Abstract: Provided are reinforcing fibers using an adhesive component not containing resorcinol and formaldehyde, which are excellent in adhesiveness to rubber and which can be efficiently produced while preventing contamination of production facilities, and a method for producing them, as well as a molded article using them. The reinforcing fibers have an adhesive component that contains a conjugated diene rubber and an oil, in at least a part of the surfaces thereof, wherein the vapor pressure at 20° C. of the oil is 10 Pa or less.

Abstract: To provide reinforcing fibers that are excellent in adhesiveness to rubber even though resorcinol, formaldehyde, and an epoxy compound are not used, and a molded article using the same. Reinforcing fibers including fibers, a surface-modifying layer covering at least a part of a surface of the fibers, and an adhesive layer containing conjugated Diene-Based rubber covering at least a part of the surface-modifying layer, the surface-modifying layer containing a polyamine compound having one or more kind of a functional group selected from primary to tertiary amino groups and an imino group, having a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 300 or more.

Abstract: To provide surface-modified fibers and reinforcing fibers that are capable of enhancing the adhesiveness to rubber, without the use of resorcinol and formaldehyde, and a molded article using the same. Surface-modified fibers include fibers, and a surface-modifying layer covering at least a part of a surface of the fibers, and have a solid surface zeta potential on a surface of the surface-modifying layer of ?20.0 to 30.0 mV.

Abstract: A bicycle-tire reinforcing ply comprising a woven fabric that comprises liquid crystalline polyester fiber yarns, wherein each of the fiber yarns comprises three or more single fibers having an average fiber diameter of 25 ?m or larger, and the fiber yarns satisfies the following formula: [No. of single fibers per fiber yarn]×[average fiber diameter (?m)]?1700.

Abstract: Provided are reinforcing fibers using an adhesive component not containing resorcinol and formaldehyde, which are excellent in adhesiveness to rubber and which can be efficiently produced while preventing contamination of production facilities, and a method for producing them, as well as a molded article using them. The reinforcing fibers have an adhesive component that contains a conjugated diene rubber and an oil, in at least a part of the surfaces thereof, wherein the vapor pressure at 20° C. of the oil is 10 Pa or less.

Abstract: Reinforcing fibers containing hydrophilic fibers and an adhesive component, wherein at least a part of the surfaces of the hydrophilic fibers have the adhesive component, the adhesive component contains a modified conjugated diene rubber having a hydrogen-bonding functional group in a part of the conjugated diene rubber, and the number of the hydrogen-bonding functional groups in the modified conjugated diene rubber is 2 to 150 per molecule on average; a method for producing the reinforcing fibers; and a molded article using the reinforcing fibers.

Abstract: A polyvinyl alcohol fiber that can easily be fibrillated at a low manufacture cost is provided. The readily fibrillative polyvinyl alcohol fiber contains a polyalkylene oxide in addition to a polyvinyl alcohol. A mass ratio of the polyalkylene oxide ranges from 3 to 40% relative to the total mass of the polyvinyl alcohol and the polyalkylene oxide. A method for manufacturing the polyvinyl alcohol fiber is also provided.

Abstract: A bicycle tire at least includes a tread part provided to a ground contact surface of the bicycle tire and a carcass part provided inside the tread part. The bicycle tire also includes a reinforcing ply in at least one position selected from between the tread part 2 and the carcass part, inside the carcass part, and inside the tread part. The reinforcing ply at least includes a woven fabric made of polyvinyl alcohol-series fiber yarns. Each of the yarns includes a plurality of single fibers having an average fiber diameter of 45 ?m or smaller.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide an economical and efficient method of reducing drying shrinkage of a cement-based hardened body without requiring the cost and/or the labor and time. A cement-based hardened body is impregnated with a solution containing urea or a solution containing sulfate together with urea. An impregnation treatment may be by a method of coating or spraying the cement-based hardened body with the solution, or alternatively, immersing the cement-based hardened body in the solution containing both urea and sulfate for a predetermined period of time. The solution containing both urea and sulfate may be a solution prepared simply by dissolving both urea and sulfate in water.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide an economical and efficient method of reducing drying shrinkage of a cement-based hardened body without requiring the cost and/or the labor and time. A cement-based hardened body is impregnated with a solution containing urea or a solution containing sulfate together with urea. An impregnation treatment may be by a method of coating or spraying the cement-based hardened body with the solution, or alternatively, immersing the cement-based hardened body in the solution containing both urea and sulfate for a predetermined period of time. The solution containing both urea and sulfate may be a solution prepared simply by dissolving both urea and sulfate in water.

