Abstract: The size of particles is detected accurately and at low cost even when there are few microparticles as impurities included in a liquid. Provided is a method of detecting a size of particles in a liquid by detecting diffraction fringes appearing due to the particles in the liquid by a light detection portion. Diffraction fringes are detected by a first light detection portion and a second light detection portion that are separated along the flow direction of the liquid. A peak time difference (T2) that is a difference between times at which peak values appear in a detection signal from the first and second light detection portion is measured, and an area (SQ) based on the waveform of the detection signal is measured. The sizes of the particles included in the liquid are detected based on the peak time differences (T2) and the areas (SQ) that were measured.

Abstract: A pickup control device includes a servo system which processes a first signal for error control read from an optical disk to generate a servo control signal. A clock signal is synchronized with the rotation of the optical disk. Two memories store a frequency component at or lower than a predetermined frequency contained in the first signal and a rotational frequency component contained in the first signal. A first adder adds data from the first memory to the first signal and a second adder, in synchronization with the clock signal, data from the memories to generate a second signal. A correction unit writes into the second memory the frequency component or the rotational frequency component and reads data and supplies data to the first adder, and reads and updates data stored in the first memory.

Abstract: An optical disk drive device has an RF equalizer configured to generate an equalized RF signal by controlling a frequency characteristic of a delay time of an RF signal read out from an optical disk based on a control input signal, a playback clock extractor configured to extract a playback clock for reproducing data recorded on the optical disk from the equalized RF signal, and an RF rate controller configured to generate the control input signal inputted to the RF equalizer, wherein the control input signal is a signal for correcting waveform distortion of the RF signal by controlling the delay time of the RF signal dependent on a frequency of the playback clock.

Abstract: The present invention provides the compounds inhibiting PDE 7 selectively, and therefore, enhances cellular cAMP level. Consequently, the compound is useful for treating various kinds of disease such as allergic disease, inflammatory disease or immunologic disease. The compound is imidazotriazinone compound represented by the following formula (IA) or (IB): especially, R1 is cyclohexyl group, R2 is methyl group; R3 is a hydrogen atom; nitro group; cyano group; a halogen atom; heteroaryl group; substituted or unsubstituted C1-C6 alkyl group; substituted or unsubstituted C2-C6 alkenyl group; saturated or unsaturated heterocycloalkyl group which is substituted or unsubstituted; a group: —NR5R6, —C(O)R7, —SO2R7, —OR8, —NR8COR7, —NR8S02R7; A is CR4; and B is CH.

Abstract: A compound, or its salt, or a solvate thereof having a cPLA2 inhibiting activity having the formula (I): or a pharmaceutical composition, cPLA2 inhibitor and inhibitors of various lipid mediator production containing the same as active ingredients.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes an endless belt for heating an image on a recording material; a plurality of supporting members on which the belt is trained; magnetic flux generating means, disposed outside of the belt, for generating heat in the belt by a magnetic flux, the magnetic flux generating means being effective to cause induction heating both in a region of the belt between the supporting members and in at least one of the regions of the belt trained on the supporting members; a temperature detecting element for detecting a temperature of the belt in the region between the supporting members at a position across the belt from the magnetic flux generating means; and electric power supply shut-off means for shutting off electric power supply to the magnetic flux generating means on the basis of an output of the temperature detecting element.

Abstract: A document delivery server is connected to a user terminal through a network. The document delivery server includes a transmission/reception portion, memory portions that store original document information and public additional information respectively, storage control portions that store and read out the original document information and public additional information together with the memory portions, and a browse information separation/composition portion that transmits the original document information and public additional information to the user terminal through the transmission/reception portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image forming device for forming a toner image on a recording material; a plurality of image heating devices for sequentially heating an image on the recording material in one of plural modes; a selecting device for selecting the mode and thus the number of the image heating devices to be used for heating the image; and a manual setting device for manually setting an operating condition of at least one of the image heating devices.

Abstract: An electromagnetic induction heating type image heating apparatus which is capable of being downsized by reduction in a length of its longitudinal direction and has a high heat generating efficiency by suppressing heat generation of an urging member, includes: a rotatable heating member having an electroconductive layer, a rotatable pressing member contacting an outer peripheral surface of the heating member, an urging member located inside the heating member and configured to urge the heating member toward the pressing member, a heating device for heating the electroconductive layer through induction heating, and a magnetic flux confining member for confining the magnetic flux from the heating device so as not to act on the urging member. In the image heating apparatus, a recording material carrying an image is heated at a press-contact portion created by press-contact between the heating member and the pressing member.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a rotatable image heating member for heating an image on a recording material; a pressing member for forming a nip, with the image heating member, in which the recording material is nipped and conveyed; heating means for heating a part of the image heating member; drive means for rotationally driving the image heating member; contacting-and-separating means for contacting and separating said image heating member and said pressing member relative to each other; standby control means for heating said image heating member in a predetermined period, while said image heating member is rotated, in a state of separation between said image heating member and said pressing member during standby; and pressing operation control means for contacting said image heating member and said pressing member, wherein when an image forming signal is inputted in the predetermined period during the standby, said image heating member and said pressing member are contacted after heating of said imag

Abstract: An image heating apparatus comprising first and second belts for forming a nip for heating an image on a recording material; a first pressing pad for pressing the first belt at the nip; a first roller, provided spaced from the first pressing pad with a gap therebetween, for pressing the first belt at the nip; a second pressing pad, provided opposed to the first pressing pad, for pressing the second belt at the nip; a second roller, provided opposed to the first roller and contacted to the second pressing pad, for pressing the second belt at the nip, the second roller having a friction coefficient which is smaller than that of the first roller.

