Abstract: An article selecting system for sorting and discriminating a plurality of types of articles comprising a branch path provided intermediately of a transport path which transports n-types (n.gtoreq.3) of different articles for sorting articles of the n-types into 2 types of articles and n-2 types of articles, a gauge located at a particular position on a transport path for the 2 types of articles for displacing the articles to two positions in accordance with the 2 types, and an article arrival detecting sensor and an article presence detecting sensor for indicating whether a specific article type in present. In one embodiment, two specific article types are allowed to progress along a selected path due to an overlappig coding feature of such two specific article types, while all other article types are diverted to a different path.

Abstract: A novel polymer-metal complex containing quaternary nitrogen atoms, which is obtained by subjecting polyethylenepolyamine or polyethyleneimine to a reaction with a bifunctional compound represented by the formulaY--A--Zwherein Y and Z are same or different and are --CH.sub.2 X, --CH(OH)CH.sub.2 X or ##STR1## group, respectively, A is a single bond, --(CH.sub.2).sub.m --, --CH.sub.2 --O--CH.sub.2 -- or --CH.sub.2 --O--(CH.sub.2).sub.k --O--CH.sub.2 -- group, X is chlorine, bromine or iodine atom, m is an integral of 1 to 3, and k is an integral of 1 to 4, and then subjecting the resulting cross-linked polymer to a coordination of a polyvalent metal ion, a salt thereof, a process for the preparation thereof and a pharmaceutical agent comprising the same.

Abstract: Flame retardant, shaped materials comprising a vinyl polymer of crosslinked structure containing in its vinyl units 40 mole-% or more based on the polymer of COOH groups which have been partly converted to COOM (M: a mono- to tri-valent metal) groups, the COOM group content of said polymer being preferably 0.5 to 40 % by weight in terms of metal content.