Abstract: A polyvinyl alcohol fiber that can easily be fibrillated at a low manufacture cost is provided. The readily fibrillative polyvinyl alcohol fiber contains a polyalkylene oxide in addition to a polyvinyl alcohol. A mass ratio of the polyalkylene oxide ranges from 3 to 40% relative to the total mass of the polyvinyl alcohol and the polyalkylene oxide. A method for manufacturing the polyvinyl alcohol fiber is also provided.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an atmosphere heat treatment apparatus that is operable without relying on experiences and/or intuitions of an operator, and a method of operating the same. The atmosphere heat treatment apparatus includes an entrance side exhaust path (26) for exhausting an inside atmosphere from an entrance side of a carburizing chamber (10) to which a transforming gas is supplied, an exit side exhaust path (35) for exhausting the inside atmosphere from an exit side of the heat treatment chamber, and an opening degree adjusting lid (28) attached for adjusting an opening degree of the entrance side exhaust path (26), in which a part or whole of the exit side exhaust path (35) is constituted of a pipe (46) having a predetermined inside diameter.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an atmosphere heat treatment apparatus that is operable without relying on experiences and/or intuitions of an operator, and a method of operating the same. The atmosphere heat treatment apparatus includes an entrance side exhaust path (26) for exhausting an inside atmosphere from an entrance side of a carburizing chamber (10) to which a transforming gas is supplied, an exit side exhaust path (35) for exhausting the inside atmosphere from an exit side of the heat treatment chamber, and an opening degree adjusting lid (28) attached for adjusting an opening degree of the entrance side exhaust path (26), in which a part or whole of the exit side exhaust path (35) is constituted of a pipe (46) having a predetermined inside diameter.

Abstract: In order to reproduce a gradation image of a plurality of colors with dither method, a plurality of patterns including first and second patterns are provided which makes dot in the reproduced image grow as lines and as lumps as gradation level increases with increase in gradation level. One of the patterns for a color of the received image data is selected, and received multi-level image data are screened with the selected pattern to generate bi-level image data for reproducing the image. In a different way, a plurality of patterns including first and second patterns are provided which make dots to be reproduced grow discretely along lines at low gradation levels as the gradation level increases. Screen angles of the first and second patterns are different by 90° from each other. One of the patterns is selected based on a color of received image data, and the received image data are screened with the selected patterns to generate bi-level image data.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing an image which are capable of producing a printed image satisfying both resolution and reproducibility of gradation. This method admits as an input the RGB data of the size of one pixel and converts this input into lightness data and density data. When a target pixel is determined to correspond to a non-edge portion, the method performs a computation for finding the remainder 1 of X/3 and the remainder m of Y/3 from the coordinates (X,Y) of the target pixel thereby deciding which of the total of nine pixels of a non-edge grade dither pattern is to be extracted, and allocates the position d(l,m) to the extracted pixel. On the other hand, when the target pixel is determined to correspond to an edge portion, an edge grade dither pattern corresponding to the density of the target pixel is allocated directly to the target pixel.

Abstract: In an image processor, a storage device stores matrix patterns for changing dot area ratio according to gradation level. When a gradation image is reproduced, a pattern is read by pointing X and Y addresses to generate a pattern image in correspondence to gradation data of color components in a color image. As to a pattern stored in the storage device, X address and/or Y address can be converted for changing reading order of the pattern. For example, when the gradation image is reproduced, the same pattern is used for gradation data of two color components.

Abstract: A multi-color image forming apparatus and method to form a color image by overlapping multiple gradation pattern images formed for each of the recording colors based on the input color image information, wherein the screen angles of the unit gradation patterns of the multiple gradation pattern images are set such that they are separated from one another by 20 degrees or more, and in which the first unit gradation pattern is formed using a line pattern in which the colored dot patterns are made to extend in the direction corresponding to a first screen angle and the second unit gradation pattern is formed using a line pattern in which the colored dot patterns are made to extend in the direction corresponding to a second screen angle which is different from the first screen angle by 90 degrees.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention provided with a movable intermediate transfer belt for primary transfer of a toner image formed on a photosensitive drum, and first and second electrodes disposed in contact with the intermediate transfer belt on the upstream side and the downstream side in the direction of movement of the intermediate transfer belt relative to the region of primary transfer of the toner image for respectively applying voltages to the intermediate transfer belt, wherein the first electrode receives a voltage to control a discharge between the intermediate transfer belt and the photosensitive drum, and the second electrode receives a primary transfer voltage to form a transfer electric field between the intermediate transfer belt and the photosensitive drum.

Abstract: In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the density of a dot image is stabilized by detecting the toner density of a first standard toner image having toners of a uniform density formed on a photoconductor, adjusting the development bias voltage applied to a development device according to the detected toner density. The adjusted development bias voltage is used to form on the photoconductor a second standard toner image having toners of dots with predetermined spaces there between. Then, an area ratio of dot area to unit area of the second standard toner image is detected and is used to control the image forming conditions of the image forming apparatus to stabilize the density of a dot image.

Abstract: In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, in order to control image forming conditions, first and second toner images are formed. The first standard toner image has toners of a uniform density, and the second standard toner image has a plurality of dots made of toners with predetermined spaces between them. A light scattered from the first standard toner image and a light normally reflected from the second standard toner image are detected, and image forming conditions are controlled according to the detected lights before an image is formed according to image data. Further, in an image forming apparatus where area gradation is used for forming an image, a plurality of second standard toner images having different area ratios is formed, and gradation can be changed by controlling the image forming conditions according to the lights reflected from the standard toner images.