Abstract: A method for producing sintered silicon nitride, including preparing a slurry from a base powder containing a silicon nitride powder and a sintering aid, the base powder having a particle size (D50) of 0.3 to 1 ?m; obtaining an SD powder from the slurry by a spray dryer process; and feeding the SD powder into a forming die and firing the powder under a compaction pressure of 3 ton/cm2 or more thereby obtaining sintered silicon nitride. The present invention provides a method for producing sintered silicon nitride with a higher degree of safety of the working environment.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for more efficiently producing an ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid ester wherein side reactions due to the ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid ester are inhibited or prevented in comparison with prior art production processes. The invention provides a process for producing an ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid ester comprising Steps 1 to 3: Step 1. reacting, in the presence of oxygen, (i) a 1,2-diol with a 1,2-diol or (ii) a 1,2-diol with an alcohol to obtain a reaction product containing an ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid ester; Step 2. separating the ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid ester from the reaction product obtained in Step 1 by distillation under reduced pressure; and Step 3. feeding Step 1 with a mixture obtained by partially or entirely removing water from the reaction product, wherein the mixture contains an unreacted 1,2-diol and/or alcohol.

Abstract: A glucose sensor system comprising the steps of using as a sample discriminating parameter a ratio (I/?I) of a measured current value I to the time-differential value of the current value ?I, defining a discrimination function that discriminates whether a sample is blood or control fluid and uses the discriminating parameter as an independent variable, quantitating as a discriminating index a numeric value obtained by substituting a discriminating parameter value into this discrimination function, and automatically discriminating, based on this index, whether the sample is blood or a control fluid, whereby a kind of the sample can be automatically quantitated by measuring electric current when a sensor system is used for quantitating the concentration of an analysis object in the sample.

Abstract: A method of producing a diol derivative efficiently and to high purity is provided. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method of producing a diol derivative having, as a fundamental step, a step of obtaining an ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid ester by reacting (i) one or more 1,2-diols or (ii) a 1,2-diol and a primary alcohol as starting material(s) with oxygen in the presence of a catalyst comprising metal loaded on a carrier, further hydrolyzing the ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid ester to obtain ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid, and subjecting the ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid to polycondensation.

Abstract: A method of producing a diol derivative efficiently and to high purity is provided. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method of producing a diol derivative having, as a fundamental step, a step of obtaining an ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid ester by reacting (i) one or more 1,2-diols or (ii) a 1,2-diol and a primary alcohol as starting material(s) with oxygen in the presence of a catalyst comprising metal loaded on a carrier.

Abstract: The present invention provides a high-performance glucose sensor having excellent storage stability and an improved response characteristic. This sensor comprises: an electrically insulating base plate; an electrode system including at least a working electrode and a counter electrode formed on the base plate; and a reaction layer containing at least pyrrolo-quinoline quinone dependent glucose dehydrogenase, formed in contact with or in the vicinity of the electrode system, and the reaction layer contains at least one kind of additive selected from the group consisting of gluconic acid and salts thereof.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for more efficiently producing an ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid ester wherein side reactions due to the ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid ester are inhibited or prevented in comparison with prior art production processes. The invention provides a process for producing an ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid ester comprising Steps 1 to 3: Step 1. reacting, in the presence of oxygen, (i) a 1,2-diol with a 1,2-diol or (ii) a 1,2-diol with an alcohol to obtain a reaction product containing an ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid ester; Step 2. separating the ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid ester from the reaction product obtained in Step 1 by distillation under reduced pressure; and Step 3. feeding Step 1 with a mixture obtained by partially or entirely removing water from the reaction product, wherein the mixture contains an unreacted 1,2-diol and/or alcohol.

Abstract: A glucose sensor system comprising the steps of using as a sample discriminating parameter a ratio (I/&Dgr;I) of a measured current value I to the time-differential value of the current value &Dgr;I, defining a discrimination function that discriminates whether a sample is blood or control fluid and uses the discriminating parameter as an independent variable, quantitating as a discriminating index a numeric value obtained by substituting a discriminating parameter value into this discrimination function, and automatically discriminating, based on this index, whether the sample is blood or a control fluid, whereby a kind of the sample can be automatically quantitated by measuring electric current when a sensor system is used for quantitating the concentration of an analysis object in the sample.

Abstract: A glucose sensor system comprising the steps of using as a sample discriminating parameter a ratio (I/&Dgr;I) of a measured current value I to the time-differential value of the current value &Dgr;I, defining a discrimination function that discriminates whether a sample is blood or control fluid and uses the discriminating parameter as an independent variable, quantitating as a discriminating index a numeric value obtained by substituting a discriminating parameter value into this discrimination function, and automatically discriminating, based on this index, whether the sample is blood or a control fluid, whereby a kind of the sample can be automatically quantitated by measuring electric current when a sensor system is used for quantitating the concentration of an analysis object in the sample.

Abstract: The present invention provides a high performance glucose sensor which can demonstrate high stability against preservation and produces only a low blank value. The glucose sensor comprises an electrically insulating base plate, an electrode system formed on the base plate, and a reaction layer which is formed in contact with or in the vicinity of the electrode system and contains at least a glucose dehydrogenase whose coenzyme is pyrrolo-quinoline quinone, the reaction layer further containing an additive such as phthalic acid.

