Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming method including ejecting an ink containing a silicic acid compound from an inkjet head, whereby deterioration of the head members is suppressed and a high precision image is formable stably over a long-term, the inkjet head being equipped with plural liquid droplet ejecting elements 80 having nozzles 64, pressure chamber 58, supply channel 60, and piezoelectric element 68, which transforms vibrating plate 66 that constitutes a wall of pressure chamber 58, and an ink circulation unit which has common flow channel 52 that is connected with each of plural liquid droplet ejecting elements 80 via supply channels 60, and common circulation channel 70 that is connected with each of plural liquid droplet ejecting elements 80 via reflux channels 72, that supplies the ink to plural liquid droplet ejecting elements from common flow channel 52, and that circulates the ink to common circulation channel.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming method and an ink composition used in the method by which deterioration of a head plate which is formed of silicon is suppressed and more precise images are stably formed, where ink containing an inorganic silicate compound is ejected to form an image from an inkjet head having a nozzle plate where SiO2 film is provided on a surface thereof at a side toward the ink ejection direction of the nozzle.

Abstract: The present invention provides an inkjet ink composition including: self-dispersing polymer particles, each of the self-dispersing polymer particles including a structural unit derived from a hydrophilic monomer and a structural unit derived from a hydrophobic monomer; colloidal silica; and colorant particles, the inkjet ink composition having excellent dischargeability and suppressing the deterioration of the liquid repellency of an inkjet head member.

Abstract: The invention provides an inkjet ink composition including a pigment and colloidal silica, the pigment being covered with a water-insoluble resin including a constituent unit having an acidic group, with which rub resistance of images formed and ink discharge reliability are excellent and deterioration of liquid repellency of an inkjet head member is suppressed.

Abstract: The present invention provides an inkjet ink composition including at least one water-soluble organic solvent, water, at least one colorant, and at least one colloidal silica, wherein 40% or more by mass of a total content of the water-soluble organic solvent has an SP value of 27.5 or less, and the inkjet ink composition having excellent discharge reliability, and suppressing curling of prints formed with the ink and deterioration of liquid repellency of an inkjet head member.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming method and an ink composition whereby deterioration of a head plate, which is formed of silicon, is suppressed, and an image with higher precision is formed stably, the ink composition including an inorganic silicate compound and being ejected to form an image from an ink-jet head having a nozzle plate where a C8F17C2H4SiCl3 film (fluorocarbon film) is provided on the surface thereof at a side toward the ink ejection direction of a nozzle.

Abstract: The invention provides an ink composition including water, a colorant, a water-soluble organic solvent, a surfactant and a water-soluble silicate, the water-soluble silicate being comprised in an amount of from 0.0001% by mass to 0.5% by mass with respect to a total mass of the ink composition, and the water-soluble organic solvent including a water-soluble organic solvent having a value of solubility parameter (SP) of 27.5 or less in an amount of 40% by mass or more with respect to a total mass of the water-soluble organic solvent; an ink composition including a water-soluble alkali metal silicate and a pigment coated with a water-insoluble resin, the water-insoluble resin including a structural unit having an acidic group; and an ink composition including a water-soluble alkali metal silicate, self-dispersing polymer particles, and a pigment.

Abstract: A pattern measuring apparatus includes: an electron irradiating unit for radiating an electron beam onto a sample while scanning; an image data acquiring unit for acquiring an image of a pattern on the basis of an amount of electrons generated from the sample where the pattern is formed, by the radiation of the electron beam; a measurement region setting unit for setting paired measurement regions each including a pattern edge in the image of the pattern; and a controlling unit for calculating a distance between pattern edges in the paired measurement regions by detecting a shape of the pattern edge in each measurement region, respectively.

Abstract: A coil spring with irregular cross section according to the present invention is made by subjecting a coil wire having an irregular cross section to a fatigue-strength improving treatment including a shot peening treatment after coiling the coil wire into a spring configuration, and the coil spring with irregular cross section has a vertical cross-sectional profile whose coil inner-peripheral-side section is expressed by following Equation (1) and Equation (2) in a polar coordinate system and orthogonal coordinate system: x=(LR??b)cosnxr?+?b??(1) y=SRsinnyr???(2) wherein ? is a deflection angle in said polar coordinate system; and 0°??<90°, 270°??<360°, 0.7?nxr?0.9, 0.8?nyr?1.0, and 0.1SR??b?0.3SR; in said Equation (1) and Equation (2). In accordance with the present invention, it is possible to provide a coil spring with irregular cross section that exhibits more uniform and higher fatigue strength along a cross-sectional peripheral direction of the coil wire.

Abstract: Provided is a signal encoding apparatus including: an encoding unit which encodes a quantization value of a frequency spectrum in an input signal through a plurality of encoding algorithms; an amplitude change amount calculation unit which calculates an amplitude change amount with respect to the frequency spectrum based on a spectrum envelope of the frequency spectrum; and an encoding selection unit which selects the encoding algorithm according to a degree of deflection of an occurrence probability distribution of the quantization value in the amplitude change amount among the plurality of the encoding algorithms.

