Abstract: A rotary motor and a rotary magnetic bearing are integrated in a compact assembly that is contact-less. A stator assembly surrounds a ferromagnetic rotor with an annular air gap which can accommodate a cylindrical wall, e.g. of a chamber for semiconductor wafer processing. The stator assembly has a permanent magnet or magnets sandwiched between vertically spaced magnetic stator plates with plural pole segments. The rotor is preferably a ring of a magnetic stainless steel with complementary pole teeth. The stator assembly (i) levitates and passively centers the rotor along a vertical axis and against tilt about either horizontal axis, (ii) provides a radial position bias for the rotor, and (iii) establishes a motor flux field at the rotor poles. Polyphase coils wound on the stator plates produce a rotating flux field that drives the rotor as a synchronous homopolar motor. A rotor without pole teeth allows operation with an asynchronous inductive drive.

Abstract: A front-light, to be used by mounting on the front of a reflection-type LCD, etc., is provided with a light-conducting body having a light-entry surface, through which light enters from a light source, and a light exit surface, through which light is projected toward a liquid crystal cell; the light-entry surface being provided so as to incline with respect to the normal direction of the light exit surface.

Abstract: A doctor blade is provided in contact with frictionally charged toner in a toner tank, which regulates the amount of toner held on a toner holder. A charge control unit supplies to the doctor blade a voltage for selectively charging the toner. As a result, the amount of toner held on the toner holder is regulated, and simultaneously, the toner is charged to a specific polarity with a potential of the frictional charge or more. An electrostatic latent image is formed by the selectively charged toner. The toner is moved and transferred onto a papersheet which is sequentially transported, under the influence of an electric field generated by application of a voltage to an opposite electrode disposed opposing the toner holder. An image by the toner is thus formed on the papersheet.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display is provided with: a liquid crystal panel having a liquid crystal layer that is disposed between signal electrodes and scanning electrodes, a signal-side driving circuit which applies binary voltages representative of data to be displayed on the liquid crystal panel to the signal electrodes, a scanning-side driving circuit which successively applies scanning voltages to the scanning electrodes, a control circuit which controls the signal-side driving circuit so that rounded waveforms of voltages to be respectively applied to the signal electrodes are made virtually constant, and a compensation circuit which eliminates voltage distortions that are induced with respect to non-selected scanning electrodes, when the signal-side driving circuit is controlled.

Abstract: It is known that the human influenza virus strain A/Puerto Rico/8/34 grows particularly well in eggs and that reasserted viruses having it as a parent may also grow well in eggs. It has now been found that certain reassortants of A/PR/8/34 and equine influenza viruses, namely those which comprise the RNA7 segment from A/PR/8/34, will grow in cell culture, even though the parent equine influenza virus will not.Thus the specification describes and claims: reassorted viruses comprising genes for surface antigens of equine influenza viruses and the RNA7 segment from A/PR/8/34; methods of obtaining such viruses by reassortment; methods of propagating such reasserted viruses in cell culture, especially Vero cells; vaccines against equine influenza comprising such reassorted viruses; and methods of vaccinating equines against influenza.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes a discharge head and a discharge control device. The discharge head includes an ink chamber with a discharge hole, a first heater for heating and gasifying ink, a shutter unit, provided at the discharge hole portion, controlled to discharge gasified ink intermittently according to an electrical signal corresponding to image data to be recorded, and a first member for maintaining the temperature of the discharge hole sufficiently lower than the temperature of the first heater in operation of the first heater before initiation and after completion of image data recording. The discharge control device controls the shutter unit.

Abstract: Featured is a web sealing device for controlling the sealing pressure so as to carry out a sufficient sealing while monitoring the sealing pressure directly acting on the web. Also featured is a packaging container producing equipment using the aforementioned sealing device and a packaging container producing method using the same. When sealing a part of web W by engaging hooks 16a, 16b, which directly give a sealing pressure to the web W in order to seal a part of both web N by heating and melting both side surfaces of a double web while pressing the same, the strain amount of the hooks 16a, 16b is measured by a strain gauge 23.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to accommodate sheets, as coming from two image forming units, in a small-sized sheet accommodating apparatus. The individual sheets S from the first and second image forming units are fetched in different directions X1 and Y1 by a sheet pedestal and accommodated in a stack. The sheets S are registered by stoppers which can be moved in the fetching directions X1 and Y1, respectively. The sheets can be fetched in registration by inclining the sheet pedestal into first and second modes and can be fetched in an image forming direction and in a sheet direction by turning at least the sheet pedestal in a horizontal direction. The sheets S are stapled as the post-processing and are discharged in a discharge direction X2 along the fetching direction X1 from the sheet pedestal by a push member.

Abstract: A method of producing an object by successive solidification of layers of a powder material is disclosed. The method provides a preformed base plate having a metal plate with a solidified layer of a powder material formed thereon. Then, successive layers of said powder material are applied and solidified on the solidified layer of the base plate to form the object. In further detail, the method for produces a three-dimensional by providing a support and a preformed base plate having an upper surface for supporting the object. The base plate is removably attached to the support. Means are provided for adjusting the elevation of said upper surface. A layer of the powder material is applied to the upper surface of the base plate. The powder material is solidified at points corresponding to a cross-section of the object by irradiation with electromagnetic or particle radiation. Then, the applying and solidifying steps are repeated for completing the object.

Abstract: In a glass substrate and thin film combination, the glass substrate has a surface which is at least partially non-smooth, and the thin film is provided on the glass substrate in contact with the non-smooth part of the surface. Such a glass substrate and thin film combination is produced by forming a non-smooth part on at least a part of a surface of a glass substrate; and depositing a thin film on the glass substrate so as to be in contact with the non-smooth part.

Abstract: In a digital printer as an image forming device, a high voltage is applied to a counter electrode exclusively when the counter electrode is covered with a sheet of paper having a good insulating property, so that a strong electric field necessary for image formation is generated between the counter electrode and a toner carrier. When the counter electrode is not covered with a sheet of paper, a high voltage relay provided between the counter electrode and a high voltage power source is turned OFF so that the application of the high voltage to the counter electrode is suspended, so that the strong electric field is not generated. By doing so, it is possible to surely avoid discharge which tends to occur between the counter electrode and the toner carrier or between the counter electrode and the control electrode.

Abstract: An image data input portion captures one line of data. The captured RGB data is color-converted into image information of a different set of colors, through the image processing portion. The converted data is written at a set up address on an HD. One page of image information is written onto the HD whilst the HD's address is sequentially incremented by 2. When two colors of data need to be retrieved in parallel from the HD, the data of the colors can be alternately written in. A CPU controls tandem recording units Pa, Pb, Pc and Pd so as to perform printing of respective colors, with a time shift one to the next of a period equal to the pitch of photoreceptor recording units.

Abstract: A polarized-light converting elemental device which can produce an accurately unidirectionally and circularly polarized light with a minimized loss of light and a projection-type display device using said unidirectionally-polarized-light converting elemental device are provided. A polarized-light converting elemental device comprises a mirror glass portion consisting of an array of mirror glass blocks each having a first reflecting optical element and a second reflecting optical element and a cholesteric-liquid-crystal glass portion including a cholesteric liquid crystal layer for reflecting either clockwise circularly polarized component or anticlockwise circularly polarized component and transmitting the other. Natural light from the left side is split into two directions by the first reflecting optical element. Light reflected from the cholesteric liquid crystal is reflected by the second reflecting optical element to alter its rotation direction and then transmitted through the cholesteric liquid crystal.

Abstract: In an infrared data-receiving circuit wherein an output electric current of a photodiode is current-to-voltage converted by a preamplifier and, after having been amplified by an amplification circuit, is subjected to a waveform-shaping operation in a comparator by using a predetermined threshold value, the threshold voltage, upon receipt of a low signal voltage, is set at the average value Vav that has been formed by two LPFs and, upon receipt of a high signal voltage, is also set at a shift value that has been obtained by allowing the voltage, which has been generated by shifting of a level shift circuit, to be sampled by a peak-hold circuit constituted of a differential amplifier. Thus, the apparatus is allowed to deal with a wide dynamic range. Moreover, in this arrangement, a single capacitor may be commonly used for an integrating operation in the LPFs and for a holding operation in the peak-hold circuit so as to provide a simple construction that is preferably applied to an integrated circuit.

Abstract: A ferroelectric liquid crystal display device is described. The device has a pair of substrates having at least an electrode film and an alignment film, and a complex made of a ferroelectric liquid crystal material and a polymer material disposed between the substrates. The complex has a network structure such that the network structure stabilizes the orientation of molecules of the ferroelectric liquid crystal material. Directions of pretilt angles of the molecules of the ferroelectric liquid crystal material located at interfaces between the substrates and the ferroelectric liquid crystal material are substantially identical. The ferroelectric liquid crystal material has a chevron layer structure, and a bending direction of the chevron layer structure is substantially identical to the directions of the pretilt angles of the molecules at the interfaces.

Abstract: A fixing device is disclosed for fixing an unfixed toner image onto a sheet of paper by sandwiching in a contacting portion between an fixing roller and a pressing roller, and thus transporting, the sheet carrying thereon the unfixed toner image. The blade includes a base body made from a heat resistant rubber material (e.g., fluororubber) and a fluororesin sheet adhered to the surface of the base body by an adhesive agent so as to cover an edge portion of the blade. This permits provision of a fixing device with an oil-applying function which has superb durability and stability over a long period of time. The fluororesin sheet is preferably a tetrafluoroethylene=perfluoroalkylvinylether copolymer sheet. The adhesive agent is preferably a single component room-temperature-setting type silicone adhesive agent.

Abstract: A photosensitive body for electrophotographical use has a conductive base body and a marking area provided thereon. The maximum surface roughness of a photosensitive layer provided right on the marking area is specified not to exceed 2.5 .mu.m. And also, a ratio of the optical reflective index of the marking area to the optical reflective index of the non-marking area is specified to be in a range of 0.3 to 0.7. In this manner, even when the photosensitive layer is thin (not exceeding 25 .mu.m), it is possible to prevent problems such as inadequate cleaning and toner falling. Hence, it is possible to offer a photosensitive body for electrophotographical use which can constantly produce high quality copied images.

Abstract: A gene coding for a peptidoglysan recognition peptide (PGRP) is cloned, a recombinant vector into which said gene is introduced is obtained, and a transformant transformed with said recombinant vector is cultivated, thereby producing the PGRP in large amounts at high purity.

Abstract: An optical disk has address recording sections each of which has a wobbled part of one of side walls of a groove. Each address recording section is formed by providing convexes of a groove in an adjacent land so as to widen the groove. With the wobbles thus provided in a concavo-convex form, address information is recorded. Besides, the address recording sections thus provided in the grooves are linearly disposed in radial directions of the optical disk. By thus arranging the optical disk on whose grooves and/or lands information is recorded, mixing of wobble frequency components in reproduced information signals does not occur, the sector method is applicable to the optical disk, and information signals of high quality can be obtained.

Abstract: A method for producing a tapered waveguide is produced using an undercut-type shadow mask having an overhanging part. The shadow mask includes a photoresist layer having the overhanging part and a metal layer for supporting the photoresist layer on a substrate. After the shadow mask is provided on the substrate, film-forming particles are caused to jump from above the shadow mask toward the substrate, thereby forming a dielectric film having a tapered part on the substrate. Then, the shadow mask is removed together with the film-forming particles thereon by lift-off. Then, an optical waveguide is formed on the substrate so as to cover the dielectric film having the tapered part. The thickness of the metal layer is preferably in the range of about 0.1 to 10 .mu.m and more preferably about 1 .mu.m.