Abstract: The present invention aims at providing a method for producing a nutrient solution for plant culture utilizing an organic material and providing a method of hydroponic culture in which a plant can be cultured while directly adding the organic material to the nutrient solution. The present invention provides a method for producing a biomineral-containing substance comprising establishing a microbial ecosystem necessary for stable mineralization of organic material by adding the organic material to water gradually or at one time and fermenting the resulting mixture and a method of hydroponic culture comprising utilizing the biomineral-containing substance obtained according to the method as at least a part of the nutrient solution and culturing the plant while directly adding the organic material to the nutrient solution.

Abstract: A method for communicating between at least one environment-independent application logic code (AL code) and at least one environment which is a combination of hardware and software. The method includes creating at least one interaction style code (IS code) that is specific to and communicates with the at least one environment, and is provided with an interaction style interface (IS interface) for interfacing an interaction style with said at least one application logic code (AL code). The interaction style interface (IS interface) is independent of and does not specify properties of said at least one environment, and the at least one environment-independent application logic code (AL code) runs unchanged in all environments. The at least one interaction style code (IS code) is operable with all of a graphical user interface, a non-graphical user interface, an HTML-based web browser user interface, and no user interface.

Abstract: In an electric resistance welded steel pipe with excellent weld toughness for a line pipe, the area fraction of minute defects each having a maximum length of less than 50 ?m in a projection plane of an electric resistance welded seam is in the range of 0.000006 to 0.026, and the absorbed energy at ?40° C. measured by a method for an impact test of metallic materials is 315 J or more.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing an ink-jet head which enables the formation of an ink-repellent layer having excellent ink ejection stability, excellent adhesion to a head base material and excellent pressure resistance in a simple manner. The method for producing an ink-jet head is characterized by applying a coating solution comprising a compound represented by Formula (1) and an aqueous dispersion of a fluororesin to an ink-ejecting surface of an ink-jet head to form an ink-repellent layer on the ink-ejecting surface.

Abstract: A contact of which the quality of crimping of a crimp portion can be easily and accurately determined. The crimp portion of the contact includes a bottom portion that supports conductors of electrical wires, and two side portions that are continuous with opposite sides of the bottom portion and are bent such that they hold the conductors therein. Three marks are formed in an outer surface of each side portion along a longitudinal direction of the contact.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of nitride semiconductor light emitting elements, which can reliably form a mechanically stable wiring electrode leading from a light emitting element surface. A structure protective sacrifice layer is formed around a first electrode layer on a device structure layer beforehand, and after separation of the device structure layer into respective portions for the light emitting elements, the resultant is stuck to a support substrate. Subsequently, forward tapered grooves reaching the structure protective sacrifice layer are formed, and the inverse tapered portion formed outward of the forward tapered groove is lifted off in a lift-off step. Thus, an insulating layer is formed on the forward tapered side walls of the light emitting element, and a wiring electrode layer electrically connected to the second electrode layer on the principal surface of the light emitting element is formed on the insulating layer.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus is provided with an imaging optical system (imaging lens), an image sensor for picking up a subject image formed by the imaging optical system, and a view division optical system (first mirror) which divides a view picked up by the image sensor into an environment imaging side view and an eyeball imaging side view.

Abstract: In an active matrix display device, one source line is arranged for every two pixels arranged along a gate line direction, and each two pixels which are adjacent to each other along the gate line direction across one of the source lines share the source line and are each connected to different gate lines. A gate driver block performs a first driving control which sequentially selects, in a first order, the gate lines in a pair of two gate lines corresponding to two pixels which are adjacent to each other along the gate line direction and are connected to different source lines. The gate driver block also performs a second driving control which sequentially selects, in a second order which is opposite to the first order, the gate lines in such a pair of two gate lines.

Abstract: An amplifier control device controls an amplifier which amplifies a first signal supplied from an image-pickup element, and supplies a second signal acquired by amplification of the first signal to a signal processing unit which is a following stage. The amplifier control device comprises a control unit which changes a current supplied to the amplifier depending on whether or not the first signal supplied to the amplifier is used for image data.

Abstract: Plural headwords corresponding to a search character string are searched for through a dictionary-content data memory and displayed in a list form in a left area of a display screen, and heading data included in explanation contents concerning the headwords are read out from a headword table to be displayed in a right area of the display screen. When a headword is designated from among the plural headwords displayed in list form in the left area of the display screen, heading data contained in plural explanation contents concerning the designated headword are read out from an explanation data table and are displayed in list form over the heading data displayed in the right area.

