Abstract: Water is fed from a tank to a capillary carrier having an emitter end from which an ionized water particle is emitted by a voltage being applied across the emitter end and an opposed electrode. A cation exchanger is provided to remove minerals such as Ca2+ and Mg2+ from the water being fed through the capillary carrier or from the water to be fed to the carrier from the tank, thereby avoiding the ions from precipitating at the emitter end as CaCO3 or MgO in reaction with CO2 in the surrounding air, and therefore assure reliable electrostatic atomization over a long period of time.

Abstract: The present invention provides an actuator for AGCS of a vehicle having a piston reciprocating rectilinearly, a screw bar engaged with the rear portion of the piston and rotating in place, and a drive motor rotating the screw bar in place, the actuator comprising an impact buffering means for buffering a load in the axial direction and an impact absorbing means for absorbing a load in the vertical direction to the axis, the impact buffering means and impact absorbing means being provided on the boundary portion between the screw bar and the motor.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system for controlling at least two functions selected from the group consisting of ventilation, air cleaning, seat temperature and inside temperature of a vehicle when the vehicle engine is turned off, the system comprising: (a) a solar cell module providing driving power from solar heat; and (b) a controller operating the solar cell module by stepwise magnitudes of a current input from the solar cell module. A method for controlling the system is also provided.

Abstract: A DC-DC converter 111 with a switching element Q11 changes a supply of power to a HID lamp DL1. On/off of the element Q11 is controlled with a control circuit 13. The circuit 13 controls an on/off state of the element Q11 with constant lamp power control on stable operation of the lamp. The circuit 13 controls the on/off state of the element Q11 so as to provide the lamp with lamp power larger than lamp power by the constant lamp power control based on high power control for a period of time that the lamp is on. It is possible to keep temperature of electrodes and within a bulb of the lamp in a proper state through simple control, and to prevent flicker generation and electrode degradation.

Abstract: A process for producing an optically active compound based on the hydrolysis of an alkenyl ester compound or the cleavage of an alkenyl ether compound. The process uses neither an acidic compound nor a basic compound, and reactants can be reacted in a high concentration. It does not necessitate a buffer, nutrient, etc. unlike enzymatic reactions or reactions using a microorganism. It is a simple process which attains a satisfactory production efficiency. The process, which is for producing an optically active carboxylic acid or optically active alcohol represented by the general formula (VI): (wherein R1, R2, and R3 are different groups; and A represents methylene, carbonyl, or a single bond), is characterized by causing water to act on an alkenyl ester or alkenyl ether represented by the general formula (I): (wherein R4, R5, and R6 each represents hydrogen, alkyl, etc.) in the presence of a specific transition metal complex having an optically active ligand.

Abstract: An hydraulic electrical generator comprises a plurality of water wheels, means connecting said wheels hydraulically in series with at least two said water wheels being driven in the same sense, an individual electrical generator driven individually by each said water wheel, and mechanical means mechanically connecting said at least two water wheels being driven in the same sense together.

Abstract: An arithmetic operation for calculating a value of a Masuda ratio (Mratio) or a value substantially equivalent to the Masuda ratio (Mratio) on the basis of the stock price information on a database is executed. The Masuda ratio (Mratio) is represented by a formula Mratio={(B?E)/SUM}×100, where SUM is a total number of stocks of a group of specific stocks forming a basis in generating one representative stock movement index, B is the number of stocks, average moving deviations of stock prices in a short term, an intermediate term, and a long term nearest to a reference time in one time unit selected from day, week, and month (MA1, MA2, and MA3) among the group of specific stocks having a magnitude relation MA1>MA2>MA3 indicating an upward trend when the number of stocks is B, and E is the number of stocks, MA1, MA2, and MA3 having a magnitude relation MA1<MA2<MA3 indicating a downward trend when the number of stocks is E.

Abstract: A device for recovering liquid droplets from a fluid flow stream including a rotatable element comprising wall elements configured to partially enclose a volume with an annular perimeter wall that includes an inside surface radially offset from and facing an axial center, a fixed base wall supports the rotatable element about the axial center, an input fluid conduit delivers the fluid flow stream into the fluid volume, means for rotating the rotatable element for generating a centrifugal force capable of forming a layer of liquid held by the centrifugal force against the inside surface, and an output liquid conduit disposed to collect liquid from the layer of liquid, wherein the layer of liquid rotates with the inside surface with a tangential velocity vector and the collection aperture is fixed in position opposed to the tangential velocity vector such that liquid in the layer of liquid enters the collection aperture.

Abstract: A method of refurbishing a liquefied petroleum gas cylinder 13 characterised by fitting a tubular sleeve member 11 to the cylinder 13 between the footing 21 and the guard member 15. The sleeve member 11 is formed of a stretchable material which when unstretched is of height less than the surface distance along the surface of the cylinder 13 from the location of the guard 15 circumference to the location of the footing 21 circumference. The sleeve member 11 has a circumference of less than the maximum circumference of the cylinder, and has a top elastic member 27 attached at one end and a bottom elastic member 29 attached at the other end. The top elastic member 27 is in use, located proximal to the location of said guard 15 circumference and the bottom elastic member 29 is in use located proximal to the location of said footing 21 circumference.

