Abstract: A cassette is delivered from a cassette loader through a stock unit to a releasing unit. After a stimulable phosphor panel is supplied from the cassette to a reading unit by an unlocking mechanism and a panel ejecting mechanism, the cassette is fed to a position below an erasing unit so as to wait for the stimulable phosphor panel. After recorded radiation image information is read from the stimulable phosphor panel by the reading unit, the stimulable phosphor panel is fed to the erasing unit, which erases remaining radiation image information from the stimulable phosphor panel. Thereafter, the stimulable phosphor panel is stored back into the waiting cassette, which is delivered to a cassette discharger.

Abstract: A radiation image storage panel is composed of a phosphor layer containing an energy-storing phosphor and a light-reflecting layer contains particles of light-reflecting material, a binder, and a surface-treatment agent.

Abstract: Disclosed is an agent for use in the treatment or prevention of inflammatory bowel disease. Also disclosed is an agent for inhibiting the production of TNF-?. A therapeutic or prophylactic agent for inflammatory bowel disease comprising at least one amino acid selected from the group consisting of lysine, histidine, phenylalanine, methionine, tryptophan, glutamine, glycine, cysteine, cystine and threonine, the amino acid being administered at a dose of 0.1 to 4000 mg/kg per day; and a TNF-? production inhibitor comprising an amino acid selected from the group consisting of histidine, phenylalanine and tryptophan, the amino acid being administered at a dose of 0.1 to 4000 mg/kg per day.

Abstract: A communication passage for generating braking negative pressure is connected to an air passage for respective cylinders at a downstream side of a throttle valve. An air ejector is provided in a negative pressure pipe, to which communication passages for the respective cylinders are converged. A negative pressure passage for a brake booster is connected to the air ejector at a side of suction gas via a check valve. A passage for PCV gas and an intake air branched passage for bifurcating a part of the intake air from a surge tank at an upstream side of the throttle valve are connected to a driving gas side of the air ejector, wherein a negative pressure control valve is provided in the intake air branched passage. The PCV gas and the part of the intake air are forced to flow into the driving gas side of the air ejector, so that the air ejector functions as a vacuum pump. As a result, the braking negative pressure for the brake booster can be surely reduced to a target negative pressure.

Abstract: An intake throttle valve is located in an intake passage upstream of first and second intake ports, such that intake air flows into mainly the first intake port to generate a swirl flow when an opening degree of the intake throttle valve is not larger than a predetermined value, and flows into both the first and second intake ports when the opening degree thereof is larger than the predetermined value. Furthermore, first and second fuel injection valves for respectively injecting fuel to the first and second intake ports are controlled to inject fuel from the first fuel injection valve when the opening degree of the intake throttle valve is not larger than about the predetermined value, and to inject fuel from both the first fuel injection valve and the second fuel injection valve when the opening degree of the intake throttle valve is larger than about the predetermined value.

Abstract: An engine controller performs low opening degree control during a first intake stroke period since an engine start is commenced until first intake strokes of respective cylinders end. Thus, an opening degree of an intake throttle valve is controlled to a fully closed position or proximity of the fully closed position such that intake pressure downstream of the intake throttle valve becomes equal to or lower than critical pressure with respect to intake pressure upstream of the intake throttle valve during an intake stroke of each cylinder. The controller calculates a leak air quantity at the time when the intake throttle valve is fully closed based on an intake air quantity sensed during the low opening degree control. The controller corrects a feedback gain of idle speed control in accordance with the leak air quantity of the intake throttle valve.

Abstract: An intake pressure sensor is provided in an intake manifold of a first cylinder. During steady operation, intake quantities of respective cylinders are sensed with an airflow meter provided in an intake pipe of an engine, and the intake quantity of the first cylinder is compared with the intake quantities of the other cylinders to obtain intake pressure variation correction coefficients of the other cylinders. Also, average intake pressure of the first cylinder is corrected with the intake pressure variation correction coefficients to calculate average intake pressures of the other cylinders. During transient operation, estimation intake pressure is anticipated from a target opening degree of an intake throttle valve with the use of a physics model. Intake quantities of the respective cylinders are calculated with the use of the estimation intake pressure and the intake pressure variation correction coefficients.

Abstract: An input device and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The input device includes a conductive film formed on a substrate; electrode sections obtained by cutting and partitioning the conductive film in a predetermined shape so as to correspond to the sensor section; a ground pattern disposed at a position located, in the film thickness direction, opposite a remaining portion of the conductive film excluding the electrode sections; and at least one dividing groove formed on a portion of the remaining conductive film disposed between the ground pattern and the electrode sections, for division of the remaining conductive film.

