Abstract: A rechargeable cleaner includes a body, a rechargeable battery, a charger, and a body controller. The body is configured to generate suction power capable of sucking dust together with air using a motor. The rechargeable battery is configured to supply electric power to the motor. The charger is configured to charge the battery. The body controller is disposed in the body. The body controller controls at least one of a charging current and a charging voltage based on cell voltage information indicating a cell voltage, cell temperature information indicating a cell temperature, and battery identification information for identifying the battery that are acquired from the battery, and based on charger identification information for identifying the charger acquired from the charger.

Abstract: An object is to provide a thermotolerant yeast capable of assimilating xylose to produce ethanol or a mutant strain thereof and a method for producing ethanol by assimilation of xylose. There is used a yeast, Kluyveromyces marxianus strain No. 21 (accession number: NITE BP-01739), or a mutant strain thereof that has xylose assimilation ability and ethanol production ability when cultured at 30° C. under aerobic conditions using a culture medium containing xylose as a sugar source. Also performed is a method for producing ethanol, comprising culturing the yeast or the mutant strain thereof under aerobic conditions using a culture medium containing xylose as a sugar source.

Abstract: An object is to provide a thermotolerant yeast capable of assimilating xylose to produce ethanol or a mutant strain thereof and a method for producing ethanol by assimilation of xylose. There is used a yeast, Kluyveromyces marxianus strain No. 21 (accession number: NITE BP-01739), or a mutant strain thereof that has xylose assimilation ability and ethanol production ability when cultured at 30° C. under aerobic conditions using a culture medium containing xylose as a sugar source. Also performed is a method for producing ethanol, comprising culturing the yeast or the mutant strain thereof under aerobic conditions using a culture medium containing xylose as a sugar source.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel yeast strain capable of producing ethanol through fermentation with a high degree of efficiency at a temperature of 37° C. or higher, preferably a temperature ranging from 40 to 49° C. or higher, and also a method for producing ethanol by utilizing the yeast strain, and further, ethanol produced by the method. Therefore, in the present invention, an yeast strain (Deposit No. NITE BP-283, etc) belonging to species Kluyveromyces marxianus isolated by a screening step using a culture medium containing sugar in a high concentration and ethanol, is cultured in a culture solution supplemented with 10 to 100 mM of sorbitol at 40 to 49° C.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel yeast strain capable of producing ethanol through fermentation with a high degree of efficiency at a temperature of 37° C. or higher, preferably a temperature ranging from 40 to 49° C. or higher, and also a method for producing ethanol by utilizing the yeast strain, and further, ethanol produced by the method. Therefore, in the present invention, an yeast strain (Deposit No. NITE BP-283, etc) belonging to species Kluyveromyces marxianus isolated by a screening step using a culture medium containing sugar in a high concentration and ethanol, is cultured in a culture solution supplemented with 10 to 100 mM of sorbitol at 40 to 49° C.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a plurality of coil-shaped thin cast strips while molten metal r is being supplied to the molten metal pool 3 formed by a pair of cooling drums 1, 1 and a pair of side dams, when a casting operation corresponding to one coil of the coil-shaped thin cast strip has been completed, gas is made to blow from the gas nozzles 7b toward the scum s floating on the molten metal, so that the scum s drifts, due to the gas flow to one meniscus m2, and the thus drifted scum is attached to a surface of the cast strip and circumferential faces of the cooling drums and is then discharged from the molten metal pool.

Abstract: A cooling drum for metal cast strip by continuous casting has dimples 40 to 200 ?m in average depth and 0.5 to 3 mm in diameter of circle equivalent formed on a plated peripheral surface of the cooling drum, adjacent to each other at rims of the dimples; and a film, containing oxides of at least one member selected from the group consisting of Ni—W, Ni—Co—W, Cr, Ni—Fe and Ni—Al, is formed on the peripheral surface.

