Abstract: A steering control device which applies an assist torque or a reaction torque to a steering member operated by a driver, includes: a torque loss estimation unit which estimates torque loss; and a correction amount calculation unit which calculates a correction amount according to a rack axial force estimation value calculated based on a roll rate when the torque loss estimation unit estimates the torque loss.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a novel formulation containing sucroferric oxyhydroxide, particularly a novel formulation that can be ingested without being chewed. The present invention relates to a novel formulation discovered based on the finding that a granule containing sucroferric oxyhydroxide that has a specific size and shape and also has specific physicochemical properties can be easily ingested without being chewed, and has formulation properties suitable for industrial manufacturing as a result of intensive studies to provide a novel formulation containing sucroferric oxyhydroxide.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel oral administration preparation that enables administration of silodosin, which is a drug with extremely strong bitterness, without a foreign-body sensation even without water, and has dissolution properties of being able to reproduce an effective blood concentration for the treatment of dysuria associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia or the like. The present invention relates to a masked particle and a novel oral administration preparation comprising the masked particle or the like, wherein the masked particle obtained by granulating or coating a drug particle comprising a fine powder of silodosin with a coating agent comprising a non-enteric polymer, and a content of the non-enteric polymer is 80 parts by mass to 400 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of silodosin.

Abstract: A biodegradable wax composition containing a wax as a main component and also containing a biodegradable polymer and a filler and having a moisture permeability of 3 g·mm/m2·24 hr or less at 40° C. and 90% RH. The wax is preferably present in an amount of 65 to 95% by weight. The biodegradable polymer preferably has a weight average molecular weight of 200,000 or higher. The polymer is preferably polyisoprene or natural rubber and is preferably present in an amount of 5 to 35% by weight.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a levodopa preparation which is able to persistently release levodopa in the stomach, has a sufficient gastric residence time, is in an easily ingestible size and is able to be easily manufactured industrially with an object of maintaining a sustained concentration of levodopa in blood. It is a gastric retentive preparation for levodopa, characterized in that, the preparation contains a gastric resident layer showing a sufficient retentive property due to a high mechanical strength in the stomach and showing a good disintegrating property in an intestinal tract in addition to a drug releasing layer containing levodopa.

Abstract: A process of producing a wax composition mainly comprising a wax, including the step of mixing the wax and a component to be mixed with the wax by applying an external force at a temperature lower than the melting completion temperature of the wax.

Abstract: The invention provides a preparation which shows a satisfactory gastric residence time, has such a size that allows for easy ingestion, can quickly disintegrate after expelled from the stomach, and can be prepared readily in an industrial scale. A gastric retentive preparation having a gastric resident layer and a drug release layer is provided, wherein the gastric resident layer does not disintegrate in the stomach and disintegrates in the intestine. Preferably, the gastric resident layer has a minimum diameter of 7 mm or more as measured after stirring the preparation in the first fluid at 200 rpm at 37° C. for 15 hours under the conditions of the paddle method in the dissolution test in accordance with Japanese Pharmacopoeia and has a maximum diameter of 6 mm or less as measured after further stirring the preparation in the second fluid at 200 rpm at 37° C. for 9 hours under the same conditions.

Abstract: A biodegradable wax composition containing a wax as a main component and also containing a biodegradable polymer and a filler and having a moisture permeability of 3 g·mm/m2·24 hr or less at 40° C. and 90% RH. The wax is preferably present in an amount of 65 to 95% by weight. The biodegradable polymer preferably has a weight average molecular weight of 200,000 or higher. The polymer is preferably polyisoprene or natural rubber and is preferably present in an amount of 5 to 35% by weight.

Abstract: A process of producing a wax composition mainly comprising a wax, including the step of mixing the wax and a component to be mixed with the wax by applying an external force at a temperature lower than the melting completion temperature of the wax.

Abstract: A biodegradable film having a biodegradable moisture barrier layer between two biodegradable resin layers. The moisture barrier layer is preferably made mainly of a biodegradable wax. The moisture barrier layer preferably contains the biodegradable wax and a biodegradable, heat-resistant polymer. The polymer is preferably natural rubber or polyisoprene.

Abstract: A process for producing a porous sintered positive electrode for a secondary battery. The steps include: (a) calcining a raw material containing a lithium compound under an oxidizing atmosphere to form calcined powders; (b) mixing the calcined powders with organic fibers or organic polymer particles to form a raw mixture; (c) forming the raw mixture into a raw electrode; and (d) heating the raw electrode to remove any organic fibers or any organic polymer particles.

