Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: forming an insulating film on a surface of a semiconductor layer of a semiconductor substrate; forming a contact hole in the insulating film; forming a conductor material on the insulating film to be in contact with the semiconductor layer through the contact hole; and patterning the conductor material using an alignment key included in the conductor material.

Abstract: The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a slurry for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary cell capable of obtaining an electrode mixture layer showing excellent adhesion with a current collector. The slurry for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary cell, which is one mode of the present disclosure, contains: an electrode mixture containing an electrode active material, lithium carbonate, and carboxymethylcellulose or a salt thereof; and water. The lithium carbonate content is in the range of 33 to 300 ppm with respect to the total mass of the electrode mixture.

Abstract: A catalyst includes a carrier, and a metal obtained by reducing a metal ion supported on the carrier 1) in a supercritical state or 2) in a polar organic solvent, wherein the carrier is an inorganic porous body having a hierarchical porous structure. By employing the catalyst, it is possible to exhibit better catalytic activity than a conventional catalyst. Heat generation and spontaneous ignition are prevented because no organic porous body is used.

Abstract: A device includes: a storage section which stores a solution containing an organic compound; a catalyst holding section to hold a solid catalyst; and a microwave irradiation mechanism which irradiates the solution passing through the catalyst holding section with a microwave, wherein the solid catalyst is a molded catalyst containing a noble metal supported on a carrier that has an average particle diameter larger than 100 ?m. A hydrogen production method includes irradiating a solution containing an organic compound, the solution passing through a catalyst holding section holding a solid catalyst, with a microwave, the solid catalyst being a molded catalyst containing a noble metal supported on a carrier that has an average particle diameter larger than 100 ?m. Both device and method do not require a high-temperature heat source, enable easy collection, replacement, of the catalyst, and can be used for production of hydrogen.

Abstract: A catalyst includes a carrier, and a metal obtained by reducing a metal ion supported on the carrier 1) in a supercritical state or 2) in a polar organic solvent, wherein the carrier is an inorganic porous body having a hierarchical porous structure. By employing the catalyst, it is possible to exhibit better catalytic activity than a conventional catalyst. Heat generation and spontaneous ignition are prevented because no organic porous body is used.

Abstract: A negative electrode plate for nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a negative electrode mix layer, placed on a negative electrode core, containing a negative electrode active material capable of storing and releasing lithium ions. The negative electrode core is copper foil having a thickness of 5.9 ?m to 8.1 ?m and a surface roughness Rz of 0.8 ?m to 1.5 ?m. The negative electrode mix layer contains the negative electrode active material, a binding agent, and a carboxymethylcellulose-ammonium salt. The negative electrode active material is composed of a mixture of a graphite material and a silicon oxide represented by SiOx (0.5?x<1.6). The content of the silicon oxide in the negative electrode active material is 0.5% to 20% by mass.

Abstract: A software updating method for updating software stored as compressed code in a nonvolatile memory provided in a portable terminal on the basis of differential data via wireless communication includes the steps of providing a file system area having a fault-tolerant property; decompressing, at the execution of software updating, the compressed code of the software and loading the decompressed code into a random-access memory; updating the software in the random-access memory on the basis of the differential data; compressing the updated software; and storing a backup of a compressed updated code sequence corresponding to a compressed updated portion of the compressed updated software in the file system area and then writing the compressed updated code sequence corresponding to the compressed updated portion of the compressed updated software back to the nonvolatile memory.

Abstract: A portable terminal includes: a storage unit for storing at least a first program and software converting data to convert the first program into a second program; a storage control unit to perform reading and writing of the program and data as to the storage unit; a software converting processing unit to execute processing that converts the first program into the second program, using the first program and software converting data read by the storage control unit from the storage unit; and a terminal starting control unit to execute at the time of terminal startup one or the other of starting up the first program, and starting up the converting processing from the first program to the second program by the program converting processing unit and the second program that has been converted.

Abstract: A terminal device may include: a communication interface to receive, from a server via a network, a file for updating software in a memory device coupled with the terminal device, and a software update table that includes data regarding one or more performance values and one or more time values indicative of one or more lengths of time taken to update the software using the file; a processor to obtain data regarding a performance value of the memory device, select, from the software update table, one of the one or more performance values based on the performance value of the memory device, and obtain, from the software update table, a time value associated with the selected performance value; and an output device to provide an output corresponding to the obtained time value. Each performance value is associated with one of the one or more time values, respectively.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention relates to a magnetic recording medium comprising a nonmagnetic layer containing a nonmagnetic powder and a binder and a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder and a binder in this order on a nonmagnetic support, wherein the binder of the magnetic layer is a mixture of a vinyl chloride copolymer, polyurethane resin, and polyisocyanate, the polyurethane resin having a glass transition temperature ranging from 90 to 130° C. and a storage elastic modulus at 80° C. ranging from 2.5 to 5.0 GPa, the nonmagnetic layer is a radiation-cured layer formed by curing with radiation a radiation-curable composition comprising a nonmagnetic powder and a binder component, the binder component comprising a radiation-curable vinyl chloride copolymer and a radiation-curable polyurethane resin, and the radiation-curable vinyl chloride copolymer and radiation-curable polyurethane resin both have glass transition temperatures ranging from 30 to 100° C.