Abstract: A twin-drum continuous casting apparatus for casting a metal sheet (4) by supplying molten metal (3) to a pouring basin formed by a pair of cooling drums (1) rotating in opposite directions, and side gates (2), to cool the molten metal (3) by contact with surfaces of the cooling drums (1), thereby forming a solidified shell. The cooling drum (1) is formed from a drum body (11) having shaft portions at opposite end portions, and a drum sleeve (10) fitted on an outer peripheral portion of the drum body (11). Also, means is provided for preventing various adverse influences due to differences in thermal expansion of constituent members of the drum body (11) during casting. Thus, the reliability of the apparatus is increased, and the quality of casting is improved.

Abstract: The method of manufacturing a heat exchanging fin having an oval collared through-hole is capable of reducing manufacturing cost. The method comprises the steps of: forming a circular projected section, whose transverse sectional shape is a circular shape, in a thin metal plate; drawing the circular projected section a plurality of times so as to form into an oval projected section, whose transverse sectional shape is an oval shape and which has a prescribed height, a prescribed major axis and a prescribed minor axis; and boring a through-hole in the oval projected section so as to form the collared through-hole.

Abstract: Dimples, preferably 40 to 200 ?m in average depth and 0.5 to 3 mm in diameter of circle equivalent, are formed on the peripheral surface of a cooling drum, adjacent to each other at the rims of the dimples; and fine humps (preferably, fine humps 1 to 50 ?m in height and 5 to 200 ?m in diameter of circle equivalent on the surfaces of the dimples and/or fine humps 1 to 50 ?m in height and 30 to 200 ?m in diameter of circle equivalent at the rims of the dimples), fine holes (preferably, fine holes 5 ?m or more in depth and 10 to 200 ?m in diameter of circle equivalent), or fine unevenness (preferably, fine unevenness 1 to 50 ?m in average depth and 10 to 200 ?m in diameter of circle equivalent) are formed at the rims and/or on the indented surfaces of said dimples.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a plurality of coil-shaped thin cast strips while molten metal r is being supplied to the molten metal pool 3 formed by a pair of cooling drums 1, 1 and a pair of side dams, when a casting operation corresponding to one coil of the coil-shaped thin cast strip has been completed, gas is made to blow from the gas nozzles 7b toward the scum s floating on the molten metal, so that the scum s drifts, due to the gas flow to one meniscus m2, and the thus drifted scum is attached to a surface of the cast strip and circumferential faces of the cooling drums and is then discharged from the molten metal pool.

Abstract: Dimples, preferably 40 to 200 ?m in average depth and 0.5 to 3 mm in diameter of circle equivalent, are formed on the peripheral surface of a cooling drum, adjacent to each other at the rims of the dimples; and fine humps (preferably, fine humps 1 to 50 ?m in height and 5 to 200 ?m in diameter of circle equivalent on the surfaces of the dimples and/or fine humps 1 to 50 ?m in height and 30 to 200 ?m in diameter of circle equivalent at the rims of the dimples), fine holes (preferably, fine holes 5 ?m or more in depth and 10 to 200 ?m in diameter of circle equivalent), or fine unevenness (preferably, fine unevenness 1 to 50 ?m in average depth and 10 to 200 ?m in diameter of circle equivalent) are formed at the rims and/or on the indented surfaces of said dimples.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a plurality of coil-shaped thin cast strips while molten metal r is being supplied to the molten metal pool 3 formed by a pair of cooling drums 1, 1 and a pair of side dams, when a casting operation corresponding to one coil of the coil-shaped thin cast strip has been completed, gas is made to blow from the gas nozzles 7b toward the scum s floating on the molten metal, so that the scum s drifts, due to the gas flow to one meniscus m2, and the thus drifted scum is attached to a surface of the cast strip and circumferential faces of the cooling drums and is then discharged from the molten metal pool.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a heat exchanging fin capable of preventing cracks from forming in the flares of the collared tube holes, even if the metallic plate section is made of the thin and tough material. In the heat exchanging fin, a metallic plate section has a plurality of tube holes. A plurality of collars are respectively extended from edges of the tube holes. A plurality of flares are respectively formed at front ends of the collars. Each flare includes a plurality of radially extended sections, which are radially outwardly extended from the front end of each collar, and separation between the metallic plate section and each radially extended section is fixed.