Abstract: A lithium secondary battery including an anode and cathode containing an active material capable of incorporating and releasing lithium ions, wherein the cathode is a porous sintered material made of a lithium-transition metal oxide, the porosity of the sintered material is 15 to 60%, and the electrical conductivity is not less than 0.1 mS/cm. Since the sintered material is sufficiently sintered so that the electrical conductivity may be more than 0.1 mS/cm, the bonding power of the primary particles of the sintered material is strong, and therefore the primary particles do not come off and the electrodes do not collapse even if the sintered material expands or shrinks because of the charge/discharge. Since the mechanical strength is great, the cathode can have a larger area. The electrolyte penetrates well into the sintered material because of its 15 to 60% porosity, and consequently the internal electrical resissitivity is low.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a lithium secondary battery with a cathode and an anode, each electrode containing an active material capable of incorporating and releasing lithium ions. The anode includes a sintered material which contains 50 to 99 % by weight of silicon and 1 to 50% by weight of carbon material, and has an electrical conductivity not less than 1 S/cm. By employing the anode including the sintered material containing silicon as the anode active material and carbon material, an increased packing density of the active material and an increased capacity per volume can be obtained. Furthermore, the anode conductivity of not less than 1S/cm can provide a high capacity and improved cycle property.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electrode material for secondary battery, wherein the discharge capacity is large and the change in potential during the charge/discharge is small. A carbonaceous material, wherein a value of R (degree of raphitization ), which is defined as a ratio of a Raman spectrum intensity at 1580 cm−1 to a Raman spectrum intensity at 1360 cm−1 in the Raman spectrum analysis, is not more than 4.0 and a length of crystallite (Lc) oriented along a crysatllographic c axis obtained by a wide angle X-ray diffraction method is from 25 to 35 nm, of the electrode material is obtained by calcining a material, which can be carbonized by a heat treatment, in the presence of boron nitride or silicon.

Abstract: By using a porous material formed by calcining an active material as an electrode of a non-aqueous solvent secondary battery, the volume of a dead space in the electrode contained in a container of the constituted battery is reduced, thereby to increase an electric capacity per unit volume. By using the porous material as the electrode material, rather a powder material, the active material is sufficiently brought into contact with an electrolyte solution, electrically. Furthermore, the amount of a metal foil as a current collecting material and a conductive material are reduced or use of them is made unnecessary, and an electric capacity per unit weight is increased in comparison with the prior art. When the porous sintered material has a plate-like shape, the thickness is from 100 &mgr;m to 2 mm. The porous sintered material contains pores of an average diameter of 0.

Abstract: By using a porous material formed by calcining an active material as an electrode of a non-aqueous solvent secondary battery, the volume of a dead space in the electrode contained in a container of the constituted battery is reduced, thereby to increase an electric capacity per unit volume. By using the porous material as the electrode material, rather a powder material, the active material is sufficiently brought into contact with an electrolyte solution, electrically. Furthermore, the amount of a metal foil as a current collecting material and a conductive material are reduced or use of them is made unnecessary, and an electric capacity per unit weight is increased in comparison with the prior art. When the porous sintered material has a plate-like shape, the thickness is from 100 &mgr;m to 2 mm. The porous sintered material contains pores of an average diameter of 0.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a negative electrode material having a great discharge capacity. A non-aqueous secondary battery essentially comprises positive and negative electrodes, the negative electrode material including a negative electrode material containing 30 to 90% by weight of silicon and 10 to 70% by weight of carbon for the non-aqueous secondary battery, wherein the negative electrode material is obtained by heating silicon or a compound thereof at 600 to 1,500° C. under a non-oxidative atmosphere in the coexsitence with an organic material carbon material.

Abstract: A coating apparatus comprises an upstream lip and a downstream lip defining a slot between the two lips through which a coating liquid can be extruded; and a pair of guide rollers disposed on opposite side of the lips for guiding a support to move past the lips such that the coating liquid can be applied thereto, wherein the downstream lip has a coating operation surface facing and curved toward the support and, a curvature k of the curved coating operation surface being given asP.sub.2 /T.ltoreq.k.ltoreq.P.sub.1 /Twhere T represents the tension in the coated portion of the support, and P.sub.1 and P.sub.2 represent the pressures of the coating liquid acting on the support at upstream and downstream ends of said coating operation surface.

Abstract: A convolution of input data S.sub.0 and a Gabor function G.sub..alpha.,.omega. is implemented by a processing unit (20) to obtain a wavelet coefficient T.sub.g (2.sup.0,b) of a 0th stage. The input data S.sub.0 is applied to a low-pass filter (30) and is subjected to Gaussian-type filtering so as to be converted into input data S.sub.1 for a 1st stage. The frequency of the high-frequency components of this input data is halved by this filtering. A convolution of this input data S.sub.1 and a Gabor function G.sub..alpha. /3,2.omega./3 is implemented by a processing unit (21) to obtain a wavelet coefficient T.sub.g (2.sup.1,b) of the 1st stage. In the convolution of the 1st stage, the sampling interval is twice that of the 0th stage. Thenceforth, and in similar fashion, the sampling interval in processing operations of subsequent stages is doubled from one stage to the next. As a result, there is no increase in the amount of processing in each stage and a coefficient T.sub.g (2.sup.

Abstract: A coating apparatus comprises an upstream lip and a downstream lip defining a slot between the two lips through which a coating liquid can be extruded; and a pair of guide rollers disposed on opposite side of the lips for guiding a support to move past the lips such that the coating liquid can be applied thereto, wherein the downstream lip has a coating operation surface facing and curved toward the support and, a curvature k of the curved coating operation surface being given asP.sub.2 /T.ltoreq.k.ltoreq.P.sub.1 /Twhere T represents the tension in the coated portion of the support, and P.sub.1 and P.sub.2 represent the pressures of the coating liquid acting on the support at upstream and downstream ends of said coating operation surface.