Abstract: There are provided a positioning section for locating a current position, a travel history database for storing a history of a current position located by the positioning section and a history of a travel to an institution or the like actually visited by walking or so from at least one geographic point in the history, and a destination predicting section for predicting a destination on the basis of a history of using an institution actually visited by walking or so stored in the travel history database. This makes it possible to practically predict as a destination an institution actually visited by walking or so.

Abstract: The invention provides alkali metal salt of 5-[(2,4-dioxothiazolidin-5-yl)methyl]-2-methoxy-N-[[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]methyl]benzamide and its hydrate. A method has been found, wherein, upon preparing KRP-297, the alkali metal salt of KRP-297 and its hydrate are formed in the reaction system and, after separation and purification, they are freed again from salt, thereby KRP-297 can be advantageously purified industrially for preparation.

Abstract: The invention provides alkali metal salt of 5-[(2,4-dioxothiazolidin-5-yl)methyl]-2-methoxy-N-[[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]methyl]benzamide and its hydrate. A method has been found, wherein, upon preparing KRP-297, the alkali metal salt of KRP-297 and its hydrate are formed in the reaction system and, after separation and purification, they are freed again from salt, thereby KRP-297 can be advantageously purified industrially for preparation.

Abstract: A membrane switch comprising a pair of electrode plates and a spacer separating the plates, wherein the operating force required to operate the membrane switch by pressing it with a rod having a hemispherical tip with a radius of curvature of 5 mm is within the range of 0.03 to 0.2 kg. The spacer is in the form of a film, the film has through holes, and the aperture ratio of the through holes is 50% or above. The effect is that a membrane switch exhibiting no malfunction, negligible variation in the operating force, and excellent in durability can be obtained.

Abstract: A thin film strongly orienting specific crystal axes is deposited on a polycrystalline or amorphous base material in accordance with laser deposition in a simpler device through a simpler process. A target is irradiated with a laser beam, for forming a thin film in accordance with laser ablation of depositing a substance scattered from the target on a base material. In order to form the thin film, prepared are conditions capable of forming a film orienting a specific crystal axis substantially perpendicularly to the base material in substantially parallel arrangement of the target and the base material. Under the conditions, a film is deposited on the base material which is inclined at a prescribed angle .theta. with respect to the target. It is possible to deposit a film strongly orienting a specific crystal axis in a plane substantially parallel to the base material surface by inclining the base material under the specific film forming conditions.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an apparatus for manufacturing an oxide superconducting film employing laser ablation method. This apparatus has a thin film forming chamber having a laser-transparent laser entrance window, a target being provided in the thin film forming chamber and containing components of an oxide superconductor, a laser beam source for irradiating the target with a laser beam from the exterior of the thin film forming chamber through the laser entrance window, and apparatus for controlling power of the laser beam which is applied to the target for preventing the power of the laser beam, being applied to the target, from reduction by contamination of the entrance window caused by scattered particles. According to the present invention, it is possible to form an oxide superconducting film having high and uniform characteristics even if a long time is required for film formation, thereby attaining a remarkable effect in improvement of superconductivity of a large area oxide superconducting film.

Abstract: An oxide superconducting film is formed using laser deposition of applying an excimer laser beam (1, 21) onto a target (3, 23) through a converging lens (2, 22) and depositing atoms and/or molecules scattered from the target (3, 23) on the base material (5). The converging lens (2) is prepared by a cylindrical lens, or the converging lens (22) is moved, so that a portion (4, 25) irradiated with the laser beam (1, 21) on the target (3, 23) is linearized. Thus, it is possible to form an oxide superconducting film which is homogeneous over a region having a relatively large area on the base material (5) not only in film thickness but also in property.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing an oxide superconducting film employing laser ablation method having a thin film forming chamber having a laser-transparent laser entrance window, a target being provided in the thin film forming chamber and containing components of an oxide superconductor, a laser beam source for irradiating the target with a laser beam from the exterior of the thin film forming chamber through the laser entrance window, and a controller for controlling power of the laser beam which is applied to the target for preventing the power of the laser beam, being applied to the target, from reduction by contamination of the entrance window caused by scattered particles. According to the present invention, it is possible to form an oxide superconducting film having high and uniform characteristics even if a long time is required for film formation, thereby attaining a remarkable effect in improvement of superconductivity of a large area oxide superconducting film.

Abstract: An oxide superconducting film is formed using laser deposition of applying an excimer laser beam (1, 21) onto a target (3, 23) through a converging lens (2, 22) and depositing atoms and/or molecules scattered from the target (3, 23) on the base material (5). The converging lens (2) is prepared by a cylindrical lens, or the converging lens (22) is moved, so that a portion (4, 25) irradiated with the laser beam (1, 21) on the target (3, 23) is linearized. Thus, it is possible to form an oxide superconducting film which is homogeneous over a region having a relatively large area on the base material (5) not only in film thickness but also in property.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of forming a single-crystalline thin film having excellent crystallinity on a base material without depending on the material for and crystallinity of the base material. In this method, a base material is provided thereon with a mask which can prevent chemical species contained in a vapor phase from adhering to the base material. The base material is continuously moved along arrow A, to deliver a portion covered with the mask into the vapor phase for crystal growth. Thus, a thin film is successively deposited on the portion of the base material, which is delivered from under the mask, from the vapor phase. A crystal growth end is formed on a boundary region between a portion of the base material which is covered with the mask and that which is exposed to the vapor phase, so that a crystal having the same orientation as the growth end is grown on a portion of the base material newly exposed by the movement.

