Abstract: A region affected by X-ray beam limiting within a fluoroscopic image is specified based on position information on beam limiting by an X-ray beam limiting device. A judgment is made as to whether the region affected superposes a first brightness measuring region (region of interest) within the X-ray fluoroscopic image, and when superposition is not judged, automatic brightness control is performed based on the first brightness measuring region. When superposition is judged, the first brightness measuring region is transformed, and automatic brightness control is performed with reference to a second automatic brightness measuring region that does not superpose the region affected.

Abstract: Disclosed is a multiple split optical waveguide in which a branch waveguide path at an output end of a branch part of a first stage defines an acute angle with respect to an input waveguide path, and a branch waveguide path at an input end of a branch part of an n-th stage is no more inclined toward a central axial line defined by an extension line of the input waveguide path than a branch waveguide path at an input end of a branch part of an (n+1)-th stage, n being an integer equal to or greater than two. Thus, the waveguide paths are prevented from spreading beyond the first branch angle, and it becomes easier to bring the outer waveguide guide paths back toward the center. This prevents an increase in the variations in length between the outer and inner waveguide paths.

Abstract: The invention provides a projector having a light source, a display device to modulate light emitted from the light source, a lens device to project light emitted from the light source via the display device, wherein the lens device has a diaphragm mechanism formed having an aperture, an ambient light illuminance detector to measure illuminance of ambient light, a projected image illuminance detector to measure illuminance of an image projected on the screen, an illuminance comparator to compare an illuminance detected by the ambient light illuminance detector and an illuminance detected by the projected image illuminance detector, and a diaphragm mechanism/image signal controller to control an intensity of image signals input into the display device and to control a size of an opening of the aperture of the diaphragm mechanism in accordance with a result of comparison by the illuminance comparator.

Abstract: There are provided a novel microorganism Enterobacter sp. B20 strain which produces (E)-4-(2-isocyanovinyl)phenyl ?-rhamnopyranoside having a favorable effect of inhibiting melanogenesis and ?-L-rhamnopyranoside produced thereby. This novel microorganism is a gram-negative bacillus isolated from soil and shows motility owing to polar flagellum. The ?-L-rhamnopyranoside, which is produced by culturing the microorganism under aerobic conditions at a culture temperature of 10 to 37° C. and at a medium pH of about 5 to 9 usually for about 1 to 7 days, is useful as a highly safe and stable whitening agent.

Abstract: An electroluminescent display device is formed by superposing a support member, a first electrode layer, a light-emitting layer, a second electrode layer which transmits light and a color conversion filter layer in this order. The light-emitting layer is formed by dispersing electroluminescent light-emitting particles which emit a predetermined color of light in a dielectric binder. The color conversion filter layer includes color conversion portions and/or transparent portions which transmit light. The first electrode layer and the second electrode layer form an X-Y matrix electrode. Further, the EL light-emitting layer is uniformly formed over the entire area of the electroluminescent display device.

Abstract: To prevent complication caused by leakage of bone cement injected into the vertebral body, organism damage caused by the leakage of the monomer or a non-cured component from bone cement and decrease of strength caused by insufficient curing of bone cement, in the percutaneous kyphoplasty, a leakage prevention bag for injecting and filling a bone cement is used, wherein the bad is made of a bioabsorbable material having a molecular weight of 5,000 to 500,000 and has a bag having the thickness of 10 to 800 ?m, an injection tube is attached to an injection port for injecting the bone cement of the bag, the bag is inserted into a cavity formed in the vertebra body, and the bone cement is injected and filled into the bag through the tube.

Abstract: A correcting method and load beam for reducing variations in floating height of a floating-type magnetic head device is disclosed The correcting method for the floating-type magnetic head device includes the steps of temporarily mounting the floating-type magnetic head device so as to float the head body over a disk equivalent surface; detecting a roll-angle corresponding amount at the end of the load beam in the temporarily mounted state; and correcting the floating-type magnetic head device on the basis of the roll-angle corresponding amount at the end of the load beam by bending the load beam in a direction in that a roll angle at the end approaches zero.

Abstract: A sheet finishing apparatus of the present invention includes a gate for conveying sheets of paper ejected from an image forming apparatus by switching to a first conveying path requiring post processing or to a second conveying path requiring no post processing and a manual introduction unit for post-processing the sheets of paper conveyed via the first conveying path by a processing mechanism and ejecting them to a first paper ejection tray and manually leading sheets of paper requiring post processing to the processing mechanism, and when the post process is executed in a manual mode, switches the gate to the second conveying path, and when sheets of paper are taken in from the image forming apparatus, ejects the sheets of paper to a second paper ejection tray via the second conveying path.

Abstract: A ceramic filter has (A) a base body having partition walls made of a ceramic porous body, wherein cells 18 are defined by the partition walls, (B) filer membranes provided on the partition walls, made of a ceramic porous body having an average pore diameter smaller than that of the surface of each partition wall, and (C) a glass seal provided so as to cover at least the end face of the base body, wherein the glass seal is constituted by an alkali-free glass containing silica (SiO2) in an amount of 55 to 65 mol %, zirconia (ZrO2) in an amount of 1 to 10 mol % and at least one kind of alkaline earth metal oxide selected from calcia, baria and strontia but substantially not containing zinc oxide.

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing a granular silicon crystal by allowing silicon melt in a crucible to be granularly discharged and fallen from a nozzle part composed of silicon carbide or silicon nitride, and cooling and solidifying the granular silicon melt during falling, a carbon source is added when the nozzle part is composed of silicon carbide, and a nitrogen source is added when the nozzle part is composed of silicon nitride, to the silicon melt in the crucible. Thereby, melt droplets of uniform size can be generated, so that granular silicon crystals having narrow variations in particle size can be manufactured at high productivity and superior reproducibility.

