Abstract: The impurity concentration in the oxide semiconductor film is reduced, and a highly reliability can be obtained.

Abstract: There have been cases where transistors formed using oxide semiconductors are inferior in reliability to transistors formed using amorphous silicon. Thus, in the present invention, a semiconductor device including a highly reliable transistor formed using an oxide semiconductor is manufactured. An oxide semiconductor film is deposited by a sputtering method, using a sputtering target including an oxide semiconductor having crystallinity, and in which the direction of the c-axis of a crystal is parallel to a normal vector of the top surface of the oxide semiconductor. The target is formed by mixing raw materials so that its composition ratio can obtain a crystal structure.

Abstract: A CT apparatus comprises; a sensor section outputting distance data for determining a distance between the sensor section and at least part of a subject to be examined laid on a cradle; contour-data generating means for generating contour data representing a contour of the at least part of the subject based on the distance data obtained from the sensor section; and deciding means for deciding whether or not there is a risk for said subject to come into contact with said gantry while said gantry or said table is moving based on data representing a limit of a range up to which said subject can come close to the gantry and on said contour data.

Abstract: An X-ray CT system comprises: a storage device for storing therein a referential emission condition defined assuming at least one of a required referential width and a required referential body depth in a subject and defined taking account of a degree of X-ray absorption in the subject; a camera and a distance sensor for detecting a width and a body depth of the subject; and an emission condition setting section 76 for setting an emission condition for X-rays emitted by an X-ray tube in imaging after correcting the referential emission condition according to at least one of a difference between the detected width of the subject and the referential width and a difference between the body depth of the subject detected by the optical sensor and the referential body depth.

Abstract: A high strength spring containing, by mass %, C: 0.40 to 0.50%, Si: 1.00 to 3.00%, Mn: 0.30 to 1.20%, Ni: 0.05 to 0.50%, Cr: 0.35 to 1.50%, Mo: 0.03 to 0.50%, Cu: 0.05 to 0.50%, Al: 0.005 to 0.100%, V: 0.05 to 0.50%, Nb: 0.005 to 0.150%, N: 0.0100 to 0.0200%, P: limited to be less than or equal to 0.015%, S: limited to be less than or equal to 0.010%, and the balance of Fe and inevitable impurities, wherein a Nb-compound including at least one of Nb-carbide, Nb-nitride and Nb-carbonitride is included, and wherein a V-compound including at least one of V-carbide and V-carbonitride that is precipitated around the Nb-compound is included.

Abstract: A CT apparatus comprises; a sensor section outputting distance data for determining a distance between the sensor section and at least part of a subject to be examined laid on a cradle; contour-data generating means for generating contour data representing a contour of the at least part of the subject based on the distance data obtained from the sensor section; and deciding means for deciding whether or not there is a risk for said subject to come into contact with said gantry while said gantry or said table is moving based on data representing a limit of a range up to which said subject can come close to the gantry and on said contour data.

Abstract: An X-ray CT system comprises: a storage device for storing therein a referential emission condition defined assuming at least one of a required referential width and a required referential body depth in a subject and defined taking account of a degree of X-ray absorption in the subject; a camera and a distance sensor for detecting a width and a body depth of the subject; and an emission condition setting section 76 for setting an emission condition for X-rays emitted by an X-ray tube in imaging after correcting the referential emission condition according to at least one of a difference between the detected width of the subject and the referential width and a difference between the body depth of the subject detected by the optical sensor and the referential body depth.

Abstract: A high strength spring containing, by mass %, C: 0.40 to 0.50%, Si: 1.00 to 3.00%, Mn: 0.30 to 1.20%, Ni: 0.05 to 0.50%, Cr: 0.35 to 1.50%, Mo: 0.03 to 0.50%, Cu: 0.05 to 0.50%, Al: 0.005 to 0.100%, V: 0.05 to 0.50%, Nb: 0.005 to 0.150%, N: 0.0100 to 0.0200%, P: limited to be less than or equal to 0.015%, S: limited to be less than or equal to 0.010%, and the balance of Fe and inevitable impurities, wherein a Nb-compound including at least one of Nb-carbide, Nb-nitride and Nb-carbonitride is included, and wherein a V-compound including at least one of V-carbide and V-carbonitride that is precipitated around the Nb-compound is included.

