Abstract: In a Stirling cycle engine, a regenerator has a bobbin, a resin film wound around the outer surface of the bobbin, and a sheath fitted around the outer surface of the resin film and having a slit formed vertically therein. The resin film has one end fixed on the outer surface of the bobbin, and has the other end led out through the slit and fixed to an end surface of the slit or to the outer surface of the sheath. The sheath is press-fitted on the inner surface of the enclosure. Working gas flows between different layers of the resin film. This reduces the loss of heat due to gas leakage and thereby improves the heat exchange efficiency in the regenerator.

Abstract: In a Stirling cycle engine, a regenerator has a bobbin, a resin film wound around the outer surface of the bobbin, and a sheath fitted around the outer surface of the resin film and having a slit formed vertically therein. The resin film has one end fixed on the outer surface of the bobbin, and has the other end led out through the slit and fixed to an end surface of the slit or to the outer surface of the sheath. The sheath is press-fitted on the inner surface of the cylinderenclosure. Working gas flows between different layers of the resin film. This reduces the loss of heat due to gas leakage and thereby improves the heat exchange efficiency in the regenerator.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of culturing zooplankton that allows solids serving as feed for zooplankton to remain in a culture medium, while preventing accumulation of growth inhibitors of zooplankton and growth of bacteria, and an apparatus for culturing by the same. The culture method of the present invention includes removing a growth inhibitor of the zooplankton and/or a water-soluble nutrient for bacteria from a culture medium containing the zooplankton by a solid/liquid separation membrane with perfusion. The culture method of the present invention can produce a culture for use as feed for fishes or crustaceans containing at least 50,000 per ml of highly lively zooplanktons.

Abstract: A straightening apparatus is constituted by a diffuser connected to an inflow pipe having a rectangular section to form an enlarged channel, and eight straightening vanes arranged inside the diffuser. The diffuser has a rectangular sectional surface, and is formed to increase its sectional area from a channel inlet to an outlet. Each straightening vane is arranged to set its surface along the flow direction. Instead of completely partitioning the channel by one straightening vane, the straightening vanes are respectively arranged on the upstream and downstream sides in the flow direction at intervals to form an opening portion at the middle portion of the channel without any partition.

Abstract: Proposed is a novel and very efficient method for the preparation of an N-vinyl compound such as N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-vinyl-N-ethyl acetamide by the thermal decomposition of an N-(.alpha.-acyloxyethyl) compound which is a novel compound obtained by the addition reaction between an NH group-containing compound such as 2-pyrrolidone and N-ethyl acetamide and a vinyl carboxylate, e.g., vinyl acetate, in the presence of an alkali, e.g. alkali metal hydroxide. The reaction mixture after completion of this addition reaction as such, i.e. without isolating the N-(.alpha.-acyloxyethyl) compound, such as N-(.alpha.-acetoxyethyl)-2-pyrrolidone and N-(.alpha.-acetoxyethyl)-N-ethyl acetamide, is heated to effect in situ formation of the desired N-vinyl compound which can then be isolated by distillation under reduced pressure in a very high overall yield.

Abstract: It is an object of the invention to prevent electrolytic corrosion occurring in the dummy electrodes from propagating into the display electrodes. In the liquid crystal display device, signal electrodes or scanning electrodes and dummy electrodes are formed on the surfaces of a pair of substrates, and a pair of substrate members in which an orientation film is formed on one side so as to cover the electrodes are pasted together at the circumferences through a sealing member so that the surfaces of the pair of substrates may confront each other and a space enclosed by the substrate members and the sealing member is filled with liquid crystal to form a liquid crystal layer. The dummy electrodes composed of first and second conductive films are formed separately, and the first conductive film is present in the region overlapped with the sealing member and the sealed space, and does not contact with the atmosphere.

Abstract: Proposed are an N-(.alpha.-acyloxyethyl) compound, e.g., (N-(.alpha.-acetoxyethyl)-2-pyrrolidone, which is a novel compound and can be converted into an industrially very important N-vinyl compound, e.g., N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, by a thermal decomposition reaction under relatively mild conditions as well as a method for the preparation of such an N-(.alpha.-acyloxyethyl) compound. The N-(.alpha.-acyloxyethyl) compound can be synthesized in a high yield by the addition reaction of an NH group-containing compound, e.g., 2-pyrrolidone, with a vinyl carboxylate, e.g., vinyl acetate, in the presence of an alkaline compound such as alkali metal hydroxides.

Abstract: A breathing apparatus includes: a vessel member having a mouth piece and internal influx chamber; a tubular communication member having opposite ends connected respectively to the intake and outgo ports of the vessel member in such a manner that the vessel member and the communication member define a circular passage for a respirable gas; an oxygen-supplying mechanism for supplying the circular passage with the respirable gas; a pair of check valves, disposed respectively at the intake and outgo ports of the vessel member, for limiting the flow of the respirable gas in the circular passage to a single direction so that, when the person breathes into the influx chamber, the respirable gas in the influx chamber is introduced into the communication member through the outgo port and, when the person inhales through the mouth piece, the respirable gas in the communication member is recycled into the influx chamber through the intake port; and an outlet port for discharging excess respirable gas out of the circular

Abstract: The invention provides a means for greatly saving the thermal energy consumption in the dehydrating distillation of an aqueous solution of a carboxylic acid such as acetic acid by use of an azeotropically distilling entrainer boiling at a lower temperature than the carboxylic acid and immiscible with water. The improvement proposed by the invention comprises taking at least a part of the entrainer phase separated from the condensate coming from the column top or at least a part of the side-cut fluid abstracted from the refluxing fluid inside the column, evaporating the thus taken fluid into vapor and introducing the vapor into the distillation column at a stage for the introduction of the starting feed or below.

Abstract: A novel and effective catalyst system is provided for application in the preparation of alkenyl esters of carboxylic acids by transesterification reaction. The catalyst system consists of a palladium compound as the main ingredient and a cocatalyst formed of an alkali metal compound and a copper compound, at least one of which is a halide. The catalyst ingredients are adsorbed on a solid catalyst carrier, so that repeated use of the combined catalyst or a continuous operation of the reaction can easily be facilitated.

Abstract: A process for preparing methyl chloride by reacting hydrogen chloride with methanol in the liquid-phase non-catalytic reaction, employing a reaction system comprising a reactor and two distillation columns, each being operated under a different pressure, to greatly increase the space time yield and the conversion of hydrogen chloride and methanol, and at the same time to reduce the production of dimethyl ether as a byproduct. The raw materials used may be either gaseous or liquid; they may contain a large amount of water or gases insoluble in water. By this process, hydrogen chloride gas and diluted hydrochloric acid that are produced as a byproduct or waste in various chemical processes can be effectively utilized.