Abstract: A vehicle door latch device comprises an open lever (24) for connection to an outside open handle (25), a lock lever (34) for connection to an inside lock button (36) through a rod (101), an over-center spring (42) for elastically keeping the lock lever (34) in one of an unlocked position (U) and a locked position (L), a double action mechanism (27) for connection to an inside open handle (28), and an antitheft mechanism (100) having an antitheft spring (105) with elasticity weaker than elasticity of the over-center spring (42). The antitheft spring (105) is arranged to be compressed without displacing the lock lever (34) from the locked position (L) to the unlocked position (U) when the rod (101) is moved in an unlocking direction by an illegal access while the lock lever (34) is being in the locked position (L).

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of producing a taxane-type diterpene(s) wherein tissues or cells of a plant which produces taxane-type diterpene(s) is cultured in the presence of at least one selected from the group consisting of jasmonic acids, compounds containing a heavy metal, complex ions containing a heavy metal, heavy metal ions, amines and antiethylene agents, a method of producing a taxane-type diterpene wherein the tissues or the cells of the plant are cultured by controlling the oxygen concentration in a gas phase in a culture vessel to less than the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere from the initial stage of the culture, or by controlling the dissolved oxygen concentration in a fluid medium which is in contact with the tissue or the cell to less than the saturated dissolved oxygen concentration at that temperature from the initial stage of the culture, a method of producing a taxane-type diterpene wherein the tissue or the cell of the plant is cultured in a culture vessel, while oxygenic g

Abstract: A process for producing a thermoelectric material comprising mixing at least two of bismuth, tellurium, selenium, and antimony and, if desired, a dopant, melting the mixture, grinding the resulting alloy ingot, forming the powder, and sintering the green body under normal pressure, or hot pressing the powder, wherein the grinding and the normal sintering or hot pressing are carried out in the presence of a solvent represented by CnH2n+1OH or CnH2n+2CO (wherein n is 1, 2 or 3).

Abstract: A method of operating an alkali chloride electrolytic cell, comprising: providing an alkali chloride electrolytic cell comprising a gas diffusion cathode and a cation-exchange membrane, the gas diffusion cathode and cation-exchange membrane defining a caustic chamber; allowing a caustic alkali aqueous solution to flow in the caustic chamber at a linear velocity of at least 1 cm/sec.

Abstract: Crystalline polypropylene contains components insoluble in 64° C. decane satisfying the characteristics involving intrinsic viscosity; Mz/Mn; pentadvisotacticity, D value and Mw/Mn, are excellent in hardness and rigidity, high in melt tension, and excellent in molding properties. Processes for preparing such crystalline polypropylenes, and polypropylene compositions and thermoformed products that contain such crystalline polypropylenes are also described. The number-average molecular weight Mn of the components insoluble in 64° C. decane is preferably 25000 or more.

Abstract: A method for forming a continuous material by connecting sheet materials which are used in various fields including the processing of metal foils, the processing of metal-plastic composite film material, and the processing of thermoplastic resin films such as polyimides, and an apparatus used for carrying out this method comprising a hot press, a material locking device and an accumulator. A continuous material can be formed by interposing a resin bonding layer between the trailing edge of a sheet material and the leading edge of another sheet material, and subjecting this part to thermocompression bonding.

Abstract: A polypropylene resin-containing flexible resin composition can provide molded products well-balanced among flexibility, heat resistance and compression set and having improved scratch resistance and transparency and which exhibits such high flowability as to cause excellent moldability, and a molded product thereof. The flexible resin composition of the invention is prepared in the presence of a metallocene catalyst and comprises an ethylene/&agr;-olefin random copolymer (A) and a polypropylene resin (B) in a specific ratio. The flexible resin composition has excellent moldability, so that it can be favorably used as a resin composition for injection molding, extrusion molding and compression molding. The flexible resin molded product produced from the flexible resin composition is well balanced among flexibility, heat resistance and compression set and has excellent scratch resistance and transparency.

Abstract: The present invention is intended to provide an olefin polymerization catalyst comprising a novel transition metal compound and having an excellent olefin polymerization activity and to provide a process for olefin polymerization.

Abstract: A gas diffusion electrode assembly comprising: a gas diffusion electrode; and a metallic or resinous edging material bonded to a peripheral part of the electrode. The invention also relates to a gas diffusion electrode assembly comprising: a gas diffusion electrode; and a metallic terminal bonded to the electrode. The invention further relates to a gas diffusion electrode assembly comprising: a gas diffusion electrode; and a structure for connection, which comprises a combination of a thin silver sheet and a reinforcing material comprising a tough metal as a base, the structure for connection being bonded to a peripheral part of the gas diffusion electrode. Also disclosed are processes for producing these gas diffusion electrode assemblies.

Abstract: Surface-modified nickel fine powder herein disclosed is characterized in that the surface of metal nickel fine particles is modified with a phosphate compound, a phosphite compound or a hypophosphite compound. The surface-modified nickel fine powder has a sharp heat shrinkage-initiating temperature shifted to not less than 900° C., can thus be quite suitable for use in the manufacture of an internal electrode for multi-layered capacitors and can accordingly inhibit any generation of delamination and crack-formation during the production of a high capacitance multi-layered ceramic capacitor.

