Abstract: A calender for producing packing sheets, in particular packing sheets reinforced with synthetic fiber, has a large diameter heated cylinder, on which a packing sheet is formed and vulcanized, rotatably supported by spaced calender stands and driven by a direct current motor. An unheated cylinder of smaller diameter also driven by a direct current motor, is supported by the calender stands for rotation and for movement toward and away from the heated cylinder and is hydraulically pressed toward the heated cylinder as a pressure roller. The circumferential speed of each of the cylinders is sensed by a pick-up activated by uniformly spaced marks on the circumference of the cylinder and the thickness of the packing sheet on the heated cylinder is sensed by sensing the position of the shaft of the pressure roller.

Abstract: A method for the cultivation of bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas capable of producing nitrile hydratase is disclosed. The method involves adding a water soluble copper compound in an amount of about 0.5 to 5.0 mg/l as calculated in terms of copper to a culture medium in the preparation of cells of the bacteria under shear force supplied by stirring blades, wherein the circumferential speed of the edges of the stirring blades exceeds about 2.5 m/sec. The water soluble copper compound is preferrably copper chloride, copper sulfate, copper nitrate, copper acetate, copper tartrate, copper (II) acetylacetonate or copper (II) ETDA.

Abstract: An optical logic element is disclosed which performs an XOR operation through utilization of the high-speed property of light. On each branched waveguide of a Mach-Zehnder interference type optical waveguide there is provided a phase modulating element whose refractive index undergoes a change when it is irradiated by light. The interference type optical waveguide is adapted to provide different optical output levels when the refractive index changes of the phase modulating elements are both zero or a predetermined value and when they differ from each other. Thus, the optical logic element is capable of performing the XOR or XNOR operation at an ultrahigh speed.

Abstract: A chitin oligosaccharide which is a chitin oligomer having a 2,5-anhydromannose group or a chitosan oligosaccharide which is a chitosan oligomer having a 2,5-anhydromannose group having a structure of the formula shown below at a terminal end: ##STR1## wherein it can be prepared by allowing chitin or chitosan to react with nitrous acid at a temperature of 10.degree. C.

Abstract: A tip brake unit for installation in tip portions of rotor blades of rotary wing aircraft having a plurality of load-carrying rotors has a frame of a size and shape for installation in a tip portion of a rotor blade. An elongate tip brake member of channel cross sectional shape with a closed outer end is supported and guided by rollers on the frame for movement longitudinally between an inner position in which a closed outer end of the tip brake member is flush with the tip of the rotor blade and an outer position in which the tip brake member projects beyond the tip of the blade. The open side of the channel shaped tip brake member faces forwardly with respect to the direction of movement of the tip portion of the rotor blade in which the tip brake unit is installed.

Abstract: There is disclosed a one-hand openable and closable umbrella which does not cause relative rotational movement and displacement between an inner shaft and an outer shaft. The inner shaft has a U-shaped groove extending in the lengthwise direction thereof and the outer shaft has a convex block provided inside a lower nest mounted on the top of the outer shaft. By the engagement of the convex block of the outer shaft with the U-shaped groove of the inner shaft, the inner and outer shaft neither turn nor displace relative to each other when the latter slides on the latter. Moreover, since a plastic sleeve is put on the upper end portion of the inner shaft inside a spring mounted thereon, any frictional force between the spring and the inner shaft and between the spring and an upper nest can be decreased, by which the umbrella can be smoothly opened and closed.

Abstract: An ISDN-user-network interface system comprising an interface buffer and an interface adapter. The interface buffer provided between an ISDN network terminal equipment and a terminal equipment to receive an up-signal frame transmitted from said terminal equipment to said network terminal equipment, to store said up-signal frame, and to transmit said stored up-signal frame at a timing when said network terminal equipment is capable of detecting the synchronization of said up-signal frame.

Abstract: A semiconductor device with a strained-layer superlattice is disclosed, in which a first semiconductor and a second semiconductor of a lattice constant smaller than that of the first semiconductor are stacked on a clad layer of a lattice constant substantially intermediate between those of the first and second semiconductors to form the strained-layer superlattice. The lattice constant of the strained-layer superlattice in the direction of its plane in the free space is nearly equal to the lattice constant of the clad layer. A third semiconductor of a lattice constant substantially equal to that of the clad layer is laminated between the first and second semiconductors stacked one on the other.

Abstract: Apparatus for extruding plastic and/or rubber material has a screw extruder, which plasticizes the material and delivers it to a gear pump which develops sufficient pressure for extrusion of the material through an extrusion head. The apparatus is characterized by the fact that the axes of gears of the gear pump and the axis of the screw of the extruder are parallel to one another. The housing of the gear pump has a side opening into which a cylindrical bushing and the screw of the extruder extend so that the material is delivered by the extruder directly to the gear pump as a non-oriented plasticized mass. The extrusion head may be a transverse extrusion head with an axis parallel to the axes of the gear wheels of the gear pump and the axis of the screw of the extruder. A second like extrusion apparatus including a screw extruder and a gear pump may be connected to an opposite side of the extrusion head.

Abstract: An immersion tin/lead alloy plating bath has a basic composition comprising an organic sulfonic acid, divalent tin and lead salts of the organic sulfonic acid and thiourea and further contains thiocyanic acid or derivative thereof, optionally with hydrated hydrazine. With this plating bath, an alloy deposit, which has a particularly desired Sn/Pb ratio of 60%/40% or so and is improved in terms of adhesion and homogeneity, can be stably obtained on the surface of copper or a copper alloy in a relatively low temperature region within a short span of time.

