Abstract: An oxide type solid lubricant is made up of a sintered composite ceramic mass of Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3 and Na.sub.2 ZrO.sub.3 and has a Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3 content in the range of from 20 to 50% by weight.

Abstract: An alloy for occluding hydrogen is represented by the formula TiCr.sub.x Cu.sub.y (wherein x and y stand for numerical values satisfying the expressions, 0.01.ltoreq.y.ltoreq.0.4 and 1.3.ltoreq.x+y.ltoreq.2.0) and has an ability to occlude hydrogen at a lower temperature than the temperatures required by the conventional countertypes for occluding hydrogen.

Abstract: A method for the determination of smoke concentration is disclosed which comprises heating a sample smoke containing a SOF (soluble organic fraction) component and a dry soot component to a temperature not lower than the boiling point of the SOF component and not higher than the flash point of the dry soot component during the presence of the action of an oxidation catalyst thereby allowing the dry soot component in the waste smoke to be determined by measurement with a smoke tester in a state not affected by the SOF component.

Abstract: An elastically deformable die includes two or more die members formed of materials exhibiting different degrees of elastic deformation under the same stress which are combined and arranged such that the elastic deformation thereof under the pressure received from a workpiece during a forming operation causes the surface of the die in contact with the workpiece to be formed to a prescribed configuration. In die forming the composite die is brought in contact with a surface of the workpiece, the die is elastically deformed at the surface of contact by the pressure received from the workpiece during the forming process, and the workpiece is formed to the prescribed configuration by this deformation.

Abstract: A dispersion containing minute polymer beads possessing a thermosensitive characteristic is produced by a method which comprises preparing an aqueous solution of an acrylamide type vinyl compound, the homopolymer of which exhibits a hydrophilicity-hydrophobicity thermoreversible solubility characteristic, adding a cationic or anionic surfactant in a ratio equaling or exceeding the micelle concentration to the aqueous solution, adjusting the resultant aqueous solution to a temperature not lower than the clouding point thereof and, at the same time, polymerizing the acrylamide type vinyl compound in the aqueous solution thereby forming a polymer emulsion, exposing the emulsion to an ionizing radiation thereby cross-linking minute polymer beads in the emulsion, and thereafter depriving the resultant polymer emulsion of the surfactant.

Abstract: A diffraction grating comprises the plurality of grating rings provided at positions such that their radii r are selected so that a function .phi.(r) of r satisfies the following differential equation and initial conditions, ##EQU1## where .lambda. is the wavelength of a scanning light beam, f is the focal length of the diffraction grating, r is the radius from the center of diffraction grating, M is the distance from the diffraction grating to a scanning surface expressed as a multiple of the focal length f, and moreover the relation.phi.(r)=n+.phi.(0)n=0, 1, 2, . . .(n is a non-negative integer)is satisfied.

Abstract: A selectively water-permeable hydrolyzed membrane characterized in that it is mainly made of a material which can generate a carboxyl group by hydrolysis and that a part of the material is hydrolyzed to have carboxyl groups, which may be further coated with a hydrophilic polymer. The above membrane is useful as a selectively water-permeable membrane and is applicable not only to pervaporation and vapor permeation, but also to reverse osmosis, dehumidification of air and so on.

Abstract: Torque generating device using shape memory alloy consisting of multiple casings arranged at equal distances around the periphery of a rotatable wheel, each casing housing a coil of shape memory alloy. Part of the wheel is in a high temperature region where the temperature is higher than the transformation temperature of the shape memory alloy and part of the wheel is in a low temperature region where the temperature is lower than the transformation temperature of the shape memory alloy. When in the high temperature region the reversion force of the alloy rotates the rotatable wheel and in the low temperature region the alloy is forcibly deformed.

Abstract: Charged particles are generated and are subjected to a spatial distribution. Images of the distributed charged particles are formed on a screen and are processed to count the number of the charged particles.

Abstract: A pillared clay possessing a desired amount of pillers is produced by heating clay thereby changing the cation-exchange capacity owned by the clay and then adding a cation oligomer as a pillar precursor to the clay thereby causing the oligomer to exchange ion with the cation of the clay.

