Abstract: An instrument panel beam is the instrument panel beam that is arranged in the width direction of an automobile, and includes: a large-diameter hollow tube having a hollow cylindrical shape; and a small-diameter hollow tube which is joined to the large-diameter hollow tube in an axial direction, has a diameter that is smaller than that of the large-diameter hollow tube, and has a hollow cylindrical shape. The small-diameter hollow tube includes two flat plates that extend in a longitudinal direction and two bends that are curved in a circumferential direction, and the flat plates and the bends are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction.

Abstract: An instrument panel beam is the instrument panel beam that is arranged in the width direction of an automobile, and includes: a large-diameter hollow tube having a hollow cylindrical shape; and a small-diameter hollow tube which is joined to the large-diameter hollow tube in an axial direction, has a diameter that is smaller than that of the large-diameter hollow tube, and has a hollow cylindrical shape. The small-diameter hollow tube includes two flat plates that extend in a longitudinal direction and two bends that are curved in a circumferential direction, and the flat plates and the bends are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction.

Abstract: A clad billet 120 has a core material 122 of which outer surface is coated by a coating material 124. A circular front plate 126 is provided at the head of the clad billet 120. The front plate 126 is made of the same material as the coating material 124. As the clad billet 120 is extruded, the front plate 126 first flows out. Accordingly, instead of the core material 122, the front plate 126 forms dead metal. Moreover, since this front plate 126 is made of the same material as the coating material 124, a defective clad such as a three layer clad are not formed. Also, since a billet thrusting face 102a is tapered toward an axis A of a die at an angle of 55-85 degrees, the volume of dead metal itself is reduced, and therefore it is possible to flow out the defective clad, even if it is generated, at an early stage of extrusion.

Abstract: A clad billet 120 has a core material 122 of which outer surface is coated by a coating material 124. A circular front plate 126 is provided at the head of the clad billet 120. The front plate 126 is made of the same material as the coating material 124. As the clad billet 120 is extruded, the front plate 126 first flows out. Accordingly, instead of the core material 122, the front plate 126 forms dead metal. Moreover, since this front plate 126 is made of the same material as the coating material 124, a defective clad such as a three layer clad are not formed. Also, since a billet thrusting face 102a is tapered toward an axis A of a die at an angle of 55-85 degrees, the volume of dead metal itself is reduced, and therefore it is possible to flow out the defective clad, even if it is generated, at an early stage of extrusion.

Abstract: A surface-treated plastic film having a surface coating layer formed on at least one surface of a plastic film, which has a spreading index of aqueous and alcohol inks of 1.0-1.2, respectively, at the surface coating layer side thereof, and an ink jet recording material. The surface-treated plastic film of the present invention having respective spreading indices of aqueous and alcohol inks of 1.0-1.2 allows less spreading of the aqueous ink of ballpoint pens, is superior in writability and offset printability, and is extremely useful as a synthetic paper. In addition, the use of such surface-treated plastic film enables production of an ink jet recording material permitting high grade recording.

Abstract: Cells having enzyme activity, and the enzyme activity thereof, are preserved for a prolonged period of time, as a suspension of microbial cells or as a suspension of immobilized cells in particles, in an aqueous medium that is a neutral or weakly basic aqueous solution of inorganic salts, having a molarity ranging from 100 mM to the saturation concentration of the inorganic salts. Preferably, the microbial cells are cells containing the enzyme, nitrile hydratase or nitrilase, such as Gordona terrae or Rhodococcus rhodochrous, and the inorganic salts are phosphates, borates, sulfates, sulfites or hydrochlorides. The present invention provides an industrially useful method for preserving a large quantity of cells or immobilized cells in particles having nitrile hydratase or nitrilase enzyme activity for a prolonged period of time (e.g., 300 days) without cell lysis or enzyme deterioration even at room temperature.

Abstract: Biocatalysts such as cells and enzymes are immobilized in a polymer gel by forming a mixture containing a biocatalyst, an N,N-dialkylacrylamide monomer, a cationic acrylamide monomer and a water-soluble cross-linking monomer, and copolymerizing the monomers to produce a polymer gel entrapping the biocatalyst. Preferably, the N, N-dialkylacrylamide is N,N-dimethylacrylamide or N,N-diethylacrylamide in an amount of about 70 to about 99.8% by weight, the cationic acrylamide monomer is N,N-dimethylaminopropylacrylamide, N,N-dimethylaminopropylmethacrylamide, N,N-diethylaminopropylmethacrylamide, N,N-diethylaminopropylacrylamide and quaternary compounds thereof in a amount of about 0.1 to about 10% by weight and the cross-linking monomer is N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide, N,N'-methylenebismethacrylamide, N,N'-(1,2-dihydroxyethlene)bisacrylamide, 1,3-diacrylamide methyl-2-imidazolidone or diacrylamide methylene urea in an amount of about 0.1 to about 20% by weight.

Abstract: A railroad track has a roadbed made of concrete and a pair of track beams of precast concrete mounted to the roadbed. Main bodies of the track beams have at the tops thereof a plurality of protrusions serving as ties and a plurality of recesses for receiving adjusting ties. The protrusions and the recesses are alternately disposed in the longitudinal direction of the beams. The track beams extend continuously in parallel, and a pair of rails are laid on the track beams. A method of constructing the track includes the steps of supporting the track beams on the roadbed with screwjacks embedded in the main bodies of the track beams, and forcing concrete between the main bodies of the track beams and the roadbed to form concrete layers securing the track beams to the roadbed.

Abstract: In a process for hydrating a nitrile compound by the action of a microorganism having nitrilase activity to convert the nitrile compound into the corresponding amide compound, the performances such as yield and reaction velocity are markedly enhanced by irradiation of the microorganism with light. The process of the present invention is characterized in that (a) the microorganism having nitrilase activity is a positive gram-staining microorganism, (b) the microbial cells are allowed to accept light energy of at least about 1.times.10.sup.-2 .mu.E/g microbial cells second before termination of the hydration reaction, and (c) the hydration reaction is carried out in a vessel composed at least partly of a non-light transmitting material.

Abstract: A method for purifying a reaction solution obtained by using a microbial cell, an immobilized microbial cell, or an immobilized enzyme as a catalyst in a water medium is disclosed. The method comprises repeatedly filtering the reaction solution to remove fine solid matter using a polyethylene porous hollow fiber membrane having a bubble point of from 1 to 20 kg/cm.sup.2, and repeatedly washing the hollow fiber membrane before it has been clogged to such an extent that a differential pressure thereof exceeds 3 kg/cm.sup.2. By this method, a filter membrane can be repeatedly regenerated at high efficiency and can stably be used for a long period of time.

Abstract: A process for controlling operation of a nuclear reactor in which first control means is operated to cause reactor power to rise to a level at which a pellet-clad-mechanical-interaction begins to take place between a cladding and pellets of a fuel element. After interrupting the operation of the first control means, second control means is operated to cause the reactor power to rise to a preset level, the second control means being capable of effecting finer control of the reactor power than the first control means. When the reactor power deviates from the preset level with the progress of the reactor operation in the preset level, the second control means is operated so as to maintain the reactor power at the preset level.