Abstract: By using an existing, relatively inexpensive manufacturing device, micropatterns (e.g. guiding grooves, prepits) having such track pitch and pit pitch that are smaller than the diameter of a light spot are formed more finely. There are provided at least two layers, i.e. (i) a resin substrate and (ii) a depressed part inducing layer made of dielectric material or metal oxide. A light beam is radiated and focused onto the depressed part inducing layer so as to form pit parts and/or guiding grooves on irradiated parts of the resin substrate. The depressed part inducing layer is then removed, so as to expose the pit parts and/or guiding grooves.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus in which a plurality of color component images of different colors, which include a reference color (e.g. black) serving as a reference and adjustment colors (e.g. cyan, magenta and yellow) to be adjusted, are formed on respective photosensitive drums and then transferred to a transfer belt. Respective positions of the color component images transferred to the transfer belt are detected by a CCD. Timing adjustment can be performed so that the difference between the detected position of each of the color component images and a prescribed position is not more than a predetermined value, based on the reference color image as the reference. In this case, the color component images are formed on the corresponding photosensitive drums with the same timing by utilizing a single polygon mirror.

Abstract: In the present invention, an administration server stores therein: a user ID and an academic conference book-classification which are associated with each other; and a book ID and a library book-classification which are associated with each other. Further, a copy device includes: a user ID acquiring section for acquiring the user ID; a book ID acquiring section for acquiring the book ID; a first acquiring section for acquiring from the administration server the academic conference book-classification associated with the user ID; a second acquiring section for acquiring, from the administration server, a library book-classification associated with the book ID; and a copy control section for controlling a copying operation to be performed with respect to a book, based on the academic conference book-classification, and the library book-classification.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method for producing a hydroxylamine compound wherein a nitro compound is contacted with a hydrogen source or further with a poisoning agent in the presence of a platinum catalyst fixed on an ion-exchange resin. According to the method of the present invention where a platinum catalyst fixed on a matrix of an ion-exchange resin is used, the objective hydroxylamine compound can be produced (manufactured) efficiently, more industrially and safely with little formation of a byproduct. Further, the platinum catalyst fixed on an ion-exchange resin of the present invention is hardly deactivated even if repeatedly used many times because platinum metal is fixed on a matrix of the ion-exchange resin, and handling in recovery, reuse and the like of said catalyst is extremely easy because particle size of said catalyst is very large.

Abstract: Disclosed are: a method for production of a polyisocyanide derivative having a stable helical main chain structure with a right-handed or left-handed helix or a mixture thereof from a single type of monomer by polymerizing an aromatic isocyanate having a substituent harboring a structure —CONH in the aromatic ring and a hydrophobic moiety having 6 or more carbon atoms in a polymerization solvent, wherein the direction of the helix depends on the polarity of the polymerization solvent; a poly(aromatic isocyanide) derivative produced by the method; and an aromatic isocyanide which is useful as a monomer for use in the production of the poly(aromatic isocyanide) derivative.

Abstract: Percutaneously absorbable preparations (preferably nonaqueous ones, particularly matrix-type patches or ointment), containing salt-form acidic drugs and characterized by being improved in the percutaneous absorbability of the drug by the incorporation of an addition salt of a basic substance therewith and by being lowly irritant to the skin; and a percutaneous absorption accelerator for salt-form acidic drugs, containing an addition salt of a basic substance.

Abstract: A host device includes: a basic screen display processing section which selects either a main setting screen or a list display setting screen as a setting screen in accordance with user's input and then causing the selected setting screen to show; a scroll processing section which causes the main setting screen to sequentially display advanced function icons respectively representing a plurality of available advanced functions in performing a print processing; and a list screen processing section which causes the list display setting screen to display a list of at least part of the advanced function icons. Thus, it is possible to cause the setting screens enhanced in convenience to show for different users in varying learning levels.

Abstract: An gene was identified as a RA disease susceptibility gene on Human Chromosome 8, the gene coding a protein that has an amino acid sequence shown in SEQ. ID NO. 1 and that has such mutation that glycine is inserted as a 269th amino acid in the sequence. Moreover, it was found that mutation of the gene and the protein relate to onset of RA. Achieved is a method of evaluating with high accuracy the onset or onset possibility of RA by using the mutation.

Abstract: A device divides a table (60) including element information contained in tree-structure information and position information in a corresponding tree-structure into an element information value (61) and position information (62) by a table division unit (101). An element information rearrangement unit (103) rearranges the divided element information values (61) into an order in a dictionary. Correspondence information (703) indicating the order change by this rearrangement is extracted by a correspondence information extraction unit (104). A position information encoding unit (102) and a corresponding information encoding unit (105) encode the position information (62) and the correspondence information (703), respectively. By using the encoded position information (62) and the correspondence information (703) and the element information values (61), a compressed information forming unit (106) forms compressed information from these.

Abstract: This invention provides fused heterocyclic compounds, pharmaceutical compositions of the compounds, and methods of using the compounds for the treatment of, inter alia, IL-12 related disease and disorders.