Abstract: A method of producing a diol derivative efficiently and to high purity is provided. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method of producing a diol derivative having, as a fundamental step, a step of obtaining an &agr;-hydroxycarboxylic acid ester by reacting (i) one or more 1,2-diols or (ii) a 1,2-diol and a primary alcohol as starting material(s) with oxygen in the presence of a catalyst comprising metal loaded on a carrier.

Abstract: A glucose sensor system comprising the steps of using as a sample discriminating parameter a ratio (I/&Dgr;I) of a measured current value I to the time-differential value of the current value &Dgr;I, defining a discrimination function that discriminates whether a sample is blood or control fluid and uses the discriminating parameter as an independent variable, quantitating as a discriminating index a numeric value obtained by substituting a discriminating parameter value into this discrimination function, and automatically discriminating, based on this index, whether the sample is blood or a control fluid, whereby a kind of the sample can be automatically quantitated by measuring electric current when a sensor system is used for quantitating the concentration of an analysis object in the sample.

Abstract: A low temperature-fired porcelain article includes a barium component in an amount of 40 to 65 wt % when calculated as BaO, a silicon component in an amount of 25 to 46 wt % when calculated as SiO2, an aluminum component in an amount of 0.1 to 20 wt % when calculated as Al2O3, a boron component in an amount of 0.3 to 1.5 wt % when calculated as B2O3, and a zinc component in an amount of 0.5 to 20 wt % when calculated as ZnO, optionally also a chromium component in an amount of 0.5 to 3.5 wt % when calculated as Cr2O3 wherein the porcelain article has a dielectric constant ∈r of not more than 10, a quality coefficient Q of not less than 2500, and preferably has an absolute value of a temperature coefficient &tgr;f of the resonance frequency of not more than 30 ppm/° C.

Abstract: The invention provides a process for producing dialkanolamines through amination of alkylene oxide with ammonia at liquid phase, in which side formation of trialkanolamines is inhibited and dialkanolamines can be produced with high selectivity and high efficiency. Said process is carried out in the presence of a catalyst which possesses such reaction characteristics that render the rate constant &agr; of the reaction between ammonia and alkylene oxide not less than 0.10, when the reaction rate constant between monoalkanolamine and alkylene oxide is 1, and the rate constant &bgr; of the reaction between dialkanolamine and alkylene oxide not more than 0.7, when the reaction rate constant between monoalkanolamine and alkylene oxide is 1.

Abstract: A method for purifying glyoxylates includes (1) a coarse distillation process in which a crude glyoxylate in which water coexists is, in a film form, continuously subjected to coarse distillation, and (2) an azeotropic dehydration process in which the crude glyoxylate purified through the coarse distillation process is subjected to azeotropic dehydration in the presence of an azeotropic agent such as propyl acetate. By this method, high-purity glyoxylates can be efficiently and easily obtained at lower costs.

Abstract: The biosensor of this invention can quantify a substrate in a sample liquid by electrochemically measuring the amount of an electron acceptor that has been reduced by electrons generated in a reaction between the substrate and an oxidoreductase. The biosensor has an electrically insulating substrate and an electrode system formed on the substrate including a working electrode, a counter electrode and a third electrode used for detecting a liquid junction. The third electrode can be used merely for detecting a liquid junction, or can be used as both a reference electrode and a liquid junction detecting electrode.

Abstract: The biosensor of this invention can quantify a substrate in a sample liquid by electrochemically measuring the amount of an electron acceptor that has been reduced by electrons generated in a reaction between the substrate and an oxidoreductase. The biosensor has an electrically insulating substrate and an electrode system formed on the substrate including a working electrode, a counter electrode and a third electrode used for detecting a liquid junction. The third electrode can be used merely for detecting a liquid junction, or can be used as both a reference electrode and a liquid junction detecting electrode.

Abstract: A biosensor for quantifying a specific compound has a reaction layer containing at least an enzyme, and an electrode system having a working electrode and a counter electrode formed on an insulating base plate; the biosensor detects the specific compound contained in a sample on the basis of an electrochemical response. In quantifying, the working electrode and the counter electrode are short-circuited before the voltage is applied therebetween. The short-circuiting eliminates measuring errors that may occur due to nonuniform dissolution of the reaction layer in a sample, and achieves highly reliable quantification of a specific compound.

Abstract: A biosensor of the present invention is provided with an insulating base plate, an electrode system mainly consisting of a working electrode and a counter electrode formed on the insulating base plate, and a reaction layer on the electrode system. The counter electrode is partially a circular arc. A manufacturing method of the biosensor of the present invention is comprised of a step to form a base by arranging leads, an electrode system, and an insulating layer on an insulating base plate, and a step to form a reaction layer mainly composed of an enzyme on the electrode system. Since the counter electrode is partially in the shape of a circular arc, the reaction layer is easily formed and prevented from delaminating, whereby the measuring accuracy, preservative properties and reliability of the biosensor are improved. The present invention enables highly efficient biosensors to be mass produced at low cost.

Abstract: A RE-Ba-Cu-O type oxide superconducting material (RE represents Y, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu or a combination of two or more of them) having a phase structure including a REBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.y phase and a RE.sub.2 BaCuO.sub.5 phase of 20 .mu.m or less in diameter dispersed in the REBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.y phase, in which superconducting material RE consists of at least two elements selected from Y, Cl, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu. Said oxide superconducting material can be produced by melt processing.