Abstract: A capsule medical apparatus is provided with a plurality of rigid boards which are connected in line via a flexible board; and molded bodies. The molded bodies are formed in a manner of covering functional components mounted on the respective rigid boards. The molded bodies keep an inter-board interval between the rigid boards by intervening between facing rigid boards. The molded bodies keep an inter-board interval between the rigid boards by intervening between facing rigid boards.

Abstract: An endoscope is provided with a bending tube including sequentially connected plural bending pieces constituting a bending section which is provided in a slim and elongated insertion portion and which is brought into a bending operation by remote control, a distal end section which is provided in the front end side of this bending tube and which constitutes the front end side of the insertion portion, a flexible tube section which is provided in the base end side of the bending tube and which constitutes the rear end side of the insertion portion, and a covering member which is disposed to cover the bending tube and which has elasticity in order that both end portions of the covering member are fixed to the distal end section or the flexible tube section by being fastened radially inward, wherein the relationship represented by 0.3D<d<1.0D is established between a thickness d of the covering member fixed by fastening and the thickness D of the covering member before being fixed by fastening.

Abstract: There is provided a rolling element accommodating belt for a linear guide apparatus which has a guide rail, a slider having a load rolling element guiding face which constitutes a rolling element track path together with the guide rail, a pair of direction converting paths and a rolling element return path, a plurality of rolling elements circulating within an endless circulation path defined by the rolling element track path, the pair of direction converting paths and the rolling element return path; and a guide groove. The rolling element accommodating belt includes a plurality of spacer portions interposed between the rolling elements, coupling arms to be guided by the guide grooves and rolling element accommodating portions accommodating the rolling element. The spacer has an inward abutting face abutting on the rolling element so as to prevent the rolling element from moving to inner diameter side of the endless circulation path.

Abstract: Provided is a mask inspection apparatus including: emitting unit for emitting electron beams onto a sample; electron detecting unit for detecting the quantity of electrons produced, by the emission of the electron beams, from the sample with patterns formed thereon; image processing unit for generating image data for the patterns on the basis of the electron quantity; and controlling unit for controlling the emitting unit, the electron detecting unit, and the image processing unit. The controlling unit calculates, from the size of a designated observation area of the sample, a division number of divisional images that are synthesized to form a joint image that covers the entire designated observation area. The controlling unit determines divisional areas so that adjacent divisional areas partially overlap each other. The controlling unit acquires SEM images for the respective divisional areas.

Abstract: A dispersion of a water-insoluble colorant, having: fine particles of at least one kind of water-insoluble colorant dispersed in a water-containing medium; and a polymer compound or surfactant having a structural unit represented by formula (I): wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a substituent; one of R2 to R5 represents a single bond which bonds to W, and the others each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a substituent; Q represents a group of atoms necessary for forming, with the carbon atoms, a ring; J represents —CO—, —COO—, —CONR6—, ?OCO—, a methylene group, a phenylene group, or —C6H4CO—; R6 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an aryl group or an aralkyl group; W represents a single bond or a divalent linking group.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ink set for inkjet recording which has excellent resistance to light and can prevent image blurring and image deformation due to cracks or the like, wherein the ink set includes: a first liquid including a water soluble organic solvent, water and a pigment dispersed therein, in which an average particle diameter of the pigment is from 5 nm to 50 nm and a monodispersity of the pigment is 1.5 or less; and a second liquid which includes a component that can reduce a pH of the first liquid to less than 7 when contacted with the first liquid and can transform the first liquid from a region in which the dispersion of the pigment particles is stable to a region in which the dispersion of the pigment particles is unstable. The invention also provides a method of image recording using the ink set for inkjet recording.

Abstract: An electromagnetic shielding film for plasma display which is excellent in electromagnetic shielding characteristics for effectively shielding electromagnetic waves, near infrared rays, stray light, external light, and the like and even when stored under a wet heat condition, is small in change of color tint and good in adhesion, with a blackening layer hardly peeled away, is provided by a transparent electromagnetic shielding film including a transparent support having thereon a conductive metal layer in a pattern-like state having an electromagnetic shielding ability and having a surface covered by a blackening layer, with the blackening layer made of an alloy of nickel and zinc in a nickel/zinc mass ratio of from 0.5 to 50.

Abstract: An IC-card holding apparatus improving the availability, the convenience, and the usefulness of a non-contact IC card. The IC-card holding apparatus may communicate with a non-contact IC card held therein to read out information from the non-contact IC card and obtain the type of the non-contact IC card held therein and usage history information. The IC-card holding apparatus may display an image corresponding to the type of the non-contact IC card. The usage history may also be read out and displayed. For example, information (e.g., place name or shop name) about a position where the non-contact IC card has been used may be displayed and/or the use position may be presented on a map image.

Abstract: A signal processing apparatus includes a first audio adjustment information generator generating a first audio adjustment information in accordance with an audio signal in a content item, a sound input unit, a sound output unit, an audio separator separating the audio signal from noise signals which are both output from the sound output unit and are detected by the sound input unit, a second audio adjustment information generator generating a second audio adjustment information in accordance with the noise signals separated by the audio separator, and an audio adjustment unit adjusting a volume of the audio signal output in the sound output unit in accordance with the first and second audio adjustment information.