Abstract: An electrode material for a rechargeable lithium battery, characterized in that said electrode material comprises a fine powder of a silicon-based material whose principal component is silicon element, said fine powder having an average particle size (R) in a range of 0.1 ?m?R<0.5 ?m. An electrode structural body for a rechargeable lithium battery, having an electrode material layer comprising said silicon-based material fine powder. A rechargeable lithium battery whose anode comprising said electrode structural body.

Abstract: A secondary battery exhibiting a long cycle life and comprising a negative pole activating material made of lithium or zinc is provided, the battery at least having a negative pole made of lithium or zinc serving as the negative pole activating material, an electrolyte (electrolytic solution), a separator, a positive pole made of a positive pole activating material, a collecting electrode and a battery case, wherein at least the surface of the negative pole is covered with a film having a structure which allows ions relating to the battery reactions to pass through. Since growth of dendrites of lithium or zinc at the time of charge can be prevented, short circuiting between the negative pole and the positive pole can be prevented. Therefore, the charge/discharge cycle life can significantly be lengthened.

Abstract: In a data demodulating method, predetermined input data is demodulated based upon a response characteristic of the partial response class 4; the demodulated input data is discrete-filtered to thereby produce filtering data; and the filtering data is maximum likelihood-decoded to thereby produce asymmetrical response data. Further, a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus is arranged by using this data demodulating method.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method comprising a step of transferring a cell proliferation factor gene into a mammalian liver cell to obtain an immortalized liver cell, a step of proliferating the immortalized liver cell, and a step of removing the cell proliferation factor gene from the immortalized liver cell; a large number of liver cells obtained thereby; and a treating agent and a artificial liver comprising obtained liver cell.

Abstract: A chlorine-containing resin composition for covering an electric wire of the present invention, has a heat stability of not less than 240 minutes and a volume resistivity of 5.0×1013 to 1.0×1016 ?·cm when measured according to JIS K6723, and comprises: 100 parts by weight of a chlorine-containing resin, and 1.5 to 10 parts by weight of Mg—Al-based hydrotalcite-type particles having a composition represented by the formula: [MgxCay]•Alz•(OH)2•An?p•mH2O wherein 0.2?z/(x+z)?0.6; 0.01?y/(x+z)?0.20; x+y+z=1; p=(2(x+y?1)+3z)/n; A is a n-valent anion; and m is more than 0 and not more than 0.75, having a plate surface diameter of 0.1 to 1.0 ?m and a thickness of 0.02 to 0.08 ?m, and containing calcium at a molar ratio of Ca to a sum of Mg and Al of 0.01:1 to 0.20:1, and having a heat-resisting time of not less than 4 hours upon a chlorine-containing resin composition containing the Mg—Al-based hydrotalcite-type particles.

Abstract: A chlorine-containing resin composition for covering an electric wire of the present invention, has a heat stability of not less than 240 minutes and a volume resistivity of 5.0×1013 to 1.0×1016 ?·cm when measured according to JIS K6723, and comprises: 100 parts by weight of a chlorine-containing resin, and 1.5 to 10 parts by weight of Mg—Al-based hydrotalcite-type particles having a composition represented by the formula: [MgxCay].Alz.(OH)2.An?p.mH2O wherein 0.2?z/(x+z)?0.6; 0.01?y/(x+z)?0.20; x+y+z=1; p=(2(x+y?1)+3z)/n; A is a n-valent anion; and m is more than 0 and not more than 0.75, having a plate surface diameter of 0.1 to 1.0 ?m and a thickness of 0.02 to 0.08 ?m, and containing calcium at a molar ratio of Ca to a sum of Mg and Al of 0.01:1 to 0.20:1, and having a heat-resisting time of not less than 4 hours upon a chlorine-containing resin composition containing the Mg—Al-based hydrotalcite-type particles.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a powder material comprising a compound which electrochemically intercalates and deintercalates a lithium ion, wherein the powder material is comprised mainly of a compound containing at least an oxygen element, a sulfur element and at least one transition metal element.

Abstract: A chlorine-containing resin composition for covering an electric wire of the present invention, has a heat stability of not less than 240 minutes and a volume resistivity of 5.0×1013 to 1.0×1016 ?·cm when measured according to JIS K6723, and comprises: 100 parts by weight of a chlorine-containing resin, and 1.5 to 10 parts by weight of Mg—Al-based hydrotalcite-type particles having a composition represented by the formula: [MgxCay]·Alz·(OH)2·An?p·mH2O wherein 0.2?z/(x+z)?0.6; 0.01?y/(x+z)?0.20; x+y+z=1; p=(2(x+y?1)+3z)/n; A is a n-valent anion; and m is more than 0 and not more than 0.75, having a plate surface diameter of 0.1 to 1.0 ?m and a thickness of 0.02 to 0.08 ?m, and containing calcium at a molar ratio of Ca to a sum of Mg and Al of 0.01:1 to 0.20:1, and having a heat-resisting time of not less than 4 hours upon a chlorine-containing resin composition containing the Mg—Al-based hydrotalcite-type particles.

Abstract: A digital magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus includes an LVA (List Viterbi Algorithm) detector which produces first to nth best sequences (n>1) of a decoded result, and replaces a likelihood ratio and a path memory of the ith best sequence (i=2, 3, . . . , n) with those of the (2i?1)th best sequence when contents of path memories of the (i?1)th and ith best sequences are equal to each other and an absolute value of a difference between likelihood ratios of the (i?1)th and (2i?1)th best sequences is smaller than a decision threshold. Alternatively, the LVA detector initializes a likelihood ratio of the ith best sequence to be a likelihood ratio of the (i?1)th best sequence with a constant difference value added thereto when contents of path memories of the (i?1)th and ith best sequences are equal to each other.

