Abstract: A fiber structure comprising cellulose fibers crosslinked by using a crosslinking agent and synthetic fibers, characterized in that the crosslinking index represented by the following formula of the cellulose fibers is in a range of 1 to 4, and that the synthetic fibers contain an antimicrobial agent having an inorganic value/organic value ratio of 0.3 to 1.4. This structure has antimicrobial property excellent in industrial washing durability and also has shape stability such as crease resistance and shrinkage resistance. Crosslinking index=A−B where A is the coefficient of moisture absorption of the fiber structure after crosslinking in an atmosphere of 30° C. and 90% RH (%), and B is the coefficient of moisture absorption of the fiber structure after crosslinking in an atmosphere of 20° C. and 65% RH (%).

Abstract: A ladle after teeming for a continuous casting and a subsequent slag discharge is mounted on a ladle truck and then moved by the ladle truck to a tapping station. The ladle on the ladle truck is then stationed over a predetermined stand-by time and is then immediately moved to a tapping position to receive a molten steel from a converter. The ladle is quickly heated during the stand-by time, by a regenerative-type burner system carried by a ladle lid which is attached to the ladle to cover the top opening of the ladle. This allows the tapping temperature of the molten steel to be set to a low level, offering advantages such as a remarkable reduction in the consumption of carbonaceous materials as the temperature controller, as well as extended life of ladle refractories through suppression of thermal attack. At the same time, consumption of fuel gas for heating the ladle by the burner system is reduced to contribute to saving of energy.

Abstract: A process for treating a biological or synthetic object subjected to an electrical field in a surrounding liquid medium for a predetermined pulse time (t1), the electrical field being formed by at least two electrodes including actuating at least once during the pulse time (t1) each of the electrodes as an anode and as a cathode, to cause at each electrode a polarity reversal and alternating electrolytic increases and reductions in pH of at least a portion of the liquid medium, subjecting the object during the pulse time (t1) to a number of electrical partial pulses which have a frequency in the range of 1 kHz to 1 MHz and which possess partial pulse durations, with sequentially reversing polarity or field direction such that the partial pulses possess sequentially varying partial pulse durations (t11, t12), pulse forms, and/or pulse amplitudes, and selecting the partial pulse durations (t11, t12), pulse forms, and/or pulse amplitudes such that, due to the electrolytic increases and reductions in pH value, su

Abstract: Repairing a chamber coke oven by heat-insulating a repair space in the oven, dividing a brick wall in a portion to be repaired into a plurality of layers stacked one above another, dismantling and removing the brick wall in the repaired portion, and carrying refractory assemblies into the oven one by one, each of the refractory assemblies being manufactured outside the oven by combining a plurality of bricks together correspond in shape to each of the stacked layers in one-to-one relation, thereby building the brick wall in the repaired portion with the refractory assemblies. A damaged combustion chamber brick wall of the coke oven near an oven opening can be repaired with high efficiency.

Abstract: The invention concerns combinations of substances with (1) an aromatic mercaptothiazole or triazole, (2) a multiple substituted phenol insoluble in water, (3) L ascorbic acid or one of its salts and possibly (4) a suitable carboxylic acid/salt pair that after sublimation and condensation on metal surfaces can stabilize the pH value of a condensed water film in the range 4.8≦pH≦6.5 (referred to 25° C.), and use of the combinations of substances as vapor-phase corrosion inhibitors in packaging or for storage in closed spaces for protecting preferably metals that cannot be passivated, like copper, silver, manganese, magnesium and their alloys, against atmospheric corrosion.

Abstract: A multi-way cock including a substantially hollow-cylindrical housing with attachment bores on its outer circumference; a plug rotatably mounted in the housing and having a through-channel transverse to an axis of rotation and which may be aligned with the attachment bores in the housing; axially protruding engagement elements having locking grooves arranged on a base portion of the housing, which housing is closed at its bottom; and locking projections on an inner circumference of the hollow-cylindrical plug which are sized and shaped to engage the locking grooves.

