Abstract: When a content request is issued by a client to a plurality of web servers, to which the client is connected via a network, each of the plurality of web servers having the same requested content, the web servers is selected that can provide the requested content for the client at the highest speed.

Abstract: A rendering method is provided that can materialize rendering processing from volume data at high speed using a surface rendering processor without restrictions on the structure of volume data to be processed. In the method, the sampling points of volume data V over a 3-D region are, in principle, arranged on the surfaces Q.sub.1, Q.sub.2, . . . Q.sub.n in equal intervals along a viewing ray L around viewing point p, and these surfaces are extracted as a set of triangles T.sub.i. Then, the volume data at each vertex of these triangles and the gradient vectors of this data are obtained by interpolation and generated as a triangle data group. High-speed volume rendering is materialized by displaying the data groups of these partially transparent triangles using a surface rendering processor. Since existing programs can be used for generation and processing of triangle data groups, there are no restrictions on the structure of the volume data to be handled.

Abstract: Portions showing greater specular reflection of an object to be displayed are displayed with pixels whose opacity, .alpha..sub.1, is emphasized according to the specular reflected component of a shading model, in which case the specular reflected component thus calculated for shading is also utilized for arithmetic operation of emphasized opacity, .alpha..sub.1, and high-speed processing is sought through tabulating various variables such as .alpha..sub.s (an additional opacity introduced for emphasis by a specular reflected component), .alpha..sub.n (a primary opacity), and G (a gradient vector).

Abstract: A protein having nonprotein amino acids can be produced by a method which comprises providing a protein-producing organism with a nutrient containing nonprotein amino acids, cells being cultured to produce the protein in a medium containing the nonprotein amino acids, in which method expression of a gene coding for the protein is induced under conditions in which normal cell growth is suppressed.

Abstract: A nuclear fuel rod, which comprises:a cladding tube filled with an inert gas or liquid metal and sealed at both ends in airtightness; anda plurality of nuclear fuel pellets piled one atop another in the cladding tube,and wherein an adsorbent carrying a tag gas for monitoring a nuclear fuel rod failure is received in the inner space of the cladding tube defined at least above or below the nuclear fuel pellet pile.

Abstract: A nuclear reactor comprising a reactor vessel, a core housed in the reactor vessel, an ultrasonic transducer mounted in the vicinity of the upper end of the core for emitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave pulse signal propagating above the core, means for rotating the transducer by a prescribed angle to scan horizontally the ultrasonic wave emitted from the transducer, a plurality of reflective means mounted in the vicinity of the upper end of the core in a manner to face the transducer for reflecting the ultrasonic wave signal emitted from the transducer, means for energizing the transducer, and means for displaying the ultrasonic wave signal reflected by the reflective members and received by the transducer in synchronism with the wave scanning motion of the transducer, wherein each reflective member comprises reflective surfaces each capable of reflecting the incident ultrasonic wave signal in a direction parallel with the incident direction and is mounted such that the distances of the reflective surfa

Abstract: A system for detecting the failure of a nuclear fuel rod in a nuclear reactor comprises sampling a coolant in a nuclear reactor, cooling the sampled coolant to permit 135.sub.I in the coolant to be adsorbed on an iodine adsorption device, moving 135m.sub.Xe produced by the 135.sub.I decay into a cover gas at the upper space of a gas-liquid separator, and introducing the 135m.sub.Xe entrained cover gas into a radioactivity detector where the radioactivity of 135m.sub.Xe is counted.