Abstract: An object of the present invention is to improve flavor while masking various off-flavors in foods. (1) A masking flavorant containing: isovaleric acid and/or phenethyl alcohol; and lactones, and having a weight ratio (lactones)/(isovaleric acid and phenethyl alcohol) of 0.1 or more and 1000 or less. (2) The masking flavorant according to (1), in which at least one selected from the group consisting of the isovaleric acid, the phenethyl alcohol, and the lactones is a microbial fermentation product by (A) yeast and/or koji mold, or (B) yeast and/or koji mold and lactic acid bacteria. (3) A food containing the masking flavorant described in (1) or (2) and having a content of the lactones of 1 ppb or more on a weight basis. (4) The food according to (3), which is free of an animal-derived raw material.

Abstract: A sewage treatment system, includes a solid-liquid separating apparatus having a first filtering medium packed layer packed with a predetermined filtering medium, configured to separate sewage to be treated into solid components and filtered water by passing the sewage through the first filtering medium packed layer upward, and configured to reversely wash the first filtering medium packed layer by passing the filtered water through the first filtering medium packed layer downward at a predetermining timing; and a trickling filter installed on a latter stage of the solid-liquid separating apparatus, having a second filtering medium packed layer packed with a filtering medium attached with microorganisms, and configured to allow the filtered water to fall into the second filtering medium packed layer by trickling the filtered water onto an upper part of the second filtering medium packed layer to flow out treated water acquired by biotreating the filtered water by the microorganisms.

Abstract: To accurately detect interference in a radar device, this radar apparatus 1 is provided with: an average amplitude calculation unit 122 that calculates an average amplitude of a beat signal based on a transmission signal and a reception signal; and an interference detection unit 123 that detects an interference signal with respect to the reception signal on the basis of the average amplitude of the beat signal calculated by the average amplitude calculation unit 122.

Abstract: An extensible nonwoven fabric, and method for its manufacture, on which the source, medicinal component, pattern and/or other pieces of information are recognizable at the beginning of and during fabric use. It is made mainly of highly crimped fibers, with a compressed region where no fibers are melted and bonded together, with a tensile strength of 25 N/5-cm-width or more in both the machine direction and the cross direction. It may be manufactured by causing a water jet having a pressure of 5 MPa or more to act onto a web made mainly of a latent crimpable fiber, forming an entangled fiber web, causing heat to act on it, crimping the fiber converting it to a highly crimped fiber while contracting the web's area by 30% or more forming a contracted fiber web, and embossing it such that the fibers are not melted and bonded together.

Abstract: A sewage treatment system, includes a solid-liquid separating apparatus having a first filtering medium packed layer packed with a predetermined filtering medium, configured to separate sewage to be treated into solid components and filtered water by passing the sewage through the first filtering medium packed layer upward, and configured to reversely wash the first filtering medium packed layer by passing the filtered water through the first filtering medium packed layer downward at a predetermining timing; and a trickling filter installed on a latter stage of the solid-liquid separating apparatus, having a second filtering medium packed layer packed with a filtering medium attached with microorganisms, and configured to allow the filtered water to fall into the second filtering medium packed layer by trickling the filtered water onto an upper part of the second filtering medium packed layer to flow out treated water acquired by biotreating the filtered water by the microorganisms.

Abstract: Provided is a biological nitrogen removal method which includes, causing to flow a support having, on the surface portion thereof, a two-layered microbial film which holes, in the outer layer, nitrite type nitrifying bacteria or aerobic bacteria and nitrite type nitrifying bacteria as a dominant species and, in the inner layer, anaerobic ammonia oxidizing bacteria as a dominant species while being surrounded with the nitrite type nitrifying bacteria; and thereby carrying out denitrification of the water to be treated by making use of the anaerobic ammonia oxidation reaction. In the biological nitrogen removal method, a feed rate of the support (total surface area of the support per unit capacity of the reaction tank) is adjusted so that an amount of nitrous acid produced by the nitrite type nitrification reaction through the action of the nitrite type nitrifying bacteria reaches a level to inhibit a nitrate type nitrification reaction.