Abstract: A method for preparing a carbon-containing composition is disclosed which comprises the steps of introducing, into a hot gas, a dispersion obtained by dispersing, in a decomposable carbon compound, a metal oxide and/or a metal compound which can be converted into the metal oxide by heating, to form a carbon-containing composition containing simple carbon and the corresponding metal oxide; and then collecting the formed carbon-containing composition. This carbon-containing composition is useful for the manufacture of a ceramic powder for sintering.

Abstract: Urethane-modified polyester resin which has a total acid value not greater than 10 KOH mg/g and is obtained by kneading, in a molten state, a base polyester resin (A) having an acid value of 5 to 20 KOH mg/g and a hydroxyl value of 40 to 70 KOH mg/g, a low-molecular-weight polyester resin (B) having an acid value not greater than 5 KOH mg/g, a hydroxyl value not greater than 10 KOH mg/g and a weight-average molecular weight of 3,000 to 5,000 and a polyisocyanate compound, wherein components (A) and (B) are at a weight ratio of 3 to 5:7 to 5 and the polyisocyanate compound is in an amount of 0.2 to 1.2 equivalent, in terms of an isocyanate group per equivalent, of the total hydroxyl groups of all the resins.

Abstract: A process for producing fine copper powder characterized by comprising mixing fat and oil into a dendritic electrolytic copper powder having an average particle size of 20 to 35 &mgr;m and a bulk density of 0.5 to 0.8 g/cm3 to coat the surface of the electrolytic copper powder particles with the fat and oil and pulverizing the coated particles by means of a jet mill of collision plate type.

Abstract: A process for preparing a hydroxybenzoic acid is herein disclosed which comprises reacting a phenol with an alkali metal compound by the use of an aprotic polar organic solvent as a reaction solvent to form an alkali metal salt of the phenol, and then reacting this alkali metal salt with carbon dioxide to obtain a hydroxybenzoic acid, said process comprising the step of carrying out the reaction under conditions that a molar ratio of the phenol to the total of the alkali metal compound and the aprotic polar organic solvent is larger than 1. Furthermore, the process may contain the steps of precipitating crystals from the reaction solution, separating the solid from the solution to obtain a wet alkali metal salt of the hydroxybenzoic acid, dissolving the wet alkali metal salt in water, and precipitating crystals from the solution by acidification to obtain the hydroxybenzoic acid.

Abstract: The present invention provides a raw rubber lapping film formed of an ethylene·&agr;-olefin random copolymer comprising ethylene unit and an &agr;-olefin unit having 4 to 20 carbon atoms and a raw rubber bale lapped with this film. Since the film is superior in strength and release properties and has good dispersibility in ethylene·&agr;-olefin copolymer rubber, the operation of lapping raw rubber with a film, the operation of stripping a film from a lapped raw rubber bale and the operation of separating each of a plurality of raw rubber bales are carried out easily and yet there is no adverse effect on the subsequent rubber processing step without stripping the film by heating at a temperature higher than the melting point of the film at the time of kneading.

Abstract: Copper fine powder has an electrical resistance in its powdery state of not more than 1×10−3 &OHgr;·cm; a BET specific surface area ranging from 0.15 to 0.3 m2/g; a tap density of not less than 4.5 g/cc; a product of the tap density and the particle size, of not less than 13, the particle size being calculated from the specific surface area and; a particle size distribution observed in the microtrack measurement as expressed in terms of D50 and D90 ranging from 4 to 7 &mgr;m and 9 to 11 &mgr;m, respectively; and a weight loss through hydrogen-reduction of not more than 0.30%. The copper fine powder is prepared by adding an alkali hydroxide to an aqueous copper salt solution containing divalent copper ions maintained at not less than 55° C. in an amount of not less than the chemical equivalent to form cupric oxide; then gradually adding a reducing sugar to the reaction system while maintaining the temperature of the system to not less than 55° C.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for the continuous production of an ABS resin. The polymerization step comprises at least two substeps, one being a first-stage substep of forming particles of the rubbery polymer and the other a second-stage substep of adjusting the particle sizes of the particles. The first-stage substep is conducted in a polymerization system making use of a plug flow reactor or a batch polymerization reactor, and conducts polymerization at least until the particles are formed in the polymerization mixture. The second-stage substep increases a converted amount of the monomer component into the polymer compared with that in the particle forming substep and makes the particles smaller. A polycarbonate-ABS resin composition is also disclosed.

Abstract: In an air heater for use in recovering, by heat exchange, the heat of an exhaust gas generated from an incinerator for disposing of wastes, prolonged service life and improved working efficiency are attainable with least thermal deformation. The air heater has a heat transfer conduit which is placed in high temperature highly corrosive gas.

Abstract: A semiconductor device capable of preventing moisture from entering into a package and also capable of preventing peeling between a pad and the package from occurring. The semiconductor device comprises grooves formed on a semiconductor element mounting surface of the pad to surround the semiconductor element, plated portions formed on only a ground bond area of the semiconductor element mounting surface of the pad, a thin portion formed on an entire peripheral edge portions on the back of the pad, and thin portions formed at portions which connect with the pad, on backs of support bars extending from the pad.