Abstract: Mesophilic methane bacteria obtained from digested sludge are acclimatized in an H2/CO2 medium and the acclimatized methane bacteria are grown on a support inclusive of inorganic nutritional salts of trace metal elements by using an immobilized bed bioreactor. The grown bacteria are allowed to metabolize a mixed gas, prepared by adding hydrogen to at least one of coal gas and biogas, into methane and at the same time, cobalamin contained in the fermented liquor is recovered as an extracellular product in the form of cyanocobalamin by using potassium cyanide to thereby produce vitamin B12 efficiently in a high content and high yield.

Abstract: Provided is a bacteria culture carrier in which a polymer product having a trace element and an inorganic nutrient salt for growth of bacteria included therein is laminated by being held with an inorganic porous material. This carrier is useful in a bioreactor or wastewater disposal with a high activity and a high density of bacteria.

Abstract: An apparatus for oxidatively destructing a trace injurious substance includes a structure with anodes, each integrally provided with an electrically conductive oxide on their surface and made of a metal. A partition made of a porous ceramic or resin is provided between the anodes and surrounded by cathodes made of a metal plate having inner walls on both sides to which a noble metal is fused, such that at least two chambers with spaces are formed in a plane symmetrical arrangement to provide an apparatus for oxidatively destructing a trace injurious substance contained in polluted water. The apparatus has a rectangular wave discharging device for applying an electric field to the spaces, such that polluted water flows through the inner space of one of the chambers and is subjected to the irradiation of an electric field, and the supernatant thereafter flows through the inner space of the other chamber and is subjected to the irradiation of an electric field.

Abstract: A software management system for processing and maintaining improved reliability of software delivered on a wide-area network. A center server includes a script describing operation of the application, and a fault countermeasure unit for coping with the occurrence of a fault. A local server includes a network-directed language execution environment, a remote management unit for downloading or deleting the application, a script interpretation unit, and a highly reliable unit for recording event data that occur while the application is being executed, for managing the data when the fault has occurred, and for executing a restoration process. The system guarantees safe and reliable operation of the software that is downloaded through a wide-area network, and supports the collection of fault data and restoration even when an abnormal condition has occurred.

Abstract: A mushroom fungus belonging to the order of Agaricales, is cultured with good efficiency by using a liquid culture medium in such a way as to prepare the mycelia separated from the culture medium such that the culturing liquid can be served for food use. A liquid culture medium containing 3 to 16 g/liter of sucrose and 1 to 6 g/liter of maltose as a carbon source and 0.3 to 1.2 g/liter of yeast extract as a nitrogen source is inoculated with Agaricus mycelia and culturing is conducted by blowing into the culture medium sterilized air of 20 to 90% of the oxygen concentration.

Abstract: Various kinds of wastewater and water such as methane fermentation digestion liquids, domestic wastewater, sewage, service water, culture pond water, wastewater defined by an active sludge law and wastewater from food industries are decomposed, cleaned and treated with a high efficiency with oxygen radicals, hydroxyl radicals and diphenyl para picrihydoral radicals, and injurious materials are decomposed, cleaned and treated by oxidizing and reducing functions. An apparatus for cleaning dissolved organic matters and a trace amount of injurious materials consisting of a anode which is formed or welded by coating clay or glass with a material prepared by mixing 2 to 15% by weight of a transition metal with 1 to 10% of an oxidized transition metal and sintering the glass within a range from 800 to 1500° C.

Abstract: The present invention provides a bioassay system, for detection of hazardous chemical substances, natural toxic substances in the environment and unknown toxic compounds, with high sensitivity, simplicity and speed. The invention provides cells and a method of using the cells for use in the bioassay system. The cell provided by the invention contains a heat shock factor binding DNA sequence and a transcriptional regulatory sequence necessary on an occasion of stress induction as a transcriptional regulatory factor binding site. The cell also possesses a reporter gene under the control of the promoter. The reporter gene is connected, on the downstream side, to the SV40pA signal without any intervening intron.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process cartridge includes a first unit and a second unit separable (detachable) from the first unit. The first unit includes a photosensitive member, a developing unit that forms an image on the photosensitive member, and a cleaning unit that collects residual toner from the photosensitive member. The second unit includes a toner hopper unit that supplies toner on the photosensitive member, and a waste toner box that stores the collected residual toner. The developing unit engages with the toner hopper unit so as to engage the first unit with the second unit.

Abstract: A method of removing phosphoric acid contained in wastewater which comprises comprehensively immobilizing calcium or a compound thereof with a solid polymer optionally together with magnetite and contacting the calcium-containing polymer with the wastewater to react the phosphoric acid contained in the wastewater with the calcium and thereby yield calcium apatite.

