Abstract: Disclosed is an improvement in the process for the preparation of amorphous silicic acid particles useful, for example, as a filtration aid comprising the steps of a hydrothermal reaction to prepare calcium silicate particles and decalcification of the calcium silicate particles, after or without undertaking carbonation by the reaction of carbon dioxide, with an acid to form particles of amorphous silicic acid followed by drying of the amorphous silicic acid particles.

Abstract: A microorganism belonging to the genus Staphylococcus or the genus Streptomyces which is capable of degrading a polylactic acid resin. A method of degrading a polylactic acid resin including a step of culturing a microorganism capable of degrading a polylactic acid resin in a medium containing a polylactic acid resin. In particular, the microorganisms Streptomyces violaceusniger FERM BP-6110 and Streptomyces cyaneus FERM BP-6111 are used.

Abstract: An object is positioned in space by using a beam splitter to split a low-coherence laser light beam into a probe beam and a reference beam. The probe beam is projected at the target object, while the reference beam is reflected by a pair of mirrors synchronized along light paths and scanned at different amplitudes, to form two beams of equal intensity, and light reflected by the object and the interference fringes are detected together to obtain fringe signals with sharpened profile lines.

Abstract: A process for the production of a hydrogen gas from water, wherein comprising an aqueous solution containing ferric ions is irradiated with a light while maintaining the aqueous solution in contact with a photocatalyst to convert the ferric ions into ferrous ions. The resulting aqueous solution containing the ferrous ions is electrolyzed to yield a hydrogen gas.

Abstract: A method of non-contact micromanipulation using ultrasound includes disposing in a liquid medium in which micro particles are distributed, an ultrasound transducer comprising a transducer plate, a surface electrode wholly covering a first principal surface of the transducer plate and a reverse surface electrode on a second principal surface of the transducer plate comprising a plurality of short electrode strips arranged in parallel, and a reflector set in parallel opposition to the first principal surface of the transducer plate from which the reflector is spaced apart by a prescribed distance, applying a voltage to at least one electrode strip selected from the plurality of electrode strips to radiate ultrasound to form a standing wave field between the ultrasound transducer and the reflector to trap micro particles, and electrically switching the voltage being applied to the selected electrode strip to an adjacent electrode strip to move the standing wave field by moving a position of ultrasound radiated b

Abstract: Nitrogen oxides are removed from an exhaust gas containing nitrogen oxides and oxygen in a proportion larger than its stoichiometric proportion relative to unburned components in the exhaust gas, by (i) disposing an exhaust gas cleaner in a flow path, the exhaust gas cleaner comprising a first catalyst composed of 0.2-20 parts by weight (on a metal basis) of silver or silver oxide supported on a porous inorganic oxide, and a second catalyst composed of 1-50 parts by weight of tungsten and/or vanadium supported on a porous inorganic oxide; (ii) introducing oxygen-containing organic compounds having 2 or more carbon atoms or a fuel containing the oxygen-containing organic compounds into the exhaust gas on the upstream side of the exhaust gas cleaner; and (iii) bringing the exhaust gas into contact with the exhaust gas cleaner at a temperature of 150-650.degree. C., thereby causing a reaction of the nitrogen oxides with the oxygen-containing organic compounds to remove the nitrogen oxides.

Abstract: A method for the manufacture of a ceramic composite fiber in which a second phase is dispersed within a matrix fiber, wherein the matrix consists of a substance selected from alumina, zirconia, mullite, YAG, silica, magnesia, nitrides, carbides, metals, alloys, and polymers; the second phase consists of a substance selected from zirconia, mullite, YAG, other oxides, and metals; and the composite fiber can be produced by synthesizing a fiber from a precursor solution containing the substance of the matrix, and the second phase starting solution dispersed through the solution, and then heating the fiber.

