Abstract: Disclosed is a method for detecting guaiacol-producing bacteria in a specimen comprising culturing the specimen or a dilution thereof on a plate of a solid medium for acidophilic bacteria comprising a compound represented by the following formula, wherein R is —H, —OH, —C(O)H, —C(O)CH3, —COOH, C1-C3 alkyl or C1-C3 alkenyl, wherein alkyl and alkenyl may optionally be substituted by —OH, —C(O)H or —COOH); and detecting a colony formed on the solid medium. According to preferred embodiments, the solid medium for acidophilic bacteria comprises 50 ppm or more of vanillic acid and the plate culture is carried out at 20° C. to 55° C. The present invention also provides a solid medium for acidophilic bacteria and a kit for detection of guaiacol-producing bacteria in a specimen. According to the present invention, guaiacol-producing bacteria present in a specimen such as fruit juice raw materials can be detected rapidly in a simple manner.

Abstract: A production method of a roughly shaped material for an engine piston includes a continuous casting step for obtaining a cast rod (31) having a diameter of 85 mm or less by continuously casting a molten aluminum alloy (30) at a molten alloy temperature of 720° C. or higher, and a forging step for obtaining a roughly shaped material (11) for an engine piston by forging a forging material (32) obtained by homogenizing the cast bar (31) at 370 to 500° C. A composition of the molten alloy (30) includes Si: 11.0 to 13.0 mass %, Fe: 0.6 to 1.0 mass %, Cu: 3.5 to 4.5 mass %, Mn: 0.25 mass % or less; Mg: 0.4 to 0.6 mass %, Cr: 0.15 mass % or less, Zr: 0.07 to 0.15 mass %, P: 0.005 to 0.010 mass %, Ca: 0.002 mass % or less, and the balance being Aluminum and inevitable impurities.

Abstract: A high-precision torque limiting mechanism capable of limiting an output torque to a magnitude of not more than a prescribed value, as well as to reduce a frictional torque produced upon occurrence of a slip. To accomplish this object, a ball ramp section (13) is attached to a slip clutch section (3) for reducing friction between friction plates (31) and (32) forming the slip clutch section (3) and limiting a torque to be transmitted by utilizing an axial thrust produced at the ball ramp section (13) in accordance with the magnitude of an input torque. The precision with which the torque to be transmitted is limited is enhanced by making improvements to the shape of an internal side surface of a recess (G) formed in each of cam elements (131) and (132) of the ball ramp section (13).

Abstract: When a hollow billet is inserted into a container, and hot expanding piercing is downwardly performed by using a plug, hot piercing is performed by using a formed glass complex comprising a ring-shaped formed glass part and a ring-shaped projecting part. The ring-shaped formed glass part assumes a disc shape having a circular opening for allowing a plug to be inserted at the center thereof. The ring-shaped projecting part is attached to the opening of the ring-shaped formed glass part, and assumes a ring shape projecting perpendicularly to the ring-shaped formed glass part. Thereby, the piercing work can be done safely, and defects can be prevented from occurring on the inner surface of the billet.

Abstract: An image reader includes a cabinet and an optical system. The cabinet has four plate members fixed to each other by laser welding from a side direction of the image reader and has a bottom wall fixed to the four plate members by laser welding from a side direction or a lower direction of the image reader. The cabinet has a first opening for a document read window opening toward an upper direction of the image reader. Each of the plate members is bended in letter L shape to form an upper end part and a side wall. The optical system is housed in the cabinet for reading an image of a document through the opening.

Abstract: A starting material to be extruded made of a high alloy comprising, in mass %, Cr: 20 to 30% and Ni: more than 22% and 60% or less is heated to a temperature predetermined according to the contents of Mo and W and is subjected to a hot-extrusion process, the heating temperature T (° C.) satisfying a relationship of Formula (1), (2), or (3), which is expressed in terms of the average cross-sectional area A (mm2) of the starting material to be extruded, the extrusion ratio EL (?), and the extrusion speed V (mm/s). As a result, a high-alloy seamless tube can be produced without generating cracking and/or seam flaws. When 0%?Mo+0.5W<4%: T?1343?0.001322×A?1.059×EL?0.129×V??(1) When 4%?Mo+0.5W<7%: T?1316?0.001322×A?1.059×EL?0.129×V??(2) When 7%?Mo+0.5W: T?1289?0.001322×A?1.059×EL?0.

