Abstract: A method for producing 4?-demethylnobiletin or 4?-demethyltangeretin including fermenting a skin derived from at least one citrus fruit selected from citrus fruits belonging to section Acrumen in subgenus Metacitrus in genus Citrus or citrus fruits belonging to section Aurantium in subgenus Archicitrus in genus Citrus, or a water extract product thereof using one or more Aspergillus molds selected from Aspergillus kawachii, Aspergillus awamori, Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus sojae, Aspergillus saitoi, and Aspergillus usamii to obtain a fermented product.

Abstract: A fermentation product (fermented food) that has high functionality by subjecting a fructan-containing material (in particular, a material including garlic or rakkyo containing fructan at a high concentration) directly to lactic acid fermentation without performing a heat treatment or an enzymatic treatment. More specifically, provided are: a fermentation product having an immunopotentiating effect, which is obtained by lactic acid fermentation of a fructan-containing material using a lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum S506 strain (MITE BP-643) having fructan-utilizing ability, a mutant strain of the S506 strain having fructan-utilizing ability, or a strain isolated from Lactobacillus plantarum and having the same bacteriological properties as those of the S506 strain; and a fermented food which contains the fermentation product.

Abstract: A method for producing an orally ingestible composition containing an arabinofuranosyl vitexin and/or a hydrolysate thereof by using Basella alba as a raw material. The product of such method has a sedative effect and a sleep-inducing effect.

Abstract: The hair growth promoter of the present invention contains extracts from two or three of mulberry bark (mulberry root bark of Morus bombycis Koidzumi and Morus alba Linne or a plant of the same genus as that of them), leaves of persimmon (Diospyros Kaki Thunb) and leaves of paulownia (Paulowinia tomantosa Steud. or plants of the same genus as that thereof) as the active ingredients for restoring or growing hair.The hair growth promoter of the present invention has an effect of accelerating the proliferation of the human hair follicle cells which constitute the human hair follicle and which form the hair and also an effect of accelerating the hair growth in mice. When the hair growth promoter is applied to the human beings, excellent effects of preventing the hair from falling out and accelerating the hair growth are obtained. Thus, the hair growth promoter of the present invention is effectively usable for the treatment or prevention of an alopecia such as premature alopecia or alopecia diffuse.

Abstract: Writing means using volatile ink, aqueous ink or the like writing comprises: a cylindrical body; a writing unit disposed at the lower surface of the body; and a cylindrical closing member rotatably and vertically movably attached to the lower end of the body. The writing unit includes an ink tank and a pen tip attached to the ink tank. The closing member is provided at the lower surface thereof with a cap unit for hermetically covering the pen tip and with a through-hole in which the pen tip is vertically movable. The rotation and vertical movement of the closing member with respect to the body selectively provides two states, i.e., one state where the pen tip is hermetically covered with the cap unit, and the other state where the pen tip projects from the pen-tip hole. Thus, according to the writing means of the present invention, the manipulation is simple, and there is no possibility that the ink is erroneously evaporated or the cap is lost.

Abstract: A method for detecting and correcting an error that has occurred in a digital computer, comprises the steps of: counting the number of mark bits in each predetermined area of each of component units constituting data, each of the component units being expected to be represented by one of reference representations; detecting the occurrence of an error in the area when the count value is not identical with any of preset reference values in the corresponding areas; and correcting the component unit of the data in which the error has been detected, by a reference representation having a reference value in the corresponding area which is the closest to the count value.

Abstract: A method of transporting objects wherein when the presence of one or more object is detected in a first stock apparatus, a transfer apparatus adapted to transport objects picks up one of the objects from said first stock apparatus and transports it towards a second stock apparatus, and only when the presence of a space for mounting such objects in said second stock apparatus is detected, said transfer apparatus transfers said object onto said second stock apparatus.

Abstract: A method of transporting objects wherein when the presence of one or more object is detected in a first stock apparatus, a transfer apparatus adapted to transport objects picks up one of the objects from said first stock apparatus and transports it towards a second stock apparatus, and only when the presence of a space for mounting such objects in said second stock apparatus is detected, said transfer apparatus transfers said object onto said second stock apparatus.