Abstract: The invention relates to a copper-based catalyst with high activity and a long catalyst life and to a method of producing the catalyst. This catalyst essentially comprises copper oxide, zinc oxide, aluminum oxide, and silicon oxide and optionally containing zirconium oxide, gallium oxide, and palladium oxide, wherein with the total weight of the catalyst being taken as 100%, the above oxides account for, in the order mentioned, 20-60 weight %, 10-50 weight %, 2-10 weight %, 0.3-0.9 weight %, 0-40 weight %, 0-10 weight %, and 0-10 weight %, respectively, and the silicon oxide mentioned above has been derived from colloidal silica or dissolved silica in water, which catalyst has been subjected to calcination at 480-690.degree. C.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for the preparation of a sorbent capable of efficiently and selectively sorbing cesium ions from an aqueous solution. The method comprises impregnating the pores of a high-porosity carrier material such as silica gel and porous adsorbent resin with water-soluble potassium or sodium hexacyanoferrate (II) and contacting the carrier material with a solution of a copper salt in a solvent in which the water-soluble hexacyanoferrate (II) is hardly soluble such as ethyl alcohol to convert the water-soluble hexacyanoferrate (II) into water-insoluble copper hexacyanoferrate (II). The cesium ions sorbed on the sorbent can be readily desorbed and the sorbent can readily be regenerated. Alternatively, the carrier material is impregnated with a water-soluble hexacyanoferrate (III) which is converted into copper hexacyanoferrate (III) followed by a reducing reaction of the same into copper hexacyanoferrate (II).

Abstract: A material of ions is sputtered with cesium ions to generate negative ions and, the negative ions are accelerated and mass-separated to obtain a negative ion beam, and a material of thin film is sputtered with the negative ion beam, thereby forming a thin film on a base material.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a light valve device comprises forming a substrate having stacked layers including a light-shielding thin film layer, an insulating film, and a single crystalline semiconductor thin film stacked in this order on a transparent support substrate. A light-shielding layer pattern is formed by selectively etching the stacked layers. Thereafter, a switching element is formed comprised of a transistor having a channel region formed in the single crystalline semiconductor thin film and a main gate electrode covering the channel region. The channel region is provided over the light-shielding pattern layer to prevent light incident from the transparent support substrate from illuminating the channel region to suppress a photo-induced leakage current in the channel region. A transparent electrode is formed and is electrically connected to the switching element.

Abstract: A Group III atomic layer required for fabrication of a semiconductor quantum nanostructure is grown to be properly restricted to a monolayer.A substrate is configured to have a fast-growth surface portion where growth of a Ga atomic layer proceeds at a relatively high rate and a slow-growth surface portion where the growth of the Ga atomic layer proceeds at a relatively low rate. Ga atoms are supplied to the fast-growth surface portion in an amount not less than that which grows one layer of the Group III atoms. Excess Ga atoms on the fast-growth surface portion are allowed to migrate to the slow-growth surface portion by surface migration, thereby growing only one layer of the Ga atoms on the fast-growth surface portion.

Abstract: An actuator comprises a base, a guide assembly mounted on the base, a first displacing unit mounted on the base for displacement into engagement with the guide assembly to place the first displacing unit in a fixed state and for displacement in a moving direction along the guide assembly when the first displacing unit is not in a fixed state, and a second displacing unit integrally connected to the first displacing unit and mounted on the base for displacement in the moving direction along the guide assembly. A holder is mounted in contact with the guide assembly for movement with the second displacing unit and for supporting the second displacing unit on the guide assembly with a frictional force weaker than a force with which the first displacing unit is maintained in the fixed state to thereby allow the second displacing unit and the holder to move in the moving direction while the holder contacts the guide assembly and while the first displacing unit is in the fixed state.

Abstract: A method of determining the charge and/or discharge capacities of non-aqueous batteries with an operating voltage of about 4 volts, is provided including determining an inverse molar susceptibility value at each of a plurality of different temperatures for a plurality of lithium manganese spinel oxide cathode materials having different respective Mn valencies; plotting the inverse molar susceptibility values against temperatures for each of the plurality of lithium manganese spinel oxide cathode materials; determining values of at least one of two paramagnetic parameters, Weiss temperature and effective magnetic moment, by obtaining the temperature dependence of the above inverse molar susceptibility from a plot derived from the Curie-Weiss law, the Weiss temperature corresponding to a temperature value extrapolated to a zero point of the inverse molar susceptibility and the effective magnetic moment being obtainable from the gradient value of the plot; producing plural rechargeable lithium batteries in which