Abstract: A device for dispensing fluid including a pressure-operated reservoir and a dose-metering head communicating with the reservoir to permit at least partial flow of the fluid to at least one outlet opening, the head including a fixed body and a membrane which, when at rest, comes into surface contact with at least a part of the fixed body on which the membrane is tightly mounted, the outlet opening being provided on an external element, wherein tightening of the membrane, during pressure operation of the reservoir, permits a flow from the reservoir via a peripheral space delimited by the membrane and by the part of the fixed body and which forms a passage for the fluid to the outlet opening, and, in the absence of pressure on the reservoir, to permit the membrane to occupy an equilibrium position in which the membrane is in surface contact with the part of the fixed body, by the intermediary of a thin film of fluid, essentially closing off the passage for the fluid, which essentially tightens the communication

Abstract: A composite textured helically wrapped multi-filament yarn, made up of two or more continuous filament textured yarns, each of which is of different color or dyeability from the other, each yarn being pigmented in a melt-spinning process, pre-dyed, or undyed with different dye affinities which are subsequently dyed, by wrapping the colored textured yarns into a composite yarn having repeated color change alternating cycles along its length, and the alternating cycles having between them a lengthwise color difference of about 15-97% or more on the circumferential surface of the yarn in either the red, green or blue primary colors, as measured by spectral analysis, between immediately adjacent lengths thereof, and each adjacent color length being between about 4 inches to 144 inches.

Abstract: This invention pertains to the emission control in motor vehicles but also in ships, airplanes and diesel locomotives. The control system may either be fitted into new vehicles by the manufacturer or be retrofitted by the driver in older vehicles. An adsorption system serves to reduce the vehicle emissions during the cold-start period, in case of malfunctions in the engine or in the exhaust gas after-treatment system and in times of high quantities of pollutants in the atmosphere. To regenerate the adsorbent masses, the pollutants will be desorbed, introduced into the combustion chamber and burned.

Abstract: A method for determining performance of a storage battery including evaluating a time profile of voltage drop in the storage battery by application of a heavy current load, determining a voltage A from voltage response U(t) of the storage battery after switching on the heavy current load, determining a state value A1 from the voltage value A, battery temperature TBAT and state of charge SOC, comparing state value A1 with a preset value A1x which depends at least on associated battery temperature (TBAT) and associated state of charge (SOC) of the storage battery, wherein the present value A1x is calculated from comparison values A1T which are determined from the state values A1 for previous heavy current loads applied to the storage battery, and determining performance of the storage battery from the difference between the present value A1x and the state value A1.

Abstract: This invention provides a highly pure and highly concentrated free hydroxylamine aqueous solution substantially not containing any salt or organic substance. This invention is a process for obtaining a free hydroxylamine aqueous solution, comprising the steps of letting an aqueous solution or slurry containing hydroxylammonium sulfate and an alkali react with each other, to obtain an aqueous solution or slurry containing free hydroxylamine and dissolved or partially precipitated sulfates; mixing the obtained reaction solution and a lower alcohol, to precipitate solid sulfates; separating a solution containing the lower alcohol and some of water by distillation from the aqueous solution remaining after separating and removing the solid sulfates; and obtaining a free hydroxylamine aqueous solution from the remaining solution by distillation.

Abstract: Methods for making 2-(&ohgr;-alkoxycarbonylalkanoyl)-4-butanolide and derivatives thereof, esters of &ohgr;-hydroxy-(&ohgr;-3)-ketoaliphatic acid and derivatives thereof, which are useful as a variety of synthetic raw materials and intermediates, and are prepared as intermediates in the production step of &ohgr;-hydroxyaliphatic acid being important intermediates of large cyclic lactone-based perfumes in the perfume industry.

Abstract: This invention is a method of, providing conductive tracks on a printed circuit including coating a substrate carrying printed tracks with an electro-plating solution with a tool which provides a first electrode of an electro-plating circuit and a second electrode provided by the tracks which are to be electroplated, the tool including an absorptive member in which plating solution can be carried; a first electrode of an electro-plating circuit adapted to make electrical contact with plating solution carried by the absorptive member; and at least one tool second electrode electrically insulated from the first electrode and spaced from the absorptive member, the tool second electrode being so positioned that as the absorptive member is wiped across a surface of a substrate, the second electrode contactor can be wiped across the surface of the substrate to contact electrically conductive regions of the substrate to form a second electrode of the electro-plating circuit therewith.

