Abstract: An inductively-coupled-plasma-processing apparatus includes a main vessel which is partitioned into an antenna chamber and a process chamber by a partition structure. The antenna chamber includes an RF antenna and the process chamber includes a susceptor on which an LCD glass substrate is placed. The partition structure has a dielectric panel constituted of four segments supported by a cross-shaped supporting bracket. The supporting bracket is suspended from the ceiling of the main vessel by a plurality of suspenders. The supporting bracket is used as a case of a showerhead for supplying a process gas into the process chamber.

Abstract: A microwave heating apparatus operates in either a first mode or a second mode, that allow different amounts of electric power to be supplied to a load and a control circuit for driving and controlling the load. The voltage applied to a primary coil of a transformer is lower in the second mode than in the first mode. In another apparatus, no electric power is supplied to a control circuit for driving and controlling a heating member and other circuits when the apparatus is in a standby state. However, when the user operates an operation member for opening the door of a heating chamber, electric power is supplied.

Abstract: A first member having a pair of claws and an engagement recess provided between the pair of claws and a second member having an engagement portion are prepared. In a state where the engagement portion of the second member is disposed in the engagement recess of the first member, the pair of claws is externally held by a side face jig. Then, a punch having a trapezoid recess composed of a pair of inclined parts and a horizontal part between the inclined parts is brought to contact with front end portions of the caulking claws. The punch is pushed to bent the caulking claws along the inclined parts, and is further pushed to upset the caulking claws by the horizontal part. As a result, the first member is securely caulked with the second member.

Abstract: In a device for adjusting the tilt angle of an optical pickup by using a leaf spring and tilt-angle adjusting screws, an actuator 4 is mounted on and supported by a spherical seat 3 of an optical base 1. One portion of a base 7 of the actuator 4 is resiliently pressed by a leaf spring 30. Tilt-angle adjusting screws 10 and 11 are provided which are respectively screwed in two threaded holes 8 and 9 in the base 7. The direction of the resiliently pressing force imparted to the actuator 4 by the leaf spring 30 is tilted with respect to axes of the tilt-angle adjusting screws 10 and 11. By forming the leaf spring 30 into a substantially U-shaped configuration, the resiliently pressing force applied to the actuator 4 is made uniform.

Abstract: The present invention provides purified, corn tassel-derived polynucleotides (cdps) which encode corn tassel-derived polypeptides (CDPs). The invention also provides for the use of cdps or their complements, oligonucleotides, or fragments in methods for determining altered gene expression, to recover regulatory elements, and to follow inheritance of desirable characteristics through hybrid breeding programs. The invention further provides for vectors and host cells containing cdps for the expression of CDPs. The invention additionally provides for (i) use of isolated and purified CDPs to induce antibodies and to screen libraries of compounds and (ii) use of anti-CDP antibodies in diagnostic assays.

Abstract: In industrial production of &ohgr;-hydroxyaliphatic acid being an important intermediate for large cyclic lactone-based perfumes, using dicarboxylate ester which is inexpensive and readily obtainable, a method, with high yield and improved selectively, for making a 2-(&ohgr;-alkoxycarbonylalkanoyl)-4-butanolide and an alkaline metal salt thereof, an ester of &ohgr;-hydroxy-(&ohgr;-3)-ketoaliphatic acid as a novel compound and a derivative thereof, and a method for making the same are provided.

Abstract: A control signal MBPRG is inputted to individual block decoders that constitute a block decoder section 37 of an ACT type flash memory. Then, the level of the control signal MBPRG is set to “H” to select all the blocks regardless of the contents of address signals a5 through a13, and one word line WL is selected from all the blocks by the addresses a0 through a4. By thus selecting one word line WL every block that is electrically separated by the select transistor and simultaneously applying a write voltage during the test to the same number of word lines WL as the number of blocks, the possible occurrence of a bad influence exerted on the other memory cells is prevented even when the memory cells in which a write operation during the test has been executed include a memory cell that has a negative threshold voltage.

Abstract: An electronic component feeding apparatus conveys chip components intermittently by moving a belt. This apparatus has a motion changing mechanism for changing an input motion for moving the belt to an unequal speed motion having a low initial speed and for transmitting the changed unequal speed motion to a belt moving mechanism. This motion changing mechanism has a cam member having a cam face of a predetermined shape and a cam contact member in contact with the cam face, and performs the motion change by a relative movement between the cam member and the cam contact member. An unequal speed motion (accelerated motion) after being changed by the motion changing mechanism is transmitted to the belt moving mechanism, whereby an initial speed when the belt is moved is decreased.

Abstract: An adapter has a cylindrical body which is screwed onto a battery post, and a flange portion formed on a top portion of the cylindrical body to be clamped by a screwing tool. A terminal body includes a substantially U-shaped adaptor fitting portion which accommodates the adapter therein, and a seat portion on which an electric wire terminal is fixed. A lever includes a cam portion and is supported on the terminal body so as to be pivotable between a first position and a second position. A space in which the flange portion is capable of passing through is secured inside of the adaptor fitting portion when the lever is in the first position. The cam portion is abutted against an outer periphery of the cylindrical body of the adaptor so that the adaptor is retained between the cam portion and an inner face of the adaptor fitting portion, when the lever is in the second position. The flange portion of the adaptor is engaged with a top end face of the adapter fitting portion of the terminal body.

Abstract: Disclosed is an article information providing system that includes a portable terminal to which an information demander inputs a desire for an article as demand information and that receives information corresponding to the demand information from an information provider.

