Abstract: The invention provides a filter element which has a reduced initial pressure loss, can reduce an energy cost and can secure a high air flow rate, a filter element which has an elongated gas removing service life and filtering service life while keeping a high gas removing performance and a high dust removing efficiency, a manufacturing method and a method of use of the same. In a filter element (10) in which a pleated composite substrate (11) obtained by lapping or laminating an nonwoven fabric sheet including a fiber constituted by a thermoplastic resin and a gas removal sheet is pleated, and a pleated shape of the pleated composite substrate (11) is held by a shape retaining member (12a), a thickness of the nonwoven fabric sheet is increased at least 5% when heated to 60 degree C.

Abstract: A disc clamping mechanism includes a clamp board, a clamp base, a first supporting unit and a second supporting unit. The clamp board rotatably clamps a disc in cooperation with a turntable to be rotated in a housing. The clamp base rotatably supports the clamp board at a position opposite to the turntable, and is movable so as to move away from or come into contact with the turntable. The first supporting unit comes into contact with a first peripheral edge of the clamp board protruding from the clamp base when the clamp board moves away from the disc according to the movement of the clamp base, to exert pushing force in a direction of the turntable side and pushing force in a direction of the clamp base side against the first peripheral edge. The second supporting unit is provided at the clamp base, and securely supports the second peripheral edge of the clamp board situated at a position opposite to the first peripheral edge when the first peripheral edge is pushed by the first supporting unit.

Abstract: A connector capable of facilitating the insertion of a connected object, and obtaining a sufficient contact force. Contacts are held by a housing including a receiving space into which is inserted FPC. An actuator is mounted in the housing in a manner pivotally movable between open position for inserting FPC into the space, and closed position for holding FPC therein. The contacts have respective seesaw-type beams having one ends thereof formed with portions for contact with FPC, and the other ends thereof formed with power point portions for receiving the turning force of the actuator. The actuator has pressing portions for pushing downward the power point portions when open, to thereby lift them to move the contact portions out of the space, and cam portions for pushing upward the same when closed, to thereby push them downward to cause the contact portions to enter the space.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a method of patterning a self-organizing material whereby a self-organizing material having a self-organization ability such as a nucleic acid can be aligned and immobilized in a desired manner on a substrate by using the imprint process, a patterned substrate of a self-organizing material and a method of producing the same, and a photomask. An immobilization layer containing a binder capable of binding to a self-organizing material is formed on a substrate. Then this immobilization layer is patterned by transferring an uneven pattern formed in a mold thereto by the imprint process. The self-organizing material is supplied onto the face having the uneven pattern of the immobilization layer transferred thereto. Thus, the self-organizing material is immobilized following the uneven pattern of the immobilization layer owing to the self-organization ability of the material per se and the binding ability of the binder contained in the immobilization layer.

Abstract: In an information recording medium comprising at least a substrate, a recording layer, and a resin layer, the substrate is formed with at least a pit corresponding to a read only area 31 and a groove corresponding to a recording/reproducing area 32 without overlapping with each other. A reflectivity of the recording layer is specified to be more than 10%. The recording layer and the resin layer are continuously adhered over both the read only and recording/reproducing areas 31 and 32. The information recording medium is characterized in that both push-pull signal outputs T1 and T2, which are reproduced from the read only area 31 and the recording/reproducing area 32 respectively, are more than 0.1 and satisfy an inequality 1.5?T1/T2?0.5.

Abstract: In an information recording medium comprising at least a substrate, a recording layer, and a resin layer, the substrate is formed with at least a pit corresponding to a read only area 31 and a groove corresponding to a recording/reproducing area 32 without overlapping with each other. A reflectivity of the recording layer is specified to be more than 10%. The recording layer and the resin layer are continuously adhered over both the read only and recording/reproducing areas 31 and 32. The information recording medium is characterized in that both push-pull signal outputs T1 and T2, which are reproduced from the read only area 31 and the recording/reproducing area 32 respectively, are more than 0.1 and satisfy an inequality 1.5?T1/T2?0.5.

Abstract: An easily adhesive polyester film is provided which is used for protection of the back side of a solar cell, the adhesive polyester film comprising a polyester film and a resin film situated on a surface of the polyester film, the resin film comprising a crosslinking agent and a resin selected from the group consisting of a polyester resin having a glass transition point of 20 to 100° C., an acrylic resin having a glass transition point of 20 to 100° C., a combination of the resins and a combination of at least one of the resins and a polyvinyl alcohol having a saponification degree of 70 to 90 mol %. This film has excellent adhesion to EVA while having excellent mechanical properties, heat resistance and moisture resistance.

Abstract: There is provided an optical fiber device including two optical fibers, rod lenses, and an optical functional element. The two rod lenses have the same refractive index distribution and the front face of each is respectively formed, at the approximate midpoint of a position where the mode field diameter of the propagating light emitted from the optical fiber and propagating through the interior of the rod lens forms a local maximum, and a position where the mode field diameter, in case the same rod lens is assumed to be extended in the axial direction, forms a local minimum subsequent to the aforementioned local maximum, in the propagation direction of the same propagating light, perpendicularly to the axis. Also, both front faces of the two rod lenses are arranged symmetrically with respect to a point where a beam waist is formed.

