Abstract: A vibrator comprising a base part at least one of whose ends is fixed, a first leg extending in a direction crossing this base part, a second leg extending in a direction crossing the base part and being opposed to said first leg with respect to said base part, a first bending-vibration piece extending in a direction crossing said first leg, a second bending-vibration piece extending in a direction crossing the first leg and being opposite to said first bending-vibration piece with respect to said first leg, a third bending-vibration piece extending in a direction crossing said second leg, and a fourth bending-vibration piece extending in a direction crossing the second leg and being opposite to said third bending-vibration piece with respect to said second leg.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photosensitive member according to the present invention includes: a photosensitive layer formed on an electroconductive support member thereof, wherein a surface layer of the photosensitive member contains a silicon denatured polycarbonate copolymer and a silicon-type graft polymer. An electrophotographic photosensitive apparatus according to the present invention includes: an electrophotographic photosensitive member, the surface layer of which contains a silicon denatured polycarbonate copolymer and a silicon-type graft polymer; a latent image forming unit for forming an electrostatic latent image on the electrophotographic photosensitive member; a developing unit for forming a toner image by developing the electrophotographic photosensitive member, on which the electrostatic image has been formed, with a toner; and, optimally, a cleaning unit for cleaning the electrophotographic photosensitive member.

Abstract: A vibrator of a vibratory gyroscope comprises a main arm having a base part and at least one bending-vibration piece extending from the base part in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction of the base part and a fixing part for fixing one end of the base part, and the base part and the bending-vibration piece are formed so as to extend substantially in a specified plane. Preferably, at the opposite side to one end of the base part, a projection projecting from the bending-vibration piece is provided, or at least a pair of resonant arms resonating with vibration of the base part, said pair of resonant arms projecting from the fixing part are provided. Thanks to this, it has been possible to detect a turning angular rate in a sufficiently high accuracy without providing a projection which has a certain weight and extends from the vibrator toward the axis of turning even in case of arranging the vibrator so that the vibration arm of the vibrator extends perpendicularly to the axis of turning.

Abstract: A vibrator of a vibratory gyroscope comprises a main arm having a base part and at least one bending-vibration piece extending from the base part in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction of the base part and a fixing part for fixing one end of the base part, and the base part and the bending-vibration piece are formed so as to extend substantially in a specified plane. Preferably, at the opposite side to one end of the base part, a projection projecting from the bending-vibration piece is provided, or at least a pair of resonant arms resonating with vibration of the base part, said pair of resonant arms projecting from the fixing part are provided. Thanks to this, it has been possible to detect a turning angular rate in a sufficiently high accuracy without providing a projection which has a certain weight and extends from the vibrator toward the axis of turning even in case of arranging the vibrator so that the vibration arm of the vibrator extends perpendicularly to the axis of turning.

Abstract: There is a system for producing high-purity hydrogen by reforming a hydrocarbon and/or an oxygen atom-containing hydrocarbon to form a reformed gas containing hydrogen and separating the hydrogen from said gas. The system includes a hydrocarbon source, a water source, an oxygen source, a vaporization chamber connecting with the hydrocarbon source, the water source and the oxygen source, and a reforming chamber provided with a catalyst for steam reforming and partial oxidation and a hydrogen-separating membrane. The reforming chamber is thermally connected with the vaporization chamber. A process for producing high-purity hydrogen includes heating a reforming chamber provided with a hydrogen-separating membrane, feeding, into the reforming chamber, hydrocarbon, steam and oxygen or air to give rise to steam reforming and partial oxidation therein to produce a reaction gas, and passing the reaction gas through the hydrogen-separating membrane to recover high-purity hydrogen.

Abstract: There is a system for producing high-purity hydrogen by reforming a hydrocarbon and/or an oxygen atom-containing hydrocarbon to form a reformed gas containing hydrogen and separating the hydrogen from said gas. The system includes a hydrocarbon source, a water source, an oxygen source, a vaporization chamber connecting with the hydrocarbon source, the water source and the oxygen source, and a reforming chamber provided with a catalyst for steam reforming and partial oxidation and a hydrogen-separating membrane. The reforming chamber is thermally connected with the vaporization chamber. A process for producing high-purity hydrogen includes heating a reforming chamber provided with a hydrogen-separating membrane, feeding, into the reforming chamber, hydrocarbon, steam and oxygen or air to give rise to steam reforming and partial oxidation therein to produce a reaction gas, and passing the reaction gas through the hydrogen-separating membrane to recover high-purity hydrogen.

Abstract: A hydrogen separator has a porous substrate having a through-hole, and a metal having a hydrogen separating ability coated on the inner surface of the through-hole of the porous substrate to close pores on the inner surface of the through-hole. A method for manufacturing a hydrogen separator by a chemical plating process, includes providing a porous substrate having a through-hole, and forcedly circulating a plating solution containing a metal having a hydrogen separating ability through the through-hole of the substrate. The inner surface of the through-hole is covered with the metal film having the hydrogen separating ability.

Abstract: A method for removing CO from a reformed gas includes the steps of treating the reformed gas by a hydrogen purifier to decrease a ratio of the concentration of components other than hydrogen to the concentration of hydrogen so that the ratio may be lower than in the reformed gas, and then converting CO contained in the gas treated by the hydrogen purifier into a gas other than CO. CO can be removed from the reformed gas, and simultaneously high-purity hydrogen can also be obtained, which leads to the increase of a fuel efficiency and the inhibition effect of performance deterioration.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrophotographic photosensitive member which comprises an electroconductive support, an interlayer, and a photosensitive layer, wherein the electroconductive support is previously cleaned with a solution mainly composed of water, end the interlayer contains an electroconductive substance.The product is excellent in the electrophotographic properties and the process of making is not harmful to the human health and does not pollute the environment.

