Abstract: A cooling device (1) for chilling a wine bottle (2) comprises a substantially cylindrical housing (3). A panel member (8) formed by a plurality of hingedly connected panel segments (9) is located in the housing (3) and forms a receiving compartment (12) for the wine bottle (2). The panel segments (9) each form a storing chamber (14) for storing a temperature conditionable liquid. An annular ring (7) is mounted on a carrier sleeve (16) which is rotatable and axially slideable within the housing (3) for varying the diameter of a receiving compartment (12) for accommodating bottles (2) of different diameter. A bearing rim (20) of the carrier sleeve (16) abuts wedge-shaped portions (21) of the panel member (8) so that as the carrier sleeve (16) is urged axially into the housing (3) the diameter of the receiving compartment (12) is reduced and vice versa.

Abstract: In a drying balance with a balance pan (3) which rests removably on the load receiver (2) of a weighing system, a radiation source (19) for warming and drying a substance on the balance pan (3), and a temperature calibrating disk (4) with at least one built-in temperature sensor (11; 21), the load receiver (2) has a vertical hole (7) into which a pin (6) on the underside of the balance pan (3) protrudes. The housing (1) of the balance has an opening (5) around the hole (7) in the load receiver (2) which is significantly larger than the diameter of the pin (6). The temperature calibrating disk (4) has a plug (8) on its underside with several contacts (9) on the outer edge, which protrudes into the opening (5) without contacting the load receiver (2). The plug (8) establishes an electrical connection with the corresponding mating contacts (10) at the opening (5). The plug (8) has three contacts (9) which are held in a synthetic material part.

Abstract: The invention provides a synergistic composition useful as a nitrification inhibiting additive for ammonium producing fertilizers which comprises: (a) benzotriazole in the range of 2.5 to 50% (by wt % of the ammonium fertilizer), (b) metal chelating agent (cooper/nickel in the range from about 1 to 50% (by wt % of the ammonium) and ion binding compound and precursors and fertilizer.

Abstract: In a double-damper apparatus 1 including a driving portion (2), two frame portions (3 and 4) arranged on both sides of the driving portion, and two open/close members (5 and 6) which are coupled with the driving portion (2) and perform the operation of opening/closing the openings (31 and 41) formed in the frame portions respectively by the driving force of the driving portion, a steps(s) &bgr; is formed between the flat portions (37b and 47b) of the two frame portions (3 and 4). A labyrinth structure is formed between both flat portions (37b and 47b) to prevent leakage of fluid between both fluid channels.

Abstract: In a multiplex transmission method, a plurality of digital signals having different frame lengths and bit-synchronized at the same signal rate are transmitted after the signals are multiplexed in a predetermined order. The received multiplexed signal is demultiplexed. A predetermined sync pattern is detected from each digital signal obtained by demultiplexing. The output position of each digital signal is determined on the basis of the sync pattern detection result. A multiplex transmission system is also disclosed.

Abstract: Single-wall carbon nanotubes are produced from carbon vapor in the presence of nickel-cobalt catalyst vapor, and the carbon vapor and the nickel-cobalt catalyst vapor are constantly generated from a carbon pellet and a nickel-cobalt pellet under radiation of YAG laser beams so that the single-wall carbon nanotubes are constant in diameter.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire formed by using a rubber composition comprising a vulcanization accelerator represented by the following general formula: wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, or an aryl group, and R2 represents an alkyl group or an aryl group when R1 represents a hydrogen atom, and represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, or an aryl group when R1 represents an alkyl group or an aryl group, in an amount of 0.2 to 8.0 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of a rubber component. A pneumatic tire which maintains low rolling resistance and is improved to prevent resistance to ply-end separation throughout the entire term of tire use, a pneumatic tire which shows excellent controllability and durability in the last stage of tire use, and a pneumatic tire which prevents heat aging of belt layers and a decrease in the adhesion of steel cord with a rubber composition and shows excellent durability are provided.

