Abstract: A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein the main assembly includes a motor, a main assembly side gear for receiving driving force from the motor, a hole defined by twisted surfaces, the hole being substantially coaxial with the gear, and a main assembly side grounding contact provided in the hole, the process cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum; process mechanisms actable on the photosensitive drum; and a projection engageable with the twisted surfaces, the projection being provided at a longitudinal end of the photosensitive drum, wherein when the main assembly side gear rotates with the hole and projection engaged with each other, rotational driving force is transmitted from the gear to the photosensitive drum through engagement between the hole and the projection; and a cartridge side grounding contact electrically connected with the electrophotographic photosensitive drum for electrically grounding the

Abstract: A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein the main assembly includes a motor, a main assembly side gear for receiving driving force from the motor, a hole defined by twisted surfaces, the hole being substantially coaxial with the gear, and a main assembly side grounding contact provided in the hole, the process cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum; process mechanisms actable on the photosensitive drum; and a projection engageable with the twisted surfaces, the projection being provided at a longitudinal end of the photosensitive drum, wherein when the main assembly side gear rotates with the hole and projection engaged with each other, rotational driving force is transmitted from the gear to the photosensitive drum through engagement between the hole and the projection; and a cartridge side grounding contact electrically connected with the electrophotographic photosensitive drum for electrically grounding the

Abstract: A laminated quarter-wave plate having: a laminate of a quarter-wave plate and a half-wave plate, wherein: the quarter-wave plate and the half-wave plate are laminated on each other so that directions of in-plane slow axes intersect each other; and each of the quarter-wave plate and the half-wave plate satisfies a relation Nz=(nx?nz)/(nx?ny)>1.05 in which nx and ny are in-plane main refractive indices, and nz is a thicknesswise refractive index; and a circularly polarizing plate having: a laminate of a laminated quarter-wave plate defined above and a polarizer.

Abstract: A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein the main assembly includes a motor, a main assembly side gear for receiving driving force from the motor, a hole defined by twisted surfaces, the hole being substantially coaxial with the gear, and a main assembly side grounding contact provided in the hole, the process cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum; process mechanisms actable on the photosensitive drum; and a projection engageable with the twisted surfaces, the projection being provided at a longitudinal end of the photosensitive drum, wherein when the main assembly side gear rotates with the hole and projection engaged with each other, rotational driving force is transmitted from the gear to the photosensitive drum through engagement between the hole and the projection; and a cartridge side grounding contact electrically connected with the electrophotographic photosensitive drum for electrically grounding the

Abstract: A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein the main assembly includes a motor, a main assembly side gear for receiving driving force from the motor, a hole defined by twisted surfaces, the hole being substantially coaxial with the gear, and a main assembly side grounding contact provided in the hole, the process cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum; process mechanisms actable on the photosensitive drum; and a projection engageable with the twisted surfaces, the projection being provided at a longitudinal end of the photosensitive drum, wherein when the main assembly side gear rotates with the hole and projection engaged with each other, rotational driving force is transmitted from the gear to the photosensitive drum through engagement between the hole and the projection; and a cartridge side grounding contact electrically connected with the electrophotographic photosensitive drum for electrically grounding the

Abstract: As a polarizing plate with optical compensation function, that is thin and excellent in optical characteristics, the present invention provides a polarizing plate with optical compensation function including at least two optically compensating layers. The optically compensating layers includes: an optically compensating A-layer formed of a polymer film, satisfying conditions represented by formulae (I) and (II) below; and an optically compensating B-layer formed of a non-liquid crystalline polymer film, satisfying conditions represented by formulae (III) to (V) below. 20 (nm)?Rea?300 (nm)??(I) 1.0?Rza/Rea?8??(II) 1 (nm)?Reb?100 (nm)??(III) 5?Rzb/Reb?100??(IV) 1 (?m)?db?20 (?m)??(V) The present invention also provides a liquid crystal display using the polarizing plate.

Abstract: A method of growing a crystal (for example, a GaN system compound semiconductor crystal) on a substrate at least includes forming a first crystalline layer (a GaN system buffer layer), forming a second crystalline layer (a GaN system intermediate layer) and forming a third crystalline layer (a GaN system thick film layer). The three crystalline layers are respectively reared on conditions different from one another.