Abstract: A chlorine-containing resin composition for covering an electric wire of the present invention, has a heat stability of not less than 240 minutes and a volume resistivity of 5.0×1013 to 1.0×1016 ?·cm when measured according to JIS K6723, and comprises: 100 parts by weight of a chlorine-containing resin, and 1.5 to 10 parts by weight of Mg—Al-based hydrotalcite-type particles having a composition represented by the formula: [MgxCay].Alz.(OH)2.An?p.mH2O wherein 0.2?z/(x+z)?0.6; 0.01?y/(x+z)?0.20; x+y+z=1; p=(2(x+y?1)+3z)/n; A is a n-valent anion; and m is more than 0 and not more than 0.75, having a plate surface diameter of 0.1 to 1.0 ?m and a thickness of 0.02 to 0.08 ?m, and containing calcium at a molar ratio of Ca to a sum of Mg and Al of 0.01:1 to 0.20:1, and having a heat-resisting time of not less than 4 hours upon a chlorine-containing resin composition containing the Mg—Al-based hydrotalcite-type particles.

Abstract: Mg—Zn—Al-based hydrotalcite-type particles comprise core particles composed of Mg—Al-based hydrotalcite and an Mg—Zn—Al-based hydrotalcite layer formed on the surface of the core particle, and have an average plate surface diameter of 0.1 to 1.0 &mgr;m and a refractive index being adjustable to a required value in the range of 1.48 to 1.56; and a resin composition contains the Mg—Zn—Al-based hydrotalcite-type particles. The Mg—Zn—Al-based hydrotalcite-type particles can exhibit a large plate surface diameter and an appropriate thickness whose refractive index is adjustable to various values, and the resin composition can show not only higher resin stability and functional properties, but also an excellent transparency as compared to those using conventional hydrotalcite-type particles.

Abstract: A catalyst for decomposition of hydrocarbons, comprises porous oxide particles containing magnesium and aluminum, and fine metallic nickel particles which are present in the vicinity of surface of the respective porous oxide particles, and have an average particle diameter of 1 to 10 nm, said catalyst having a nickel content of 0.15 to 12% by weight based on the weight of the catalyst and a molar ratio of nickel to a sum of magnesium, nickel and aluminum of 0.001 to 0.12 in which a molar ratio of magnesium to aluminum (Mg:Al) is 4:1 to 1.5:1. The catalyst for decomposition of hydrocarbons, is capable of maintaining as small a particle size of metallic nickel particles as not more than 10 nm at a considerably reduced nickel content, and exhibits an excellent anti-coking property even under a low steam atmosphere.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a powder material comprising a compound which electrochemically intercalates and deintercalates a lithium ion, wherein the powder material is comprised mainly of a compound containing at least an oxygen element, a sulfur element and at least one transition metal element.

Abstract: The present invention provides a cell line which can be substituted for &bgr; cells in human mature pancreatic islets and express insulin in a glucose-concentration dependent manner, and enables the easy obtainment of the number of cells which meets the demand. The present invention also provides a therapeutical cell preparation for treating diabetes. The cell lines of the present invention can be obtained by integrating both a nucleotide sequence encoding tamoxifen-induced Cre recombinase and a nucleotide sequence encoding insulin regulated by glucose-sensitive promoter into the chromosome in a human immortalized hepatic cell line FERM BP-7498 containing the TERT gene inserted in between a pair of LoxP sequences.

Abstract: The present invention provides a mammalian immortalized liver cell obtained by transferring a cell proliferation factor gene located between a pair of site-specific recombination sequences into a mammalian liver cell.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method comprising a step of transferring a cell proliferation factor gene into a mammalian liver cell to obtain an immortalized liver cell, a step of proliferating the immortalized liver cell, and a step of removing the cell proliferation factor gene from the immortalized liver cell; a large number of liver cells obtained thereby; and a treating agent and a artificial liver comprising obtained liver cell.

Abstract: A lithium secondary battery comprising at least a negative electrode, a positive electrode and an electrolyte, and utilizing oxidizing and reducing reactions of lithium ions for charging and discharging, wherein an electrode having an active material which has at least an amorphous phase and a half value width not smaller than 0.48 degrees of a peak having a highest diffraction intensity at 2&thgr; on an X-ray diffractometric chart traced at a diffraction intensity at an X-ray diffraction angle of 2&thgr;, and is made of a material which has an amorphous phase and contains at least one element selected from among cobalt, nickel, manganese and iron is used as the negative electrode and/or the positive electrode.

Abstract: The present invention provides a safe immortalized bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell obtained by transferring a cell proliferation factor gene inserted between a pair of site-specific recombination sequences to a bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell.

Abstract: A rechargeable lithium battery comprising at least a cathode, a separator, an anode, and an electrolyte or electrolyte solution integrated in a battery housing, is characterized by a cathode constituted of a specific powdery cathode active material having a large specific surface area and a primary particle size of 0.5 &mgr;m or less. The cathode active material is obtained by mixing a salt of a transition metal in and dissolving the salt in an aqueous solution containing at least a water-soluble polymer material to obtain an intermediate, and baking the intermediate to form said powdery cathode active material for use as the cathode active material of said cathode.

Abstract: An electrode material for a rechargeable lithium battery, characterized in that said electrode material comprises a fine powder of a silicon-based material whose principal component is silicon element, said fine powder having an average particle size (R) in a range of 0.1 &mgr;m≦R<0.5 &mgr;m. An electrode structural body for a rechargeable lithium battery, having an electrode material layer comprising said silicon-based material fine powder. A rechargeable lithium battery whose anode comprising said electrode structural body.