Abstract: A surface hardening method for resins and a surface hardened resin, capable of reforming the surface of a plastic disk substrate at low energy in a short time, and a production device of such a resin is disclosed. The formation of an ion-implanted layer 11 by implanting equal to or more than 1017 carbon ions per cm2 into the surface of a plastic disk substrate 10 at equal to or less than 20 KeV and the formation of a thin film 12 of high hardness on the ion-implanted layer 11 can be performed alternately or simultaneously, and the hardening rate is increased further by using a bias device.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electronic device having a multilayered structure consisting of (a) a substrate, (b) an electroconductive layer of lanthanum nickel oxide LaNiO3 having a perovskite structure formed on the substrate surface and (c) a dielectric layer of PZT having an oriented perovskite structure formed on the electroconductive layer. The device exhibits excellent piezoelectric effect under mechanical stress and stable hysteresis phenomenon of electric polarization under application of electric fields so that the device is useful as a stress sensor and as a memory device. A method for the preparation of the multilayered device is disclosed.

Abstract: A prober for measuring electrical characteristics of a semiconductor device includes a contact device having a contactor with a sharp tip provided at a position close above the position of the semiconductor device at which the electrical characteristics are to be measured, a drive device for driving the contact device in the directions of the x-, y- and z-axes on the nm order, an x- and y-axis drive circuit that supplies drive current to the drive device for driving the contact device in the directions of the x- and y-axes, a signal supply device for supplying a signal between the surface of the semiconductor device and the contact device, a detection device for detecting the signal from the supply device and providing an output signal, a z-axis drive control circuit that supplies drive current to the drive device for driving the contact device in the z-axis direction by using the output signal from the detection device as a feedback input signal, a circuit for providing output to the z-axis drive control cir

Abstract: A light emitting device having a lamp for producing light when supplied with electric current, and an elongated optical material having a portion disposed within the lamp and one end located outside the lamp and serving as an outlet of emitted light. The optical material may be (a) a light transmissive, fluorescent or phosphorescent adapted to emit fluorescent or phosphorescent light upon being excited by irradiation with the light of the lamp so that the fluorescent or phosphorescent light is transmitted to the outlet, (b) a rod transparent to the light of the lamp so that the light from the lamp entering the rod is transmitted to the outlet, or (c) a light transmissive, laser generating optical material adapted to emit a laser beam upon being excited with the light of the lamp so that the laser beam is transmitted to the outlet.

Abstract: This invention provides a complex oxide comprising the features of: (i) being represented by the formula: (A0.4B0.1M0.1)x/0.6Co2Oy wherein A and B are elements differing from each other, each represents Ca, Sr or Ba, M represents Bi, Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb or Lu, 1.7≦x≦2, and 3.8≦y≦5, (ii) having a Seebeck coefficient of 100 &mgr;V/K or more at a temperature of 100 K (absolute temperature) or higher and (iii) having an electrical resistivity of 10 m&OHgr;cm or less at a temperature of 100 K (absolute temperature) or higher. The complex oxide of the invention is a material composed of low-toxicity elements existing in large amounts, the material having superior heat resistance and chemical durability and a high thermoelectric conversion efficiency in a temperature range of 600 K or higher which falls in the temperature range of waste heat.

Abstract: An inorganic porous material, having uniform pores defined by pore walls of crystalline titanium oxide. The inorganic porous material may be produced by heating an organic inorganic mesostructured material containing titanium and having a hexagonal crystal phase at a temperature and for a period of time sufficient to form a porous material having a multiplicity of pores defined by pore walls containing crystalline titanium oxide.

Abstract: A polarized element formed by arranging a dichroic molecule in a micropattern form on a thin film layer of a liquid crystalline resin having a photoactive group irradiated by a linearly polarized light. The micropattern polarized element can be produced without need of a very high position-matching precision as sticking.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an electrode and a field effect transistor having excellent ion selectivity using a noncyclic peptide. In order to achieve the above object, the ion sensor of the present invention using a noncyclic peptide is an ion sensor where a noncyclic peptide is contained in a sensing membrane. The said noncyclic peptide may contain at least two kinds of natural amino acids or non-natural amino acids. The ion sensor of the present invention may be constituted by an ion-selective electrode or by an ion-selective field effect transistor. Examples of the main responding ion are magnesium ion, lead ion, potassium ion, calcium ion, nickel ion, copper ion, zinc ion and cadmium ion.

Abstract: There is disclosed a crystallizable poly(2,5-di-substituted-1,4-phenylene oxide), which exhibits an exothermic peak for crystallization of not less than 5 J/g at 150° C. or over when cooled after melting, and/or an endothermic peak, at the time of melting of crystals thereof, of not less than 5 J/g at 150° C. or over when re-heated after cooling of the melt, and which comprises a recurring unit of the following formula (I), and a method of preparing the same by polymerization of a 2,5-di-substituted-phenol of the following formula (II) by use of a copper complex catalyst made of a tridentate ligand of which nitrogen atoms coordinate to a copper atom in coexistence with oxygen: wherein R1's independently represent a hydrocarbon group or a substituted hydrocarbon group, and they may be the same or different. The crystallizable poly(2,5-di-substituted-1,4-phenylene oxide) is able to provide a melt molding which has a reduced degree of coloration and good heat resistance.