Abstract: The present invention provides a laminated retardation plate that shows an excellent viewing angle property when used in a liquid crystal display, and that can be decreased in thickness. The laminated retardation plate is formed by laminating an optically anisotropic layer (A) made of a polymer having an in-plane retardation of 20-300 nm and a ratio between a thickness direction retardation and the in-plane retardation of not less than 1.0, and an optically anisotropic layer (B) made of a non-liquid crystalline polymer such as polyimide having an in-plane retardation of not less than 3 nm and a ratio between a thickness direction retardation and the in-plane retardation of not less than 1.0. The thus obtained laminated retardation plate shows excellent optical properties, e.g., an in-plane retardation (Re) of 10 nm or more, and a difference between a thickness direction retardation and the in-plane retardation of 50 nm or more.

Abstract: A polarizing plate with optical compensation function, including a polarizing layer and an optically compensating layer, wherein the optically compensating layer includes an optically compensating A-layer including a stretched polymer film and an optically compensating B-layer including a cholesteric liquid crystal layer.

Abstract: In a method for growing a GaN based compound semiconductor on a front surface of a substrate to obtain the GaN based compound semiconductor crystal in one body, because the gas for reducing and decomposing the substrate is supplied to the rear surface of the substrate and a heat treatment is carried out in a gas atmosphere in which the nitrogen partial pressure is not less than a predetermined value, in order to remove the substrate, it can be prevented that cracks are caused in the crystal, or fracture or warp is caused by causing strain of the GaN based compound semiconductor crystal in a cooling step.

Abstract: A laminated phase retarder having: a laminate of a retardation layer A made of a thermoplastic resin exhibiting positive birefringent characteristic and a retardation layer B constituted by an oriented solidified layer of cholesteric liquid crystal exhibiting a selective reflection wavelength range not larger than 350 nm; wherein Re of the laminate is not smaller than 10 nm and Rth−Re of the laminate is not smaller than 50 nm when Re and Rth are given by Re=(nx−ny)×d and Rth=(nx−nz)×d in which nx and ny are in-plane main refractive indices, nz is a thicknesswise refractive index, and d is a layer thickness. A polarizing member having: a laminate of a laminated phase retarder defined above; and a polarizer. A liquid-crystal display device having: a liquid-crystal cell; and a laminated phase retarder or a polarizing member defined above and disposed on at least one of opposite surfaces of the liquid-crystal cell.

Abstract: A laminated quarter-wave plate having: a laminate of a quarter-wave plate and a half-wave plate, wherein: the quarter-wave plate and the half-wave plate are laminated on each other so that directions of in-plane slow axes intersect each other; and each of the quarter-wave plate and the half-wave plate satisfies a relation Nz=(nx−nz)/(nx−ny)>1.05 in which nx and ny are in-plane main refractive indices, and nz is a thicknesswise refractive index; and a circularly polarizing plate having: a laminate of a laminated quarter-wave plate defined above and a polarizer.

Abstract: An acoustic simulation apparatus (10) comprises a model (12) having an acoustic space (11), a substantially nondirectional polyhedral loud speaker (20) provided with a plurality of piezoelectric loud speakers (22) and arranged at a prescribed position within the acoustic space (11), an amplifier (13a) for driving the plural piezoelectric loud speakers (22), a microphone (14a) for receiving a response acoustic signal generated in the acoustic space due to the driving of the loud speaker (20) in the acoustic space (11), a microphone amplifier (14b) for amplifying the output of the microphone (14a) to a prescribed amplitude, and a computer (17) for analyzing the output signal of the microphone amplifier (14b).

Abstract: In a method for growing a GaN based compound semiconductor on a front surface of a substrate to obtain the GaN based compound semiconductor crystal in one body, because the gas for reducing and decomposing the substrate is supplied to the rear surface of the substrate and a heat treatment is carried out in a gas atmosphere in which the nitrogen partial pressure is not less than a predetermined value, in order to remove the substrate, it can be prevented that cracks are caused in the crystal, or fracture or warp is caused by causing strain of the GaN based compound semiconductor crystal in a cooling step.

