as the amounts of the composition constituents for the functional mixture.

Abstract: An ink composition containing colored particles produced by mixing together a solution containing a hydrophobic dye, a hydrophobic polymer, an organic solvent with a high boiling point and a water solubility of 4 g or below, and an auxiliary solvent with a boiling point of 200° C. or below and a water solubility below 25 g, and an aqueous medium for emulsification and dispersion, and subsequently removing the auxiliary solvent, where the mean particle size of the colored particles is 0.01 to 0.5 &mgr;m with a coefficient of variation of the particle size within 45%, and a specific gravity thereof is 0.9 to 1.2. Also, the ink-jet recording method comprising: jetting an ink composition containing colored particles which contain at least one hydrophobic dye and at least one hydrophobic polymer on as image-receiving material to record images and subjecting the colored particles to a heating process and/or pressurizing process to melt and fix the colored particles.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having a silicon substrate 1 and a second electrode layer 7 directly connected with each other, and a plural number of capacitors positioning a first insulating layer 8 and a second insulating layer 6 between a first electrode layer 5 and a second electrode layer 7 and between the first electrode layer 5 and the silicon substrate 1

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of reading an image, which comprises exposing a color photosensitive material having at least three photosensitive layers containing blue-, green- and red-photosensitive silver halide emulsions, respectively, on a transparent support, processing the exposed color photosensitive material at a processing temperature of 50° C. or more to form a silver image, and substantially reading the silver image.

Abstract: A device and a method for determining amounts of each of composition constituents necessary for giving a functional mixture functionality, without actual creation of the functional mixture, by varying the amounts in accordance with correlation coefficients between each of the composition constituents of previously obtained functional mixtures. The Mahalanobis distance for the amounts of N composition constituents, the Mahalanobis distance for the amounts of N-1 composition constituents from which one of the constituents is excluded, and the difference therebetween are calculated. The amount of composition constituent whose exclusion corresponds to the largest such difference is varied and the Mahalanobis distance is calculated again. Amounts of composition constituents for which the Mahalanobis distance is a minimum are selected as the amounts of the composition constituents for the functional mixture.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus records an image by adhering ink droplets ejected from a recording head to a long recording material. A solvent in the ink droplets is removed by a heating and drying section, and a transparent sheet material is laminated onto an image recording surface of the recording material by a laminating section. Subsequently, the recording material is cut into pieces by a first cutter along boundaries of recorded images, which boundaries extend in a transverse direction of the recording material. A piece having images recorded thereon is transferred to a conveyance belt, conveyed, cut for each of the images by a second cutter, and accumulated in a print accumulating section via a conveyance belt. A piece having a single image recorded thereon is conveyed on another conveyance belt and accumulated in the print accumulating section. Thus, processing time per image can be reduced.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having a silicon substrate 1 and a second electrode layer 7 directly connected with each other, and a plural number of capacitors positioning a first insulating layer 8 and a second insulating layer 6 between a first electrode layer 5 and a second electrode layer 7 and between the first electrode layer 5 and the silicon substrate

Abstract: An image recording apparatus which draws a recording material from a roll to an image recording station along a longitudinal direction of the recording material. A recording head is gradually moved (sub-scanning) along a widthwise direction of the recording material while reciprocating (main scanning) along the longitudinal direction of the recording material. Recording liquid drops are discharged from nozzles of the recording head and adhere to the recording material, thereby concurrently recording a plurality of images along the longitudinal direction of the recording material. A portion of the recording material where the plurality of images are recorded is cut and separated by a first cutter, and this portion is conveyed along the longitudinal direction. Solvent included in the adhered recording liquid drops is removed, and a transparent film is formed. The recording material is then cut by a second cutter into individual images.

Abstract: The invention achieves high image recording ability with an ink jet recording method and an improvement in acquisition rate of proper images. On the basis of inputted image data for recording, an ejection signal for driving a recording head which records an image with an ink jet method is generated. Then, the head is driven and images are recorded successively on the recording material. Simultaneously, images thus outputted are read by a sensor. By comparing the output image data obtained by the reading to the corresponding image data for recording, or comparing output image data of output images with one another, whether phenomena including clogging of an ejection opening of the recording and a decrease in an ejection amount of ink droplets and the like have occurred is monitored. If any of the phenomena has occurred, a process for solving the phenomenon is performed.

Abstract: A method of processing a silver halide color photographic lightsensitive material. The material comprises a support and at least one lightsensitive silver halide emulsion layer containing a binder and lightsensitive silver halide grains comprising tabular grains on the support. The material further comprises a developing agent or its precursor, and a compound capable of forming a dye by a coupling reaction with the developing agent in an oxidized form. The method comprises (a) exposing the material under natural light of 2000-9000 K color temperature or artificial light corresponding thereto, for 1/10-1/1000 sec, in an exposure amount such that 80-90% (numerical ratio) of the grains contained in the lightsensitive layer have at least one development initiating point per grain, and (b) color developing the exposed material so that the tabular grains have 3.0 or more (average) development initiating points per grain at the completion of the development.