Abstract: An optical disk consists of a first laminated layer structure and a second laminated layer structure. The first structure has a first transparent substrate having a first surface and a second surface on both sides thereof, provided on the first surface being a light-incident plane via which a light beam is to be incident in recording or reproduction, formed alternately on the second surface being a plurality of first lands and first grooves, and a first organic-dye recording layer formed on the second surface to cover the first lands and grooves. The second structure has a second substrate, alternately formed on which are a plurality of second lands and second grooves, a reflective film formed on the second transparent substrate to cover the second lands and grooves, and a second organic-dye recording layer formed on the reflective film to face the second transparent substrate.

Abstract: There is disclosed an optical wireless transmission apparatus in which a pilot light emitting section of a receiving/emitting section sends a pilot light in a wavelength region of 930 nm to 960 nm to a target apparatus, and a light receiving device having a light receiving sensitivity only to the same wavelength region of 930 nm to 960 nm receives light sent from the target apparatus. When the pilot light in the wavelength region of 930 nm to 960 nm is used, the pilot light is not obstructed by sunlight, and therefore optical axis adjustment can be mutually and exactly performed by the use of the pilot light sent from the target apparatus.

Abstract: Methods for collecting cells in M phase or G1 phase, by which the percentage of M phase or G1 phase cells is higher than that attained by the conventional methods are disclosed.

Abstract: A novel technique that is able to efficiently remove, in addition to pentavalent arsenic, trivalent arsenic that has been considered to be difficult to remove. By using a manganese oxygen compound which is characterized by being a product of burning or heating which comprises an oxygen compound of bismuth and an oxygen compound of manganese and by containing manganese as a major component, an aqueous arsenic solution is treated to adsorptively remove the arsenic.

Abstract: A zirconium-loaded fibrous adsorbent material having phosphoryl groups which is produced by first grafting a reactive monomer having phosphoryl groups onto a polymeric substrate and then loading zirconium.

Abstract: A vehicle seat lift speed variable switch system basically has a lift-up mechanism, a control unit and an interface. The lift-up mechanism is configured to selectively lower and lift a vehicle seat between a first position inside a vehicle occupant compartment and a second position outside the vehicle occupant compartment. The control unit is configured to control lowering and lifting movements of the vehicle seat via the lift-up mechanism. The interface is configured to transmit a command signal to the control unit. The interface includes a lift switch and a lift speed variable switch. The control unit is further configured to operate the lift-up mechanism to move the vehicle seat at a predetermined speed when an input is received from only the lift switch, and at a different speed from than the predetermined speed when simultaneous inputs are received from the lift speed variable switch and the lift switch.

Abstract: A composite solid strong acid comprising, a solid acid and a carbon material, wherein said solid acid is obtained by heat treating of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to which the carbon material is blended in concentrated sulfuric acid or fuming sulfuric acid, transforming said polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to a solid acid which is insoluble in a polar solvent by condensation and sulfonation further compositing with said carbon material.

Abstract: A pedestrian navigation device (10A) of this invention comprises a position information reception portion (12), which obtains current position information from a GPS (20); a position information analysis portion (13), which analyzes current position information received by the position information reception portion (12) and calculates the current position; a MAPDB (Map Data Base) (14), which stores map information; a central processing portion (11), which calculates current position display information, based on the current position calculated by the position information analysis portion (13) and on map information stored in the MAPDB (14); a display portion, which displays current position display information calculated by the central processing portion (11); and an input portion (16), which inputs route search conditions and issues instructions to begin navigation.

Abstract: A novel amino acid transporter molecule mediating transportation of amino acids, which are nutrients essentially required in the survival and proliferation of various normal cells constituting a living body and various pathology-associated abnormal cells such as tumor cells, into cells and being expressed specifically in tumor cells compared with normal cells; and drugs for treating various pathogenic conditions such as tumor (cancer) which are obtained by identifying and isolating the above amino acid transporter molecule and identifying a substance capable of inhibiting the biological activity and/or expression of this molecule. Intensive studies were made to identify a tumor cell membrane surface molecule associating or interacting with a cell membrane surface 4F2hc molecule seemingly playing an important role in the activation of an unknown amino acid transporter.

Abstract: The invention of this application provides a protein polymer of 8 to 15 proteins in association, wherein each protein has the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, and where the protein polymer has an unfold activity on the higher-order structure of a protein and this protein polymer is useful for the development of therapeutic agents of various diseases due to the failure in the formation of the higher-order structure of a protein, and the like.

Abstract: A portable terminal monitors a signal level of a short-range wireless signal from a wireless communication apparatus. If the signal level drops so low that a state of connection for short-range wireless communications cannot be maintained between the two apparatuses, use of predetermined functions of the portable terminal is limited. A short-range wireless communication facility of the portable terminal and the wireless communication apparatus move into a particular operation mode if communications do not occur therebetween at least for a predetermined time period. In monitoring the signal level of the wireless signal from the wireless communication apparatus in the particular operation mode, the portable terminal reduces a response speed at which to detect a signal level change.

Abstract: A magnetic disc unit includes a rotating disc type magnetic disc having an outer periphery, and a carriage arm linked to a head support mechanism for a recording/reproducing head. A base has an outer periphery and mounts the rotating disc type magnetic disc and the carriage arm, and has a side wall with an inner wall surface having an opening for inserting the carriage arm. The inner wall surface of the side wall defines a shroud surrounding the outer periphery of the magnetic disc, except at the opening in the side wall where the shroud is projected inwardly so as to decrease an opening angle of the opening in the side wall. A gap between the outer periphery of the magnetic disc and the shroud is set in a range not less than 0.1 mm but not greater than 0.6 mm.