Abstract: The invention provides, between a discharge element substrate and a supply member, a support member containing a mixture that contains: a material having an affinity for a material forming the supply member; and another material.

Abstract: A storage device includes: an access section accessing data in a storage area; a command receiving section receiving a command designating an access-point and data access thereto within the storage area; a command distinguishing section distinguishing whether the command is a within-protection command designating an access-point within a protected area or an off-protection command designating an access-point outside the protected area; an off-protection-command control section causing the access section to access data at the access-point designated by the off-protection command; a within-protection-writing control section causing, when the within-protection command designates data-writing, the access section to write data at an alternative-point in an invisible-area, and records a correspondence between the access-point and the alternative-point; and a within-protection-reading control section finding, when the within-protection command designates data-reading, the alternative-point corresponding to the acces

Abstract: An aqueous ink is provided which comprises a dispersible colorant comprising a colorant and chargeable resin pseudo fine particles smaller than the colorant, the colorant and the chargeable resin pseudo fine particles fixing to each other; and at least one of a water-soluble nonionic resin and an emulsion particle. As a result, it becomes possible to provide an aqueous ink suitable for ink jet recording which has high dispersion stability, is excellent in long-term dispersion stability, and is capable of providing an image excellent in fastness such as rubfastness, especially a highly glossy image. Further, there can also be provided an ink tank, an ink jet recording apparatus, an ink jet recording method, and an ink jet recorded image each using such aqueous ink.

Abstract: A dispersible colorant suitable for ink-jet recording ink is manufactured by a method using aqueous precipitation polymerization. The ink has high dispersion stability and can form a high-quality image excellent in fastness properties. The method includes at least a dispersing step of dispersing a colorant into an aqueous solution by means of a dispersant, an aqueous precipitation polymerization step of adding a resin monomer and a radical polymerization initiator to the solution into which the colorant is dispersed to manufacture a dispersible colorant having a chargeable resin pseudo-fine particle, fixing thereon by means of aqueous precipitation polymerization, and an ultrafiltration step of subjecting the aqueous solution containing the dispersible colorant to ultrafiltration to obtain the dispersible colorant.

Abstract: An aqueous ink is provided which comprises a dispersible colorant comprising a colorant and chargeable resin pseudo fine particles smaller than the colorant, the colorant and the chargeable resin pseudo fine particles fixing to each other; and at least one of a water-soluble nonionic resin and an emulsion particle. As a result, it becomes possible to provide an aqueous ink suitable for ink jet recording which has high dispersion stability, is excellent in long-term dispersion stability, and is capable of providing an image excellent in fastness such as rubfastness, especially a highly glossy image. Further, there can also be provided an ink tank, an ink jet recording apparatus, an ink jet recording method, and an ink jet recorded image each using such aqueous ink.

Abstract: A dispersible colorant, including a colorant and a chargeable resin pseudo fine particle having a sulfonic group, which is smaller than the colorant, in which the sulfonic group of the dispersible colorant has a surface functional group density of 100 ?mol/g or more, is provided. The dispersible colorant has sufficiently high dispersion stability without causing detachment of the resin component from the colorant, while retaining long-term stability. The use of the dispersible colorant allows an aqueous ink-jet recording ink, which is excellent in discharge stability, an ink tank, an ink-jet recording apparatus, an ink-jet recording method, and an ink-jet recording image to be provided.

Abstract: A colorant having self-dispersibility is disclosed. This colorant are composed of colorant particles and flat chargeable resin pseudo fine particles smaller than the colorant particles, and the colorant particles and the flat chargeable resin pseudo fine particles are fused together.

Abstract: The aqueous ink of the present invention includes: a coloring material, wherein the coloring material is a dispersible colorant comprising a colorant and chargeable resin pseudo fine particles smaller in size than the colorant, and the chargeable resin pseudo fine particles are fixed to the colorant; water; and at least one kind of salt selected from the group consisting of (M1)2SO4, CH3COO(M1), Ph-COO(M1), (M1)NO3, (M1)Cl, (M1)Br, (M1)I, (M1)2SO3, and (M1)CO3, wherein M1 represents an alkali metal, ammonia, or organic ammonium and Ph represents a phenyl group.

Abstract: A ceramics material for a sliding member used in the water or brought into contact with water is proposed. It is low in frictional resistance and high in wear resistance and shows a long life when used in such a condition. Also, a disk valve assembly is proposed which has a valve body and a valve seat having sliding surfaces that are high in sliding properties. By sliding the valve body on the valve seat having valve holes, the valve holes can be opened and closed. One of the valve seat and the valve body is made of a self-lubricating ceramics material comprising of an oxide ceramic as a main component, and at least one anti-friction agent selected from the group made up of iron, nickel, cobalt and their oxides, nitrides and carbides. The other of the valve seat and the valve body is made of an aluminum oxide ceramics material and has a larger slide contact area than the one of the valve seat and the valve body.

Abstract: Thin, flaky graphite-containing refractories are obtained by refining and processing naturally occurring minerals and possess a specific size of the extent of the surface of a flaky layer and a specific thickness of a flake. Such flaky graphite-containing refractories exhibit high endurance and are effective as lining materials particularly for steel making furnaces.

Abstract: Methanol is allowed to flow downwardly and contacted countercurrently with an unsaturated aldehyde-containing gas obtained from gas phase catalytic oxidation of the starting gas containing at least one gas selected from the group consisting of propylene, isobutylene and t-butanol, said methanol being supplied in such an amount that substantially the whole thereof can be gasified in the treatment. According to this method, the water content in said unsaturated aldehyde-containing gas can be rendered smaller than that in the azeotropic mixture of the unsaturated aldehyde and water, and also there takes place no polymerization of the unsaturated aldehyde.