Abstract: A bar loder, includes a guide rail for feeding a bar to a bar machining apparatus. The guide rail extends straight toward the bar machining apparatus and has an opening for receiving a new bar. The opening is oriented upwardly and extends longitudinally along the guide rail. An oil outlet is provided for feeding oil into the guide rail, with an amount of the oil being enough to coat a peripheral surface of the bar.

Abstract: A high-performance image-forming optical system made compact and thin by folding an optical path using reflecting surfaces arranged to minimize the number of reflections. The image-forming optical system has a first prism placed on the object side and a second prism placed on the image side and does not form an intermediate image. The first and second prisms each have a first surface through which a light beam enters the prism, a second surface reflecting the incident light beam in the prism, a third surface reflecting the reflected light beam in the prism, and a fourth surface through which the light beam exits from the prism. At least one of the second and third surfaces has a rotationally asymmetric curved surface configuration that gives a power to a light beam and corrects aberrations due to decentration. Any optical element that gives a refracting power contributing to the image-forming action of a light beam is not placed between the second prism and an image formed by the image-forming optical system.

Abstract: An angular rate sensor is provided which measures the angular rate of a moving object such as an automotive vehicle. The angular rate sensor includes an installation base and an oscillator. The oscillator is excited to oscillate in a preselected direction perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the moving object and provides a signal indicative thereof. The installation base is used for installation of the sensor on the moving object and has an improved orientation structure for orienting the oscillator relative to the installation base during installation of the oscillator on the installation base so that the oscillator may oscillate in the preselected direction. The angular rate sensor is disposed within a casing through improved vibration isolators for absorbing unwanted vibrations impinging upon an operation of the sensor.

Abstract: An optical system capable of preventing degradation of the image quality and minimizing the effect of unwanted-order light even when a protective layer is provided on a diffraction surface, thereby obtaining an image of high quality. The optical system, on which band light is incident, has a relief type diffractive optical element (2), and a device (3) that limits a wavelength band of light entering or emerging from the diffractive optical element (2). The diffractive optical element (2) has an optical member (4) having a relief configuration on a surface thereof, and a protective layer (5) formed over the surface of the optical member (4) from a material different from a material constituting the optical member (4).

Abstract: A process for preparing a material B comprising geometrical isomers L1 and L2 of conjugated linoleic acid moieties in a specific weight ratio of XB wherein a material A selected from free fatty acids, mono-, di- or tri-glycerides, phospholipids, alkyl esters or wax-esters containing at least 5 weight % of L1 and L2 are subjected to enzymatic conversion using an enzyme that can discriminate between L1 and L2 so that the original weight ratio of L1 to L2 of XA in the starting material is increased to XB where XB is equal to or greater than 1.1 XA. Advantageously, the isomers L1 and L2 are cis9, trans11 and trans10, cis12 linoleic acid or vice versa. The enzyme is advantageously a lipase obtained from Geotrichum candidum or Candida rugosa or a phospholipase. The starting material A may be, for example, a fish oil or vegetable oil. The resulting products may be blended with a complementary fat and may be used as foods or food supplements or in pharmaceutical compositions.

Abstract: To provide a substrate material made of an aluminum/silicon carbide composite alloy which has a thermal conductivity of 100 W/m×K or higher and a thermal expansion coefficient of 20×10−6/° C. or lower and is lightweight and compositionally homogeneous. A substrate material made of an aluminum/silicon carbide composite ally which comprises Al—SiC alloy composition parts and non alloy composition part and dispersed therein from 10 to 70% by weight silicon carbide particles, and in which the fluctuations of silicon carbide concentration in the Al—SiC alloy composition parts therein are within 1% by weight. The substrate material is produced by sintering a compact of an aluminum/silicon carbide starting powder at a temperature not lower than 600° C. in a non-oxidizing atmosphere.

Abstract: A head-mounted image display apparatus capable of displaying an image with dynamic presence even if the observation field angle is not wide, and which is easy to view and unlikely to cause the observer's eye to be fatigued. An image display device (1) is disposed on one side of a projection lens (5′) at approximately the focal point of the lens (5′), and a stop (8) is disposed on the other side of the lens (5′) at approximately the focal point of the lens (5′), thereby projecting the image of the image display device (1). If the refracting power at the peripheral portion of the projection lens (5′) is larger than that at the principal (central) area thereof, the image-formation characteristics of the projected image are deteriorated at the periphery. Consequently, the projected image is blurred at the periphery thereof. Thus, it is possible to project an image in which the edges of the image, which hinder an improvement in dynamic presence, are not clearly displayed.

Abstract: A compact, lightweight electric motor driven compressor suitable for an air conditioning system using a CO2 refrigerant is disclosed. The thickness of a motor casing is reduced by using the gaps formed in the motor portion in a motor casing as a part of a low-pressure intake chamber, while forming a part of the discharge chamber by utilizing the annular gap between the inner surface of a pump casing and the outer surface of a compressor portion. In the case where CO2 refrigerant is used, the compressor portion can be reduced in size and therefore a dead space is generated due to the difference in size with the motor casing. Since this dead space is used as a discharge chamber, the capacity of the discharge chamber can be increased to suppress the discharge pulsation.

Abstract: The invention provides a zoom lens system that is reduced in terms of both size and cost. The zoom lens system comprises a first positive lens group G1, a second negative lens group G2, a stop S, a third positive lens group G3 and a fourth positive lens group G4. During zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end of the system, while the first lens group G1 remains fixed, the second lens group G2 moves from an object side to an image plane side of the system, the third lens group G3 moves from the image plane side to the object side, and the fourth lens group G4 moves to keep an image plane at a constant position.

