Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a half Heuslar alloy including quench-solidifying a molten alloy at a cooling rate of 1×102 to 1×103° C./sec to produce a half Heuslar alloy represented by the formula: ABC (wherein A and B each is at least one member selected from transition metals such as Fe, Co, Ni, Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Hf, Nb, Mo, Ta and W, and C is at least one member selected from Group 13 or 14 element such as Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge and Sn), and a high-performance thermoelectric power generating device using the thermoelectric semiconductor alloy.

Abstract: Disclosed is a polypeptide shown below in (A) or (B), a protein dimer neoculin comprising the polypeptide Neoculin Acidic Subunit (NAS) and the polypeptide Neoculin Basic Subunit (NBS) and having a taste-modifying activity: (A) a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO.2 in the sequence listing; (B) a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence with the substitution, deletion, insertion, addition or inversion of one or several amino acids in the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO. 2 in the sequence listing, which polypeptide can form the neoculin dimer having a taste-modifying activity together with the polypeptide NBS.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a half Heuslar alloy including quench-solidifying a molten alloy at a cooling rate of 1×102 to 1×103° C./sec to produce a Heuslar alloy represented by the formula: ABC (wherein A and B each is at least one member selected from transition metals such as Fe, Co, Ni, Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Hf, Nb, Mo, Ta and W, and C is at least one member selected from Group 13 or 14 element such as Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge and Sn), and a high-performance thermoelectric power generating device using the thermoelectric semiconductor alloy.

Abstract: An R-T-B type alloy (wherein R is at least one member selected from rare earth elements, T is a transition metal including Fe, and B includes boron) which is a raw material for use in a rare earth-based permanent magnet, wherein the volume percentage of the region containing an R2T17 phase having an average grain diameter of 3 ?m or less in the short axis direction is from 0.5 to 10%.

Abstract: An R-T-B alloy used in a rare earth permanent magnet, where R is at least one element selected from rare earth elements including Y, which contains Dy and/or Tb as an essential element, T is a metal comprising Fe as an essential element, and B is boron, comprising: a main phase being an R2T14B phase, and an R-rich phase; and when a mean value of the concentration of Dy and/or Tb in the whole of said R-T-B alloy is defined as an average concentration, an area of 60% or more of an area of said main phase in an arbitrary cross-section of said R-T-B alloy contains said Dy and/or Tb at the average concentration or higher; a process for the production of the R-T-B alloy; a fine powder for R-T-B rare-earth permanent magnets which is prepared from the R-T-B alloy: R-T-B rare earth permanent magnet, and motors.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a production apparatus which can produce an alloy which can produce a rare-earth magnet having high coercive force, and the present invention provide an apparatus for producing an alloy, wherein the device includes at least a casting device 2 for casting a molten alloy by the SC method, a crushing device 21 for crushing cast alloy after casting, a heat-retaining device 3 for maintaining temperature of cast alloy flakes N supplied from the crushing device, and a storage container 5 for storing the cast alloy flakes N after maintaining the temperature; the heat-retaining device includes a heat-retaining container 32 for storing the cast alloy flakes N supplied from the crushing device 21, a temperature retaining heater for maintaining the temperature of the cast alloy flakes N in the heat-retaining container 32, an inclination device 33 for sending the cast alloy flakes N in the heat-retaining container 43 to the storage container 5 by inclining the heat-retaini

Abstract: A capacitor module in which the structure of a connecting portion is highly resistant against vibration and has a low inductance. The capacitor module includes a plurality of capacitors and a laminate made up of a first wide conductor and a second wide conductor joined in a layered form with an insulation sheet interposed between the first and second wide conductors. The laminate comprises a first flat portion including the plurality of capacitors which are supported thereon and electrically connected thereto, a second flat portion continuously extending from the first flat portion while being bent, and connecting portions formed at ends of the first flat portion and the second flat portion and electrically connected to the exterior.

Abstract: An RE-containing alloy, which is represented by a compositional formula of RrTtAa (wherein R represents at least one rare earth element selected from among La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho, Tm, Yb, Gd, and Lu; T collectively represents transition metal elements containing at least Fe atoms, a portion of the Fe atoms being optionally substituted by at least one species selected from among Co, Ni, Mn, Pt, and Pd; A represents at least one element selected from among Al, As, Si, Ga, Ge, Mn, Sn, and Sb; and r, t, and a have the following relationships: 5.0 at. %?r?6.8 at. %, 73.8 at. %?t?88.7 at. %, and 4.6 at. %?a?19.4 at. %) and having an alloy microstructure containing an NaZn13-type crystal structure in an amount of at least 85 mass % and ?-Fe in an amount of 5-15 mass % inclusive.

Abstract: The power inverter includes: a case made of a metal; a first power module provided in the case and including a DC terminal and an AC terminal; a second power module provided in the case and including a DC terminal and an AC terminal; and a cooling formation body for decreasing heat generated from the first and second power modules. The first and second power modules are disposed in a manner such that the DC terminals face each other.

Abstract: A method for producing a filled skutterudite-based alloy includes the steps of melting alloy raw material that includes a rare earth metal R that is at least one species selected from among La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu and Yb, a transition metal T that is at least one species selected from among Fe, Co, Ni, Os, Ru, Pd, Pt and Ag, and metallic antimony Sb to form a melt; and rapidly quenching the melt through strip casting to form a solidified product that is the filled skutterudite-based alloy advantageously usable for a thermoelectric element.

