Abstract: A charging base includes: a base seat installed on a floor surface; a columnar tower part provided on the base seat; a first support provided on the tower part and capable of supporting a vertical first electric vacuum cleaner; and a second support provided on the tower part and capable of supporting a vertical second electric vacuum cleaner. An electric vacuum cleaner system includes the charging base configured as described above, the vertical first electric vacuum cleaner, and the vertical second electric vacuum cleaner.

Abstract: The present invention provides an intermediate composition enabling to prepare easily and steadily an ?-gel-containing O/W emulsion cosmetic that has a very small viscosity change over time and is excellent in emulsion stability, without using a cooling device that has a heavy burden on cost and the environment, and a production method thereof. An ?-gel intermediate composition consisting of (A) 20 to 80 mass % of a mixture containing one or more higher alcohols having 16 or more carbon atoms and an anionic surfactant in the mole ratio of 3:2 to 5:1, and (B) 20 to 80 mass % of a mixture containing one or more water-soluble solvents having the IOB value of 1.5 to 3.5 and water in the mass ratio of 5:5 to 8:2, and wherein the composition is a liquid consisting of a bicontinuous microemulsion phase or a lamellar liquid crystal-dispersed bicontinuous microemulsion phase at 65 to 85° C. and a solid at room temperature.

Abstract: A puncture needle includes a needle tube 1 provided with a spiral groove 3 and wall surfaces 3a and 3b of the spiral groove 3 serve as a surface for reflecting ultrasonic waves. The spiral groove is formed on the peripheral surface of the needle tube such that a grinding stone 2 is brought into contact with the peripheral surface of the needle tube while the needle tube 1 is being moved in its axial direction and rotated. The wall surfaces of the spiral groove formed on the needle tube serve as a reflection surface to change the orientation of the reflection surface in the axial direction of the needle tube according to change in position of the spiral. Therefore, even if a direction in which an ultrasonic wave is applied to the puncture needle is fixed, any portion of the reflection surface changing in orientation can become a surface for reflecting well ultrasonic waves, so that good ultrasonic waves can be obtained.

Abstract: A composition containing wall teichoic acid-attached peptidoglycan (WTA-PGN) as an active ingredient, a method for preventing or treating Staphylococcus aureus infectious diseases using the composition, and a method for preparing a soluble WTA-PGN which can be used as an active ingredient in the composition are provided. The composition of the present invention can be effectively used for preventing or treating Staphylococcus aureus infectious diseases by opsonophagocytosis due to antigen-antibody reaction and neutrophil-mediated phagocytosis due to T cell activation at the early stage of infection.

Abstract: The present invention provides an intermediate composition enabling to prepare easily and steadily an ?-gel-containing O/W emulsion cosmetic that has a very small viscosity change over time and is excellent in emulsion stability, without using a cooling device that has a heavy burden on cost and the environment, and a production method thereof. An ?-gel intermediate composition consisting of (A) 20 to 80 mass % of a mixture containing one or more higher alcohols having 16 or more carbon atoms and an anionic surfactant in the mole ratio of 3:2 to 5:1, and (B) 20 to 80 mass % of a mixture containing one or more water-soluble solvents having the IOB value of 1.5 to 3.5 and water in the mass ratio of 5:5 to 8:2, and wherein the composition is a liquid consisting of a bicontinuous microemulsion phase or a lamellar liquid crystal-dispersed bicontinuous microemulsion phase at 65 to 85° C. and a solid at room temperature.

Abstract: A hair conditioning composition containing very little water from which a hair conditioner can be easily produced by diluting with water, and a low energy production method thereof. A hair conditioning composition including (a) 10 to 90% by mass of specifically structured higher alcohols and/or derivatives thereof, (b) 5 to 35% by mass of cationic surfactant, and (c) a polyhydric alcohol and/or polyethylene glycol having a melting point of 70° C. or less, wherein the melting point of a gel which is formed from (a) and (b) in the composition is 70° C. or less, the water content is 10% by mass or less, and the molar ratio of (a) to (b) is 2.5 or more to less than 6.0. Also, a low energy method of producing a hair conditioner by melting the hair conditioning composition under heating at the temperature of the melting point of gel or more to 70° C. or less, and diluting it with water in an amount of 3 to 15 times by mass.

Abstract: A puncture needle includes a needle tube 1 provided with a spiral groove 3 and wall surfaces 3a and 3b of the spiral groove 3 serve as a surface for reflecting ultrasonic waves. The spiral groove is formed on the peripheral surface of the needle tube such that a grinding stone 2 is brought into contact with the peripheral surface of the needle tube while the needle tube 1 is being moved in its axial direction and rotated. The wall surfaces of the spiral groove formed on the needle tube serve as a reflection surface to change the orientation of the reflection surface in the axial direction of the needle tube according to change in position of the spiral. Therefore, even if a direction in which an ultrasonic wave is applied to the puncture needle is fixed, any portion of the reflection surface changing in orientation can become a surface for reflecting well ultrasonic waves, so that good ultrasonic waves can be obtained.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-handle, before and after dilution with water, concentrated liquid cleanser composition and a production method thereof. A concentrated cleanser composition of the present invention is characterized by comprising: (A) an anionic surfactant, (B) an amphoteric surfactant, (C) 5 to 15 mass % of a monohydric or dihydric alcohol, (D) 8 to 18 mass % of a nonionic surfactant with the IOB value of 0.8 to 1.1 and the molecular weight of 500 or lower, and (E) 45 mass % or less of water, wherein the sum of (A) and (B) is 40 to 60 mass %; wherein the blending ratio (C):(D) is 3.5:1 to 1:2.5; and wherein the viscosity at 30° C. is 300 mPa·s or higher when the composition is diluted until the concentration of (A) and (B) becomes 15 mass %.

