Abstract: A peptide having an amino acid sequence represented by the following formula: Ser-Thr-Lys-Glu-Gly-Asp-Ser-Ser-Asn-Thr-Gly-Ala-Gly-Lys-Ala-Leu-Thr-Gly-Le u-Ser-Thr-Gly specifically reacts with antibodies against human parvovirus B19. Therefore, this peptide can be used in agents for detecting antibodies against human parvovirus B19 and in methods for detecting antibodies against human parvovirus B19.

Abstract: According to the method for preparing chitosan of the present invention, chitosan is prepared by inoculating a filamentous fungi belonging to the family Mucoraceae into a culture medium for pre-cultivation containing yeast extract, malt extract, peptone, glucose and magnesium sulfate to perform pre-cultivation and then inoculating the pre-culture into a culture medium for main-cultivation having a composition essentially identical to that of the medium for pre-cultivation to perform the main-cultivation. Particularly preferred filamentous fungi belonging to the family Mucoraceae is Absidia coerulea. According to the method for preparing chitosan through the cultivation of microorganisms, chitosan exhibiting uniform quality can efficiently be produced and the method does not adversely affect the circumferential environment.

Abstract: A method of measuring a refractive index distribution of a lens is disclosed which comprises, immersing a glass sample and a lens under test within a matching fluid whose refractive index differs slightly from that of the glass to be tested, the glass sample having a refractive index and a shape which are both known and the lens to be tested having an unknown refractive index but a known shape, allowing coherent light to pass through the glass sample and the lens under test; superposing the transmitted light wave on a reference light wave to generate interference fringes, outputting the intensity distribution of interference fringes that are generated by the light wave that has passed through the glass sample, determining the refractive index of the matching fluid on the basis of the resulting output, outputting the intensity distribution of interference fringes that are generated by the light wave that has passed through the lens under test; separating from the resulting output the defocus term and aberratio

Abstract: A novel endermic medicament having a consistency of a gel is proposed which is formulated, as a gel base, with non-ionic water-soluble cellulose ether, e.g., methyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, modified with a modification agent containing, in the molecule, an alkyl group having 6 to 26 carbon atoms and a functional group having reactivity with the hydroxyl group in the cellulose ether, e.g., stearyl glycidyl ether, decyl glycidyl ether and cetyl epoxide. The endermic medicament formulated with the modified cellulose ether is stable by virtue of the very little interaction between the active ingredients and the gel base and also can exhibit high percutaneous absorptivity of the active ingredients through the human skin.

Abstract: A cement composition for extrusion which is produced by incorporating, into cement mortar, 3 to 15 weight % of crushed pulp fiber, 0.2 to 1 weight % of at least one member selected from an alkylcellulose and a hydroxyalkylalkyllcellulose, and a 2% water solution having a viscosity of 80,000 cps or more allows for reduced production costs by reducing the loads of the binder material using a pulp fiber without carcinogenicitic asbestos fiber. Furthermore, it allows for excellent extrudability and provides the moldings with workability such as nailing and sawing.

Abstract: Film coated pharmaceutical preparations, which are prepared by overlaying to the outer surface of pharmaceutical preparations, a coating layer comprising at least one member selected from the group consisting of methyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose phthalate, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose acetate succinate, carboxymethylethyl cellulose and cellulose acetate phthalate, are irradiated with light including ultraviolet rays. Whereby film coated pharmaceutical preparations, the coating layer surface of which are excellent in whiteness, are prepared. Moreover, as a content of a white pigment in corporated into the coating layer of such preparations may be reduced, the stability of such preparations can be enhanced without impairing the strength of the coating layer.

Abstract: Solid medicament forms, such as granules, beads, tablets, are first coated with a hot aqueous dispersion of a cellulose ether, which is soluble in cold water but insoluble in hot water, and then subjected to a wax treatment with heating to form a masking layer of the wax. Different from the coating film of a cellulose ether formed by using an aqueous or organic solution of the cellulose ether, the coating film formed by using the aqueous dispersion of the cellulose ether has a porous structure so that the amount of the wax deposited in the wax treatment is much larger than in the prior art methods to exhibit a high effect of masking the bitterness of the ingredient contained in the medicament form.

Abstract: In place of gelatin conventionally used as a material for shaping hard medicinal capsules, the invention proposes a hard capsule for medicinal use shaped of a polymer blend of a water-soluble cellulose ether, e.g., alkyl cellulose, hydroxyalkyl cellulose and alkyl hydroxyalkyl cellulose, and a polyvinyl alcohol in a weight ratio of 70:30 to 98:2. The inventive hard medicinal capsules have remarkably low permeability to oxygen and moisture with little influences on the medicament contained therein along with sufficiently high mechanical strengths and are much more stable than conventional gelatin-made capsules against the influences of the ambient conditions, such as, the crack formation unavoidable in a gelatin-made hard capsule when it is kept under an extremely low humidity.

Abstract: An electroluminescent device of the dispersion type exhibiting high brightness of electroluminescence and having excellent heat resistance and flexibility, and usable as a backlighting unit for liquid crystal displays and as a plane light-emitting body, can be prepared by using, as the matrix material of the particulate electroluminescent material, a specific cyanoalkyl group-containing organopolysiloxane represented by the average unit formula R.sup.1.sub.a R.sup.2.sub.b SiO.sub.(4-a-b)/2, in which R.sup.1 is a cyanoalkyl group having 3 to 5 carbon atoms, R.sup.2 is a monovalent hydrocarbon group, a is 0.8 to 1.8 and b is 0 to 1.0 with the proviso that a+b is 1.1 to 1.98.

Abstract: The dielectric polymeric film in the inventive film capacitor is formed from a cyanoalkyl-containing organopolysiloxane represented by the average unit formulaR.sup.1.sub.a R.sup.2.sub.b SiO.sub.(4-a-b)/2,in which R.sup.1 is a cyanoalkyl group having 3 to 5 carbon atoms, R.sup.2 is a hydrogen atom, monovalent hydrocarbon group or halogenated monovalent hydrocarbon group, the subscript a is a positive number in the range from 0.8 to 1.8 and the subscript b is zero or a positive number not exceeding 1.0 with the proviso that a+b is in the range from 1.1 to 1.98. As compared with films of conventional cyanoethylated polymers and fluorocarbon resins used for the same purpose, such an organopolysiloxane film is very advantageous as a dielectric film of film capacitors in respect of the large dielectric constant, small dielectric loss, small moisture absorption and excellent thermal stability so that the film capacitor of the invention exhibits greatly upgraded performance.

Abstract: Instead of using a uniform aqueous solution of a water-soluble cellulose ether as a coating liquid of solid medicament forms, e.g., granules and tablets, to form a film-forming layer, an aqueous dispersion of a cellulose ether, which is soluble in cold water but insoluble in hot water, is used as a coating liquid at a temperature higher than the solubilization temperature, i.e. the critical point of the solubility behavior, followed by plasticization of the cellulose ether particles with water to cause fusion thereof. The coating liquid is freed from the limitation by the flowability even when the content of the cellulose ether is much higher than in the conventional solution-type coating liquid.