Abstract: Provided is an optical probe array head device in which a single optical detector or a plurality of optical detectors are disposed to each of the optical probes constituting an optical probe array having a plurality of apertures. The optical detectors are arranged to surround the aperture so as to be able to efficiently detect scattering of a feeble near-field light enabling similtaneous detection of a multipilicity of optical signals. In this device, an optical lens system necessary for optical detection can be omitted by integrating the optical probe array and the optical detectors. In addition, the output signals from the optical detectors can be utilized for conducting position control of the optical probe array head.

Abstract: A method of forming a film or a micro structure having high density and high strength by bonding brittle ultra fine particles without heating them. The brittle ultra fine particles blown to a substrate are applied with a mechanical impact force to break and bond them together.

Abstract: The invention provides a novel highly-adaptive agent learning machine comprising a plurality of learning modules each having a set of reinforcement learning system which works on an environment and determines an action output for maximizing a reward provided as a result thereof and an environment predicting system which predicts a change in the environment, wherein a responsibility signal is calculated such that the smaller a prediction error of the environment predicting system of each of the learning modules, the larger the value thereof, and the action output by the reinforcement learning system is weighted in proportion to the responsibility signal, thereby providing an action with regard to the environment. The machine switches and combines actions optimum to various states or operational modes of an environment without using any specific teacher signal and performs behavior learning flexibly without using any prior knowledge.

Abstract: An apparatus for acquiring human finger manipulation data includes at least one finger motion detector consisting of a force sensor to be fitted on a human fingertip, at least three links and at least four angle detectors; and a base supporting the finger motion detector. The base can be attached to an external mount or a human hand. The force sensor is connected to the base through a link mechanism constituted by the links, and the angle detectors are attached at pivots between the links and optionally at a pivot between the link mechanism and the base. Three-dimensional motion of the finger is determined by measuring data of the angle detectors of the link mechanism, and fingertip contact force is measured by the force sensor. Up to five finger motion detectors, one for the thumb and each finger, can be supported on the base.

Abstract: A reversible recording medium has a support, a reversible light absorbing layer formed on the support, and, a reversible cholesteric reflection layer formed on the reversible light absorbing layer, containing a cholesteric liquid crystalline compound capable of assuming a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase reversibly showing iridescent colors by selective reflection. A method for reversibly recording an image in the above-mentioned recording medium, and a reversible recording apparatus using the above-mentioned recording medium are also disclosed.

Abstract: A light emitting device having a lamp for producing light when supplied with electric current, and an elongated optical material having a portion disposed within the lamp and one end located outside the lamp and serving as an outlet of emitted light. The optical material may be (a) a light transmissive, fluorescent or phosphorescent adapted to emit fluorescent or phosphorescent light upon being excited by irradiation with the light of the lamp so that the fluorescent or phosphorescent light is transmitted to the outlet, (b) a rod transparent to the light of the lamp so that the light from the lamp entering the rod is transmitted to the outlet, or (c) a light transmissive, laser generating optical material adapted to emit a laser beam upon being excited with the light of the lamp so that the laser beam is transmitted to the outlet.

Abstract: A control of a cooperative object-transporting robot which transports an object in cooperation with a man. The robot shares substantially a half of the weight of the object with the man, while the object is kept in a horizontal posture. A force applied to the robot by the object is detected by a force sensor, and based on the signal from the force sensor, a motion instruction is output for the motion components by the rotational force component &tgr;1 around the horizontal axis and the translational force component Fx1 in the horizontal back-and-forth direction, upon setting a gain to reduce the resistance forces of the robot to small values. The translational force component Fy in the direction of the object short axis is constrained so that no translational motion in the direction of the object short axis occurs.

Abstract: A ferulic acid derivative represented by the general formula: wherein R denotes a polyethylene glycol group, a crown ether group, or a azacrown ether group.

Abstract: A source code translating method includes the steps of representing a particular source code in the form of an abstract syntax tree without using nodes representing expression statements, and converting such abstract syntax tree into a character string, wherein as the type of the root node in the abstract syntax tree being processed is if-statement (T71), a branch is taken to invoke the “procedure for producing if-statement” where a character string “if (” is first produced, and then, to produce “x==0” contained in the first occurrence of the subtree, the “procedure for outputting the abstract syntax tree as an expression” is recursively invoked, then a character string “)” is produced; to produce “y=0;” contained in the second occurrence of the subtree, the “procedure for outputting the abstract syntax tree as a statement” is recursively invoked, then a character string “else” is produced; and

Abstract: This invention provides a method of manufacturing a diffraction grating capable of scribing by an interference light at a lower power density than usual. That is, a coating solution containing a metal alkoxide and a &bgr;-diketone is coated on a substrate, the coated film is heat treated to form a gelled film and then an interference light is irradiated to the gelled film, to manufacture a diffraction grating.

Abstract: Disclosed is fluorocarbon-based dry etching gas which is free of global environmental problems and a dry etching method using a plasma gas obtained therefrom. The dry etching gas includes a fluorinated ether of carbon, fluorine, hydrogen and oxygen and having 2-6 carbon atoms.