Abstract: Crimped yarns that comprise a conjugate multifilament yarn having unique surface texture, dry touch, and stretchability; woven/knitted products comprising said crimped yarn; and production methods of crimped yarn as a conjugate multifilament yarn comprising polyester polymer components and has (a) number of crimps (CA): 2.5 crests/cm≦CA≦10 crests/cm, (b) number of developed crimps (CB): 8 crests/cm≦CB≦30 crests/cm, (c) shrinkage stress (TS): 0.0882≦TS (cN/dtex)≦0.221, (d) apparent shrinkage percentage (SC): 40%≦SC≦80%, and (e) shrinkage percentage of fiber in boiling water (SW): 2%≦SW≦8%, and produced by subjecting a crimp-forming conjugate multifilament yarn to relaxation-heat treatment.

Abstract: A 50% duty-cycle divided-down clock with selectable divisor rates. A simple architecture comprised of two n-bit counters, a state machine, 2 toggle flip-flops, and two 2-to-1 muxes is used to allow an input clock signal to be divided down by any divisor rate up to 2n.

Abstract: A method for screening large cell populations for isolation of mutants that express a target activity. The products of the screening method are disclosed. Various activities, including enzymatic activities can be selected.

Abstract: The present invention provides aromatic polyamide resin moldings comprising at least one surface that is 1.0 nm or more in root-mean-square roughness and is 80 nm or less in 10-point average roughness, both of the roughness being as determined by atomic force microscopy, and that is 9.8 GPa or more in tensile Young's modulus at least in one direction. Such aromatic polyamide resin moldings serve effectively as material for film, film for magnetic recording medium in particular, that is highly resistant to scraping and has highly uniform surface protrusions.

Abstract: This invention relates to a coating resin composition including an acrylic resin (A) having a hydroxyl group and an alicyclic epoxy group attached to side chains thereof, an alicyclic epoxy resin (B) having an epoxy equivalent weight of 100-1000, an organoalkoxy silane compound (C) having a glycidyl group and a hydrolyzable alkoxy silane group contained in one molecule thereof, and an aluminum chelate compound (D). The composition is stably storable, highly curable at low temperature (80° C. or below) and capable of producing a highly weatherable coating, and is useful particularly as a coating resin composition of a one-pack type and a coating derivable therefrom. The composition also exhibits various superior coating performance characteristics (bonding, appearance, weathering resistance, chemical resistance, solvent resistance and the like) in a well-balanced state.

Abstract: A water heater including a water container; a combustion chamber containing a main burner and a pilot burner positioned to heat water in the water container and having a side wall; a main burner fuel supply line adapted to connect between a fuel control valve and a main burner; a pilot fuel supply line adapted to connect between the fuel control valve and a pilot burner; a heat sensor line connected to a heat sensor and adapted to connect to the fuel control valve and positioned to sense heat from the pilot burner; an igniter line connected to an igniter positioned proximate the pilot burner and connected to an igniter initiator; and a removable plate sealed to the combustion chamber through which the main burner fuel supply line, the pilot fuel supply line, the heat sensor line and the igniter line pass in a sealed condition.

Abstract: Traveling hearth furnace and an operating method thereof, which, when stacking a layer consisting of a mixture of oxides such as fine iron ore and a fine solid reducing material onto a horizontally traveling hearth and reducing the oxides through radiant heat transfer from above the hearth, is based on melting the reduction product in the course of up to a discharge port, and causing aggregation and separation of slag in from the reduction product, followed by solidifying the reducible material.

Abstract: A method for determining the starting ability of the starter battery in a motor vehicle. The current and voltage of the storage battery are measured before starting is begun, shortly after starting is begun and at short intervals of time during the starting procedure. The current/voltage value pairs for each instant are used to calculate a resistance value and the quantity of charge drawn from the storage battery, and the rate of rise in the resistance values as a function of the quantity of charge drawn is used to derive a measure of the availability of the storage battery during the starting procedure. In particular, the gradient &Dgr;RQ of the internal resistance as a function of the quantity of charge drawn and the turn-on internal resistance RE are stored in an arithmetical memory as a field as a function of the charge state or of the equivalent no-load voltage (UR) and the battery temperature and are compared with already recorded values or typical normal values.

