Abstract: A protective layer setting unit includes a protective agent and an application unit configured to apply the protective agent to an image carrying member in a manner sufficient to satisfy equations (1) and (2). A surface condition of the image carrying member is determined by an applied-agent amount index “X” and an agent coating ratio “Y,” and a ratio of “X/Y” is set to 0.020 or less after applying the protective agent for 120 minutes. applied-agent amount index X=Sb/Sa??(1) agent coating ratio Y=(A0?A)/A0×100(%)??(2).

Abstract: The present invention relates to the use of isononyl esters of benzoic acid as film-forming agents in compositions such as emulsion paints, mortars, plasters, adhesives, and varnishes, and also to compositions which comprise film-forming polymers and the isononyl ester of benzoic acid.

Abstract: A brake control apparatus includes: at least one wheel cylinder that applies braking force to a vehicle wheel in response to supply of hydraulic fluid thereto; a manual hydraulic pressure source that pressurizes hydraulic fluid in accordance with brake operation by a driver; a cut valve which is arranged in a hydraulic fluid delivery path between the manual hydraulic pressure source and the wheel cylinder, and to which force is applied in such a direction that the cut valve is closed when the wheel cylinder is higher in hydraulic pressure than the manual hydraulic pressure source; and a controller that controls a discharge path, through which the hydraulic fluid is discharged from the wheel cylinder and which differs from the hydraulic fluid delivery path, so that discharge of the hydraulic fluid from the wheel cylinder through the discharge path starts in response to release of the brake.

Abstract: A high-accuracy image correction device adaptable for use in pattern inspection apparatus is disclosed. The device includes a correction region designation unit which designates a correction region including a pattern and its nearby portion within each of an inspection reference pattern image and a pattern image under test. The device also includes an equation generator which generates by linear predictive modeling a set of simultaneous equations for a reference pattern image within the correction region and an under-test pattern image within the correction region, a parameter generator for solving the equations to obtain more than one model parameter, and a corrected pattern image generator for using the model parameter to apply the linear predictive modeling to the reference pattern image to thereby generate a corrected pattern image. A pattern inspection method using the image correction technique is also disclosed.

Abstract: An external additive for a toner for electrophotography which contains oxide fine particles which contain silicon, in which the oxide fine particles have a primary particle diameter of 30 nm to 300 nm in number average, a standard deviation ? of a particle size distribution of the primary particle diameter satisfies a relation of: R/4???R, in which the R expresses the primary particle diameter, the oxide fine particles are substantially spherical having a circularity SF1 defined as equation (1) of 100 to 130 and a circularity SF2 defined as equation (2) of 100 to 125; SF1=(L2/A)×(?/4)×100??equation (1) SF2=(P2/A)×(1/4?)×100??equation (2), in the equations, “L” expresses the absolute maximum length of the oxide fine particles; “A” expresses a projected area of the oxide fine particles; and “P” expresses a maximum perimeter of the oxide fine particles.

Abstract: Device for checking the alignment of a water jet in a water-jet cutting system, comprising means for positioning an annular element at the outlet of a focusing tube, at some distance from this outlet and aligned with respect to the axis of this focusing tube, this annular element having an internal diameter equal to that of the internal channel of the focusing tube.

Abstract: A turbine ring made up of an assembly of a plurality of sectors forming the outer shroud of the rotor of said turbine. The sectors are united end to end with interposed sealing systems comprising tongues housed in slots, said tongues being rectilinear and engaged in respective rectilinear slots in the radial faces of said sectors.

Abstract: A sensor support includes a rigid insert, on which a sensor is installed, and a flexible envelope fitted at a bottom face thereof with a double-sided adhesive to bond the sensor support to an aircraft structure Assembly and disassembly of the sensor are easy and the air flow is only slightly disturbed. This device is applicable to flight test campaigns of an aircraft or simulated flights to measure noise or pressure.

Abstract: Formed in a part of the base region is an impurity diffusion region extending in a vertical direction and having an impurity concentration lower than that in the other portion of the base region. By the formation of the impurity diffusion region, the depletion layer is extended toward the base region so as to improve the breakdown voltage. The impurity diffusion region is formed by forming a trench in a part of the base region, a conductive film being buried in the trench, followed by introducing by ion implantation an impurity of the conductivity type equal to that in the base region into the side wall and the bottom of the trench in a concentration lower than that in the base region and subsequently diffusing the implanted impurity ions. The impurity diffusion region thus formed permits relaxing the electric field concentration on the corner portion of the gate trench and on the extended portion of the base region so as to improve the breakdown voltage.

Abstract: A highly retrovirus-producing DNA construct, which comprises a gene encoding retrovirus which is incorporated into a vector for gene amplification.

Abstract: Polypeptides of the formulapoly (X).sub.m (Y).sub.n,whereinX is selected from the group consisting of aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, asparagine, mixtures and block polymers thereof,Y is selected from the group consisting of phosphoserine, sulfoserine, phosphohomoserine, phosphotyrosine, phosphothreonine, phosphoglutamine, phosphoasparagine, serine, alanine, dehydroalanine and mixtures thereof,m=5-199 andn=1-10have been demonstrated to inhibit mineral deposition, and can be employed in the inhibition of mineral deposition in both in vitro and in vivo applications. Serine-containing polypeptides can be thermally synthesized by combining the necessary amino acid residues in a reaction vessel, eliminating oxygen to preclude charring, and heating said reaction vessel in a heating medium to a temperature of about 155.degree. C.