Abstract: A sheet conveyance device for conveying a recording medium includes a fixed roller, a movable roller, an urging member, and a shock absorber, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet conveyance device. The position of the fixed roller is fixed. The movable roller is disposed opposite the fixed roller to contact the fixed roller, thereby defining a nip. The urging member urges the movable member to contact the fixed roller in the absence of the recording medium in the nip and allows the movable member to separate from the fixed roller by an amount corresponding to a thickness of a recording medium when the recording medium enters the nip. The shock absorber absorbs displacement energy generated when the urging member urges the movable roller to contact the fixed roller again after the recording medium passes through the nip.

Abstract: A main controlling part is configured to choose and execute either a constant belt speed control which controls a driving motor (a driving source for an intermediate transfer belt) to move the intermediate transfer belt at a predetermined target belt speed or a constant motor speed control which rotates the driving motor at a predetermined target rotational speed according to a print command, and then, prior to a first-time print job, after executing a writing position correcting process while moving the intermediate transfer belt under the constant belt speed control, forms a color shift detecting image by switching from the constant belt speed control to the constant motor speed control, measures a difference between amounts of color shift, and executes a speed correcting process for correcting the target rotational speed of the driving motor in the constant motor speed control based on the measurement result.

Abstract: A multicolor imaging system includes a controller which adjusts a phase difference in rotations of photoreceptors based on information detected by a rotary position detector, and drive elements for photoreceptors which generate a velocity fluctuation in the same cycle as that of a transfer unit. The controller is configured to concurrently adjust the phases of the photoreceptors and those of the drive elements so that a registration error in four color toner image on an intermediate transfer belt is reduced to a minimum.

Abstract: An intended object of the present invention is to realize a high-precision torque limiting mechanism capable of limiting an output torque to a magnitude of not more than a prescribed value, as well as to reduce a frictional torque produced upon occurrence of a slip. To accomplish this object, a ball ramp section 13 is attached to a slip clutch section 3 for reducing friction between friction plates 31 and 32 forming the slip clutch section 3 and limiting a torque to be transmitted by utilizing an axial thrust produced at the ball ramp section 13 in accordance with the magnitude of an input torque. The precision with which the torque to be transmitted is limited is enhanced by making improvements to the shape of an internal side surface of a recess G formed in each of cam elements 131 and 132 of the ball ramp section 13.

Abstract: Disclosed are a lubricant composition obtained by adding a buffer particles having an average particle diameter D1 of 50 ?m<D1?300 ?m to a lubricant, a speed reduction gear filled with the lubricant composition, and an electric power steering apparatus having the speed reduction gear incorporated therein, and noise produced in the speed reduction gear can be made lower than ever before irrespective of the magnitude of backlash in a case where a worm and a worm wheel are combined with each other and without complicating the configuration of the speed reduction gear by the buffer action of the buffer particles added to the lubricant composition, thereby making it possible to reduce noise produced in an automobile caused by the electric power steering apparatus at low cost.

Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing the power consumption associated with the capacitance of sections of a multiplexer are disclosed. At each cycle, a timing signal is selectively sent only to sections of the multiplexer that include active logic. A plurality of control signals is received for processing by a corresponding plurality of input selection circuits. A plurality of additional inputs corresponding to the plurality of input selection circuits may also be received. In one embodiment, each input selection circuit is configured to output a corresponding input signal if a corresponding control signal is asserted and a timing signal is made available to the input selection circuit. To avoid unnecessary power consumption associated with the capacitance of various portions of the multiplexer, the timing signal is only asserted to a portion of the multiplexer at any given clock cycle according to the values of the control signals.

Abstract: A torque limiter limits transmission of torque between a drive shaft and an output shaft. The torque limiter includes a first rotational plate connected to the drive shaft, a second rotational plate facing the first rotational shaft and connected to the output shaft to be movable along an axial direction thereof, a ball ramp portion provided between the first rotational plate and the second rotational plate, a ball retained in the ball ramp portion, and a spring portion for pressing between the first rotational plate and the second rotational plate. A ball channel is formed in at least one of the first rotational plate and the second rotational plate. The ball in the ball ramp portion falls in the ball channel when the torque between the drive shaft and the output shaft exceeds a predetermined value to shut off the transmission of the torque.

