Abstract: A fuel heating control method and apparatus includes an operation of a heater heating a fuel for an engine started by being driven by a starting motor. The heater is not operated until after an operation of the starting motor is substantially terminated at a time of starting the engine.

Abstract: To provide a lamp annealing apparatus, which prevents clouding of a reflector, achieves stability of temperature for heat-treatment and prevents oxidization of a front surface of a semiconductor wafer. The lamp annealing apparatus includes a lamp unit 1 for heating at an upper portion of a chamber 10 and a reflector 7a for stabilizing temperature at a lower portion of the chamber 10. Process gas is supplied to a side of a front surface 21 of a semiconductor wafer 2 located and rotated on a rotating cylinder 4 in the chamber 10, and rear face gas for preventing clouding of the reflector 7a is supplied to a side of a rear surface 22 of the semiconductor wafer 2. There are further included mass flow controllers 15a to 15d for mixing gases to obtain a desire rear face gas. The rear face gas is flowed around the periphery of the reflector 7a to be exhausted.

Abstract: A method for reproducing a radiation image is performed by the steps of: irradiating a radiation image storage panel having a pair of transparent films and a stimulable phosphor layer arranged between them and having a radiation image recorded in the phosphor layer, with stimulating rays to release radiation energy of the radiation image as light emission; photoelectrically detecting the light emission from both sides of the radiation image storage panel to obtain electric signals; and electrically processing these electric signals to reproduce the radiation image. The stimulable phosphor layer of the radiation image storage panel is composed of a binder and stimulable phosphor particles wherein at least 50% of said stimulable phosphor particles have an aspect ration of 1.0 to 1.5.

Abstract: A stimulable phosphor sheet includes a stimulable phosphor layer in contact with a protective layer which is rigid and transparent. Stimulating light is projected onto the stimulable phosphor sheet from the protective layer side, stimulated emission emitted from the stimulable phosphor layer upon exposure to the stimulating light is detected by imaging the stimulated emission on a line sensor by an imaging lens from the protective layer side while moving the stimulable phosphor sheet relatively to the line sensor in a direction intersecting the direction in which the line sensor extends.

Abstract: A process for recording a radiation image on a radiation image storage panel containing stimulable phosphor particles and then reproducing the radiation image by the double side reading system is favorably performed employing a radiation image storage panel containing stimulable phosphor particles in which the stimulable phosphor particles vary in their mean particle sizes in the depth direction of the storage panel in such manner that the mean particle size on one surface side is smaller than the mean particle size on the other surface side, preferably under the condition that stimulating rays are applied onto the storage panel on the surface side having the phosphor particles of the smaller mean particle size to excite the phosphor particles in the storage panel.

Abstract: In a control system of an internal combustion engine including an intake flow control valve disposed downstream of a throttle valve, a controller controls opening and closing of the intake flow control valve, depending upon an operating state of the internal combustion engine. Upon detection of a failure in the intake flow control valve, the controller controls an intake air amount or flow rate to a different value.

Abstract: In a radiation image storage panel composed of a stimulable phosphor layer which gives stimulated emission upon irradiation with stimulating rays and a protective film provided thereon, and optionally further a back protective film, a transparent support film, and an undercoating layer, the protective film contains electroconductive acicular fine particles, has a surface electric resistivity of 1014&OHgr; or less, and shows a transmittance of 70% or more at a peak wavelength of the stimulated emission.

Abstract: In a radiation image storage panel having a stimulable phosphor layer which is used in a radiation image recording and reproducing method composed of applying a stimulating light to one surface side of the phosphor layer and collecting stimulated emission from the phosphor layer on both surface sides, the phosphor layer preferably has a total optical transmittance, which is preferably within 2 to 20%, varying along depth of the phosphor layer at each of wavelengths of the stimulating light and the stimulated emission.

Abstract: Compositions and methods for targeted genetic manipulation of an organism are provided. The compositions are novel integration vectors derived from the Mu bacteriophage comprising an active cleaved donor complex (CDC) and further comprising a targeting mechanism whereby integration of the Mu transposable cassette may be directed to a predetermined target site within a host organism's genome. These integration vectors comprise a Mu transposable cassette and one or more navigator elements that direct targeted insertion of the CDC. Methods of the invention utilize the integration vectors of the invention to insert the Mu transposable cassette into a target site of an organism's genome. This insertion occurs in the absence of the MuB accessory protein. The methods are useful for modulating activity of known genes and for targeting integration of nucleotide sequences of interest into a specific location of an organism's genome. Accordingly, the methods may also be used to create gene disruptions and knockouts.

Abstract: An intake device of an internal combustion engine is provided that includes an intake flow control valve shaped so as to be capable of effectively forming a tumble flow within a combustion chamber when there is a projection within an intake pipe located downstream of the intake flow control valve. The intake device of the internal combustion engine includes an intake flow control valve between a throttle valve provided within an intake pipe and a fuel injector located downstream of the throttle valve, for producing a tumble flow in a combustion chamber. The intake flow control valve includes a valve body. The valve body has a bypass airflow producing portion formed at a position corresponding to that of the fuel injector (i.e., a projection within the intake pipe) when viewed in a flow direction of the airflow.

Abstract: To detect a failure of the fuel heaters of a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine of vehicles by utilizing a microcomputer of a vehicle operation control device and sensors already provided in the vehicle such as an air/fuel ratio sensor or a crankshaft rotation sensor, with a supplement of substantially only a software, a failure of the heater corresponding to one of the cylinders is detected based upon a change exhibited in at least one parameter with regard to the operating conditions of the engine such as exhaust air/fuel ratio, crankshaft rotation angular speed, etc. by the injected fuel not having been heated as expected by a predetermined operation of each heater.