Abstract: A terminal apparatus including a non-volatile memory for which writing is performed in units of blocks; and a control unit configured to perform a first method of managing bad blocks in the non-volatile memory with respect to blocks corresponding to an information management table in a file system of the non-volatile memory, and to perform a second method of managing bad blocks in the non-volatile memory with respect to blocks corresponding to user data in the file system.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention relates to a magnetic tape comprising a nonmagnetic layer containing a nonmagnetic powder and a binder and a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder and a binder in this order on a nonmagnetic support. The nonmagnetic layer is a radiation-cured layer formed by curing with radiation a given radiation-curable composition. The nonmagnetic layer has a thickness ranging from 0.5 to 1.3 ?m. The relation between the nonmagnetic powder and the binder component contained in the radiation-curable composition satisfies equation (I): 480?(BET specific surface area of the nonmagnetic powder (m2/g)×weight of the nonmagnetic powder (g))/weight of the binder component (g)?650??(I).

Abstract: A terminal device may include: a communication interface to receive, from a server via a network, a file for updating software in a memory device coupled with the terminal device, and a software update table that includes data regarding one or more performance values and one or more time values indicative of one or more lengths of time taken to update the software using the file; a processor to obtain data regarding a performance value of the memory device, select, from the software update table, one of the one or more performance values based on the performance value of the memory device, and obtain, from the software update table, a time value associated with the selected performance value; and an output device to provide an output corresponding to the obtained time value. Each performance value is associated with one of the one or more time values, respectively.

Abstract: A terminal apparatus including a non-volatile memory for which writing is performed in units of blocks; and a control unit configured to perform a first method of managing bad blocks in the non-volatile memory with respect to blocks corresponding to an information management table in a file system of the non-volatile memory, and to perform a second method of managing bad blocks in the non-volatile memory with respect to blocks corresponding to user data in the file system.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention relates to a magnetic tape comprising a nonmagnetic layer containing a nonmagnetic powder and a binder and a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder and a binder in this order on a nonmagnetic support. The nonmagnetic layer is a radiation-cured layer formed by curing with radiation a given radiation-curable composition. The nonmagnetic layer has a thickness ranging from 0.5 to 1.3 ?m. The relation between the nonmagnetic powder and the binder component contained in the radiation-curable composition satisfies equation (I): 480?(BET specific surface area of the nonmagnetic powder (m2/g)×weight of the nonmagnetic powder (g))/weight of the binder component (g)?650??(I).

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention relates to a magnetic recording medium comprising a nonmagnetic layer containing a nonmagnetic powder and a binder and a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder and a binder in this order on a nonmagnetic support, wherein the binder of the magnetic layer is a mixture of a vinyl chloride copolymer, polyurethane resin, and polyisocyanate, the polyurethane resin having a glass transition temperature ranging from 90 to 130° C. and a storage elastic modulus at 80° C. ranging from 2.5 to 5.0 GPa, the nonmagnetic layer is a radiation-cured layer formed by curing with radiation a radiation-curable composition comprising a nonmagnetic powder and a binder component, the binder component comprising a radiation-curable vinyl chloride copolymer and a radiation-curable polyurethane resin, and the radiation-curable vinyl chloride copolymer and radiation-curable polyurethane resin both have glass transition temperatures ranging from 30 to 100° C.

Abstract: A memory management method for managing a non-volatile memory into which writing is performed in units of blocks includes the steps of assigning a plurality of blocks of the non-volatile memory to a management area formed of at least one block for storing management information, to a code area formed of a plurality of blocks into which program code is written, to a substitution area formed of a plurality of blocks for substituting for a defective block, and to an interference area formed of at least one block; storing at least correspondence information between the blocks of the substitution area and a defective block of a substitution target as management information within the management area; and using the block of the substitution area in place of the defective block on the basis of the correspondence information when the defective block is to be used.

Abstract: A portable terminal includes: a storage unit for storing at least a first program and software converting data to convert the first program into a second program; a storage control unit to perform reading and writing of the program and data as to the storage unit; a software converting processing unit to execute processing that converts the first program into the second program, using the first program and software converting data read by the storage control unit from the storage unit; and a terminal starting control unit to execute at the time of terminal startup one or the other of starting up the first program, and starting up the converting processing from the first program to the second program by the program converting processing unit and the second program that has been converted.

Abstract: A mobile terminal having a communication function. The apparatus includes: a nonvolatile memory including a memory area storing a main-unit program including an update engine for updating software and an alternative unit area for a unit area in the memory area; a working memory; and control means for accessing both of the memories. The control means downloads differential data between a version of the main-unit program and a version of a new main-unit program, expands the update engine into the working memory area, executes the update engine, updates the main-unit program for each unit area by the differential data, completes the update processing if the update has been successful, and performs the unit-area update processing on the alternative unit area and replaces the defective unit area by the alternative unit area if a defect of a unit area has been detected at the time of the update.

Abstract: A process for producing a magnetic recording medium is provided, the process comprising in sequence a step of forming a non-magnetic layer by applying a non-magnetic coating liquid above a non-magnetic support, a step of curing the non-magnetic layer by irradiation with radiation, and a step of forming a magnetic layer above the cured non-magnetic layer, the non-magnetic coating liquid comprising a resin having a hydroxy group and/or an amino group and a compound having an isocyanato group and/or a substituent represented by Formula (1) below and a radiation curing functional group. (In Formula (1) above, X1 is Formula (2) or Formula (3) below, and * denotes a bonding position).