Abstract: A magnetic tape cartridge includes a cartridge casing formed by upper and lower casing halves and a single reel around which a magnetic tape with a leader pin fixed to its leading end is wound and which is contained in the cartridge casing for rotation. A spring member removably holds upper and lower end portions of the leader pin on the cartridge casing. The spring member includes upper and lower holding portions which are respectively brought into abutment against the upper and lower end portions of the leader pin and are connected to each other.

Abstract: A wood club head provided with a metal shell and having a head volume of 200 cc or more, wherein the ratio (H/W) of a maximum height (H) of a face (2) acting as a hitting surface to a maximum width (W) of the face is set to be in a range of 0.65≦(H/W)≦1.0, and the area of the face is set to be not smaller than 20 cm2.

Abstract: An optical member is made from an optical material either one of or each of two surfaces of which is coated with a pressure sensitive adhesion layer having a 1000% elastic modulus in a range of from 3 g/mm2 to 10 g/mm2 at 90° C. The optical member exhibits characteristic in which the quantity of curl is not larger than 3 mm per 12 inches when the optical member adhesively bonded to a resin substrate through the pressure sensitive adhesion layer is heated at 80° C. for 150 hours. A cell substrate comprises a resin substrate having a curl quantity of not larger than 3 mm per 12 inches when an optical member is heated at 80° C. for 150 hours after the optical member is adhesively bonded to the resin substrate through the pressure sensitive adhesion layer. A liquid-crystal display wherein an optical member is adhesively bonded, through a pressure sensitive adhesion layer of the optical member, to either one of or each of two surfaces of a liquid-crystal cell is formed by use of the cell substrate.

Abstract: A radiation image forming system utilizing a combination of a silver halide photographic material and radiographic intensifying screens is improved in its radiographic speed and sharpness of the resulting radiation image by employing a rare earth phosphor of the formula MwOwX:M′ (M is Y, La, Gd or Lu; X is a chalcogen atom or a halogen atom; M′ is a rare earth atom which activates M; and w is 2 when X is a chalcogen atom or w is 1 when X is a halogen atom), incorporating into the intensifying screen a fluorescent dye or pigment which absorbs a portion of luminescence emitted by the phosphor and then emits light in a visible region, and employing a photographic material showing a cross-over of 10% or less when it is exposed to radiation in combination with the intensifying screens.

Abstract: A method for assaying a nucleic acid comprising amplifying a nucleic acid in a sample by gene amplification and measuring the increased amount of the nucleic acid by a fluorescence polarization technique, in which the gene amplification is carried out by asymmetric amplification, or annealing with the primers used in the amplification is carried out after amplification of the nucleic acid, thereby to facilitate binding of a fluorescence-labeled reagent to the target single-stranded nucleic acid.

Abstract: The number of pixels in a horizontal scanning direction and the number of pixels in a vertical scanning direction are computed by use of a calibration sheet. The cycle of a first clock pulse which is generated by a first clock generation section is computed by a clock-cycle computation section so that the computed number of horizontal pixels becomes equal to a desired number of horizontal pixels. Similarly, the cycle of a second clock pulse which is generated by a second clock generation section is computed by the clock-cycle computation section so that the computed number of vertical pixels becomes equal to a desired number of vertical pixels. The computed cycles of the first and second clock pulses are stored in a clock-cycle storage section. When reading a sheet from which an image is read out, a drive-clock control section controls the first and second clock generation sections, based on the stored clock cycles.

Abstract: When deterioration of a NOx purifying device due to sulfur contamination is detected, a specific operating state flag FHL is set to “1,” and, at intervals equal to or shorter than, for example, three seconds, the air-fuel ratio of an air-fuel mixture to be supplied to an engine is varied so that it is alternately leaner and richer than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. When the temperature TCAT of the NOx purifying device exceeds a deterioration recovery temperature STCAT2 while the air-fuel ratio variation control is being executed, the SOx removing flag FHLSOx is set to “1,” and for a period equivalent to the deterioration recovery time TRSOx, the air-fuel ratio is maintained richer than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio.