Abstract: The resin composition contains (a) 30-80 parts by weight of a polyolefin thermoplastic elastomer, (b) 1-2 parts by weight of a polypropylene modified with 0.1-10% by weight of an acid anhydride, (c) 5-50 parts by weight of a styrene-based polymeric elastomer, and (d) 10-30 parts by weight of a propylene polymer having a melt flow rate of 0.1-5 g/10 min, the total of the components (a), (b), (c) and (d) being 100 parts by weight, and (e) 30-200 parts by weight of a metal hydroxide. Optionally a silicone oil is included. This halogen-free olefin-based resin composition has a good balance of properties such as wear resistance, flame resistance, tensile property and flexibility, which are required for the covering material of an electrical wire for an automobile.

Abstract: There is provided an olefin-based resin composition which may be applied to the coatings of electrical cables used in automobiles. The coatings have neatly balanced properties to satisfy product requirements, such as wear and flame resistance, tensile strength, flexibility, and heat and freeze resistance. The olefin-based resin composition includes: (i) a polymeric material in an amount of 100 parts by weight which includes: (a) about 50 to 95 parts by weight of propylene polymer portion including at least one propylene polymer having a melt flow rate of up to about 5 g/10 min; (b) about 1 to 20 parts by weight of at least one polyolefin, a proportion of about 0.

Abstract: There is provided an olefin-based resin composition which may be applied to the coatings of electrical cables used in automobiles. The coatings have neatly balanced properties to satisfy the product requirements, such as wear and flame resistance, tensile strength, flexibility, and heat and freeze resistance. The olefin-based resin composition includes: (i) a polymeric material in an amount of 100 parts by weight which includes: (a) about 50 to 80 parts by weight of propylene polymer portion including at least one propylene polymer; (b) about 1 to 20 parts by weight of polyolefin portion including at least one polyolefin, a proportion of about 0.1 to 10% by weight of which is structurally modified through maleic acid anhydride treatment; and (c) about 10 to 40 parts by weight of olefin-based polymer portion including at least one thermoplastic resin having a melting point of at least about 130° C.

Abstract: The resin composition contains (a) 30-80 parts by weight of a polyolefin thermoplastic elastomer, (b) 1-2 parts by weight of a polypropylene modified with 0.1-10% by weight of an acid anhydride, (c) 5-50 parts by weight of a styrene-based polymeric elastomer, and (d) 10-30 parts by weight of a propylene polymer having a melt flow rate of 0.1-5 g/10 min, the total of the components (a), (b), (c) and (d) being 100 parts by weight, and (e) 30-200 parts by weight of a metal hydroxide. Optionally a silicone oil is included. This halogen-free olefin-based resin composition has a good balance of properties such as wear resistance, flame resistance, tensile property and flexibility, which are required for the covering material of an electrical wire for an automobile.

Abstract: A resin composition contains (a) 40-90 parts by weight of a block copolymer of polypropylene segments and ethylene-propylene copolymer segments which is modified with an acid anhydride, in which the polypropylene segment content is in the range 5 to 50 wt %, (b) 60-10 parts by weight of a styrene-based polymeric elastomer, or a styrene-based elastomer modified with an acid anhydride, and (c) 30-200 parts by weight of a metal hydroxide per 100 parts by weight of (a) and (b). This wear resistant halogen-free resin composition has high mechanical strength and flexibility and is suitable for extruding as an electrical wire covering for example for a wire used in an automobile.

Abstract: A resin composition contains (a) 40-90 parts by weight of a block copolymer of polypropylene segments and ethylene-propylene copolymer segments which is modified with an acid anhydride, in which the polypropylene segment content is in the range 5 to 50 wt %, (b) 60-10 parts by weight of a styrene-based polymeric elastomer, or a styrene-based elastomer modified with an acid anhydride, and (c) 30-200 parts by weight of a metal hydroxide per 100 parts by weight of (a) and (b). This wear resistant halogen-free resin composition has high mechanical strength and flexibility and is suitable for extruding as an electrical wire covering for example for a wire used in an automobile.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus in which an image is formed on paper without it being necessary for the user to identify and select paper having a suitable texture. Input image data is expanded to bit map data, and it is determined as to whether at least 30% of the expanded bit map data is a character image data region. When this determination is affirmative, a tray is selected, wherein paper having a glossiness such that its 45° reflectance is at most 20% is accommodated. If the determination is negative, that is, when at least 70% of the expanded bit map data is neither a character image data region nor a blank data region, a tray is selected, wherein paper having a glossiness such that its 45° reflectance is at least 50%, is accommodated. An image is then printed on the selected paper.

Abstract: An electrical wire and a method of making the electrical wire are provided. The electrical wire includes a conductor and an electrically insulating covering on the conductor. The covering is a resin composition including a first polymer, a second polymer and filler particles. A good balance of properties is achieved. The electrical wire is suitable for use in a vehicle.

Abstract: A fire resistant resin composition, a method of making the fire resistant resin composition and an electrical wire comprising the fire resistant resin composition are provided. The fire resistant composition includes a halogen-free propylene resin containing propylene as its main monomer component, a halogen-free styrene-based thermoplastic elastomeric resin modified with an unsaturated carboxylic acid or a derivative of such an acid, and a fire resistant metal hydroxide.

Abstract: An electrical wire and a method of making the electrical wire are provided. The electrical wire includes a conductor and an electrically insulating covering formed on the conductor. The electrically insulating covering is a resin composition including a first polymer, a second polymer and filler particles. The first polymer has a higher bonding affinity to the filler particles than the second polymer. The filler particles are coated with the first polymer and the coated filler particles are embedded in a matrix of the second polymer. The electrical wire is suitable for use in motor vehicles.

Abstract: A high-strength austenitic stainless steel strip excellent in flatness of shape with Vickers hardness of 400 or more is newly proposed, which has the composition consisting of C up to 0.20 mass %, Si up to 4.0 mass %, Mn up to 5.0 mass %, 4.0-12.0 mass % Ni, 12.0-20.0 mass % Cr, Mo up to 5.0 mass %, N up to 0.15 mass % and the balance being Fe except inevitable impurities under the condition that a value Md(N) defined by the formula (1) is in a range of 0-125. It has a dual-phase structure of austenite and martensite involving reverse-transformed austenite at a ratio of 3 vol. % or more. It is manufactured by solution-heating a steel strip having the composition, cold-rolling the steel strip to generate deformation-induced martensite, and then re-heating at 500-700° C. to induce reversion. The reversion effectively flattens a shape of the steel strip.

Abstract: There is provided an olefin-based resin composition which may be applied to the coatings of electrical cables used in automobiles. The coatings have neatly balanced properties to satisfy product requirements, such as wear and flame resistance, tensile strength, flexibility, and heat and freeze resistance. The olefin-based resin composition includes: (i) a polymeric material in an amount of 100 parts by weight which includes: (a) about 50 to 95 parts by weight of propylene polymer portion including at least one propylene polymer having a melt flow rate of up to about 5 g/10 min; (b) about 1 to 20 parts by weight of at least one polyolefin, a proportion of about 0.

Abstract: There is provided an olefin-based resin composition which may be applied to the coatings of electrical cables used in automobiles. The coatings have neatly balanced properties to satisfy the product requirements, such as wear and flame resistance, tensile strength, flexibility, and heat and freeze resistance. The olefin-based resin composition includes: (i) a polymeric material in an amount of 100 parts by weight which includes: (a) about 50 to 80 parts by weight of propylene polymer portion including at least one propylene polymer; (b) about 1 to 20 parts by weight of polyolefin portion including at least one polyolefin, a proportion of about 0.1 to 10% by weight of which is structurally modified through maleic acid anhydride treatment; and (c) about 10 to 40 parts by weight of olefin-based polymer portion including at least one thermoplastic resin having a melting point of at least about 130 ° C.

Abstract: In a V-ribbed belt, the dimension H1 from the rib-side end of a tension member to the bottom of a rib is set in the range of 1.0 to 2.0 mm to thicken the bottom side of the belt, thereby reducing a shock as caused when the belt vibrates and strikes a pulley. The dimension H2 from the rib-side end of the tension member to the top of the rib is set in the range of 3.0 to 4.0 mm or the belt with five ribs is set to exhibit a flexural rigidity of 39.2 N·cm2 or more when subjected to a flexural rigidity test, thereby enhancing the flexural rigidity of the belt. Alternatively, the belt with five ribs is set to exhibit a dynamic spring constant of 850 N/mm or more when subjected to a dynamic response test, thereby providing a sufficient dynamic spring constant to the belt. Alternatively, the belt with five ribs is set to exhibit a dynamic damping constant of 0.065 N·S/mm or more when subjected to the dynamic response test, thereby providing a sufficient dynamic damping constant to the belt.