Abstract: A stimulable phosphor layer composed of a plurality of stimulable phosphor sublayers overlaid one upon another is overlaid upon a substrate. At least two adjacent stimulable phosphor sublayers are overlaid one upon the other such that a temporary substrate contact side surface of one of the two adjacent stimulable phosphor sublayers, which surface was in contact with a temporary substrate utilized when the one adjacent stimulable phosphor sublayer was formed, and a temporary substrate contact side surface of the other adjacent stimulable phosphor sublayer, which surface was in contact with a temporary substrate, stand facing each other. A top stimulable phosphor sublayer contains a polyurethane binder, which has a weight-average molecular weight falling within the range of 200,000 to 500,000, in a proportion falling within the range of 20% by weight to 90% by weight with respect to the total binder contained in the top stimulable phosphor sublayer.

Abstract: Compositions and methods for stably integrating a nucleotide sequence of interest into the genome of an organism are provided. The compositions are novel integration vectors comprising an active cleaved donor complex, or CDC, which comprises a Mu transposable cassette of a mini-Mu plasmid or precleaved mini-Mu plasmid. The Mu transposable cassette comprises the nucleotide sequence of interest and is bound to MuA transposase to form the CDC. In the presence of MuB-bound host DNA, the MuA protein bound as part of the MuA tetrameric core facilitates transfer of the Mu transposable cassette, which comprises the nucleotide sequence of interest, into the host DNA at the site to which MuB is bound. The inserted Mu transposable cassette remains stably integrated at this site within the host genome. Methods of the invention include transforming a host organism with such an integration vector and with a plasmid comprising the MuB coding sequence operably linked to a promoter that drives expression in the host organism.

Abstract: When starting an engine, the engine is driven by a starting motor and, at the same time, a fuel heating heater can be operated. If the engine is stopped and then immediately restarted, the operation of fuel heating heater is controlled according to the operation time of the fuel heating heater in the last operation. That is, if a period of time is brief between a stopping and a restarting of the engine, heat generated when the fuel heating heater was operated last remains and, in consideration of the amount of that residual heat, generation of heat by the fuel heating heater is restricted.

Abstract: A fuel heating control method and apparatus includes an operation of a heater heating a fuel for an engine started by being driven by a starting motor. The heater is not operated until after an operation of the starting motor is substantially terminated at a time of starting the engine.

Abstract: In order to produce an aluminum alloy substrate for a lithographic printing plate wherein grain structure refining and homogenizing are promoted, and the uniformity of the appearance of the grained surface is particularly improved, the process of the present invention comprises the steps of: homogenizing an aluminum alloy ingot comprising 0.10 to 0.40 wt % of Fe, 0.03 to 0.30 wt % of Si, 0.004 to 0.050 wt % of Cu, 0.01 to 0.05 wt % of Ti, 0.0001 to 0.02 wt % of B and the balance of Al and unavoidable impurities, at temperatures of 350 to 480° C., successively hot-rolling the ingot with a plurality of passes in such a manner that the aluminum alloy is not recrystallized prior to the hot rolling of the final pass and recrystallized at least in the surface layer of the hot-rolled plate by only the hot rolling thereof to form a recrystallized structure having an average recrystallized grain size of less than 50 &mgr;m in a direction normal to the rolling direction, and cold-rolling the hot-rolled plate.

Abstract: A stimulable phosphor sheet to be employed in a radiation image double-side reading system is preferably has the following condition: radiation energy image erasability on a front side surface onto which stimulating rays are to be applied being lower than that on a back side surface in such manner that a ratio of a difference of an erasing value to a lower erasing value determined on the front side surface or on the back side surface is less than 10%.

Abstract: The present invention provides a support for a lithographic printing plate prepared by cold rolling a sheet while intermediate annealing is omitted to save energy and the number of the cold rolling steps are decreased to simplify the sheet production steps and to give a desired strength of the sheet, and by inhibiting precipitation of Si particles in the substrate to give extremely excellent resistance to ink staining in the nonimage areas during printing, and a process for producing a substrate therefore. The production process comprises homogenization heat-treating an aluminum alloy slab comprising 0.10 to 0.40 wt % of Fe, 0.03 to 0.15 wt % of Si, 0.004 to 0.

Abstract: In a detector apparatus, voltage signals of phase A and phase B are mixed, the mixed signal is divided to obtain a low-voltage signal, and the low-voltage signal is integrally smoothed. The integrally smoothed low-voltage signal is added to each of the voltages obtained by smoothing the voltage signals of the phase A and phase B. The results are used as threshold voltages of comparators constituting a wave-shaping circuit. The threshold voltages change in accordance with the voltage signals of phase A and phase B, achieving a high accuracy of binarization even when the voltage signals Sa and Sb have variations.

Abstract: To provide a lamp annealing apparatus, which prevents cloud of a reflector, achieves stability of temperature for heat-treatment and prevents oxidization of a front surface of a semiconductor wafer. The lamp annealing apparatus includes a lamp unit 1 for heating at an upper portion of a chamber 10 and a reflector 7a for stabilizing temperature at a lower portion of the chamber 10. Process gas is supplied to a side of a front surface 21 of a semiconductor wafer 2 located and rotated on a rotating cylinder 4 in the chamber 10, and rear face gas for preventing cloud of the reflector 7a is supplied to a side of a rear surface 22 of the semiconductor wafer 2. There are further included mass flow controllers 15a to 15d for mixing gases to obtain a desire rear face gas. The rear face gas is turned around the periphery of the reflector 7a to be exhausted.