Abstract: The present invention provides a method which can produce ?-caprolactam with a good selectivity by reacting cyclohexanone oxime with a good conversion in a vapor phase Beckmann rearrangement reaction. Disclosed is a method for producing ?-caprolactam, which comprises performing a vapor phase Beckmann rearrangement reaction of cyclohexanone oxime in the presence of a pentasil type zeolite, wherein the pentasil type zeolite is a zeolite obtained by subjecting a mixture containing a silicon compound, water, and a compound represented by formula (I): [(R1)3N+—(CH2)m—N+(R1)2—(CH2)m—N+(R1)3]·3/n(A)??(I) wherein R1 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, A represents an n-valent anion, m represents an integer of 5 to 7, and n represents an integer of 1 to 3, to a hydrothermal synthesis reaction.

Abstract: A mold (10) for the continuous casting of metal including a cooled running surface (11) and a guide (12) for molten metal. The guide is made of a refractory material and is disposed upstream of the running surface (11) in the direction of flow. The guide (12) is radially prestressed.

Abstract: A coated granule obtained by coating a bioactive substance-containing granule with a urethane resin obtained by reaction of an aromatic polyisocyanate with an alcohol mixture comprising a polyesterpolyol having 15 wt % or more of an oxycarbonyl structure (—O—C(?O)—) part in the molecule and a C4-C30 alkanol optionally substituted by one or more aryl groups, wherein the molar ratio of the polyesterpolyol to the alkanol is 1:1 to 100:1, is capable of controlling elution of the bioactive substance appropriately, and, the urethane resin forming the coat film shows degradability in soil.

Abstract: A working channel for separating paraspinal muscles and minimizing muscle trauma during spinal surgery includes a flared upper section having a distal end, a proximal end and an interior lumen traversing through the flared upper section. The proximal end of the flared upper section having a larger cross-sectional area than the distal end of the flared upper section. A lower elongate body section extends fixedly from the distal end of the flared upper section. The lower elongate body section has a distal end for inserting into a patient, a proximal end connected to the flared upper section and an interior lumen traversing through the lower section. The flared upper section and the lower elongate body section each have an inner surface and an outer surface. A thickness between the inner and outer surfaces of the lower elongate body section is the same at each point along the longitudinal axis.

Abstract: This invention provides a system and method that can employ a low-instruction-per-second (lower-power), highly parallel processor architecture to perform the low-precision computations. These are aggregated at high-precision by an aggregator. Either a high-precision processor arrangement, or a low-precision processor arrangement, employing soft-ware-based high-precision program instructions performs the less-frequent, generally slower high-precision computations of the aggregated, more-frequent low-precision computations. One final aggregator totals all low-precision computations and another high-precision aggregator totals all high-precision computations. An equal number of low precision computations are used to generate the error value that is subtracted from the low-precision average. A plurality of lower-power processors can be arrayed to provide the low-precision computation function.

Abstract: A method is provided of vending game tickets from a vending machine during a game play session. Each ticket is preprinted with a plurality of individually playable games, and each game has a game result. The games are associated with at least one deal of games that includes at least some games that have predetermined winning game results. One or more games on a ticket are electronically purchased in a current game play session in response to a request inputted into the vending machine from a patron. Less than all of the games on the ticket may be purchased during the current game play session. An indication of which games on the ticket have been purchased is electronically recorded in database records. The vending machine dispenses all tickets that are played, including tickets wherein less than all of the games on the ticket were purchased during the current game play session.

Abstract: A habitat mount for a wall mounted taxidermy mannequin includes a habitat piece having a three dimensional first side with the appearance of one or more natural elements and an opposing generally planar second side. A tab extends outwardly from and generally parallel to a plane defined by the second side of the habitat piece. The tab is sized and shaped to mount directly to a rear side of the wall mounted taxidermy mannequin.

Abstract: An elliptical polarizer with excellent viewing angle characteristics is provided which comprises at least a first polarizer, a first optical anisotropic layer, a second optical anisotropic layer, and a third optical anisotropic layer, laminated in this order, wherein the first optical anisotropic layer satisfies [1] 50?Re1?500, the second optical anisotropic layer satisfies [2] 0?Re2?20 and [3] ?500?Rth2??30, and the third optical anisotropic layer satisfies [4] 100?Re3?180 wherein Re and Rth indicate the retardation values in the plane and thickness direction, respectively, of each of the optical anisotropic layers.