Abstract: A method for producing an RE-containing alloy represented by formula R(T1?xAx)13?y (wherein R represents Ce, etc.; T represents Fe, etc.; and A represents Al, etc; 0.05?x?0.2; and ?1?y?1) including a melting step of melting alloy raw materials at 1,200 to 1,800° C.; and a solidification step of rapidly quenching the molten metal produced through the above step, to thereby form the first RE-containing alloy, wherein the solidification step is performed at a cooling rate of 102 to 104° C./second, as measured at least within a range of the temperature of the molten metal to 900° C.; and an RE-containing alloy, which is represented by a compositional formula of RrTtAa (wherein R and A represent the same meaning as above, T represents Fe, etc.; 5.0 at. %?r?6.8 at. %, 73.8 at. %?t?88.7 at. %, and 4.6 at. %?a?19.4 at. %) and has an alloy microstructure containing an NaZn13-type crystal structure in an amount of at least 85 mass % and ?-Fe in an amount of 5-15 mass % inclusive.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to discover a substance with sweetness independent of pH and to provide a novel composition with sweetness characterized by containing the substance. Provided are: an NAS variant characterized by having sweetness independent of pH in the case of combination with a polypeptide NBS variant by causing substitution mutation or deletion mutation in one or several amino acids out of the amino acid residues constituting a polypeptide NAS; an NBS variant characterized by having sweetness independent of pH in the case of combination with a polypeptide NAS variant by causing substitution mutation or deletion mutation in one or several amino acids out of the amino acid residues constituting a polypeptide NBS; a diner comprising a combination of the NAS variant and the NBS variant; a recombinant vector containing a gene encoding the NAS variant and a gene encoding the NBS variant; and a transformant containing the vector.

Abstract: The present invention provides an R-T-B system alloy used as a raw material for a rare earth permanent magnet (wherein R represents at least one selected from the group consisting of Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu, T represents a transition metal comprising 80% or more by weight of Fe, and B represents a component comprising 50% or more by weight of B and between 0 to less than 50% by weight of at least one selected from the group consisting of C and N), wherein the content of Mn in the alloy is 0.05% or less by weight.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an R-T-B type alloy (wherein R is at least one element selected from Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu; T is a transition metal that contains 80% by mass or more of Fe; and B is one that contains 50% by mass or more of boron (B) and also contains at least one element of C and N within a range from 0 to less than 50% by mass) that contains at least Dy, as a raw material for a rare earth-based permanent magnet having excellent magnetic characteristics, and the R-T-B type alloy provided in the present invention includes a main phase such as an R2T14B phase for exhibiting magnetic properties; an R-rich phase that is relatively enriched with R compared to the overall alloy compositional ratio; and a Dy-rich region that is formed close to the R-rich phase and relatively enriched with Dy compared to the compositional ratio.

Abstract: It is an object of the invention to find a substance with a better taste-modifying function and determine the structure of the taste-modifying substance, as well as to elucidate the structure thereof at a gene level and determine the primary structure of the substance and obtain the gene encoding the substance. Additionally, it is an object of the invention to provide a novel taste-modifying composition characteristically containing the taste-modifying substance. Specifically, the invention provides the polypeptide shown below in (A) or (B), a protein dimer neoculin comprising the polypeptide NAS and the polypeptide NBS and having a taste-modifying activity: (A) a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO.2 in the sequence listing; (B) a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence with the substitution, deletion, insertion, addition or inversion of one or several amino acids in the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO.

Abstract: The power inverter includes: a case made of a metal; a first power module provided in the case and including a DC terminal and an AC terminal; a second power module provided in the case and including a DC terminal and an AC terminal; and a cooling formation body for decreasing heat generated from the first and second power modules. The first and second power modules are disposed in a manner such that the DC terminals face each other.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a half Heuslar alloy including quench-solidifying a molten alloy at a cooling rate of 1×102 to 1×103° C./sec to produce a Heuslar alloy represented by the formula: ABC (wherein A and B each is at least one member selected from transition metals such as Fe, Co, Ni, Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Hf, Nb, Mo, Ta and W, and C is at least one member selected from Group 13 or 14 element such as Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge and Sn), and a high-performance thermoelectric power generating device using the thermoelectric semiconductor alloy.

Abstract: The thermoelectric conversion module is provided, comprising a plurality of thermoelectric elements, and respective thermoelectric elements are electrically connected by metal caps attached to both ends of each thermoelectric element. In addition, the metal cap may be integrally formed with electrodes on both ends of each thermoelectric element.

Abstract: A power inverter comprises at least a box-shaped housing; and a power module, a smoothing capacitor, a base plate made of a flat plate, and a rotating electric machine control circuit board arranged in order in the housing. The base plate is arranged with the fringes fixed to the inner wall surfaces of the housing, and the smoothing capacitor and rotating electric machine control circuit board are fixed.

Abstract: A capacitor module in which the structure of a connecting portion is highly resistant against vibration and has a low inductance. The capacitor module includes a plurality of capacitors and a laminate made up of a first wide conductor and a second wide conductor joined in a layered form with an insulation sheet interposed between the first and second wide conductors. The laminate comprises a first flat portion including the plurality of capacitors which are supported thereon and electrically connected thereto, a second flat portion continuously extending from the first flat portion while being bent, and connecting portions formed at ends of the first flat portion and the second flat portion and electrically connected to the exterior.