Abstract: An apparatus, a method, and a computer program product are provided for time reduction and energy conservation during address distribution in a high speed memory macro. To address these concerns, this design divides the typical data arrays into sets of paired subarrays, divides the conventional memory address latches into separate sets, and interposes one set of memory address latches between each pair of subarrays. Therefore, time is saved because the address signals have less wire length to travel and energy is saved because only one set of address latches needs to be powered on for each transmission.

Abstract: Systems and methods for preventing the corruption of a CAM lookup result when a lookup in the CAM and a write to the CAM are concurrently executed. In one embodiment, a tag value is clocked into a tag latch simultaneously with a data value being clocked into a data latch. The tag value and initial CAM element values begin propagating through comparison logic. After a delay, the data value is written from the data latch to a CAM element. After the tag value and initial CAM values propagate through the comparison logic to produce comparison outputs, but before the newly written data value propagates through the comparison logic and changes the comparison outputs, the comparison outputs are latched. The comparison outputs can then be processed as if the data values in the CAM elements had not been changed by the write operation.

Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing the power consumption associated with the capacitance of sections of a multiplexer are disclosed. At each cycle, a timing signal is selectively sent only to sections of the multiplexer that include active logic. A plurality of control signals is received for processing by a corresponding plurality of input selection circuits. A plurality of additional inputs corresponding to the plurality of input selection circuits may also be received. In one embodiment, each input selection circuit is configured to output a corresponding input signal if a corresponding control signal is asserted and a timing signal is made available to the input selection circuit. To avoid unnecessary power consumption associated with the capacitance of various portions of the multiplexer, the timing signal is only asserted to a portion of the multiplexer at any given clock cycle according to the values of the control signals.

Abstract: Systems and methods for forwarding instruction results from various pipeline stages to the initial stages of the pipelines, where the results can be used in the execution of subsequent instructions. In one embodiment, a forwarding mechanism is designed so that sets of one or more dynamic data selection circuits are placed in an alternating linear series with corresponding data registers. Each data register may be coupled to several dynamic data selection circuits, each of which corresponds to a different port or destination register. The dynamic data selection circuits coupled to a single data register are successively positioned in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of the alternating linear array. Each dynamic data selection circuit may consist of a 2-input NOR gate coupled to drive a discharge transistor. The dynamic data selection circuits themselves may be aligned with the alternating series of latches and data selection circuits.

Abstract: Systems and methods for preventing the corruption of a CAM lookup result when a lookup in the CAM and a write to the CAM are concurrently executed. In one embodiment, a tag value is clocked into a tag latch simultaneously with a data value being clocked into a data latch. The tag value and initial CAM element values begin propagating through comparison logic. After a delay, the data value is written from the data latch to a CAM element. After the tag value and initial CAM values propagate through the comparison logic to produce comparison outputs, but before the newly written data value propagates through the comparison logic and changes the comparison outputs, the comparison outputs are latched. The comparison outputs can then be processed as if the data values in the CAM elements had not been changed by the write operation.

Abstract: A method, an apparatus, and a computer program are provided for distributing data in a high speed processing unit. Traditionally, true readout data from multiport register files are inverted multiple times when transmitting the readout to data latches, located at multiple physical layers. The inversion of the readout data can be boost the signals and provide the proper true or complement data to the data latches. To reduce the number of inverters, the register files are configured to output true and complement signals. Therefore, power consumption and area are reduced with the elimination of the inverters.

Abstract: An apparatus, a method, and a computer program product are provided for time reduction and energy conservation during address distribution in a high speed memory macro. To address these concerns, this design divides the typical data arrays into sets of paired subarrays, divides the conventional memory address latches into separate sets, and interposes one set of memory address latches between each pair of subarrays. Therefore, time is saved because the address signals have less wire length to travel and energy is saved because only one set of address latches needs to be powered on for each transmission.