Abstract: A plurality of stacked cassettes are loaded into a cassette loader, and the cassettes loaded in the cassette loader are changed in attitude and stocked in an erected state in a stock unit. After the cassettes are processed, they are discharged in an erected state into a cassette discharger.

Abstract: An air-intake device includes a throttle valve pivotally movable around a shaft connected to one end of the throttle valve and an airflow passage formed in the intake air passage above an upper end of the throttle valve. In a region where an amount of intake air is small (i.e., in a region where an opening-degree of the throttle valve is small), an amount of intake air passing through the airflow passage is precisely controlled. In the same region, a high-speed airflow is generated in the airflow passage thereby to formulate a uniform air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. These functions are easily realized by simply adding a member for forming the airflow passage to a throttle valve unit disposed in the intake air passage.

Abstract: After a housing of a cassette is opened by a suction cup, then a stimulable phosphor sheet is removed from the cassette by a shiftable roller and then fed in an auxiliary scanning direction by a feed mechanism. While being fed in the auxiliary scanning direction, the stimulable phosphor sheet is irradiated with a laser beam emitted from a stimulating optical system. Light emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet upon exposure to the laser beam is guided through a light guide to a photoelectric transducer. After the recorded radiation image information is read from the stimulable phosphor sheet, the stimulable phosphor sheet is stored back into the cassette, and erasing light from erasing light sources is applied to the stimulable phosphor sheet in the cassette to erase remaining radiation image information from the stimulable phosphor sheet.

Abstract: [PROBLEMS] To provide an aluminum alloy fin material for a heat exchanger, which has high strength and high heat conductivity after brazing, and is excellent in the resistance to sagging, erosion and self-corrosion and the in the sacrificial anode effect. [MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] A method for producing an aluminum alloy fin material for a heat exchanger which comprises providing a molten aluminum alloy having a chemical composition, in wt %, that Si: 0.5 to 1.5%, Fe: 0.15 to 1.00%, Mn: 0.8 to 3.0%, Zn: 0.5 to 2.5%, with the proviso that the content of Mg as an impurity is limited to 0.05 wt % or less, and the balance: Al and inevitable impurities, casting the molten alloy continuously into a thin slab having a thickness of 5 to 10 mm by the use of a twin belt casting machine, winding up the slab into a roll, cold-rolling the slab into a sheet having a thickness of 0.05 to 2.0 mm, subjecting the sheet to an inter annealing at 350 to 500® C.

Abstract: A radiation image storage panel composed at least of a phosphor layer containing energy-storable phosphor particles and a light-reflecting layer provided on one side of the phosphor layer, in which the energy-storable phosphor particles are composed of at least two kinds of particles having different mean sizes, one of which is composed of smaller particles having a mean size of 2.0 to 4.0 ?m and the other of which is composed of larger particles having a mean size of 6.0 to 15 ?m, and a weight ratio between the smaller particles and the larger particles is in the range of 10:90 to 50:50 (former:latter), and in which the light-reflecting layer gives a scattering length of 5 ?m or less (the scattering length is for a stimulating light).

Abstract: A fuel injector for an internal combustion engine which has a spray hole designed geometrically to produce a spray of fuel so that substantially 70% or more of an amount of the spray hits a preselected area of a head of an intake valve of the engine when the intake valve is closed. The preselected area is one of a first and a second area of the intake valve head which are defined by a reference boundary line extending through a base end of a stem of the intake valve. The preselected area is the first area closer to an intake manifold, while the second area is closer to an exhaust valve. This avoids rich misfire and reduces HC emissions from the engine regardless of the intake valve is in a closed state or in an open state.

Abstract: A radiation image storage panel has a phosphor layer composed of energy-storing phosphor particles and a polymer binder and satisfies the following conditions; T1×d?660; T2×d?660; D?3.4 [T1 is a transmittance (%) of the phosphor layer at a peak wavelength of a stimulation spectrum of the phosphor particles; T2 is a transmittance (%) of the phosphor layer at a peak wavelength of a stimulated emission spectrum of the phosphor particles; d corresponds to a value of 10,000×W/? [W is a weight of the phosphor particles in a unit area of the phosphor layer expressed by mg/cm2 and ? is a density of the energy-storing phosphor expressed by g/cm3]; and D is a density of the energy-storing phosphor particles contained in the phosphor layer expressed by g/cm3].