Abstract: A measuring apparatus such as a fish school detecting apparatus or a navigation apparatus which displays tide or tidal current data and is installed on a ship.

Abstract: In a method of preparing an oxide superconducting thin film having a composition of Y-Ba-Cu-O, for example, using laser ablation, which comprises the steps of applying a laser beam to a target containing components of an oxide superconductive material and depositing particles, being thereby scattered from the target, on a substrate, the oxygen gas flow rate during film deposition is set to be at least 50 SCCM, the oxygen gas pressure during film deposition is set to be 10 to 1000 mTorr, the distance between a target 9 and a substrate 10 is set to be 40 to 100 mm, the temperature of the substrate 10 is set to be 600.degree. to 800.degree. C., the energy density of a laser beam 7 on the surface of the target 9 is set to be at least 1 J/cm.sup.2, and the laser pulse energy is set to be at least 10 mJ.

Abstract: A lock stitch machine that has a liquid crystal display screen capable of displaying pages respectively containing choices, instruction messages and guidance messages; a display controller for controlling the liquid crystal display according to the operation of control switches to display a desired page and to permit the selection of a desired choice contained in the displayed page; a task selection switch for selecting one of the choices contained in the page displayed on the liquid crystal display; and a page scrolling switch for scrolling the pages displayed on the liquid crystal display. The pages displayed on the liquid crystal display are scrolled sequentially by operating the page scrolling switch, and choices including kinds of workpieces, types of seams and kind of work contained in the pages are selected by operating the task selection switch. If trouble occurs, a troubleshooting page containing measures to eliminate the trouble can be displayed on the liquid crystal display.

Abstract: In order to enable formation of a smooth and dense oxide superconducting film with no clear appearance of grain boundaries in a fine structure even at a high film forming rate, a laser ablation method is employed to apply a laser beam 2 to a target 1 containing components of an oxide superconductive material and deposit particles, which are thus scattered from the target 1, on a substrate 3, while gaseous oxygen is supplied from a gaseous oxygen inlet 7 toward laser plasma 6, which is generated by the application of the laser beam 2.

Abstract: In order to enable formation of a smooth and dense oxide superconducting film with no clear appearance of grain boundaries in a fine structure even at a high film forming rate, a laser ablation method is employed to apply a laser beam 2 to a target 1 containing components of an oxide superconductive material and deposit particles, which are thus scattered from the target 1, on a substrate 3, while gaseous oxygen is supplied from a gaseous oxygen inlet 7 toward laser plume 6, which is generated by the application of the laser beam 2, and to a portion of the target irradiated with said laser.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a superconducting ceramics elongated body by forming a longitudinally continuous superconducting layer on at least a part of the surface of a flexible ceramics elongated substrate by evaporation under the presence of oxygen ions.

Abstract: In order to prepare an elongated oxide superconducting material which exhibits a high critical current density, a tape-type substrate (7) of silver, for example, formed by unidirectional solidification is prepared and an excimer laser beam (9) is applied to target (8) of an oxide superconductor to deposit atoms and/or molecules being scattered from the target (8) on the substrate (7), thereby forming an oxide superconducting film on the substrate (7).

Abstract: In a sewing machine having a remote battery powered foot pedal control, that communicates with the sewing machine proper via a wireless signal, a monitoring system that periodically monitors the status of the battery and provides that information from the foot pedal control, along with speed instructions, to the sewing machine proper. A display on the sewing machine informs the operator when battery change time is approaching and when replacement is urgently needed. If the battery is not replaced when replacement is urgent, the sewing machine ceases operations.

Abstract: A method of forming a superconducting circuit comprises the steps of preparing a ceramics body which is changed from a non-superconductive phase not superconducting at the working temperature into a superconducting phase superconducting at the working temperature by heat treatment and performing the heat treatment on a part of the ceramics body by applying a laser beam to the ceramics body to change the same into the superconductive phase, thereby to form a superconducting circuit consisting of the superconductive phase and the non-superconductive phase on the ceramics body.

Abstract: A superconducting ceramics elongated body comprising a flexible ceramics elongated substrate and an oxide ceramics superconducting layer formed at least on a part of the surface of the ceramics elongated substrate to longitudinally extend along the ceramics elongated substrate. The superconducting ceramics elongated body further comprises a protective layer of ceramics containing a nitride, which is provided to at least cover the surface of the superconducting layer exposed on the ceramics elongated substrate. A method of manufacturing a superconducting ceramics elongated body by forming a longitudinally continuous superconducting layer on at least a part of the surface of a flexible ceramics elongated substrate. The superconducting layer is formed on the elongated substrate by a sol-gel method, a coating/sintering method, evaporation under oxygen ions, deposition from a fluoride solution or oxidation after application of corresponding fluorides.