Abstract: Residual extracellular protease activities of a Bacillus subtilis strain can be further reduced by introducing a gene for the stimulation of extracellular protease levels into the genomic DNA of the strain.The resultant strain whose extracellular protease activities are further reduced is transformed with a recombinant plasmid for secretion of a desired protein and the desired protein can be efficiently produced and accumulated in the culture medium in a large amount. The accumulated desired protein can be easily recovered from the culture medium.For example, the accumulation level of human growth hormone secreted by a B. subtilis MT-430 strain carrying recombinant DNA phGH427 for the expression and secretion of human growth hormone can be increased five to tenfold as a result of the above treatment for reduction of the residual extracellular protease activities of the extracellular protease-activity-deficient strain.

Abstract: The cation-exchange capacity of montmorillonite decreased in consequence of fixation of ion is restored by subjecting the montmorillonite to a hydrothermal treatment.

Abstract: A spiral wound gasket is formed by winding combinedly and spirally a metal strip having at least one bend along its lateral direction and a belt-shaped filler in such a way that the metal strip and the filler are laminated together along their longitudinal direction and the filler protrudes from both lateral edges of the metal strip. The spiral wound gasket employs, as the filler, a flexible tape of carbon/carbon composites having a structure in which a carbon fiber, in the form of a bundle or string, is contained in the interior of an expanded graphite tape and the carbon fiber is located at the bend of the flexible tape formed when the laminate of the flexible tape and the metal strip in is wound. The spiral wound gasket is used as a pipe fitting etc. under high temperature and pressure conditions.

Abstract: A surge absorption device includes fundamentally a first semiconductor region, a second semiconductor region forming a pn junction between itself and the first region, a third region determining the effective thickness of the second region, and a fourth region provided in contact with the first region and forming an injection junction for causing first minority carriers of a kind the same as that of minority carriers in the first region to be injected into the first region. When a depletion layer formed by application of reverse bias across the pn junction reaches the third region, a punch-through region is formed in the second region. In this state, when minority carriers are injected from the fourth region into the first region, the minority carriers are absorbed by the second region to constitute the device current.

Abstract: A method of die forming using an elastically deformable die is characterized by using a die provided in advance with a prescribed pattern of thickness variation, allowing the die to be elastically deformed by the pressure it receives from the material being formed during the forming operation, and forming the material to the configuration resulting from the deformation.

Abstract: A joint sintered high-temperature superconductive ceramic article is obtained by joining two sintered high-temperature superconductive ceramic masses formed of oriented crystal grains in such a manner that the directions of grain-orientation are different across the interface of union and pressing the joined ceramic masses against each other perpendicularly to the interface of union and, at the same time, heating them.

Abstract: An optical isolator in which a mirror is arranged in the waveguide path to provide Fresnel reflection of the propagating light and change the light path direction by 90 degrees, the light path from the waveguide input plane to the mirror forms a first region in which magneto-optic-induced non-reciprocal mode conversion takes place, and the part of the light path from the mirror to the waveguide output plane forms a second region in which reciprocal mode conversion takes place, and mode selectors or polarizers are provided at the light input and output planes.

Abstract: A dense coating of a calcium phosphate compound is formed on the surface of a bioadaptable ceramic substrate by applying to the ceramic calcium metaphosphate alone or a mixture of calcium metaphosphate with calcium pyrophosphate, heat-treating the applied layer thereby fusing the applied layer to the surface of the ceramic, then applying to the fused layer a slurry resulting from the mixture of calcium metaphosphate with tetracalcium phosphate, and subsequently heat-treating the applied layer of the slurry thereby inducing reaction of the slurry.

Abstract: A high stability interferometer is capable of continuous measurement of small changes in the refractive index of a sample. The interferometer has a diffraction grating placed to be movable sideways or radially, and diffract laser light into beams which include +1, -1 and zero order beams. The diffraction grating is in the input plane of a Fourier Transform lens. The beams are brought to a focus in the output plane of the lens and are reflected back towards the lens by a mirror placed in the transform plane of the lens. The sample whose refractive index is to be measured is placed in the path of the +1 or -1 order beam, between the diffraction grating and the mirror.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for the regeneration of a methanol-reforming talyst reduced in activity due to its use in a reaction in which methanol is modified, in the presence of water if necessary, to produce a hydrogen-containing gas. The catalyst contains copper as a principal component and at least one metal selected from the group consisting of zinc, nickel, chromium and aluminum. The method comprises exposing the catalyst to an atmosphere having a temperature of 120.degree.-650.degree. C. and a molecular oxygen concentration not higher than 5 mole %.