Abstract: An extensible nonwoven fabric, and method for its manufacture, on which the source, medicinal component, pattern and/or other pieces of information are recognizable at the beginning of and during fabric use. It is made mainly of highly crimped fibers, with a compressed region where no fibers are melted and bonded together, with a tensile strength of 25 N/5-cm-width or more in both the machine direction and the cross direction. It may be manufactured by causing a water jet having a pressure of 5 MPa or more to act onto a web made mainly of a latent crimpable fiber, forming an entangled fiber web, causing heat to act on it, crimping the fiber converting it to a highly crimped fiber while contracting the web's area by 30% or more forming a contracted fiber web, and embossing it such that the fibers are not melted and bonded together.

Abstract: Provided is a biological nitrogen removal method which includes, causing to flow a support having, on the surface portion thereof, a two-layered microbial film which holes, in the outer layer, nitrite type nitrifying bacteria or aerobic bacteria and nitrite type nitrifying bacteria as a dominant species and, in the inner layer, anaerobic ammonia oxidizing bacteria as a dominant species while being surrounded with the nitrite type nitrifying bacteria; and thereby carrying out denitrification of the water to be treated by making use of the anaerobic ammonia oxidation reaction. In the biological nitrogen removal method, a feed rate of the support (total surface area of the support per unit capacity of the reaction tank) is adjusted so that an amount of nitrous acid produced by the nitrite type nitrification reaction through the action of the nitrite type nitrifying bacteria reaches a level to inhibit a nitrate type nitrification reaction.

Abstract: In a multilayered optical thin-film filter having multiple quarter wavelength thick optical thin films with different refractive indices, the filter includes a plurality of unit cavities that are stacked multiple times via a connection layer, each unit cavity including a first reflector layer, a spacer layer in contact with the first reflector layer, and a second reflector layer in contact with the spacer layer. The first reflector layer is a layered body and the second reflector layer is a layered body. The spacer layer is a multilayered optical thin film with a high refractive index obtained by layering even number of films, or is composed of a multilayered optical thin film with a low refractive index. The connection layer is a multilayered optical thin film with a low refractive index obtained by layering odd number of films.

Abstract: In a multilayered optical thin-film filter having multiple quarter wavelength thick optical thin films with different refractive indices, the filter includes a plurality of unit cavities that are stacked multiple times via a connection layer, each unit cavity including a first reflector layer, a spacer layer in contact with the first reflector layer, and a second reflector layer in contact with the spacer layer. The first reflector layer is a layered body and the second reflector layer is a layered body. The spacer layer is a multilayered optical thin film with a high refractive index obtained by layering even number of films, or is composed of a multilayered optical thin film with a low refractive index. The connection layer is a multilayered optical thin film with a low refractive index obtained by layering odd number of films.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method by which, novel G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) genes or GPCR proteins which could discover the biocommunication system or identify novel target proteins for medicine can be searched for cyclopaedically on a data base. The method comprises the steps of: extracting open reading frames (ORFs) comprising 250 to 1000 amino acid residues from the human genome data; eliminating ORFs derived from repeated sequences of DNA, ORFs with substantial undetermined amino acids, and ORFs in which any single amino acid residue comprising more than 20% of the whole sequence; extracting ORFs having 6 to 8 transmembrane segments using SOSUI; and searching the obtained ORFs for genes homologous to known GPCR genes, preferably, genes wherein their highest homologous genes in homology search are GPCR genes or GPCR associated genes.

Abstract: A band pass distributed element filter having real and imaginary transmission zeros by sequentially connecting half wavelength microstrip resonators and adding a cross coupling circuit has been difficult to implement as a planar circuit on the same plane, since the cross coupling circuit crosses one of the resonators. The distributed element filter is constructed by sequentially connecting n half wavelength microstrip resonators (n is an even number equal to or more than 4) each formed from a straight or hairpin microstrip line, wherein the number of straight microstrip lines and the number of hairpin microstrip lines are both odd, and wherein quarter wavelength straight microstrip lines for external circuit connection are coupled to the first and n th resonators, respectively, and a cross coupling circuit is connected to the microstrip lines of these resonators or to the ends coupled to the microstrip lines.

