Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, includes the steps of forming a top surface nitride film on a top surface of a substrate and a bottom surface nitride film on a bottom surface of the substrate, forming a protective film on the top surface nitride film, removing the bottom surface nitride film by wet etching while the top surface nitride film is being protected by the protective film, removing the protective film after the removing of the bottom surface nitride film, patterning the top surface nitride film so as to form an opening in the top surface nitride film, and forming a second oxide film on the bottom surface of the substrate while forming a first oxide film on a surface portion of the substrate which is exposed by the opening.

Abstract: An embodiment of this invention divides a cache memory of a storage system into a plurality of partitions and information in one or more of the partitions is composed of data different from user data and including control information. The storage system dynamically swaps data between an LU storing control information and a cache partition. Through this configuration, in a storage system having an upper limit in the capacity of the cache memory, a large amount of control information can be used while access performance to control information is kept.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging apparatus including a plurality of pixels each including: a first holding portion for holding signal carriers from a photoelectric conversion portion; an amplifying portion for amplifying and reading a signal based on the signal carriers generated in the photoelectric conversion portion; and a carrier discharging control portion for discharging charge carriers in the photoelectric conversion portion to an OFD region, and having a carrier path between the photoelectric conversion portion and the first carrier holding portion, in which the solid-state imaging apparatus further includes a second carrier holding portion electrically connected with the first carrier portion in parallel through a first transfer unit, when viewed from an output node of the photoelectric conversion portion, thereby smoothing an movie imaging without causing discontinuous frame while suppressing generation of noise mixing into the charge carrier holding portion.

Abstract: A seatbelt retractor includes a rotation transfer mechanism configured to transfer rotation of an adjustment gear to a sensor housing to swing the sensor housing in the front-back direction of a vehicle. The turning axis of the adjustment gear and the swing axis of the sensor housing intersect each other at a predetermined angle with the swing axis of the sensor housing arranged in a horizontal direction with respect to the left-right direction of the vehicle. An inertial element support surface of the sensor housing is kept horizontal by swing motion of the sensor housing in the front-back direction of the vehicle, even if a seat back is tilted in the front-back direction of the vehicle.

Abstract: There is provided a positively chargeable toner including toner mother particles containing a binder resin having an ethylenically unsaturated bond, wherein the amine value of a component extracted with a water phase by the addition of ion exchanged water after mixing the toner with methyl ethyl ketone is from 600 to 1,250 and the weight average molecular weight of the component extracted with the water phase is from 1,000 to 200,000.

Abstract: A signal multiplexing device includes a selector (1) that selects one of input data (4) and a complementary signal (16), a clock recovery circuit (30a) that adjusts the phase of a recovered clock (7) to the timing of the output signal of the selector (1), and a flip-flop circuit (3) that performs identification/recovery of the output signal of the selector (1) based on the recovered clock (7). The frequency of the complementary signal (16) is an integral submultiple of the frequency of the recovered clock (7). The selector (1) selects the complementary signal (16) during part of the no-signal period of the input data (4).

Abstract: An optical information recording apparatus configured to record information into an information recording medium by using holography, the apparatus including: a signal generation unit configured to generate two-dimensional data; and a two-dimensional spatial light modulator unit configured to display the two-dimensional data and to spatially modulate a transmitted or reflected beam, wherein the two-dimensional spatial light modulator unit includes a signal region and an external region, the signal region displays two-dimensional data based on user data, the external region displays two-dimensional data not including the user data, and the signal generation unit generates two-dimensional data in such a manner that a frequency of the two-dimensional data displayed on the external region becomes equal to or larger than a frequency of the two-dimensional data displayed on the signal region.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion; an image reader movable between a first open position and a first closed position; an openable member movable between a second open position and a second closed position; and a supporting member. When the image reader is located at the first open position, the openable member is supported at the second open position by the supporting member. When the image reader is moved from the supported state toward the first closed position, closing of the openable member from a predetermined position closer to the second closed position than the second open position is limited by the supporting member. When the image reader is moved toward the first closed position from a limited state in which the closing of the openable member is limited by the supporting member, limitation of the openable member by the supporting member is eliminated.

Abstract: A reagent for measuring platelets comprising Nile Blue hydrogensulfate, or Nile Blue and an acid, a reagent kit for measuring platelets comprising the reagent for measuring platelets, and a method for measuring platelets using the reagent or reagent kit.

Abstract: An inner focus lens system comprising lens units each composed of at least one lens element, wherein a most object side lens unit is provided and is fixed with respect to an image surface in focusing, and the conditions: BF/Y<1.7 and (L×FNo)/f<2.2 (BF: a distance from an image side surface apex of a most image side lens element to the image surface, Y=f ×tan ?, L: an overall length of lens system, FNo: a F-number of lens system,f: a focal length of lens system, ?: a half view angle of lens system) are simultaneously satisfied, or only the condition: (L×FNo)/f<2.0 (L: the overall length of lens system, FNo: the F-number of lens system,f: the focal length of lens system) is satisfied.

Abstract: On a surface layer of a printed wiring board, main power supply patterns to be applied with different DC voltages are disposed in a second region. Power supply patterns are disposed on the surface layer, and the power supply patterns are led from the main power supply patterns to a first region. The power supply patterns connect power supply terminals of terminal groups in the second region. The power supply patterns connect the power supply terminals between the terminal groups in the first region. Power supply terminals of the terminal groups of a semiconductor package are electrically connected to the main power supply patterns by the power supply patterns. Thus, potential fluctuations are reduced and radiation noise is suppressed, and the number of layers of the printed wiring board is reduced.