Abstract: A wafer heater for use in a semiconductor producing apparatus or the like. The heater includes a discoidal substrate made of a dense ceramic, and a resistance heating element buried in the substrate. The surface of the substrate other than that surface upon which a wafer is to be placed for heating is a flat surface. The heating unit further includes a hollow sheath of which inner pressure is not substantially varied even when the pressure inside the chamber changes and is partially embedded and joined to the heater, and a thermocouple inserted into the hollow sheath.

Abstract: A porous sintered body is composed of a perovskite-type composite oxide, wherein A-site of the composite oxide are occupied by one or more kinds of first metallic elements selected from the group consisting of calcium and strontium, one or more kinds of second metal elements selected from the group consisting of rare earth elements and yttrium excluding lanthanum and cerium, and lanthanum, the above one or more kinds of the first metallic elements amount to 5 to 70 mol % of the A-sites, and manganese is contained in B-sites of the composite oxide.

Abstract: A method for operating a power generator in which a solid oxide fuel cell is used as a power-generating element and an air electrode of the solid oxide fuel cell is composed of lanthanum manganite, the method involving the step of setting a heating rate and a cooling rate at least in a temperature range of 800.degree. C. to 900.degree. C. at not less than 3.degree. C./min. when the fuel cell is heated up to an operating temperature at the time of starting the power generator and when the fuel cell is cooled from the operating temperature at the time of stopping the power generator. Alternatively, the method involves the step of setting a partial pressure of oxygen, at least in a temperature range of 800.degree. C. to 900.degree. C., in an atmosphere to which the air electrode is exposed, to at not less than 10.sup.-15 arms but not more than 10.sup.

Abstract: A porous sintered body composed mainly of lanthanum manganite in which a part of lanthanum atoms at A-sites of the lanthanum manganite are substituted by atoms of a metal selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth metals and rare earth metals. The dimensional shrinkage amount of the porous sintered body in heat cycling between room temperature and 1,000.degree. C. is not more than 0.01% per one heat cycle.

Abstract: A method for producing interconnectors for electrically connecting unit cells of a solid electrolyte type fuel cell. An interconnector material such as a perovskite complexed oxide is thermally sprayed onto the surface of an electrode of a solid electrolyte type fuel cell by plasma thermal spraying process at a temperature of not lower than 1,250.degree. C. to form an interconnector, and heat treated to diminish the cracks and defects resulting from the plasma thermal spraying process.

Abstract: A ceramic package for containing a semiconductor chip including a heat radiating plate, a base plate for wiring, and a ceramic package for containing a semiconductor chip. The package contains a ceramic board, a ceramic cap and a metal lead frame. The heat radiating plate and the ceramic board are made of silicon nitride sintered body, which is characterized in that the number of grain boundaries per a 10 .mu.m straight line drawn in an arbitrary section of the sintered (polycrystal) body is 20 or fewer.

Abstract: A cell unit for use in a solid oxide fuel cell has a laminate structure including a cell element and a separator. The cell element includes a dense and planar solid electrolyte having a rectangular plane shape, and an air electrode film and a fuel electrode film provided on opposite surfaces of the flat solid electrolyte, respectively. The separator is made of a dense electron conductor. A plurality of oxidizing gas flow paths are defined between the separator and the air electrode, and the cell element has a rectangular planar shape and a ratio of a short side to a long side of the rectangular planar shape is not less than 2.

Abstract: A wafer heater for use in a semiconductor producing apparatus or the like. The heater includes a discoidal substrate made of a dense ceramic, and a resistance heating element buried in the substrate. The surface of the substrate other than that surface upon which a wafer is to be placed for heating is a flat surface. A heating unit is also disclosed, which includes such a heater in a chamber for the semiconductor-producing apparatus. The heating unit further involves a hollow sheath of which inner pressure is not substantially varied even when the pressure inside the chamber changes and is joined to the heater, and a thermocouple inserted into the hollow sheath.

Abstract: Disclosed is a printing plate, for an electrophotographic process, which comprises an electroconductive support and a photosensitive layer formed on the electroconductive support, in which the photosensitive layer is formed by incorporating (a) a trisazo pigment represented by the general formula (I) and (b) at least one member selected from perynone pigments and anthanthrone pigments as photoconductive substances and (c) at least one electron donor substance as a sensitizer in an alkali-soluble binder resin. This printing plate has a high sensitivity and a printing image having a high quality is formed on the printing plate without contamination of the non-image area due to the electrophotography, and prints having a high-quality image can be obtained by using this printing plate.

Abstract: Disclosed is an eluting solution for eluting a non-image area of an electrophotographic printing plate having a toner image formed and fixed thereon by electrophotography, to expose a hydrophilic substrate or a substrate that can be rendered hydrophilic. This eluting solution is an aqueous solution containing at least an alkali chelating agent.

Abstract: A method of bonding at least two members having different coefficients of thermal expansion is disclosed, wherein an edge of a bonding interface between the members is positioned in a tapered portion, thereby bridging one member having a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion and another having a larger coefficient of thermal expansion. A bonded composite article comprising such bonded members having the different coefficients of thermal expansion is also disclosed.