Abstract: There is provided an olefin-based resin composition which may be applied to the coatings of electrical cables used in automobiles. The coatings have neatly balanced properties to satisfy product requirements, such as wear and flame resistance, tensile strength, flexibility, and heat and freeze resistance. The olefin-based resin composition includes: (i) polymeric material in an amount of 100 parts by weight which includes: (a) about 30 to 94 parts by weight of propylene polymer portion including at least one propylene polymer having a melt flow rate of up to about 5 g/10 min; (b) about 1 to 20 parts by weight of at least one polyolefin, a proportion of about 0.1 to 10% by weight of which is structurally modified through maleic acid anhydride treatment, so that the at least one polyolefin has a Shore D hardness of at least about 50; and (c) about 5 to 50 parts by weight of at least one olefin-based polymer, a proportion of about 0.

Abstract: An optical fiber coupler for optical fiber amplifier use in the field of optical communications is provided. The optical fiber coupler comprises: a rare earth-doped fiber as an optical amplifying element; a quasi rare earth-doped fiber for entrance of input signal light; a fused-stretch fiber portion as a multiplexing element which connects a part of the rare earth-doped fiber and a parts the quasi rare earth-doped fiber, wherein the fused-stretch fiber portion formed by stretched a fused mixture of parts of the rare earth-doped fiber and the quasi rare earth-doped fiber; and a single mode fiber which is jointed at a fused joint portion to another shortened rare earth-doped fiber connected to the fused-stretch fiber portion on a side connected by the quasi rare earth-doped fiber. The quasi rare earth-doped fiber has substantially equal propagation constant to the rare earth-doped fiber without substantially containing rare earth elements.

Abstract: Provided is a color electrophotographic image receiving material comprising a substrate and a toner image receiving layer provided on at least one surface of said substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a base paper and a 5 to 30 &mgr;m thick resin layer having a water vapor permeability not higher than 30 g/(m2·24 hr) provided on both surfaces of the base paper, the image receiving layer has a thickness of 3 to 50 &mgr;m, and the flow beginning temperature of the image receiving layer TFR and that of the toner TFT satisfy the following relationship: TFR≦TFT+5° C.

Abstract: In a processing method wherein, after a silver halide color photographic material is subjected to color development, the silver halide color photographic material is desilvered and then washed and/or stabilized, a photographic material that has at least one high-silver chloride emulsion layer, and in which at least one emulsion layer contains a monodisperse emulsion, is rapidly processed with a color developer having a water-soluble high polymer compound. The coating amount of silver of the said silver halide color photographic material is preferably 0.75 g/m2 or less, and the color developer contains chloride ions in an amount of 0.035 mol/liter or more. In continuous and rapid processing, fluctuations of photographic properties (particularly changes in sensitivity and gradation) are remarkably reduced, the ununiformity of developed density is remarkably improved, and the occurrence of a deposit on a processing tank wall surface is prevented.

Abstract: A semiconductor device including a reduced surface field strength type LDMOS transistor which can prevent the breakdown of elements at channel formation portions when a reverse voltage is applied to its drain. A P well and an N well are formed in an N-type substrate to produce a double-well structure, with a source electrode being set to be equal in electric potential to the N-type substrate. The drift region of the N well has a dopant concentration to satisfy the so-called RESURF condition, which can provide a high breakdown voltage a low ON resistance. When a reverse voltage is applied to a drain electrode, a parasitic bipolar transistor comprising the N well, the P well and the N-type substrate develops to form a current-carrying path toward a substrate, so that the element breakdown at the channel formation portions is avoidable at the application of the reverse voltage.

Abstract: The newly proposed austenitic stainless steel has composition consisting of (C+½N) up to 0.060 mass %, Si up to 1.0 mass %, Mn up to 5 mass %, S up to 0.006 mass %, 15-20 mass % Cr, 5-12 mass % Ni, Cu up to 5 mass %, 0-3.0 mass % Mo and the balance being Fe except inevitable impurities under the condition that a value Md3O (representing a ratio of a strain-induced martensite) defined by the under-mentioned formula is controlled within a range of −60 to −10. Hardness increase of the steel sheet after being cold-rolled is preferably 20% or more as Vickers hardness. A metallurgical structure of the steel sheet is preferably adjusted to grain size number of #8 to #11 in a finish annealed state. The steel sheet is blanked with high dimensional accuracy, and a die life is also prolonged.