Abstract: A partially-oxidizing catalyst for hydrocarbon contains gold, titanium oxide and a carrier whose specific surface area is not less than 50 m.sup.2 /g. The carrier is preferably made from silicon oxide and/or aluminum oxide. The content of gold in the catalyst is preferably set in the range of 0.005 to 5% by weight. Further, another partially-oxidizing catalyst for a hydrocarbon contains gold, a titanium-containing metal oxide, and at least one element selected from the group consisting of an alkaline metal, an alkaline-earth metal and thallium. With these compositions, it becomes possible to provide a partially-oxidizing catalyst for a hydrocarbon having superior activity and selectivity in partially oxidizing the hydrocarbon in the presence of hydrogen and oxygen. Moreover, a partially-oxidizing method for a hydrocarbon is used for partially oxidizing the hydrocarbon by using any of the above-mentioned partially-oxidizing catalysts in the presence of hydrogen and oxygen.

Abstract: A lipid represented by the following formula:MO--(CO--CH.sub.2 --NH).sub.p --CO--(CH.sub.2).sub.n --CO--(NH--CH.sub.2 --CO).sub.q --OMwherein M represents a hydrogen atom or an alkali metal, n is an integer of 6-18 and p and q each represent an integer of at least 1 with the proviso that a total of p and q is not greater than 6. When an aqueous solution of an alkali metal salt of the lipid is allowed to stand for 2-3 weeks, a fibrous microtube including a tubular body having a diameter of 1-3 .mu.m and a plurality of spherical vesicles contained within the tubular body and having a diameter of 0.1-3 .mu.m is formed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a ceramic film with a variety of structures having one-dimensional through channels which can be utilized favorably in the separation of molecules or microparticles or as a support film for a catalyst with a large surface area or for a catalyst of high activity, and also provides a method for manufacturing this film efficiently and with good reproducibility, and the present invention relates to a ceramic film having one-dimensional through channels, which is a porous ceramic film having nanometer-size pores that go through one-dimensionally from one surface of the film to the other surface, characterized in that the porous ceramic film is formed on a substrate of glass, ceramic, or a heat-resistant metal; and relates to a method for manufacturing the above-mentioned ceramic film.

Abstract: A process for producing a metal-base sinter, comprising sintering coated metal particles wherein the particles are prepared for sintering by the steps of: dispersing a powder of metal core particles in a gaseous atmosphere to form a mixture of a gas and particles in a powder of highly dispersed core particles; charging a precursor for the coat forming substance that has been formed via the vapor phase and/or a precursor for the coat forming substance in a vapor-phase state and the mixture of the gas and the powder of highly dispersed core particles that have a predetermined dispersity according to the average diameter of the core particles in a coating start region of a coating space; coating the surfaces of the core particles with the coat forming substance by allowing the precursor to contact and/or impinge against the core particles; shaping and sintering the thus coated metal core particles or a mixture containing them under appropriate sintering conditions.

Abstract: A process for producing a ceramic-base sinter, comprising sintering coated ceramic particles wherein the particles are prepared for sintering by the steps of: dispersing a powder of ceramic core particles in a gaseous atmosphere to form a mixture of a gas and particles in a powder of highly dispersed core particles; charging a precursor for the coat forming substance that has been formed via the vapor phase and/or a precursor for the coat forming substance in a vapor-phase state and the mixture of the gas and the powder of highly dispersed core particles that have a predetermined dispersity according to the average diameter of the core particles in a coating start region of a coating space; coating the surfaces of the core particles with the coat forming substance by allowing the precursor to contact and/or impinge against the core particles; shaping and sintering the thus coated ceramic core particles or a mixture containing them under appropriate sintering conditions.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing crystalline microporous material suitable for manufacturing a variety of crystalline microporous material under mild reaction conditions and under safe working environmental conditions by using simple installation. The crystalline microporous materials obtained by the present invention may be used as adsorbent agent, catalyst or separating material. According to the characterizing features of the manufacturing method of the present invention, there are provided a method of using cation compound or amine as crystallizing modifier and using, in combination, raw material including canemite or silicon dioxide and a further method using raw material including silicon dioxide and aluminum salt. The method includes a step of mixing these components, a solid-liquid separating step for separating produced fine particles, and a crystallizing step for crystallizing the separated solid component.