Abstract: Provided are a word latent topic estimation device and a word latent topic estimation method which are capable of hierarchically performing processing and which are capable of rapidly estimating latent topics of a word while taking into consideration a mixed state of topics.

Abstract: An occupant determination apparatus includes a weight sensor that senses a weight of an object on a seat of a vehicle, a lateral acceleration sensor that senses lateral acceleration of the vehicle, and a processing unit that performs an operation of occupant determination. The processing unit calculates a lateral acceleration difference that is an absolute value of a difference between first lateral acceleration at a time when the weight passes through a first load threshold value and second lateral acceleration at a time when the weight passes through a second load threshold value. The processing unit performs the occupant determination based on an occupant determination threshold value when the lateral acceleration difference is smaller than a lateral acceleration difference threshold value, and does not perform the occupant determination when the lateral acceleration difference is larger than the lateral acceleration difference threshold value.

Abstract: In a speech coding scheme based on a speech production model, such as a CELP-based scheme, an object of the present invention is to provide a decoding method that can reproduce natural sound even if the input signal is a noise-superimposed speech. The decoding method includes a speech decoding step of obtaining a decoded speech signal from an input code, a noise generating step of generating a noise signal that is a random signal, and a noise adding step of outputting a noise-added signal, the noise-added signal being obtained by summing the decoded speech signal and a signal obtained by performing, on the noise signal, a signal processing that is based on at least one of a power corresponding to a decoded speech signal for a previous frame and a spectrum envelope corresponding to the decoded speech signal for the current frame.

Abstract: Since time hierarchically encoded video data needs to include video data of a basic hierarchical layer, and video data cannot be generated in which a frame belonging to an upper hierarchical layer is only encoded, even in a case in which only a part of frames is processed, a basic hierarchical layer frame is needed to be included, and thus, there has been a problem that video data in which only the frame belonging to the upper hierarchical layer is encoded cannot be separately processed. In the present invention, a variable length encoding unit is disposed which encodes, for each sequence, a basic hierarchical layer existence flag showing whether or not a basic hierarchical layer is included in the sequence.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a graphite composite material including a graphite film and a resin layer, wherein peeling-off of the resin layer from the graphite film is suppressed. The graphite composite material includes: a graphite film; and a resin layer formed on at least one surface of the graphite film, wherein the graphite film has through holes, wherein a number of the through is 100 to 1000 per cm2, and the through holes have a diameter of 0.10 mm or more but 1.00 mm or less, and wherein part of the resin layer is formed also in the through holes.

Abstract: A display control method of a display unit for a rider provided in an inverted vehicle, the inverted vehicle controlling a traveling state according to a change in a posture of the rider, in which display control is carried out according to procedures including the following steps by a control apparatus included in the inverted vehicle: a determination step that determines which of a plurality of traveling state patterns the traveling state according to the change in the posture of the inverted vehicle corresponds to, the plurality of traveling state patterns defined in advance as the patterns the inverted vehicle may take when the rider has a specific intention; and a display step that displays information according to the rider's intention corresponding to the traveling state pattern that is determined to correspond to the traveling state of the inverted vehicle on the display unit of the inverted vehicle.

Abstract: In a medical image managing system, there are first and second density conversion modes. In the first density conversion mode, a medical image is processed in density conversion by an image server, before a density-converted medical image is transmitted to a client terminal. In the second density conversion mode, a medical image is transmitted from the image server to the client terminal, which processes the medical image in the density conversion. A density conversion mode checker compares processing time of the first density conversion mode with processing time of the second density conversion mode after acquisition according to communication speed between the image server and the client terminal, and processing speeds of the client terminal and the image server. One of the density conversion modes with the shorter processing time is selected. Thus, the density-converted medical image can be displayed rapidly at the client terminal.

Abstract: Isolated LY6K-derived epitope peptides having Th1 cell inducibility are disclosed herein. Such peptides can be recognized by MHC class II molecules and induce Th1 cells. In preferred embodiments, such a peptide of the present invention can be promiscuously bind to MHC class II molecules and induce LY6K-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in addition to Th1 cells. Such peptides are thus suitable for use in enhancing immune response in a subject, and accordingly find use in cancer immunotherapy, in particular, as cancer vaccines. Also disclosed herein are polynucleotides that encode any of the aforementioned peptides, APCs and Th1 cells induced by such peptides and methods of induction associated therewith. Pharmaceutical compositions that comprise any of the aforementioned components as active ingredients find use in the treatment and/or prevention of cancers or tumors.

Abstract: A door lock device has a high degree of freedom in the disposition of an open link for switching between a locked state and an unlocked state and has low operational resistance when being put into the locked state. When there is a malfunction in which the open link is jammed by dust and therefore does not move from a lock waiting position to an unlock waiting position even when an unlock action is performed, when an outside handle interlock lever is turned, a sliding-contact tilt guide provided on a support body slides and makes sliding-contact with the open link and forcibly tilts the open link, and as a result, it becomes unnecessary to increase an energizing force of a torsion coil spring as a precaution against such malfunction. This makes it possible to reduce the operational resistance when the door lock device is put into the locked state.