Abstract: A mouse pad including a fibrous sheet made of ultrafine fibers, and a substrate. The mouse pad may be incorporated into a mouse pad package so that a part of the surface of the mouse pad provided by the fibrous sheet or a separate piece made of substantially the same material is exposed so that a consumer can touch it directly to confirm its touch and test its likely behavior as a mouse pad.

Abstract: Novel aromatic polycyclic retinoid-type derivatives of general formula (I), wherein groupings R3 and R4 attached to the double bond between carbons 11 and 12 are cis groupings, and pharmaceutical and cosmetic compositions containing same, are disclosed.

Abstract: A mixed layer of fine ore and coal char and a layer of fine coal are stacked on a hearth in the form of separate layers from each other. The fine ore is reduced while fine coal is pyrolyzed to produce coal char. The produced coal char is used repeatedly.

Abstract: A water heater of the invention includes a water container; an element located to heat water in the water container; a sensor located to sense temperature; and a controller, the controller monitors the sensed temperature at termination of a defined time interval and compares the sensed temperature against a predetermined temperature, with the controller further identifying the element as defective when the sensed temperature is less than the predetermined temperature.

Abstract: An adsorbent which comprises a zeolite containing Cs and/or Rb, said zeolite being characterized by that the ratio of [the number of moles of Cs and/or R in the zeolite] to [the number of moles of Al in the zeolite] is 0.1 or less. This adsorbent permits efficient separation of an isomer from a mixture of aromatic isomers.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for short-term relining or construction of a blast furnace uses a grounding apparatus for grounding of ring-shaped blast furnace segments having shells and a casting floor present as a blast furnace floor for transferring the ring-shaped blocks or shells onto a foundation of the blast furnace, and capable of safely and precisely mounting the ring-like blocks on the casting floor, wherein the grounding apparatus is integrated with a jack system utilizing rod type lift jacks and a sliding apparatus installed with intermittently movable hydraulic cylinders for safe and precision mounting of the ring-shaped blocks or shells on the casting floor.

Abstract: A sheet processing system for continuously producing plastic sheet which is continuously supplied to an intermittent take-up device, utilizing a sheet forming apparatus, a conveyor, an accumulator and take-up apparatus, the sheet being fed along the conveyor to an accumulator positioned compactly beneath the conveyor, the accumulator being controlled in a cyclic operation which provides for the accumulation of the continuously fed sheet material to permit intermittent operation of the take-up apparatus.

Abstract: The invention pertains to chiral ferrocene phosphine derivatives and their use with transition metals as asymmetric catalysts in asymmetric hydrogenation.

Abstract: A start-up circuit for providing current to an analog circuit wherein the analog circuit contains an operational amplifier. The start-up circuit makes use of normal operation of the analog circuit to perform a power-up function. A node being powered up is at substantially all times controlled by the operational amplifier, minimizing performance variation resulting from process and temperature variations.

Abstract: A cervical collar in which a sternum brace has an extension extending below the clavicle of the patient and to which a footplate is attached so that the footplate rests on the sternum of the patient. Also, certain components of the cervical collar, for example a jaw support and the sternum brace, are secured together to permit relative sliding movement between these components. Further, to accommodate the differences in the anatomy of a child from the anatomy of adult, the jaw support is mounted to the sternum brace so that the jaw support is disposed below the shoulder of a patient and an occipital support is mounted to a back support at an angle greater than forty-five degrees.

Abstract: The state of a media device is identified by monitoring file system calls. A determination is made whether or not a file system call originated from a specified high level application. In one implementation, the high level application writes to a monitored media device in order to perform a flushing process to securely delete inactive data.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for setting up several data paths on a single optical transmission fiber, including a modulation step consisting, for each data path, of modulating a light source with a specific wave length by signals corresponding to said data path, a step transmitting the modulated light signals to a mixer and a step of chromatically separating the light signals transmitted by the optical fiber, characterized in that the signals are multiplexed by an integrating sphere coated on the inside with a reflecting surface and including a plane reflector oriented perpendicular to the axis of the transmission optical fiber.