Abstract: A solar cell wherein: an emitter layer is formed on a light-receiving-surface side of a crystalline silicon substrate, with a dopant of the opposite conductivity type from the silicon substrate added to said emitter layer; a passivation film is formed on the surface of the silicon substrate; and an extraction electrode and a collector electrode are formed. Said extraction electrode extracts photogenerated charge from the silicon substrate, and said collector electrode contacts the extraction electrode at least partially and collects the charge collected at the extraction electrode. The extraction electrode contains a first electrode that consists of a sintered conductive paste containing a dopant that makes silicon conductive. Said first electrode, at least, is formed so as to pass through the abovementioned passivation layer. The collection electrode contains a second electrode that has a higher conductivity than the aforementioned first electrode.

Abstract: A cellulosic resin film which is wide and, despite this, is extremely reduced in breakage during a stretching step; a process for producing the film; and an antireflection film, a polarizer, and a liquid-crystal display each comprising or employing the film. The process for cellulosic resin film production comprises casting a liquid cellulosic resin on a support to form a web, peeling the web from the support, subsequently drying the web in a first edge gripping step (105) while gripping both edges, temporarily eliminating the edge gripping, and then stretching both edges in the width direction in a second edge gripping step (109). The process is characterized in that the first edge gripping step is followed by a heat treatment step in which both edge parts of the web relieved from the edge gripping are heated with heating rolls (107 and 108).

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus having a control circuit. The control circuit includes a standard application execution circuit, an apparatus control platform, and a standard application control circuit. The standard application execution circuit has the standard application execution service that executes a standard application. The apparatus control platform includes control service, apparatus control execution service, and an apparatus control management service. The control service controls hardware on an operating system. The apparatus control execution service executes the control service with an interface that is an executing procedure of the control service. The apparatus control management service instructs a call of the control service to the apparatus control execution service. The standard application control circuit manages a state of the standard application and provides an interface for using the hardware resources of the standard application execution service.

Abstract: Provided is the image forming apparatus, image formation method, and recording medium, which make unnecessary a change of the function in the side of a whole apparatus control platform, when the addition (extension) of the function of application is needed. Image processing service I/F, device operation service I/F, and network communication service I/F of a platform service I/F part are independent, without cooperating, respectively. Then, image processing service, device operation service, and network communication service of each part controlling service are called. That is calling a control service providing part of each part controlling service corresponding to the request from the standard application, directly, by each control service call part.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided with a control circuit. The apparatus control platform where the control circuit manages the hardware resources on an operating system. The standard-application executing part executes the standard application using the managed hardware resources. The extended application platform makes the function of the standard application executed use, and makes the hardware resources use, and it has a standard application service interface part that provides the common interface corresponding to the function of the standard application as an interface for using the function of the standard application. The standard function service searches presence or absence of the standard application, and when the standard application does not present, cancels use of the standard function service from the extended application.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming device includes a control circuit having (1) a device control platform managing a hardware resource on an operating system, (2) a standard application execution part executing a standard application utilizing the hardware resource under the control of the device control platform, (3) an extended application platform with a standard function service that allows for a utilization of a function of the standard application executed by the standard application execution part, and (4) an install service adding, without having to change a configuration of a standard firmware, an interface in order to cope with a function that is not available and allowing for utilization thereof.

Abstract: Provided is an image processing apparatus including: a grouping preference unit configured to register user preference information on a storage device based on a user operation, the user preference information indicating how objects within an image are to be classified into groups; an image analysis unit configured to detect the objects within the image; and a grouping unit configured to read the user preference information from the storage device and classify the objects detected within the image into the groups indicated in the read user preference information.

Abstract: An electronic apparatus includes a display device, a storage device, and a display control circuit. The storage device stores data for screens to be displayed on the display device. The display control circuit controls the display of the screens by the display device based on the data stored in the storage device. The display control circuit enables switching between a first mode in which data for a plurality of types of screens can be stored in the storage device and a second mode in which data for a single type of screen can be stored in the storage device. The first mode displays a screen on the display device based on only data permitted to be displayed on the display device among the data for the plurality of types of screens in the storage device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a solar cell having excellent long-term reliability and high efficiency, said method including: a step (7) for applying a paste-like electrode agent to an antireflection film formed on the light receiving surface side of a semiconductor substrate having at least a pn junction, said electrode agent containing a conductive material; and an electrode firing step (9) having local heat treatment (step (9a)) for applying heat such that at least a part of the conductive material is fired by irradiating merely the electrode agent-applied portion with a laser beam, and whole body heat treatment (step (9b)) for heating the whole semiconductor substrate to a temperature below 800° C.

