Abstract: Alternation processes reduce the recording and reproducing speed of a hard disk apparatus. A hard disk apparatus comprising: an HDD 10 for recording AV data onto a hard disk; and stream controlling means 8 which is connected to the HDD 10 and thereby processes the signal of AV data transmitted from an IEEE1394 I/F 7 or the signal of AV data transmitted to the IEEE1394 I/F 7; whereby the hard disk apparatus can record and/or reproduce the AV data, wherein when AV data transfer is not normally completed for a disk access unit which is a minimum continuous unit in the access to the hard disk, an alternation process on a disk access unit basis is carried out so that another disk access unit is used hereafter in place of that disk access unit.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a nucleic acid extraction apparatus which extracts a nucleic acid from a specimen from which it has conventionally been considered difficult to extract the nucleic acid, such as feces or sludge, and thereby allows analysis in accordance with a PCR method (analysis using the polymerase chain reaction) to be performed successfully.

Abstract: Alternation processes reduce the recording and reproducing speed of a hard disk apparatus.

Abstract: When performing special playback while recording AV data at the same time, there are cases where the necessary frame rate cannot be secured. The invention discloses a recording apparatus equipped with a recording and playback means 7, 8, 9 capable of performing simultaneous recording and playback, allowing recorded image data to be played back in special playback mode while simultaneously recording incoming image data, wherein the incoming image data is at least two or more kinds of data having different transfer rates, and when the recording and playback means 7, 8, 9 performs simultaneous recording and playback, the frame rate of the image data to be played back in special playback mode is changed according to the mode of the two or more kinds of incoming image data.

Abstract: In a conventional hard disk apparatus, as the amount of data becomes large, just as in the case of AV data, the number of times a data reading or writing command is issued increases, and the overhead of an interface increases, whereby the usability of the CPU of a microcomputer increases.

Abstract: In a content distribution system, a recording-management system makes a storing section of a first terminal device store a predetermined content stored in a content-storing section of a distribution device obligatorily. Under this condition, when a second terminal device requests the recording management system to distribute the predetermined content, the recording management system transmits the address identifying the first terminal device that stores the predetermined content to the second terminal device. The content stored in the first terminal device is transmitted and received between the second terminal device and the first terminal device having the received address through a user network to obtain the predetermined content. Thus, the content requested by a given terminal device can be distributed to the terminal device that has made the request without increasing the scale of the distribution device.

Abstract: Time stamps are attached to packets output from stream data input section by a time stamp-attaching section in a HDD, and the packets are then recorded into a HDD main unit. A stream data-generating section removes the time stamps from the packets subsequent to a predetermined amount of packets last recorded into the HDD main unit and controls the timing of the packets according to the time stamps, and the packets are transferred to an HDD. In the HDD, time stamps start to be generated according to the last predetermined amount of packets, and to the packets transferred thereafter, time stamps are attached in a similar fashion as in the HDD, so that the packets are recorded into the HDD main unit.

Abstract: Oligonucleotides which specifically hybridize to rRNAs of Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Bifidobacterium breve, and Bifidobacterium longum represented by the sequences of formulae (I) to (V), respectively, or sequences complementary thereto:UAUCGGGGAGCAAGCGUGA (I)SEQ ID NO: 1UCGGAUCGGAGCCUGC (II)SEQ ID NO: 4CGCUUUUGACUGGGAGC (III)SEQ ID NO: 7UGUGUUGAGUGUACCUU (IV)SEQ ID NO: 10UAUCGGGGAGCAAGCGAGA (V)SEQ ID NO: 13and a method of species-specifically detecting species of the genus Bifidobacterium of human origin comprising using these oligonucleotides as a labeled probe.

Abstract: A botulinum toxin neutralizer comprising at least one fatty acid having the number of carbon atoms of at least 12. Such a fatty acid may be any of saturated fatty acids such as lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, nonadecanoic acid, arachidic acid, and behenic acid or any of unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid. The toxin neutralizer acts as if it were an antagonistic receptor for botulinum toxin and, when encountering botulinum toxin in human body, directly combines with the toxin and disables the toxin from combining with the neuromuscular tissues of human body to prevent the outbreak of botulism. The toxin thus neutralized and affixed to the botulinum toxin neutralizer is excreted from the human body. The botulinum toxin neutralizer can be manufactured easily and economically from a naturally occurring glyceride and is thus far less costly then the known antitoxin of ganglioside GT1b produced from bovine brain.

Abstract: A botulinus toxin neutralizer comprising heat-treated fat globule membranes of animal milk or gangliosides isolated from fat globule membranes of animal milk. The neutralizer of the former nature is prepared from a material containing fat globules of animal milk by fractionating the material for separating the membranes of the fat globules from the rest of the material, and subjecting the separated fat globule membranes to heat treatment. The neutralizer of the former nature is prepared from a material containing fat globules by fractionating the material for separating the membranes of the fat globules from the rest of the material, and isolating gangliosides from the globule membranes.

Abstract: This invention relates to a composition for promoting growth of Bifidobacteria containing as effective constituent an oligosaccharide represented by the general formula Gal-(gal).sub.n -Glc, wherein Gal denotes a galactose residue, Glc a glucose residue and n an integer of 1 to 4.This invention further relates to a method for manufacture of the material for promoting growth of Bifidobacteria characterized in that lactose or a lactose-containing material is treated with .beta.-galactosidase produced by Aspergillus oryzae.