Abstract: When temperature of lubricating oil is raised at a time of low-temperature, of an outer peripheral side of a radial plain bearing in a bearing retaining unit, heat is not supplied from a heating medium in a thermal medium flow path on the outer peripheral side of a halved bearing metal in a bearing retaining unit body, which has a large thermal capacity, and instead, heat is supplied from the heating medium in the thermal medium flow path on the outer peripheral side of a halved bearing metal in the cap, which has a small thermal capacity.

Abstract: In order to provide an electro luminescent element with high heat endurance and low crystallinity using functional molecules having functions of hole transporting, luminescence, and electron transporting, an electro luminescent element according to the present invention comprises one or more organic compound layers 14 between a first electrode 12 and a second electrode 16, wherein at least one of the organic compound layers 14 is a condensed ring compound derivative represented by the following chemical formula, in which A1 and A2 represent substituents, B1 through B6 represent directly connected or di functional substituents, and R1 and R2 represent functional units having each of the functions of hole transporting, luminescence, and electron transporting, such as triphenylamine, coumarin, and oxadiazole derivative.

Abstract: A wheel velocity signal for each wheel detected by a wheel velocity sensor is input to a bandpass filter. Signals from frequency bands unrelated to the unsprung resonance are then removed from the wheel velocity signal and only signals from frequency bands related to the unsprung resonance are output. A road surface &mgr; gradient estimation device uses an online identification method to identify an damping ratio of a second order resonance model similar to a suspension—tire resonance model from the signal output from the bandpass filter. The road surface &mgr; gradient is then estimated from the identified damping ratio. The damping ratio of the second order resonance model corresponds to the road surface &mgr; gradient in the following manner: when the damping ratio is identified as being small, the road surface &mgr; gradient is estimated as being large; and when the road surface &mgr; gradient is identified as being large, the damping ratio is estimated as being small.

Abstract: A process for producing a particle-reinforced titanium alloy includes the steps of: heating a titanium alloy in which ceramic particles having a thermodynamically stable property are dispersed in a temperature range of not less than &bgr;-transus temperature; and cooling the titanium alloy to pass through the &bgr;-transus temperature at a cooling rate of 0.1-30° C./second. The process can further include, before the heating step, the step of compressing the titanium alloy in a two phase temperature range of &agr;+&bgr; thereof or in a temperature range of not less than &bgr;-transus temperature.

Abstract: Chloroprene is produced by reacting 3,4-dichlorobutene-1 with a base in the presence of thiodiphenyl amine and 2,6-di-tertiarybutyl-p-cresol and preventing clogging of the equipment.3,4-Dichlorobutene-1 is produced by an isomerization of the reaction mixture obtained by a chlorination of excess of butadiene wherein higher boiling compounds are separated before a separation of the unreacted butadiene.