Abstract: An ultrasonic motor includes a vibrator, a mobile unit, a holding mechanism, and a pressing mechanism. The vibrator generates elliptical vibration by degenerating different vibration modes and having a phase difference between the different vibration modes. The mobile unit is configured to be movable relative to the vibrator. The holding mechanism holds and fixes the vibrator in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of the relative movement of the mobile unit. The pressing mechanism presses the vibrator against the mobile unit. The holding mechanism includes an adjustment unit for adjusting the resonant frequencies of the different vibration modes of the vibrator to substantially match each other when the ultrasonic motor is driven.

Abstract: When an arithmetic operation is performed on an inequality, a solution notation pattern composed of a combination of a symbol and an inequality sign symbol is determined on the basis of an expression, a solution, and an inequality sign symbol. With Line I/O being set as the calculation result display mode, the solution notation pattern data, for example, [A?X?B], is displayed in the upper part of a display unit. The values of the solutions [X1] [X2] corresponding to the symbols [A] [B] shown in the pattern data are displayed as [A=X1] [B=X2] in the lower part of the display unit. This makes it possible to display the solution of the inequality in an easy-to-understand manner.

Abstract: A diverter valve for a material transportation system includes a front cover defining an inlet passage, a rear cover defining first and second outlet passages, a casing connected to the front and rear covers and an inner tube arranged in the casing. The inner tube rotates to selectively align an outlet thereof with the first or second outlet passage. An inlet of the inner tube aligns with the inlet passage and the first outlet passage to thereby provide a straight passage through the diverter valve which aligns with a straight passage through the transportation system. When the inlet of the inner tube aligns with the second outlet passage, it provides a straight, branched passage through the diverter valve to, e.g., a receiving container. The inner tube is rotated between its alignment with the first or second outlet passage by an actuator.

Abstract: A medium cutting device for cutting a conveyed continuous medium in a predetermined length includes a cutting unit having a cut roller that is freely rotatable and is provided with a cut blade for cutting the continuous medium on an outer surface, and an anvil roller arranged to face the cut roller, and brush rollers that are arranged to face each other on a further downstream side than the cutting unit in a conveyance direction, and prevent a sheet-shaped recording medium cut by the cutting unit from being entangled with one of the rollers of the cutting unit. A linear speed of the outermost perimeter of each of the brush rollers is made faster than a conveyance speed of the continuous medium conveyed by the cutting unit.

Abstract: An emission apparatus includes an emission element, a pixel drive circuit connected to the emission element, a data line connected to the pixel drive circuit, and an emission drive apparatus that, in a selection period, lets a reference current with a predetermined current value flow to the pixel drive circuit via the data line, derives a compensation voltage which is a difference between a potential which varies according to a unique characteristic of the pixel drive circuit and a predetermined reference potential, and generates a correction gradation voltage to be applied to the pixel drive circuit based on the compensation voltage for causing the emission element to emit light at an appropriate luminance gradation.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a color difference calculating unit for generating an (R?G)G(B?G) Bayer array image from an RGB Bayer array image; a band-limited interpolation unit for interpolating a sampling position whose number is smaller than the number of U pixel to obtain an equal number of interpolation (R?G), G, and (B?G) pixels from the (R?G)G(B?G) Bayer array image: and an RGB calculating unit for obtaining interpolation R, G and B pixels which constitute a color image with the sampling position where R, G and B pixels coincide, based on the obtained interpolation (R?G), G, and (B?G) pixels.

Abstract: An optical film that even in the event of aging (storage) of optical film formed into thin film and large width in the form of lengthy roll, is free from the danger of sticking failure and protrusion failure attributed to uplift of the film due to local film friction; a process for producing such an optical film; and a polarization plate utilizing the optical film.

Abstract: The device including an active layer composed of AlGaInP, and an n-type clad layer and a p-type clad layer disposed so as to sandwich the active layer, the n-type clad layer and the p-type clad layer each having a bandgap greater than the bandgap of the active layer. The n-type clad layer includes a first n-type clad layer composed of AlGaInP and a second n-type clad layer composed of AlInP; and the second n-type clad layer has a thickness in the range from 40 nm to 200 nm.

Abstract: A substrate supporting apparatus includes a plate member of an aluminum alloy having a flat upper surface, bottomed pits formed in the plate member, and spacer members held in the pits, individually. The spacer members are sapphire spheres. The diameter of each spacer member is a little smaller than that of each pit. The upper end of each spacer member projects from the upper surface of the plate member. A spot facing is formed in a region that includes the open edge portion of the pit. A bending portion which is obtained by plastically deforming the open edge portion of the pit toward the spacer member is formed on a bottom surface of the spot facing. A V-shaped groove is formed behind the bending portion.