Abstract: A twin-drum continuous casting apparatus for casting a metal sheet (4) by supplying molten metal (3) to a pouring basin formed by a pair of cooling drums (1) rotating in opposite directions, and side gates (2), to cool the molten metal (3) by contact with surfaces of the cooling drums (1), thereby forming a solidified shell. The cooling drum (1) is formed from a drum body (11) having shaft portions at opposite end portions, and a drum sleeve (10) fitted on an outer peripheral portion of the drum body (11). Also, means is provided for preventing various adverse influences due to differences in thermal expansion of constituent members of the drum body (11) during casting. Thus, the reliability of the apparatus is increased, and the quality of casting is improved.

Abstract: Dimples, preferably 40 to 200 &mgr;m in average depth and 0.5 to 3 mm in diameter of circle equivalent, are formed on the peripheral surface of a cooling drum, adjacent to each other at the rims of the dimples; and fine humps (preferably, fine humps 1 to 50 &mgr;m in height and 5 to 200 &mgr;m in diameter of circle equivalent on the surfaces of the dimples and/or fine humps 1 to 50 &mgr;m in height and 30 to 200 &mgr;m in diameter of circle equivalent at the rims of the dimples), fine holes (preferably, fine holes 5 &mgr;m or more in depth and 10 to 200 &mgr;m in diameter of circle equivalent), or fine unevenness (preferably, fine unevenness 1 to 50 &mgr;m in average depth and 10 to 200 &mgr;m in diameter of circle equivalent) are formed at the rims and/or on the indented surfaces of said dimples.

Abstract: The method of manufacturing a heat exchanging fin is able to restrict forming wrinkles and ring marks in the heat exchanging fin. The method comprises the steps of: forming dome sections having diameters greater than the diameters of collared-through-holes and which are projected from one side face of a thin plate, and a plurality of circular recesses having diameters greater than of the dome sections, each of which encloses one of the dome sections, the circular recesses being depressed toward the opposite face of the thin plate; forming the dome sections and the recesses into truncated cone-shaped sections in a plurality of steps; forming a through-hole in each of the truncated cone-shaped sections; forming edges of the through-holes into collars; and forming a flange at a front end of each of the collars.

Abstract: The method of manufacturing a heat exchanging fin is able to restrict forming wrinkles and ring marks in the heat exchanging fin. The method comprises the steps of: forming dome sections, whose diameter is greater than that of collared-through-holes and which are projected from one side face of a thin plate, and a plurality of circular recesses, whose diameter is greater than that of the dome sections and each of which encloses each of the dome sections and are depressed toward the other face of the thin plate; forming the dome sections and the recesses into truncated cone-shaped sections in a plurality of steps; forming a through-hole in each of the truncated cone-shaped sections; forming edges of the through-holes into collars; and forming a flange at a front end of each of the collars.

Abstract: Disclosed are novel compounds useful in electrophotographic photoreceptors as charge-transporting materials having good miscibility with binder polymers and capable of forming a thin stable organic film having a high concentration; and an electrophotographic photoreceptor containing the same. The compounds are bis(3,4-methylenedioxyphenylamino) derivatives represented by general formula (1): wherein Ar1 and Ar2 each is an optionally substituted aryl group and Ar3 is a phenylene group or an optionally substituted biphenylene group.

Abstract: To provide a heat exchanging fin capable of preventing cracks from forming in the flares of the collared tube holes, even if the metallic plate section is made of thin and tough material. In the heat exchanging fin, a metallic plate section has a plurality of tube holes. A plurality of collars are respectively extended from edges of the tube holes. A plurality of flares are respectively formed at front ends of the collars. Each flare includes a plurality of radially extended sections, which are radially outwardly extended from the front end of each collar. Furthermore, separation between the metallic plate section and each radially extended section is fixed.