Abstract: An endoprosthesis for angioplasty of a vessel injured by an aneurysm wherein the vessel intersects another vessel and has an intersection point which forms right angles between axial lines extending through the vessels and wherein the vessel has a neck portion extending from the another vessel including an expandable frame covered by an impermeable material and having a beveled end adapted to engage the neck portion, wherein an angle of the beveled end is determined such that a front plane of the beveled end is substantially perpendicular to the axial line of the vessel at the intersection point.

Abstract: A mail processing system drop box assembly. The drop box assembly includes a diverter and a sliding board. The sliding board is positioned below the diverter. A top edge of the sliding board is substantially parallel to the bottom edge of the diverter and extends partially to the interior side of the diverter so that a space is left between the sliding board top edge and the diverter bottom edge. The space is of sufficient size to allow a mail item to pass through edgewise. A slide portion of the sliding board section is at an angle greater than 90° to a front portion of the diverter. Mail items are received into the drop box assembly edgewise at an angle to the diverter front portion such that mail items undergo a substantially abrupt directional change substantially stopping forward momentum and thereby falling into the slide in a substantially controlled manner. Further disclosed are a mail processing system and a mail processing method.

Abstract: The invention accelerates the growth of all types of plants, i.e. tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, tobacco, horticultural crops, and others, and increases plant health. The invention is designed to increase the rate of seedling growth in the soil or in the greenhouse; and produce seeds having a coating imparting resistance to disease, thereby decreasing the time required to produce transplants in seedling greenhouses prior to transplanting into agricultural fields; and develop “disease-suppressive” transplant plugs, which are protected for a time from multiple diseases through combined mechanisms of stimulated plant defense and increased activity of indigenous antagonistic microorganisms on plant roots. Compositions and methods of use are provided.

Abstract: This invention provides a process for producing an epoxy compound industrially advantageously at low cost in a short process. Furthermore, this invention provides a novel fruity, camphoric, floral, amber or woody fragrance-, flavor- or scent-imparting composition containing said epoxy compound, and foods & drinks, perfumes, cosmetics and tobaccos containing said composition. The epoxy compound can be produced by letting an &agr;-halocyclododecanone and an organic magnesium compound react with each other for Grignard reaction, hydrolyzing to obtain a halohydrin and letting the halohydrin and a base react with each other in the presence of an phase transfer catalyst or adding an aprotic polar solvent for reaction.

Abstract: A deodorant fibrous material contains (1) as a first deodorant material, at least one deodorant component selected from inorganic type and polyorganic acid, ester or salt type components, (2) as a second deodorant material, at least one hydrazine compound and (3) a synthetic resin binder. The deodorant fibrous material can be produced by applying to a fibrous material by a padding or coating method, a liquid composition containing the above components (1)-(3), followed by subsequent heat treatment.

Abstract: A polymer of ethylenically unsaturated monomer, for example, 1,3-butadiene, having a desired molecular weight and distribution thereof is produced, with a high stability, by preparing a solution of hydrogen in an inert organic solvent for the monomer in which a vapor-liquid phase equilibrium of hydrogen is attained, and then by addition-polymerizing the monomer in the hydrogen-dissolved inert organic solvent in the presence of a catalyst preferably including a metallocene complex of transition metal compound, an inert compound of a non-coordination anionic compound with a cationic compound, an organic metal (aluminum) compound and, optionally, water.

Abstract: An epoxy resin comprising (A) an epoxy resin, (B) a curing agent and (C) a filler, in which the epoxy resin (A) contains a bisphenol F-type epoxy compound (a), the filler (C) contains spherical silica and the filler (C) accounts for from 88 to 96% by weight of the resin composition, has good soldering heat resistance enough for high-temperature solder reflow and has good moldability. A semiconductor device encapsulated with the resin composition is useful for use in electronic appliances.