Abstract: A rotor of the invention includes a core made of laminated steel sheets and formed with a rotation-transmitting-member mounting end face (a wall surface of a through hole for shaft) extending over a lamination direction and a rotation transmitting member (a shaft) mounted to the rotation-transmitting-member mounting end face of the core. The core is formed with a welding end face (a wall surface of a through hole for welding) extending over the lamination direction and in a position adjacent to a rotation-transmitting-member mounting end face. A welded trace is formed in the welding end face, extending to the rotation transmitting member and over the lamination direction of the core. The invention can easily achieve size reduction and weight reduction of a rotary machine and manufacture a rotor in the reduced number of working processes.

Abstract: A rotor of the invention includes a core made of laminated steel sheets and formed with a rotation-transmitting-member mounting end face (a wall surface of a through hole for shaft) extending over a lamination direction and a rotation transmitting member (a shaft) mounted to the rotation-transmitting-member mounting end face of the core. The core is formed with a welding end face (a wall surface of a through hole for welding) extending over the lamination direction and in a position adjacent to a rotation-transmitting-member mounting end face. A welded trace is formed in the welding end face, extending to the rotation transmitting member and over the lamination direction of the core. The invention can easily achieve size reduction and weight reduction of a rotary machine and manufacture a rotor in the reduced number of working processes.

Abstract: In X-ray CT imaging for scanning a subject in the same anatomical region with two kinds of X-rays having different energy distributions, for the purpose of reducing a subject's positional offset between two kinds of tomographic images representing the same slice by a simple control scheme while reducing stress on the subject, a cardiac cycle identifying section 30b identifies a cardiac cycle of a subject 6 by an electrocardiograph 5 or the like, and a scan start time interval setting section 30c sets a time interval from the start of a first scan with first X-rays to the start of a second scan with second X-rays to a time approximately the same as the aforementioned cardiac cycle. A scan control section 30a controls several sections to keep a constant rotation speed of a rotating section 27 and start the scans at the aforementioned time interval. In each scan, projection data over a given view angle sufficient for reconstruction processing for a tomographic image are collected at once.

Abstract: In X-ray CT imaging for scanning a subject in the same anatomical region with two kinds of X-rays having different energy distributions, for the purpose of reducing a subject's positional offset between two kinds of tomographic images representing the same slice by a simple control scheme while reducing stress on the subject, a cardiac cycle identifying section 30b identifies a cardiac cycle of a subject 6 by an electrocardiograph 5 or the like, and a scan start time interval setting section 30c sets a time interval from the start of a first scan with first X-rays to the start of a second scan with second X-rays to a time approximately the same as the aforementioned cardiac cycle. A scan control section 30a controls several sections to keep a constant rotation speed of a rotating section 27 and start the scans at the aforementioned time interval. In each scan, projection data over a given view angle sufficient for reconstruction processing for a tomographic image are collected at once.

Abstract: This invention provides an X-ray CT apparatus capable of addressing a change in heart beats during a scan and a method of controlling the same. The X-ray CT apparatus includes: a data acquisition device for acquiring projection data of a subject by a helical scan synchronized with a heart beat; an image reconstructing apparatus for reconstructing an image on the basis of the collected projection data; and a controller for controlling the data acquisition device and the image reconstructing apparatus. The controller includes: first control means for changing helical pitch in accordance with a change in the heart beat during the helical scan; and second control means for reconstructing images in a plurality of slice positions at equal intervals on the basis of projection data also including projection data collected during the change in the helical pitch.

Abstract: This invention provides an X-ray CT apparatus capable of addressing a change in heart beats during a scan and a method of controlling the same. The X-ray CT apparatus includes: a data acquisition device for acquiring projection data of a subject by a helical scan synchronized with a heart beat; an image reconstructing apparatus for reconstructing an image on the basis of the collected projection data; and a controller for controlling the data acquisition device and the image reconstructing apparatus. The controller includes: first control means for changing helical pitch in accordance with a change in the heart beat during the helical scan; and second control means for reconstructing images in a plurality of slice positions at equal intervals on the basis of projection data also including projection data collected during the change in the helical pitch.

Abstract: Tomography or X-ray CT fluoroscopy reduced in exposure to radiation in an X-ray CT apparatus or an X-ray CT fluoroscopic apparatus is to be substantialized. A channel-direction X-ray collimator or a beam forming X-ray filter is positionally controlled in the channel direction to carry out X-ray data acquisition while irradiation with X-rays limited to only the region of interest. Either the profile area of the whole subject is obtained or the profile area of the whole subject is predicted from views or scout images of irradiation of the whole subject out of X-ray projection data. Image reconstruction of views not irradiating the whole subject out of the collected X-ray projection data is carried out by predicting lacking parts from the profile area of the whole subject and making corrections accordingly.

