Abstract: In a valve actuation apparatus of a multi-cylinder engine employing a drive shaft rotatably arranged to extend over a plurality of cylinders, a drive cam attached to the drive shaft, and a motion transmitter provided for each of the cylinders for converting a rotary motion of the drive cam into an oscillating motion, a rockable-cam structural member is provided for each of the cylinders in a state where a shaft is inserted through inner peripheries of the rockable-cam structural members, for operating engine valves by the transmitted oscillating motion. A plain bearing is provided in at least one axial position between the axially-spaced rockable-cam structural members. An inner periphery of the plain bearing is in contact with an outer periphery of the shaft, whereas an outer periphery of the plain bearing is in contact with an inner periphery of a bearing portion mounted on the engine.

Abstract: A valve lifter including a cylindrical portion, a crown portion having a crown surface, a chamfered portion formed on an outer periphery of the crown portion adjacent to an outer peripheral edge of the crown surface and tapered toward the crown surface, and a hard carbon film covering only the crown surface and the chamfered portion. The chamfered portion has a taper angle with respect to an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion on which the hard carbon film is not formed, the taper angle being set to not more than 26.5°. The chamfered portion has a length extending from on a side of the crown surface toward a side of the cylindrical portion in an axial direction of the cylindrical portion, the length being set to not less than 1 mm.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for reclaiming a silicon wafer in which a thin film has been formed on its surface, at least, comprising a thin-film removing step for removing the thin film having been formed on the silicon wafer and a mirror-polishing step for mirror-polishing at least one side of the thin-film-removed silicon wafer, wherein, before performing the mirror-polishing step, gettering-site forming treatment for applying damage load to at least one side of the silicon wafer is performed and then the silicon wafer is subjected to heat treatment, thereby impurities inside the silicon wafer are reduced. Thereby, there is provided a method for reclaiming a silicon wafer, in which a thin film such as a metal thin film having been formed on a silicon wafer can be removed, and impurities having diffused inside the wafer can be also reduced, thereby silicon wafers having very little metal contamination can be stably obtained.

Abstract: A data reproduction apparatus is provided to supply audio data without sound skipping caused by positional deviation in read position, while avoiding an increase in circuit area. In one embodiment, the data reproduction apparatus includes a reading unit for optically reading data recorded on a recording medium. A first signal processing circuit produces a format data signal based on the data read by the reading unit. A second signal processing circuit performs a demodulation process on the format data signal to produce a demodulated format data signal including main data and subcode data. The second signal processing circuit also subjects the main data signal to a decoding process to produce a reproduced data signal. A buffer memory temporally stores the reproduced data signal. A shockproof controller controls the writing and reading of the reproduced data signal into and from the buffer memory.