Abstract: A purifying apparatus for purifying flowing water includes a negative electrode plate disposed on a flowing water bed and a positive electrode plate disposed at an upper face opposite to the negative electrode plate, wherein the positive electrode plate is adapted to be dipped below a water surface of the flowing water with floats being disposed at least at upstream and downstream end portions or opposing side portions of the positive electrode plate in a flowing direction of the flowing water. A structure is provided for positioning the positive electrode plate at a position opposite the negative electrode plate. Also, as necessary, a vertical-movement structure is provided to allow vertical movement of the positive electrode plate and of a gas collecting unit. The positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate are provided with an electric field generator.

Abstract: An object of this invention is to offer an incubation carrier for achieving high activity and high density of the microorganism in a bioreactor, in a treatment or waste water, etc.

Abstract: A magnetic sludge which is suitable for use in waste water treatment, is easy to prepare, contains microbes and interacts with a magnetic field; and a method for treating waste water with improved efficiency comprising employing a biological membrane which uses the magnetic sludge and hence is easy to control its movement.

Abstract: Provided by the invention is a reactor for two-phase methane fermentation of organic waste materials such as livestock excrements which can be operated for a long period with stability. The apparatus comprises an acid fermentation tank (1) connected to a feed tank, a methane fermentation tank (2) partitioned from the acid fermentation tank (1) with a partition wall (4) having a gate valve (4A) and a settling tank (3) partitioned from the methane fermentation tank (2) by a second partition wall (5) having a gate valve (5A) and the space in the upper part of the methane fermentation tank (2) serves as a gas holder (6). The methane gas generated in the methane fermentation tank (2) and collected in the gas holder (6) is taken out from a methane outlet pipeline (10) opening in the canopy of the gas holder (6).

Abstract: A remote service offering system is provided, which includes a plant having a plant server and a plant controller, an end user terminal, and a center having a center database and a center server, the plant, the end user terminal and the center being connected to one another through a wide-area network. When the center server receives a request for display of accumulated information from the end user terminal, it obtains accumulated information held by the plant server and provides the accumulated information to the end user terminal. When the center server receives a request for display of real-time information from the end user terminal, it obtains real-time information collected by the plant controller and provides the real-time information to the end user terminal.

Abstract: Mesophilic methane bacteria obtained from digested sludge are acclimatized in an H2/CO2 medium and the acclimatized methane bacteria are grown on a support inclusive of inorganic nutritional salts of trace metal elements by using an immobilized bed bioreactor. The grown bacteria are allowed to metabolize a mixed gas, prepared by adding hydrogen to at least one of coal gas and biogas, into methane and at the same time, cobalamin contained in the fermented liquor is recovered as an extracellular product in the form of cyanocobalamin by using potassium cyanide to thereby produce vitamin B12 efficiently in a high content and high yield.

Abstract: Disclosed is a novel hyaluronidase activity and allergenic cell activity inhibitive substance useful as an effective ingredient in an anti-inflammatory or antiallergic medicament, which is an ethyl alcohol extract from body tissues or mycelia tissues of a fungus Agaricus blazei. The desired inhibitive activity of the ethyl alcohol extract is significantly higher than the corresponding hot water extract of the same fungous tissues. This difference is very prominent when the Agaricus blazei fungus cultured in a culture medium containing wheat bran and pinewood chips in combination is used as the starting material of the ethyl alcohol extraction.

Abstract: A physiologically active extract is prepared by disintegrating mycelial bodies of agaricus fungus belonging to the basidiomycetous order of matsutake to give a disintegrated material, heating a slurry containing the disintegrated material or keeping a slurry containing the disintegrated material with addition of ethyl alcohol or a mixture of ethyl alcohol and water and removing solid materials from the slurry. The physiologically active extract is useful for therapy of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract: Disclosed is an efficient method for culturing an edible basidiomycetous fungus such as Mushroom Agaricus Blazei Murill in a liquid culture medium to give fungus aggregates of several centimeter size. Characteristically, the liquid culture medium is formulated with sucrose as a carbon source in the form of crude cane sugar in combination with a water-insoluble growth-supporting material in the form of a fine powder to serve as the core of the fungus aggregates as selected from crushed sugarcane, sugarcane bagasse, pine trees and wheat bran. Further characteristically, the culturing procedure is carried out under an oxygen-enriched condition by blowing oxygen-enriched air of at least 30% by volume oxygen into the culture medium under pressurization at 0.12 to 0.5 MPa (absolute) in a specified blowing rate.

Abstract: Disclosed is a novel method for treatment of wastewater containing organic contaminant materials by oxidatively decomposing the contaminant materials by a radical reaction involving hydroxyl radicals. The method comprises passing the wastewater through a wastewater treatment conduit (6) comprising a straightly tubular member (6) and a radical generating part consisting of a truncated pyramidal or conical tubular member (1) having an inner surface layer of titanium dioxide to serve as a positive electrode and connected to the upstream end of the straightly tubular member and a negative electrode rod (4) coaxially held relative to the truncated tubular member and applying a pulsed DC voltage having a rectangular wave form at a specified frequency.

Abstract: The present invention is aimed to provide a bioassay system that can detect hazardous chemical substances or natural toxic substances in the environment, inclusive of the unknown homologs, with high sensitivity, simplicity and speed.