Abstract: A sulfur-containing free-cutting steel for machine structural use, containing, in weight percent, 0.10 to 0.55% of C, 0.05 to 1.00% of Si, 0.30 to 2.50% of Mn, not more than 0.15% of P, 0.050 to 0.350% of S, more than 0.010% but not more than 0.020% of Al, 0.015 to 0.200% of Nb, 0.0015 to 0.0150% of O, and not more than 0.02% of N, and further containing, in weight percent, at least one selected from the group consisting of 0.03 to 0.50% of V, 0.02 to 0.20% of Ti and 0.01 to 0.20% of Zr, wherein the ratio S/O of the S content to the O content is 15 to 120, and at least one selected from the group consisting of an oxide, a carbide, a nitride and a carbonitride of Nb(see FIG. 1) acts as nuclei for precipitation of MnS type inclusions.

Abstract: A high-sulfur free-cutting steel which has a chemical composition containing, in mass %, 0.03 to 0.20% C, 0.35% or less Si (including 0%), 0.30 to 2.00% Mn, 0.01 to 0.15% P, 0.35 to 0.65% S 0.0100 to 0.0250% O, 0.020% or less N, 0.005% or less Al (including 0%), 0.02 to 0.20% Nb, and further containing 0.05 to 0.50% V or 0.02 to 0.20% Ti, or both, with the remainder consisting of Fe and unavoidable impurities, wherein sulfide type inclusions, as the principal nonmetallic inclusions contained in the steel, have a mean size of 50 &mgr;m2 or less and are present at the rate of 500 to 1000 inclusions per mm2 in the cross section of the steel. The sulfur-containing free-cutting steel has a good machinability comparable or superior to that of free-cutting steels containing heavy metals which have a deleterious effect on the environment, without requiring the addition of such undesirable heavy metals.

Abstract: A sulfur-containing free-cutting steel for machine structural use, comprising, in weight percent, 0.10 to 0.55% of C, 0.05 to 1.00% of Si, 0.30 to 2.50% of Mn, not more than 0.15% of P, 0.050 to 0.350% of S, more than 0.010% but not more than 0.020% of Al, 0.015 to 0.200% of Nb, 0.0015 to 0.0150% of O, and not more than 0.02% of N, and further containing, in weight percent, at least one selected from the group consisting of 0.03 to 0.50% of V, 0.02 to 0.20% of Ti and 0.01 to 0.20% of Zr, wherein the ratio S/O of the S content to the O content is 15 to 120, and at least one selected from the group consisting of an oxide, a carbide, a nitride and a carbonitride of Nb (see FIG. 1) acts as nuclei for precipitation of an MnS type inclusions.

Abstract: A high-sulfur free-cutting steel which has a chemical composition comprising, in mass %, 0.03 to 0.20% C, 0.35% or less Si (including 0%), 0.30 to 2.00% Mn, 0.01 to 0.15% P, 0.35 to 0.65% S, 0.0100 to 0.0250% O, 0.020% or less N, 0.005% or less Al (including 0%), 0.02 to 0.20% Nb, and further containing 0.05 to 0.50% V or 0.02 to 0.20% Ti, or both, with the remainder consisting of Fe and unavoidable impurities, wherein sulfide type inclusions as principal nonmetallic inclusions contained in the steel have a mean size of 50 &mgr;m2 or less and are present at the rate of 500 to 1000 inclusions per mm2 in the cross section of the steel. The sulfur-containing free-cutting steel has a good machinability well comparable to or superior that of free-cutting steels containing heavy metals which have a deleterious effect on the environment, without requiring the addition of such undesirable heavy metals.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a monolithic catalyst converter includes the steps of fitting a monolithic catalyst into a tube-shaped workpiece having opposite opening ends through one of the opposite opening ends, and drawing the tube-shaped workpiece at the opposite opening ends into a funnel shape by means of spinning. Thus, a monolithic catalyst converter is completed without carrying out welding. Hence, the monolithic catalyst converter can be manufactured with a high material yield (or a low scrap rate), at a reduced cost and under a good working environment, because it can be manufactured without the conventional troublesome welding operation and/or a leak-test inspection.