Abstract: A lighting apparatus of the present invention includes a discharge lamp incorporating a detecting element having a predetermined electrical characteristic, a detector circuit to discriminate the electrical characteristic of the detecting element and a lighting circuit to light the discharge lamp according to the output from the detector circuit. According to the lighting apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to detect whether a discharge lamp mounted in the socket is an adapted lamp without necessity for lighting the discharge lamp.

Abstract: In a stator of an alternator for a vehicle, a stator winding has a plurality of conductor segments having ends extending in opposite directions and a plurality of ball-shaped connected portion between the conductor segments forming continuously connected coils. Each of the ball-shaped connected portions is composed of one end of one conductor segment and the other end of another conductor segment.

Abstract: The present invention is directed in part towards methods of modulating the function of serine/threonine protein kinases with 5-azaquinoxaline-based compounds. The methods incorporate cells that express a serine/threonine protein kinase, such as RAF. In addition, the invention describes methods of preventing and treating serine/threonine protein kinase-related abnormal conditions in organisms with a compound identified by the invention. Furthermore, the invention pertains to 5-azaquinoxaline compounds and pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds.

Abstract: An optical system which is compact, lightweight and satisfactorily corrected for aberrations and may be suitably used as an imaging optical system or an ocular optical system for a head- or face-mounted image display apparatus which forms no intermediate image. The optical system includes an optical member (7) and a diffraction optical element (8), which are decentered with respect to each other. The optical member (7) has at least three adjacent optical surfaces, at least one of which is a curved surface. At least two reflections take place between the optical surfaces. The space between the optical surfaces is filled with a medium having a refractive index larger than 1. Light rays emitted from an image display device (6) enter the optical member (7) through a first transmitting surface (5) disposed to face the image display device (6) and are reflected by a first reflecting surface (3).

Abstract: A game machine having a speaker whose sound transmitting holes are not exposed to the front side of the game machine so that the speaker is protected from a wire-shaped object, which would otherwise be inserted through the sound transmitting holes, destroying the speaker. A speaker 22 is installed on the wall of a cancel shoot 21 that is installed near a pay-out hole 12 through which medals are paid out to the player, so that the speaker 22 will not be exposed to the pay-out hole 12. Specifically, the speaker 22 is installed at a position that is displaced from the immediate back of the pay-out hole 12. In addition, the sound transmitting unit of the speaker 22 is attached on the wall of the box-shaped cancel shoot 21 toward the interior of the box-shaped cancel shoot 21. As a result, effect sounds generated by the speaker 22 propagate through the interior space of the box-shaped cancel shoot 21, and are transmitted outside of the game machine via the pay-out hole 12.

Abstract: A motor saw for cutting wood or stone includes a continuous wire loop (18) which carries uniformly-spaced cutting elements (25) and which is tensioned over a saw guide bar (17), from a drive wheel (30) mounted in the machine housing (15) to a loop-guiding sprocket wheel (20) at the outer end of the guide bar (17), said sprocket wheel functioning as a circular saw. As the cutting elements (25) pass over the sprocket wheel (20), they drop into recesses (28) between cog-like sprockets (27) thereon. The sprockets (27) support and guide the wire loop with the cutting elements (25) hanging freely in cutting positions in the recesses (28) between the sprockets. In the case of a duplicated wire loop, a cog claim (51) on the sprockets penetrates between parts (18′, 18″) of the loop so as to prevent the freely-hanging cutting elements (25) from twisting. These cutting elements may be irregularly shaped if desired.

Abstract: The external integrity of cigarettes is verified by a method that involves directing single cigarettes, carried on a conveyor, along a route of which one section affords a monitoring path equipped with a line scan camera; the advancing cigarette can be made selectively to rotate about its longitudinal axis while the camera, a solid state type using CCD arrays, makes a succession of scans on respective closely ordered parallel lines, which are pulsed at a programmed frequency and synchronously with the movement of the cigarette in such a way that each successive scan line will fall on one and the same generator of the cylindrical surface. Repeated scanning of the same limited surface area eliminates quality control errors attributable to the presence of particulates in the space between the cigarettes and the camera.

Abstract: Methylamines are prepared from methanol and ammonia in the presence of modified molecular sieve catalysts obtained by mixing crystalline molecular sieves such as SAPO with modifiers such as titanium oxide. The catalysts are also suitably used for a disproportionation reaction of monomethylamine.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device has a liquid crystal panel wherein an opposite substrate includes a plurality of pillar-shaped spacers opposing scanning lines provided on an array substrate. The spacers have distal ends which contact the scanning lines with an opposite electrode of the opposing substrate being interposed between the distal ends and the scanning lines. Each of the distal ends of the spacers has a width smaller than the width of each scanning line. Pixel electrodes have notches which are formed in those of their side edges which are opposite to the scanning lines, such that the notches are located opposite to the distal ends of the spacers. The distance between the side edges of the pixel electrode and the scanning line opposing the side edges is larger at regions around the distal ends of the spacers than other regions.

Abstract: A front portion structure of an automobile vehicle body having front side members disposed in right and left side portions of a vehicle body and extending in the longitudinal direction and an instrument panel reinforcement disposed between right and left front pillars and extending in the lateral direction. Pillar braces are connected to the front side members in the right and left side portions and the instrument panel reinforcement.