Abstract: The invention relates to a mutant ?-amylase obtained by making replacement or deletion of at least one of amino acid residues such as the 167th Gln, 169th Tyr and 178th Ala in the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 in an ?-amylase having said amino acid sequence, or an ?-amylase having a homology of at least 70% to said amino acid sequence, a gene encoding the mutant ?-amylase, a vector, transformed cells, a process for producing a mutant ?-amylase, comprising culturing the transformed cells, and a detergent composition comprising the mutant ?-amylase. The mutant ?-amylase of the invention has excellent properties of high resistance to chelating agents, high specific activity in an alkaline region and excellent stability to heat, and is hence useful for detergents for automatic dish washer, laundry detergents and the like.

Abstract: An endless metallic belt formed of a nickel alloy which contains at least one element selected from the first group of elements consisting of phosphorus, boron, silicon, germanium, selenium, antimony, tellurium, bismuth and astatine, and, in an X-ray diffraction pattern of which, half widths of X-ray diffraction peaks of the (111) crystal plane and (200) crystal plane are both from 0.5° to 2.5°.

Abstract: An optical disc drive device has an FE signal generator which generates a focus error signal, a TE signal generator which generates a tracking error signal, a return beam detector which detects a return beam reflected by an optical disc after irradiated by an optical pickup to generate a return beam level signal, a return beam gain setting part which sets amplitude adjustment amount of the return beam level signal so that a signal level of the return beam level signal generated by the return beam detector coincides with a predetermined reference level, an FE gain setting part which sets amplitude adjustment amount of the focus error signal in accordance with the signal level of the return beam level signal adjusted by the return beam gain setting part so that a signal amplitude of the focus error signal is constant, and a TE gain setting part which sets amplitude adjustment amount of the tracking error signal in accordance with the signal level of the return beam level signal adjusted by the return beam gain

Abstract: To provide thienopyrazole derivatives inhibiting PDE 7 selectively, and therefore, enhance cellular cAMP level. Consequently, the compound is useful for treating various kinds of disease such as allergic diseases, inflammatory diseases or immunologic diseases. The compound is thienopyrazole compound represented by the following formula (I): [wherein, especially, R1 is a cyclohexyl, a cycloheptyl group or a tetrahydropyranyl group; R2 is methyl; R3 is a hydrogen atom; and R4 is a group: —CONR5R6 (in which any one of R5 and R6 is a hydrogen atom)].

Abstract: A laser-drive-current control circuit outputs a drive current indicating signal for indicating a laser drive current for driving a laser light emitting element that emits a laser beam to an optical disk and controls the output of the laser drive current based on a light emission monitor signal.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus which fixes a toner image at a nip portion formed by a belt member and a rotating member controls a deviation of a belt by changing an inclination of a belt supporting member during a fixing operation. During a standby operation in which the belt member and the rotating member are separated from each other, the fixing apparatus stops changing the inclination of the belt supporting member and regulates the deviation of the belt by contacting a flange provided at the belt supporting member and a belt end portion.

Abstract: A rotation correcting apparatus has a tracking servo controller which generates a tracking signal to perform a tracking servo control for guiding an optical beam spot outputted from a pickup to tracks of an optical disk and a track jump control for moving the optical beam spot to a certain track; a feed motor controller which controls a feed motor for moving the pickup to radius direction of the optical disk; a storage which stores signal component with a prescribed frequency band including a rotation frequency of the optical disk, the signal component being included in an output signal of the tracking servo controller; and a combination unit which combines the signal component stored in the storage with the tracking signal to generate an ultimate tracking signal for the tracking servo control and the tracking jump control, wherein the feed motor controller controls the feed motor based on the tracking signal generated by the tracking servo controller without using the signal component stored in the storage.

Abstract: This disclosure concerns an optical-disk reproduction apparatus comprising an amplifier which supplies information from an optical-disk as an information signal and a servo error signal; a servo controller controlling an optical-pickup read operation in response to the servo error signal; a rotation address producer producing a rotation address corresponding to a rotation angle of the optical disk; a memory in which the information signal, the servo error signal, and the rotation address are received and stored while correlated with one another; an error flag producer producing an error flag when determining that an error exists in the information signal; and a system controller determining a factor of production of the error flag using the servo error signal and rotation address stored in the memory, when the error flag producer produces the error flag, the system controller adjusting a servo parameter in the servo control circuit according to the determination result.

Abstract: An automatic power control filter circuit that outputs a signal corrected to make a laser drive current for driving a laser light emitting element irradiating an optical disc with a laser beam become a desired value, on the basis of a signal obtained by sampling and holding a light emission monitor signal corresponding to an output current of a photodetector for detecting output power of the laser light emitting element.