Abstract: When a ferroelectric thin film-forming sol-gel solution contains a PZT-based compound, a viscosity-adjusting macromolecular compound including polyvinylpyrrolidone, and an organic dopant including a formamide-based solvent, the PZT-based compound is included at 17 mass % or more in terms of an oxide, the molar ratio of the polyvinylpyrrolidone to the PZT-based compound is PZT-based compound:polyvinylpyrrolidone=1:0.1 to 0.5 in terms of a monomer, and the formamide-based solvent is included at 3 mass % to 13 mass % of the sol-gel solution, it is possible to form a thick layer by coating the sol-gel solution once, the production efficiency improves, and crack-free and dense film formation even after calcination and firing becomes possible.

Abstract: A method for producing a ferroelectric thin film comprising: coating a composition for forming a ferroelectric thin film on a base electrode of a substrate having a substrate body and the base electrode that has crystal daces oriented in the (111) direction, calcining the coated composition, and subsequently performing firing the coated composition to crystallize the coated composition, and thereby forming a ferroelectric thin film on the base electrode, wherein the method includes formation of an orientation controlling layer by coating the composition on the base electrode, calcining the coated composition, and firing the coated composition, where an amount of the composition coated on the base electrode is controlled such that a thickness of the orientation controlling layer after crystallization is in a range of 5 nm to 30 nm, and thereby controlling the preferential crystal orientation of the orientation controlling layer to be in the (110) plane.

Abstract: A method for producing a ferroelectric thin film comprising: coating a composition for forming a ferroelectric thin film on a base electrode of a substrate having a substrate body and the base electrode that has crystal faces oriented in the (111) direction, calcining the coated composition, and subsequently performing firing the coated composition to crystallize the coated composition, and thereby forming a ferroelectric thin film on the base electrode, wherein the method includes formation of a orientation controlling layer b coating the composition on the base electrode, calcining the coated composition, and firing the coated composition, where an amount of the composition coated on the base electrode is controlled such that a thickness of the orientation controlling layer after crystallization is in a range of 35 nm to 150 nm, and thereby controlling the preferential crystal orientation of the orientation controlling layer in the (100) plane.

Abstract: To convert N-valued input image data to output image data, where N is an integer equal to or greater than two, a concentration value is determined for each pixel in a set of pixels including a pixel of interest and its neighboring pixels. Ranks are assigned to each of these pixels on the basis of the concentration values. The pixel values of the pixel of interest and its neighboring pixels are then redistributed according to the assigned ranks. This scheme enables pixel clustering to be manipulated in a natural way.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image reading portion for reading an image of an original to generate image data; a printing portion for printing the image on a medium according to the image data; a missing page determining portion for determining whether a missing page of the original occurs according to the image data generated with the image reading portion; and a discharge position control portion for discharging the medium corresponding to the missing page of the original to a specific discharge position different from that of other medium.

Abstract: A reinforcing member for vehicles comprises a pair of fixed parts fastened on spaced-apart portions of a vehicle body, and a bar body for connecting the respective fixed parts. A rotation allowing mechanism is provided on at least one of the fixed parts in order to allow the bar body to rotate with respect to the vehicle body. Therefore, the respective two portions of the vehicle body, on which the fixed parts are fastened respectively, are allowed to have angle variations to each other without changing the space between the two portions of the vehicle body. Consequently, the rigidity of the entire vehicle body can be improved without the degradation in the drivability and the ride comfortableness of the vehicle.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus which expresses lamp lighting energy corresponding to input gray scale data on the basis of on/off of lighting lamp of plural sub-dots corresponding to different lamp lighting times of different assistant scanning positions, with respect to such image that rapidly changes from a state close to white level toward a state close to black level, or with respect to such image that rapidly changes from a state close to black level toward a state close to white level, in order to decrease that a thin white stripe or a thin black stripe happens on the border portion, a random generator 34 and a adding circuit 33 are provided so that: whenever the gray scale value is inputted to the gray scale value input register 31, with respect to the lamp lighting energy, a random number of predetermined level is added.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus which expresses lamp lighting energy corresponding to input gray scale data on the basis of on/off of lighting lamp of plural sub-dots corresponding to different lamp lighting times of different assistant scanning positions, with respect to such image that rapidly changes from a state close to white level toward a state close to black level, or with respect to such image that rapidly changes from a state close to black level toward a state close to white level, in order to decrease that a thin white stripe or a thin black stripe happens on the border portion, a random generator 34 and a adding circuit 33 are provided so that: whenever the gray scale value is inputted to the gray scale value input register 31, with respect to the lamp lighting energy, a random number of predetermined level is added.

Abstract: A reinforcing member for vehicles comprises a pair of fixed parts fastened on spaced-apart portions of a vehicle body, and a bar body for connecting the respective fixed parts. A rotation allowing mechanism is provided on at least one of the fixed parts in order to allow the bar body to rotate with respect to the vehicle body. Therefore, the respective two portions of the vehicle body, on which the fixed parts are fastened respectively, are allowed to have angle variations to each other without changing the space between the two portions of the vehicle body. Consequently, the rigidity of the entire vehicle body can be improved without the degradation in the drivability and the ride comfortableness of the vehicle.