Abstract: A laminated quarter-wave plate having: a laminate of a quarter-wave plate and a half-wave plate, wherein: the quarter-wave plate and the half-wave plate are laminated on each other so that directions of in-plane slow axes intersect each other; and each of the quarter-wave plate and the half-wave plate satisfies a relation Nz=(nx−nz)/(nx−ny)>1.05 in which nx and ny are in-plane main refractive indices, and nz is a thickness wise refractive index; and a circularly polarizing plate having: a laminate of a laminated quarter-wave plate defined above and a polarizer.

Abstract: A wide viewing angle polarizer having: a polarizing film; and a phase retarder adhesively laminated on at least one surface of the polarizing film through an adhesive layer, the phase retarder being made of a composite phase retarder constituted by a laminate in which a retardation layer B of a cholesteric liquid crystal-oriented solidified layer in a selective reflection wavelength range of not larger than 350 nm is supported by a retardation layer A of a thermoplastic resin exhibiting positive birefringence, the composite phase retarder being formed so that the laminate has Re of not smaller than 10 nm and Rth−Re of not smaller than 50 nm when Re and Rth are defined as Re=(nx−ny)X d and Rth=(nx−nz)X d respectively in which nx and ny are in-plane main refractive indices, nz is a thicknesswise refractive index, and d is a layer thickness.

Abstract: Formed in a cylinder block of a multi-cylinder engine are oil grooves each arranged in a top deck of the cylinder block to surround a corresponding cylinder liner, a supply channel connected to an oil pump, a return channel connected to an oil pan, communication holes interconnecting adjacent oil grooves in series, an inflow hole connecting the most upstream oil groove to the supply channel and an outflow hole connecting the most downstream oil groove to the return channel. Consequently, the oil grooves of all cylinders connected in series cause engine oil to flow through all the oil grooves at the same rate. Such an arrangement is simple in structure and has reduced the number of components so that the manufacturing cost is reduced and the reliability of the cooling system is enhanced.

Abstract: A wide viewing angle polarizer having: a polarizing film; and a phase retarder adhesively laminated on at least one surface of the polarizing film through an adhesive layer, the phase retarder being made of a composite phase retarder constituted by a laminate in which a retardation layer B of a cholesteric liquid crystal-oriented solidified layer in a selective reflection wavelength range of not larger than 350 nm is supported by a retardation layer A of a thermoplastic resin exhibiting positive birefringence, the composite phase retarder being formed so that the laminate has Re of not smaller than 10 nm and Rth-Re of not smaller than 50 nm when Re and Rth are defined as Re=(nx−ny)×d and Rth=(nx−nz)×d respectively in which nx and ny are in-plane main refractive indices, nz is a thicknesswise refractive index, and d is a layer thickness.

Abstract: A laminated phase retarder having: a laminate of a retardation layer A made of a thermoplastic resin exhibiting positive birefringent characteristic and a retardation layer B constituted by an oriented solidified layer of cholesteric liquid crystal exhibiting a selective reflection wavelength range not larger than 350 nm; wherein Re of the laminate is not smaller than 10 nm and Rth−Re of the laminate is not smaller than 50 nm when Re and Rth are given by Re=(nx−ny)×d and Rth=(nx−nz)×d in which nx and ny are in-plane main refractive indices, nz is a thicknesswise refractive index, and d is a layer thickness. A polarizing member having: a laminate of a laminated phase retarder defined above; and a polarizer. A liquid-crystal display device having: a liquid-crystal cell; and a laminated phase retarder or a polarizing member defined above and disposed on at least one of opposite surfaces of the liquid-crystal cell.

Abstract: A laminated quarter-wave plate having: a laminate of a quarter-wave plate and a half-wave plate, wherein: the quarter-wave plate and the half-wave plate are laminated on each other so that directions of in-plane slow axes intersect each other; and each of the quarter-wave plate and the half-wave plate satisfies a relation Nz=(nx−nz)/(nx−ny)>1.05 in which nx and ny are in-plane main refractive indices, and nz is a thickness wise refractive index; and a circularly polarizing plate having: a laminate of a laminated quarter-wave plate defined above and a polarizer.