Abstract: A memory control circuit includes an address conversion unit configured to perform an address conversion between a central processing unit (CPU) and a non-volatile memory such that the CPU recognizes that a program to be executed by the CPU is stored in a first address region of the non-volatile memory irrespective of whether the program is stored in the first address region or a second address region of the non-volatile memory.

Abstract: Disclosed is a solar cell having a silicon monocrystal substrate surface with a textured structure and, near the surface of said substrate, a damage layer reflecting the slice processing history from the time of manufacture of the silicon monocrystal substrate. The damage layer near the surface of the silicon monocrystal substrate is derived from the slice processing history at the time of manufacture of the substrate and functions as a gettering site, contributing to a longer lifetime of the substrate minority carriers. Thanks to this effect, the solar cell characteristics are dramatically increased. Further, new damage need be inflicted, and no additional work is required because damage from the slicing is used.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a retardation film which includes cellulose acetate having a low degree of acyl substitution and, despite this, swells very little when immersed in a saponifying solution and which has satisfactory adhesion to polarizing elements. This retardation film comprises: a cellulose ester which has a total degree of substitution with acyl groups of 2.0-2.55 and in which when log [Mw(a)] obtained through analyses by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), low angle laser light scattering (LALLS), and viscosity measurement, is plotted as abscissa and log [Iv(a)], obtained through the analyses is plotted as ordinate, the plot has a slope of 0.65-0.85; and a glass-transition-temperature lowering agent having an SP value of 9.0-11.0. The retardation film contains a solvent remaining therein in an amount of 700-3,000 mass ppm and has a change in weight through storage at 80° C. and 90% RH of ?0.5 to 0.5%.

Abstract: An energy-saving valve includes a spool-driving unit which changes the position of a spool to a position at which compressed air is discharged from a first output port without pressure control and includes a pressure control unit which changes the position of the spool to a position at which compressed air is discharged from a second output port in a predetermined pressure level due to pressure control. The pressure control unit includes a pressure control piston, a pressure-receiving surface which enables air pressure in the second output port to act on the pressure control piston, a cylinder chamber, a pressure control channel, and an elastic member which applies biasing force to the pressure control piston in a direction opposite to the action of air pressure on the pressure-receiving surface to determine pressure.

Abstract: A switching valve includes main valve constituted of a five-port electromagnetic switching valve settable to a closed-center position, and a residual pressure exhaust valve including an exhaust valve cavity communicating with a supply port of the main valve and two exhaust ports, two residual pressure discharge flow paths respectively communicating with the exhaust ports, two exhaust valve elements placed inside the exhaust valve cavity and driven by pressure air from the supply port to open and close the residual pressure discharge flow paths, and a release spring that biases the exhaust valve element in a direction to open the residual pressure discharge flow paths.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device with a front plate including a step of providing, on a surface on a viewing side of a liquid crystal panel having polarizing plates on both sides, a ?/4 plate having a hard coat layer and composed of mainly a thermoplastic resin, an adhesive layer, a front plate composed of glass or acrylic, and a sealing layer containing a UV-curable tacky agent, all being stacked in this order from the viewing side; and a step of curing the sealing layer by irradiating with ultraviolet radiation from a hard coat layer side. The ?/4 plate having the hard coat layer contains 0.005 to 0.5 parts by mass of a compound which shows an absorption peak (?max) in a wavelength range of 260 nm to 400 nm per 100 parts by mass of the thermoplastic resin composing the ?/4 plate.

Abstract: A plurality of electromagnetic valves are mounted on a manifold base, a single top cover that covers the plurality of electromagnetic valves as a whole is mounted, the top cover is screwed into the manifold base in a state in which a positioning pin on a lower end of a peripheral wall is fitted into a small hole in the manifold base, a reinforcing rib is formed on an inner face of a top plate of the top cover, the rib is arranged so that the rib is brought into contact with the upper faces of the electromagnetic valves all the time or is brought into contact with the electromagnetic valves when the top cover is elastically deformed by a pressing force from the outside acting on the top cover.