Abstract: A fixing apparatus for an image forming apparatus of the present invention includes: a rotatable heat roll; a heat-resistant elastic member fixedly disposed to form a nip section in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the heat roll, the heat-resistant elastic member being impregnated with a liquid release agent which is supplied to the nip section; and a porous fluororesin film formed by sintering a fluororesin powder for coating a surface of the heat-resistant elastic member coming in contact with the heat roll so that the release agent can be supplied by a predetermined amount while permeating through the film. The porous fluororesin film may include: a film formed by using metal fibers, glass fibers, or the like as a supporting member thereof, and a film formed by applying a gelled dimethyl silicone oil at least to a single surface of the film.

Abstract: Fast speed playback is performed with a reduced error-correcting capability as compared with that for normal speed playback. Information of K symbols is encoded with a first error-correcting code C1 and appended with (N-K) check symbols. After that, m symbols out of the check symbols are punctured, and the information of K symbols is divided into a block of K.sub.1 symbols and a block of K.sub.2 symbols, the block of K.sub.1 symbols being further encoded with a second error-correcting code Cm and appended with m.sub.1 check symbols for error correction. For efficient error-correction coding of auxiliary data which is usually not used but which becomes necessary on occasions, the presence or absence of auxiliary data is written in ID information, and the number of error-correcting check symbols is changed accordingly.

Abstract: An apparatus for generating plasma of helium mainly-contained gas added with halogen element using high-frequency energy which is applied between concentrically-arranged electrodes to conduct an etching treatment on a substrate with the thus-generated plasma, is equipped with a grounded electrode on the surface of the substrate, the grounded electrode serving to prevent electrification or charging of the substrate. A cylindrical insulator is provided between the electrodes so as to be contacted with the outside electrode, and a voltage applied between the central electrode and the cylindrical insulator is heightened by reducing the thickness of the cylindrical insulator or increasing the dielectric constant of the cylindrical insulator, so that low-temperature plasma is generated under atmospheric pressure using argon mainly-contained gas in a reaction space.

Abstract: In a system in which errors are corrected using a BCH code or a Reed-Solomon code whose operations are defined on GF(2.sup.m), both transmitting and receiving sides are provided with a buffer memory which interleaves data in units of m.times.L(L.gtoreq.1).times.N, and errors are corrected by the Reed-Solomon code when the BCH code is employed at the transmitting side, and by the BCH code when the Reed-Solomon code is employed at the transmitting side.

Abstract: A magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing plural types of data signals respectively different in data rate, and capable of completely eliminating noise when reproducing data signals of high data rate or low data rate at slower or faster speed than normal speed.

Abstract: A digital VTR is provided for recording data for one-frame of video and audio signals, which have been error-correcting-encoded collectively, in a predetermined number of pieces of tracks during normal recording and for recording data for the video and audio signals, which have been error-correcting-encoded collectively, in one less than the predetermined number of tracks and data for the audio signal, which have been error-correcting-encoded during post-scoring, in the remaining one track exclusively for the post-scoring during post-scoring audio recording.

Abstract: An error-correction encoding and decoding system. First information of k.sub.1 .times.k.sub.2 digits with k.sub.1 digits in a first direction and k.sub.2 digits in a second direction is encoded to a product code C.sub.A of n.sub.1 .times.n.sub.2 digits by a partial code word C.sub.1 encoded in the first direction to a linear (n.sub.1, k.sub.1, d.sub.1) code with the minimum distance d.sub.1 and a partial code word C.sub.2 encoded in the second direction to a linear (n.sub.2, k.sub.2, d.sub.2) code with the minimum distance d.sub.2. A code U.sub.s, which is obtained by encoding the second information of r.times.k.sub.x (r<n.sub.1 -k.sub.1, k.sub.x <n.sub.2) digits to a linear (n.sub.2, k.sub.x, d.sub.3) code of the minimum distance d.sub.3 in the second direction, is superimposed on a check symbol field of the product code C.sub.A to generate an error-correcting code C.sub.z, thereby obtaining tile first and second information from an error-correcting code C.sub.z.

Abstract: A process for fabricating diamond from a starting powder material containing carbon as the principal component, and said process comprising bringing said powder material under high pressure, wherein, said powder material containing carbon as the principal component is a powder material containing C.sub.60 and/or carbon microtubules as the principal component, andsaid powder material is brought under high pressure by applying a gradient pressure to the material, while the portion of the powder material to which maximum pressure is applied is irradiated by a laser beam optionally through a diamond window material. An apparatus for fabricating diamond is also described.

Abstract: Disclosed is a coding and decoding method, in which a certain promised nonzero symbol is appended for coding and decoding, thereby disallowing the presence of a codeword with all-"0" data after coding. The method enables the detection of a fault in an external circuitry by checking the occurrence of an all-"0" received word attributable to the external circuitry.

Abstract: A separate operational section for determining the degree of a polynomial is provided to increase the process speed in determining both error locator and evaluator polynomials. When a received word is decoded based on the error location found, the received word is stored in a memory and corrected and output through the designation of the address. The formula ##EQU1## is derived from the error locator equation ##EQU2## and the value of which satisfies .sigma.(.alpha.)=0 is determined to increase the process speed. The decoder and the encoder share part of the hardware to make the system compact.

Abstract: A decoder wherein the received codes consisting of a plurality of binary bits are sent to the first and second corrector which are operating in parallel in order to correct random and burst errors respectively. An error-corrected output of the former is further determined whether it becomes all zeros or not by the syndrome calculation. If the result is affirmative, an output of the first corrector, otherwise an output of the second corrector is selected to be sent to the output terminal.

Abstract: A process for making a steel product so that the ratio of the initial thickness (D) of the cast slab to the final thickness (d) of the rolled product is between 2 to 6. The product has excellent mechanical properties.