Abstract: A punching machine has an upper (3) and a lower (4) tool magazine of the carousel type. Coaxially interacting punching tools (10) and die tools (19) are transferred in conjunction with tool changing from take-up positions in the upper and lower magazine to working positions respectively in the upper reciprocating punch holder (45, 49) of the machine and in the lower fixed die holder (29) of the machine. The upper punch holder is divided along an axial plane into one fixed parts and one radially moving part (45) relative to the magazine. The lower die holder is executed in the form of an uninterrupted ring. After the transfer of a punching tool from the upper magazine to the working position in the punch holder, the magazine (D.sub.1) with the other punching tools accommodated in it is raised in order to ensure the necessary clearance between these magazined tools and any projections and irregularities on the workpiece as it is fed and moved between the magazines during working.

Abstract: Electrical conductor comprising a metallic bar (1) jacketed with a sheath (2) made from a metal different from that of the bar, in which the bar (1) exhibits at least one longitudinal groove (3, 3') containing a bead (4, 4') made from the same metal as the sheath (2), welded to the bar (1), and the sheath (2) exhibits an opening opposite the bead (4, 4'), the said opening containing a metallic mass (9, 9') welded to the bead (4, 4') and to the sheath (2). The conductor finds one application in electrodes comprising a metallic plate longitudinally fixed to an electrical conductor.

Abstract: A coding apparatus is disclosed, in which coding can be achieved by simply storing, in a memory, the results of necessary coding operations including the feedback of the quantization error and reading out the data from an address of the memory specified by input data. Consequently, an encoded code can be obtained at a far higher speed than in a case where operations are performed by individual operation circuits for coding and decoding.

Abstract: A portable telephone system is disclosed in which a plurality of i-th class exchanges, which accommodate key service units of a plurality of portable telephone sets present in each service area, and at least one (i+1)th class exchange which accommodates the plurality of i-th class exchanges through junction lines, are stratified to form an exchange system so that i=1, 2, 3, . . . , and so that the (i+1)th class exchange covers all service areas. The exchange system has a function whereby information which specifies the home area of each portable telephone set and the portable telephone set in distinction from each other is registered in the i-th class exchange and the (i+1)th class exchange, which administer the home area.

Abstract: The sleep-apnea syndrome is classified into a so-called central type caused by an abnormality in the respiratory center, an obstructive type by an upper airway obstruction, and a mixed type by a combination thereof. Among the rest, the obstructive type is often observed clinically and is considered to be caused by a morphological abnormality in the upper airway tract, such as tonsillar hypertrophy or micrognathia, or by a tonus of the upper airway muscle for broadening the airway. The inventors of this application have clarified by experiments that the upper airway can be recovered from obstruction which causes apnea stimulating the genioglossus, which is one of the dilator muscles of the upper airway, with pulses of a frequency of 40 to 150 Hz, a peak value of 1 to 50 volts and a rise-up time constant of 0.

Abstract: A speech coding circuit is disclosed, which comprises a PCM encoder for converting an analog input into a digital output, and a speech coder with voice activity detector which encodes the digital output from the PCM encoder into speech coding data and detects whether the analog input is voice active or non-active, for each period, and then outputs a speech detection flag indicating whether the analog input is voice active or non-active. A power comparator compares the power of the analog input with a predetermined power threshold value and outputs a level detection flag indicating voice activity or non-activity, depending on whether the power of the analog input is greater or smaller than the power threshold value. A mode switch receives the level detection flag indicating voice activity or non-activity and applies to the PCM encoder and the speech coder a mode control signal which puts them into an activated mode or a sleep mode.

Abstract: A new series of benzofuran and benzothiophene derivatives are disclosed. These compounds have a structure which can be obtained by substituting the third position of 2-lower alkyl-benzofuran or 2-lower alkyl-benzothiophene with a substituted benzene derivative, itaconic acid derivative or a substituted phenoxymethyl tetrazole derivative. They are useful as diuretics without side effects of elevating serum uric acid levels and can be used in the treatment of hyperuricemia.

Abstract: A fluorescent lamp cover molded as a unitary hollow structure made of light-transparent synthetic acrylic resin having an opening for receiving the fluorescent lamp in the interior of the cover. A prismatic diffuser plate of the lamp cover has an interior flat major side surface and on an opposite side surface of the plate an exterior major side surface having a pattern of adjacent pyramidal projections having flat sides through which the illumination light energy from the fluorescent lamp incident on the interior flat major side surface passes outwardly of the cover. The pyramidal projections are of two types and each have an apex which defines the outermost exterior point of the corresponding pyramidal projection.

Abstract: A screw extruder has a feed roller which is parallel to and spaced laterally from the screw, a hopper feeds the material to be extruded to the screw and feed roller and to the space between them. A knife scrapes material from the feed roller to keep it clear. In one embodiment, the knife is pivotally supported by a knife holder disposed below the feed roller and is pulled against the feed roller by a spring-loaded link which is pivotally attached to a median portion of the blade. In another embodiment, the knife is a flexible spring blade. A protuberance on a knife-holding plate limits flexing of the blade by pressure of material in the space between the screw and the feed roller. In a further embodiment, a photo-cell scans a rear side of the feed roller and controls a servo-motor for drawing the knife against the feed roller.

Abstract: Bipolar electrode for an electrolyser of the series type, comprising two metal plates (1, 2) arranged in parallel facing each other, an electrically conductive solid mass (3) maintained under pressure between the two plates and a means for heating the solid mass to a temperature which is at least equal to its flow temperature. The bipolar electrode is suitable for electrolysers of the series type, in which sodium chlorate and hydrogen are produced by electrolysis of aqueous sodium chloride solutions.