Abstract: A band pass distributed element filter having real and imaginary transmission zeros by sequentially connecting half wavelength microstrip resonators and adding a cross coupling circuit has been difficult to implement as a planar circuit on the same plane, since the cross coupling circuit crosses one of the resonators. The distributed element filter is constructed by sequentially connecting n half wavelength microstrip resonators (n is an even number equal to or more than 4) each formed from a straight or hairpin microstrip line, wherein the number of straight microstrip lines and the number of hairpin microstrip lines are both odd, and wherein quarter wavelength straight microstrip lines for external circuit connection are coupled to the first and n.th resonators, respectively, and a cross coupling circuit is connected to the microstrip lines of these resonators or to the ends coupled to the microstrip lines.

Abstract: A distributed element filter is realized which has bandpass characteristics realizing both a flat amplitude characteristic and a flat group delay characteristic throughout the passband at the same time, while realizing transmission zeros in the stopbands. The transfer function s21 of a lowpass prototype filter is expressed by a numerator rational polynomial f(s) having at least one conjugate zeros on the real axis and one conjugate zeros on the imaginary axis and a denominator rational polynomial g(s) as a Hurwitz polynomial of degree 6 or higher; circuit blocks corresponding to the zeros on the real axis and zeros on the imaginary axis are each realized by a multiple resonator filter, and the distributed element filter is realized by a multiple coupling circuit block by setting the conditions on each coupling in corresponding relationship to the zeros on the real axis or zeros on the imaginary axis.

Abstract: A mounting system that is capable of effectively draining the rainwater off the roof, while enabling easy installation of the solar battery modules. The mounting system is adapted to install on the roof an array of the solar battery modules each of a panel-like configuration with a rectangular frame. The system includes a plurality of vertical rails which are secured to the roof and extend along a roof sloping direction towards eaves from a ridge of the roof for holding the solar battery modules between a laterally spaced pair of the vertical rails in a spaced relation from a roof sheathing. Each of the vertical rails is formed on opposite sides thereof respectively with stepped shoulders which extend the full length of the vertical rail for supporting thereon the frame of the laterally adjoining solar battery modules.

Abstract: Means is disclosed for washing the inside of a pelletizing machine containing a bag filter which is capable of being raised and lowered within the body of the machine. A vertically movable, upright means to spray washing liquid in three dimensions is provided above the bag filter. A horizontally movable spraying means is provided below the bag filter. This horizontal spraying means can be retracted from inside the pelletizing machine during pelletizing operations, but is capable of spraying washing liquid upwardly into the open end of the bag filter during washing operations.

Abstract: Each of the washing units A and B comprises an openable and closable pinch valve unit 4 branchwise connected to a pipeline C, an autofeeder unit 5 for controlling the feed for advance and retraction movement of a high pressure hose 6 having rotatable nozzle unit connected to the front end thereof, and a hose reel unit 7 for winding and unwinding the high pressure hose. During washing operation, the nozzle unit enters the pipeline C through the pinch valve unit 4 now opened to wash the inner surface of the pipeline. During nonwashing period, the nozzle unit is moved rearward and completely isolated from the pipeline by the pinch valve unit 4 now closed. Therefore, the washing units A and B are completely separated from the pipeline C during nonwashing period.

Abstract: The cleaning nozzle of the invention is intended to clean the parts to be cleaned by the cleaning water, by feeding cleaning water into the cylinder tube, pushing out the injection nozzle from the mounting surface by the pressure of the cleaning water, and injecting cleaning water while rotating at the same time. Next, when the feed of cleaning water is stopped, the injection nozzle stops injecting cleaning water, and is simultaneously retracted into the housing, thereby closing the mounting part by the poppet valve.

Abstract: An antenna includes a half-wave dipole antenna and a semicircular patch antenna to form a complementary antenna assembly. The respective antennas are supplied with power to 90.degree. phase difference to generate a circular polarized wave.

Abstract: A synchronous tracking device for a receiver in a direct-spread spectrum communication system in which a carrier frequency and a pseudo noise code for spreading it are coherent. A first circuit tracks the pseudo noise code in the received signal for a predetermined time after synchronous acquisition of the pseudo noise code. A second circuit tracks the pseudo noise code after the first tracking circuit stops tracking, while maintaining a locking condition achieved by the first tracking circuit.