Abstract: An auditory ossicle prosthesis (10) which comprises, at one end, a plate-shaped first securing element (11) for bearing on the tympanic membrane or on the footplate of the stirrup, and, at its other end, a second securing element (12) for mechanical connection to the ossicular chain or to the inner ear, and also a connection element (13) that connects the two securing elements so as to conduct sound, wherein the first securing element has a radially inner coupling area (14) for coupling the first securing element to the connection element, and also a plurality of web elements (15, 15?, 15?) for radial connection of the coupling area to radially outer portions (16, 16?, 16?) of the first securing element, is characterized in that the web elements are of such a geometric configuration, and their material so chosen, that the web elements can be easily broken off and the radially outer portions appended to them detached from the first securing element, such that the external diameter of the first securing element

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for determining motion between a first and second video image. The apparatus includes an input device for receiving the first and the second video image with a plurality of pixels, a block selector for selecting a block of pixels within the first video image, a search area selector for selecting at least part of the second video image to produce a search area, a sampler for sampling the pixels of the search area in a predetermined pattern and a comparator for comparing the selected block of pixels within the first video image with at least one block of the sampled pixels of the search area to determine the motion of the block of pixels between the images. The pattern of sampled pixels varies throughout the search area.

Abstract: A nickel powder with an average particle size of 0.05 to 1.0 ?m, which is composed of nickel particles having an oxidized surface layer and containing sulfur, wherein the sulfur content with respect to the total weight of the powder is 100 to 2000 ppm, and the intensity of a peak identified to sulfur bonded to nickel in surface analysis by ESCA of the nickel particles varies in a direction toward the center from the surface of the particles, and this intensity has its maximum at a location deeper than 3 nm from the particle outermost surface. This nickel powder is manufactured by bringing a nickel powder containing sulfur and dispersed in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere into contact with an oxidizing gas at a high temperature.

Abstract: This invention provides a method of forming a vibration damping paint layer thick enough for reduction of the vibration. Applying an acrylic emulsion paint with 1˜5 mm thick, which comprises greater than 77.0 wt % of solid portion, 40˜50 vol % of pigment, 2-14 vol % of large sized pigment having diameter of 40-100 ?m, on a surface where the vibration damping layer is desired, and heating the vibration damping paint layer at temperature lower than 140° C. for less than 25 minutes, which saves energy and saves production time. The invention saves energy necessary for heating and production time.

Abstract: An auditory ossicle prosthesis (10) which comprises, at one end, a plate-shaped first securing element (11) for bearing on the tympanic membrane or on the footplate of the stirrup, and, at the other end, a second securing element (12) for mechanical connection to the ossicular chain or to the inner ear, and also a connection element (13) that connects the two securing elements so as to conduct sound, wherein the first securing element has a radially inner coupling area (14) for coupling the first securing element to the connection element, and also a plurality of web elements (15) for radial connection of the coupling area to radially outer portions (16) of the first securing element, is characterized in that the coupling area, the web elements and the radially outer portions are of such a geometric configuration, and their material so chosen, that a plastic deformation is effected by stretching or pushing together in the plane of the plate of the first securing element, by means of which plastic deformation

Abstract: A filler for optical isomer separation which: allows a polymer compound derivative to be immobilized on the surface of a carrier at a high ratio and is excellent in optical separation ability. The filler is characterized in that the filler is obtained by modifying part of the hydroxy or amino groups of a polymer compound having the hydroxy or amino groups with molecules of a compound represented by the following general formula (I): A-X—Si(Y)nR3-n, and is carried by a carrier through chemical bonding.

Abstract: An aluminum alloy sheet for a lithographic printing plate includes 0.03 to 0.15% (mass %, hereinafter the same) of Si, 0.2 to 0.7% of Fe, 0.05 to 0.5% of Mg, 0.003 to 0.05% of Ti, and 30 to 300 ppm of Ga, with the balance being aluminum and inevitable impurities, a surface area of the aluminum alloy sheet having an average recrystallized grain size of 50 ?m or less in a direction perpendicular to a rolling direction, an Mg concentration that is higher than the average Mg concentration by a factor of 5 to 50, and a Ga concentration that is higher than the average Ga concentration by a factor of 2 to 20, the surface area being an area up to a depth of 0.2 ?m from the surface of the aluminum alloy sheet.

Abstract: A binary rotator which includes an array of n cascaded 2-input multiplexer banks and received at an input 2n-bit binary data words can be used not only for rotation but also for selective reversal, without the necessity of the addition of a further multiplex bank dedicated to the reversal. This is achieved by making groups of multiplexers of at least all but one of the n banks of multiplexers separately controllable by words from control logic, rather than feeding the multiplexer banks with single control bits. The control bits are appropriately selected to provide the desired rotation-cum-reversal with just the 2n×n array of multiplexers, and can themselves be generated by appropriate logic gates.

Abstract: Atmosphere in a sterilization box 18 is prevented from entering into a filler chamber 44 side, and also, atmosphere on the filler side is prevented from flowing on the sterilization box 18 side. An intermediate chamber 40 is disposed between the sterilization box 18 for performing sterilization by electron beam irradiation to a vessel 2 and the chamber 44 in which a filler 42 is disposed for filling the sterilized vessel 2 with inner content. A pressure in the intermediate chamber 40 is controlled, by a pressure control device, so as to be higher than a pressure in the sterilization box 18 and higher than a pressure in the chamber 44 provided with the filler 42. Since the pressure in the intermediate chamber 40 is highest, atmosphere in the upstream-side sterilization box 18 is prevented from flowing in the filler 42 side and atmosphere in the chamber 44 for the filler 42 is also prevented from flowing in the sterilization box 18 side.