Abstract: A print control device which controls to print according to print data having one or plural image regions where an image is printed, including a setting unit that sets whether or not printing of the image of the image region is omitted, and a print data generating unit that generates print data having a layout for omitting the printing of the image of the image region, when it is set by the setting unit that the printing of the image of the image region is omitted.

Abstract: A touch panel device includes an excitation transducer for exciting a surface acoustic wave upon application of a burst wave and a reception transducer for receiving the surface acoustic wave and converting the same into a reception signal that are arranged at a peripheral portion of a detection area so that a position of an object touching the detection area is detected in accordance with a change in the reception signal. A control method for eliminating noises in the touch panel device includes the steps of detecting a differential between a reception signal due to a burst wave and another reception signal due to another burst wave, deciding that there is a noise if the detected differential exceeds a preset threshold value, and performing a control operation so that the detection of an object based on the reception signal is not performed in accordance with the decision.

Abstract: A tape printer capable of separating a print head and a platen when the print head and the platen adhere to each other while the tape printer is stored with a tape cassette uninstalled, keeping a holding member at a pressing position. A cassette cover has a pressing cam part which comes into contact with a roller holder to press the roller holder to a pressing position in a closed state of the cassette cover, and a withdrawing cam part which presses a withdrawing cam receiver to return the roller holder to a withdrawing position in the process of shifting from the closed state to an opened state of the cassette cover. Accordingly, the withdrawing cam part forces the withdrawing cam receiver provided in the roller holder, so that the thermal head and the platen roller which have adhered to each other can be surely separated even after the tape printer is stored for a long period with the tape cassette uninstalled, keeping the roller holder at the pressing position.

Abstract: Compounds represented by the general formula: [wherein R1 represents methoxy, ethyl, methylthio, etc., R2, R3 and R4 each represent hydrogen, a halogen, etc., R5 and R6 each represent —X5—X6—X7 (wherein X5 represents a single bond or —CO—, X6 represents a single bond, —NR3a, etc. and X7 and R3a each represent hydrogen, C1-10 alkyl, etc.), and Ar represents phenyl, pyridyl, etc.], salts thereof and hydrates of the foregoing.

Abstract: A compressor compresses a refrigerant. A radiator cools the refrigerant compressed by the compressor. An expansion valve receives the refrigerant from the radiator to depressurize and expand the refrigerant. An evaporator evaporates the refrigerant expanded by the expansion valve to cool air passing through the evaporator. An accumulator receives the refrigerant from the evaporator to separate the refrigerant into a gas-phase refrigerant and a liquid-phase refrigerant. The accumulator includes an insertion portion inserted in the accumulator and included in a pipe arranged from the radiator to the expansion valve for exchanging heat between a refrigerant flowing through the insertion portion and at least the liquid-phase refrigerant in the accumulator.

Abstract: To suppress occurrence of defects in a semiconductor substrate, a semiconductor device is constituted by having: the semiconductor substrate; an element isolating region having a trench formed in the semiconductor substrate and an embedding insulating film which is embedded into the trench; an active region formed adjacent to the element isolating region, in which a gate insulating film is formed and a gate electrode is formed on the gate insulating film; and a region formed in such a manner that at least a portion of the gate electrode is positioned on the element isolating region, and a first edge surface of an upper side of the embedding insulating film in a first element isolating region where the gate electrode is positioned is located above a second edge surface of the embedding insulating film in a second element isolating region where the gate electrode film is not positioned.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer carrier capable of carrying a developer, and a thickness regulating member having a resistance of 103 ? or less and regulating a thickness of a layer of a developer carried by the developer carrier.

Abstract: A cleaning unit includes a first blade and a second blade. The first blade is in contact with an image carrier or a paper carrier and removes adhered substances remained on surface of these. The second blade has an abrasive layer that is formed by including abrasive particles in an elastic material and is disposed in the downstream side of the first blade. The second blade is allowed to be in contact with the image carrier 1 or the paper carrier. Volume occupancy of abrasive particles in an area of contact of the second blade with either the image carrier or the paper carrier is not less than 50 percent and not more than 90 percent.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a toner including dissolving or dispersing a toner component containing a colorant and a resin in an organic solvent to obtain a liquid solution or dispersion, continuously emulsifying and dispersing the liquid solution or dispersion in an aqueous medium containing a particulate dispersant to obtain emulsified primary particles, controlling cohesion and agglomeration of the emulsified primary particles and removing the organic solvent, such that the ratio (T1/T2) of the arithmetic mean accumulation time (T1) of the emulsified primary particles obtained in the controlling step to the arithmetic mean accumulation time (T2) of the emulsified primary particles obtained in the continuously emulsifying and dispersing step is from 1 to 5.

Abstract: An image processing method for dividing a digital image signal into plural image signals corresponding to plural blocks constituting a single display screen, and performing block-by-block coding of the image signals of the respective blocks, comprises transforming an image signal of a coding target block to be subjected to coding into frequency components by frame-by-frame frequency transformation on a frame basis or field-by-field frequency transformation on a field basis; setting a processing order for coding the frequency components corresponding to the image signal of the coding target block, according as the image signal of the coding target block has been subjected to the frame-by-frame frequency transformation or the field-by-field frequency transformation; and successively coding the frequency components corresponding to the image signal of the coding target block according to the order which has been set.