Abstract: A group III nitride compound semiconductor device has a substrate, a group III nitride compound semiconductor layer having a device function, and an undercoat layer formed between the substrate and the group III nitride semiconductor layer. The undercoat layer has a surface which has a texture structure, or which is trapezoid shaped in section or which is pit shaped. In addition, a reflection layer made of nitride of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, hafnium and tantalum may be formed on a surface of the undercoat layer. Also the surface of the reflection layer is formed as a texture structure, a trapezoid shape in section or a pit shape.

Abstract: A method of making metallic iron in which a compact, containing iron oxide such as iron ore or the like and a carbonaceous reductant such as coal or the like, is used as material, and the iron oxide is reduced through the application of heat, thereby making metallic iron. In the course of this reduction, a shell composed of metallic iron is generated and grown on the surface of the compact, and slag aggregates inside the shell. This reduction continues until substantially no iron oxide is present within the metallic iron shell. Subsequently, heating is further performed to melt the metallic iron and slag. Molten metallic iron and molten slag are separated one from the other, thereby obtaining metallic iron with a relatively high metallization ratio.

Abstract: A high frequency component is constructed such that the characteristics of a high frequency circuit that cannot be measured only by an outwardly extending terminal electrode are easily measured at the final-product stage. In the high frequency component, a substrate has an electrode pattern provided including a signal measuring electrode pad. Additionally, chip components are mounted on the substrate. A metal cover has a hole provided near the signal measuring electrode pad. Through the hole, a probe of a measuring apparatus is inserted from the outside to abut with the electrode pad. With the arrangement, a voltage signal obtained at a predetermined point of the high frequency circuit is measured.

Abstract: Heat-shrinkable thermoplastic resin films suitable for use as labels on the bottles, particularly as full labels on the PET bottles, wherein the heat shrinkability in the main shrinkage direction of the film is 5% to 60% after treatment in hot water at 70° C. for 5 seconds and 67% or higher after treatment in hot water at 85° C. for 5 seconds and the heat shrinkability in a direction perpendicular to the main shrinkage direction of the film is 10% or lower after treatment in hot water at 85° C. for 5 seconds. When used as full labels on the bottles, these films can have good shrinkage finish because they cause only rare occurrence of wrinkles, shrinkage spots, and strains during heat shrinkage, and they are therefore extremely useful as full labels.

Abstract: A malfunction determining apparatus of an engine system that has an improved malfunction determining accuracy. The apparatus includes a processing unit. The processing unit performs a test for the engine system every time a predetermined condition is satisfied and determines whether there is a malfunction in the engine system based on the test result. The number of times when a malfunction is detected is represented by malfunction counter value. The processing unit evaluates the reliability of malfunction counter value based on a normality counter value. When the malfunction counter value is reliable and reaches a predetermined value, the processing unit determines that there is a malfunction in the engine system.

Abstract: A seal structure between a first member that has a recessed section and a second member that has a protruding section on its rear surface and is provided on its front surface with an elastomer covering layer so that the protruding section is inserted into the recessed section. The second member is provided with a through-hole that passes through the second member and is formed in positions located at a circumferential edge of the protruding section of the second member. The second member is further provided with a tubular covering layer of an elastomer, the tubular covering layer being formed on the outer circumference of the protruding section so that the tubular cover layer is continuous of the covering formed on the front surface of the second member via the through-hole.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the type in which it is possible to select an image forming station for image formation from a plurality of image forming stations, includes: a plurality of image forming stations each having an image bearing member for bearing a latent image and a developing device for developing the latent image on the image bearing member by a developer; transfer members adapted to come into contact with a medium member to induce a charge and to electrostatically transfer developed images formed in the plurality of image forming stations to the medium member; and a current control portion for controlling an electric current flowing through the transfer members, wherein the current control portion effects control such that no electric current flows through the transfer member corresponding to an image forming station not being used for image formation.

Abstract: A camera comprises an exposure unit to expose film to an object image and an image pick-up unit to pick up object images with an image pick-up element and output electronic picked up images, and further comprises a film pressure member to make contact with and press against the above film; a camera back cover having an aperture; a liquid crystal display panel to display the above electronic picked up images; a backlight to illuminate the display face of the above liquid crystal display panel from the back side of the above liquid crystal display panel; a light-blocking case which houses at least the above liquid crystal display panel and the above backlight, having a bottom face and side walls, and which is designed such that, when the above liquid crystal display panel is housed, the side thereof facing the display face of the liquid crystal display panel is opened; a clamping mechanism to clamp the above light-blocking case, together with the above film pressure member, to the above back cover, such that th

Abstract: A broadcast receiver is provided. This broadcast receiver is capable of preventing the problem of an audience losing interest in broadcasted program, even during a CM (commercial message) broadcasting time range contained in this broadcast program, and without requiring the audience to not perform a zapping operation. In the broadcast receiver according to the present invention, a single set of highlight scene, or plural sets of highlight scenes, are detected from a broadcast program provided to the audience, and then stored in a storage device. Thereafter, when a CM broadcast program is commenced, the highlight scene is read out from the storage device and is reproduced.

Abstract: A semiconductor substrate has a trench for forming a gate insulation film and a gate electrode therein, or an insulated isolation isolating a semiconductor element like a transistor from other elements. The trench is formed by anisotropic dry etching. After that, a shape of the trench is improved so that a bottom portion and an opening portion are rounded or tapered by a wet process using a mixed solution containing hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid. By modifying the shape of the trench, electrical characteristics of the trench are improved. For example, an oxide film formed in the trench has high quality, whereby a gate withstanding voltage is improved.