Abstract: A liquid-crystalline polyester resin composition is provided including a liquid-crystalline polyester obtained by polymerizing monomers of an aromatic hydroxycarboxylic acid in the presence of an imidazole compound. The composition also includes a mica which is a muscovite and has a volume average particle diameter of 40 ?m or less and a specific surface area of 6 m2/g or less, the amount of the mica being 15 to 100 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the liquid-crystalline polyester. The liquid-crystalline polyester resin composition has melt fluidity sufficient to be molded into a connector having an ultra-thin wall thickness portion. The resulting connector has sufficiently suppressed warp and sufficient soldering resistance.

Abstract: A quadrupole responder for an OQR-type gravity gradiometer comprises a housing, and a mass quadrupole positioned within the housing. The mass quadrupole has a pair of sides, and also has a center of mass between the sides. At least a pair of torsion spring flexures are provided by pins connecting said side of said mass quadrupole to the housing. The torsion spring flexures provide an axis of rotation which passes through the center of mass of the mass quadrupole and through both spring flexures. The pins are integral with the mass quadrupole.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is supplied which enables print medium to be simply taken out even if an interval between a print processing section and an image reading section is not sufficiently secured. In the image forming apparatus, an image reading section is furnished on the upside of a print processing section; an ejection opening is furnished between the image reading section and the print processing section for ejecting a medium that has been printed; a loading part is furnished between the image reading section and the print processing section and is used for loading the ejected medium. The loading part includes a body part, a movement member that is movable from the body part, and a guide section that guides the movement member to move from the body part along upward slant direction with respect to a horizontal plane.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus is supplied, which can continuously read plural manuscripts and memorize separatively their image data. The image reading apparatus can read plural manuscripts each is formed from head sheet and document sheet in pairs and read the plural manuscripts as respective image data, and comprises a sheet identifying section which identifies the head sheet; an information obtaining section which obtains sort information of the document sheet from the head sheet after the sheet identifying section identified the head sheet; and a reading section which reads the document sheet following the head sheet on the basis of the sort information obtained by said information obtaining section.

Abstract: The present invention provides a raw coke having such a structure that the graphitized product resulting from graphitization of the raw coke at a temperature of 2800° C. under an inactive gas atmosphere will have ratios of the crystallite size to the lattice constant of 360 or less in the (002) plane and 1500 or less in the (110) plane, as a raw coke providing active carbon produced by alkali-activating the raw coke, which is reduced in remaining alkali content and can simplify washing operation because washing liquid can easily pass through the activated carbon, or as a raw coke for the production of needle coke.

Abstract: A toy vehicle includes a central housing having first and second oppositely disposed sides. A first wheel is rotatably mounted on the first side of the housing and a second wheel is rotatably mounted on the second side of the housing. Each of the first and second wheels has a central hub. Each hub has a center disposed along a common first axis of rotation. A plurality of vanes are attached to the hub and form the first and second wheels. An end of each vane distal to the hub forms a circumferential surface portion of one of the first and second wheels. Each vane is individually and separately manually angularly repositionable about a second axis of rotation extending transversely with respect to the first axis of rotation.

Abstract: A powder material cartridge includes a shaft and a sheet-holding member. The shaft extends in a longitudinal direction and is rotatable about a longitudinal axis. The sheet-holding member is formed on the rotatable shaft and holds one end of the sheet member. The sheet-holding member includes a first portion that extends substantially parallel to the shaft and a second portion that extends at an angle with the shaft such that the second portion extends in a direction away from the shaft so that the sheet member includes a third portion that extends substantially parallel to the shaft and a fourth portion that extends at an angle with the shaft.

Abstract: This invention provides a computer system architecture and method for providing the same which can include a web page search node including a web page collection. The system and method can also include a web server configured to receive, from a given user via a web browser, a search query including keywords. The node is caused to search pages in its own collection that best match the search query. A search page returner may be provided which is configured to return, to the user, high ranked pages. The node may include a power-efficiency-enhanced processing subsystem, which includes M processors. The M processors are configured to emulate N virtual processors, and they are configured to limit a virtual processor memory access rate at which each of the N virtual processors accesses memory. The memory accessed by each of the N virtual processors may be RAM. In select embodiments, the memory accessed by each of the N virtual processors includes DRAM having a high capacity yet lower power consumption then SRAM.

Abstract: The inventive needle protective device (2) comprises a protective support (20), a movable needle protector (22), a compression spring (24) applied between the protective support (20) and the needle protector (22) and means (38, 40, 54) for initially holding the needle protector (22) oppositely to the compression spring (24) action, wherein said means (38, 40, 54) are releasable by the needle protector (22) displacement in a releasing direction with respect to the protective support (20). Said device also comprises mechanical means (45, 62) for locking the needle protector (22) actuatable by the action of a needle protective cap engaged into the end opening (60) of the needle protector (22) and deactivatable by the cap releasing.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is supplied capable of feeding paper or ejecting paper to position which is desired by user.