Abstract: To provide an alkaline storage battery, a cobalt compound obtained by mixing a cobalt hydroxide powder and a sodium hydroxide powder and applying a heat treatment to the same in an atmosphere containing oxygen, a cobalt compound obtained by adding a sodium hydroxide aqueous solution and an aqueous solution containing an oxidizing agent to a cobalt hydroxide powder, or a cobalt compound obtained by baking a cobalt hydroxide powder in an atmosphere containing oxygen is used. This provides cobalt compounds suitable for producing long-life and highly reliable alkaline storage batteries, methods for manufacturing the same, and positive electrode plates of alkaline storage batteries employing the same.

Abstract: A substrate for a transfer mask, which comprises a first silicon layer formed of monocrystalline silicon, a silicon oxide film formed on the first silicon layer and having a thickness ranging from 0.2 to 0.8 &mgr;m, and a second silicon layer formed on the silicon oxide film. A transfer mask which is manufactured by making use of this substrate is featured in that it is possible to prevent a transfer pattern from being cracked or destroyed due to stress from the silicon oxide film on the occasion of manufacturing the transfer mask, thereby providing a defect-free transfer mask.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improvement in a chamfering machine for chamfering blocks of vegetable such as carrots or potatoes. A conventional vegetable block chamfering machine uses a chamfering blade having a crank-like axle integrally connected thereto with its opposite handles aligned with the blade edge, permitting the chamfering blade to rotate freely about its opposite handles. An improved chamfering machine according to the present invention is free of any kind of malfunction as would be often caused in the conventional chamfering machine, and is capable of chamfering blocks of vegetable effectively. A chamfering blade is placed in the path in which a selected block of vegetable is transported, the edge of the chamfering blade being directed to the vegetable block. The chamfering blade is integrally connected to a blade axle, which is placed in engagement with guide and the blade axle is fixed to one end of a swingable rod. A vegetable carrier is placed in front of the chamfering blade.

Abstract: A process controller includes a change fetch circuit for fetching a change in feedforward controlled variable due to a variation in load, and an auto-tuning control circuit for performing auto-tuning for mis-matching of the feedforward control, in accordance with a compensation variable obtained by multiplying a ratio of an adjusted output signal of a feedback control system corrected by the feedforward control to the feedforward controlled variable, with the change in feedforward controlled variable, to determine an optimal next feedforward controlled variable.

Abstract: In a method and a system for process control comprising in combination a feed-back control in which a manipulated variable is determined in accordance with a deviation of a controlled variable with reference to a target value and a feed-forward control in which a disturbance is detected and a disturbance compensation is determined and used in determining the manipulated variable to counteract the effect of the disturbance, when the control is in a steady state, disturbance compensation is adjusted in such a manner that the difference between the disturbance compensation and the manipulated variable is reduced.

Abstract: A polyamide film prepared from a polyamide composition comprised of at least 60% by weight of polytetramethyleneadipamide or a copolymer polyamide containing at least 60% by weight of a polytetramethyleneadipamide component, said film being at least monoaxially stretched at a stretching ratio of at least 1.5, said film having a characteristic value .DELTA.T of from 30.degree. to 60.degree. C. as determined from the relationship:.DELTA.T=Tm-Tc,wherein Tm (melting point) is the peak melting temperature (.degree.C.) when the temperature is increased at a rate of 20.degree. C./min by means of a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and Tc (crystallization temperature) is the peak crystallization temperature (.degree.C.) when the temperature, 20.degree. C. above the melting point, is decreased at a rate of 80.degree. C./min by means of a DSC, and said film having a retention rate of its breaking strength after a hydrothermal treatment at 135.degree. C. for 30 minutes of at least 60%.

Abstract: A process control apparatus according to the present invention comprises a feed back control system for outputting a feedback control signal which is computed by comparing and adjusting a set value and a process variable, and a feedforward control system for outputting a disturbance compensation signal by detecting and compensating for the disturbance based on a feedforward control model. The gain of the feedback control signal is corrected in response to the magnitude of the disturbance variations by a gain scheduling unit, and the gain of the feedforward control model is controlled by supplying a correction signal which compares and equalizes, at a feedforward control model gain adaptive unit, the disturbance compensation signal and the manipulated variable obtained by adding the disturbance compensation signal and the feedback signal that is gain-corrected by the gain scheduling unit.

Abstract: A matte film made of a composition comprising (a) from 3 to 20 parts by weight of a polyarylate resin made of terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid (the molar ratio of the terephthalic acid group to the isophthalic acid group being from 9:1 to 1:9) and a bivalent phenolic compound, (b) from 60 to 94 parts by weight of a linear polyester resin and (c) from 3 to 30 parts by weight of a styrene resin or an acrylic resin, and satisfying the following condition:A-10.ltoreq.S.ltoreq.A+15where A is the parts by weight of the polyarylate resin and S is the parts by weight of the styrene resin or acrylic resin, and said film being stretched at least 1.5 times in at least one direction.

Abstract: A method and system of process control comprising in combination a feed-back control in which a deviation of a controlled variable with reference to a target value is applied to a velocity type controller and a manipulated variable is determined in accordance with the output of the controller and a feed-forward control in which a disturbance is detected and a disturbance compensation is determined and added in determining the manipulated variable to counteract the effect of the disturbance. A static compensation component and a dynamic compensation component of the disturbance compensation are separately determined in accordance with the detected disturbance, and the static compensation component is converted to a velocity type signal, and added to the output of the controller to obtain a first sum. The first sum is converted to a position type signal, and added to the dynamic compensation component to obtain a second sum, in accordance with which the manipulated variable is determined.