Abstract: The present invention provides a solid or powder hairdressing composition comprising the following (a) ingredient and (b) ingredient: (a) hair styling agent, and (b) polyethylene glycol having a mass-average molecular weight of 1,000-25,000. The object of the present invention is to provide a hairdressing that is used on towel-dried wet hair after hair washing, not a conventional liquid, paste, or cream hairdressing but a solid or powder hairdressing that contains none or a drastically reduced amount of ethanol or water, which is a solution ingredient to dissolve or disperse the hair setting resin.

Abstract: A hair conditioning composition containing very little water from which a hair conditioner can be easily produced by diluting with water, and a low energy production method thereof. A hair conditioning composition including (a) 10 to 90% by mass of specifically structured higher alcohols and/or derivatives thereof, (b) 5 to 35% by mass of cationic surfactant, and (c) a polyhydric alcohol and/or polyethylene glycol having a melting point of 70° C. or less, wherein the melting point of a gel which is formed from (a) and (b) in the composition is 70° C. or less, the water content is 10% by mass or less, and the molar ratio of (a) to (b) is 2.5 or more to less than 6.0. Also, a low energy method of producing a hair conditioner by melting the hair conditioning composition under heating at the temperature of the melting point of gel or more to 70° C. or less, and diluting it with water in an amount of 3 to 15 times by mass.

Abstract: The present invention provides an easily-handled hair conditioning composition with a very low water content. The hair conditioning composition of the present invention is a composition comprising: (a) 10 to 90% by mass of one or more components selected from higher alcohols, higher fatty acids, and derivatives thereof, (b) 5 to 35% by mass of a cationic surfactant, and (c) a polyhydric alcohol and/or polyethylene glycol having a melting point of 155° C. or less, characterized in that the endothermic peak of a gel which is formed from (a) and (b) in the composition is 50° C. or more as measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and that the water content is 10% by mass or less.

Abstract: A wavelength tunable light source includes an optical pulse generating section for generating an optical pulse; an amplitude control section for controlling the amplitude of the optical pulse generated by the optical pulse generating section by superimposing control light on the optical pulse to output a short optical pulse; and an optical frequency converting section for converting the frequency of the short optical pulse by launching the short optical pulse output from the amplitude control section into an optical nonlinear medium whose refractive index varies in response to the electric-field intensity of the incident light. The amplitude control section can be configured such that it carries out the time division multiplexing and outputs the short optical pulse, thereby constituting an optical pulse light source.

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing an optical fiber having a core portion for waveguiding lights, and a plurality of holes arranged around the core portion, the optical fiber is manufactured by puncturing the holes in a glass rod that is to become the optical fiber, by using an ultrasonic drill, and then drawing the glass rod with the holes to form the optical fiber.

Abstract: A wavelength tunable light source includes an optical pulse generating section for generating an optical pulse; an amplitude control section for controlling the amplitude of the optical pulse generated by the optical pulse generating section by superimposing control light on the optical pulse to output a short optical pulse; and an optical frequency converting section for converting the frequency of the short optical pulse by launching the short optical pulse output from the amplitude control section into an optical nonlinear medium whose refractive index varies in response to the electric-field intensity of the incident light. The amplitude control section can be configured such that it carries out the time division multiplexing and outputs the short optical pulse, thereby constituting an optical pulse light source.

Abstract: An optical fiber includes a core, a first cladding, a second cladding, and a third cladding. The core has a refractive index n.sub.0. The first cladding is formed around the core and has a refractive index n.sub.1. The second cladding is formed around the first cladding and has a refractive index n.sub.2. The third cladding is formed around the second cladding and has a refractive index n.sub.3. The refractive indices have relationships n.sub.1 >n.sub.2 >n.sub.3 and n.sub.1 >n.sub.0.

Abstract: A thermal transfer sheet providing printed images less susceptible to deterioration over time of their gloss is provided comprising a foundation, and at least a release layer containing a paraffin wax as a principal component thereof, an intermediate layer containing a wax and a heat-meltable color ink layer which are stacked on the foundation in this order, the intermediate layer containing an isoparaffin wax and/or transparent inorganic particles.

Abstract: A thermal transfer sheet is provided which includes: a base film; and a filling ink layer formed side by side on one side of the base film; the filling ink layer containing an n-paraffin wax in an amount of not less than 10% by weight and an isoparaffin wax in an mount of 20% to 80% by weight of the total amount of the n-paraffin wax and the isoparaffin wax.

Abstract: A fiberoptic probe for brain scanning formed on one end of a pair of incoming and outgoing optical conductors is disclosed. The probe comprises an armoring-pipe which covers the outside of the pair and is capable of retaining a cannula guide at least temporarily. This structure facilitates an accurate positioning of an infusion cannula for the subsequent experiments.