Abstract: An ink jet recording paper, which is excellent in ink absorbency and color-developing properties and has dull-tone glossiness, comprising an ink-receiving layer and at least two colloidal silica layers applied successively onto a support, each of said colloidal silica layers comprising chain colloidal silica as a main ingredient, wherein at least the colloidal silica layer contacting the ink-receiving layer contains no binder and has a coverage of about 1 to 3 g/m2, and the coverage of other colloidal silica layer is about 1 to 6 g/m2.

Abstract: A grading system includes a sever computer installed in a management company and a client computer owned by a client and connected to the server computer via a network. Through use of the client computer, a client requests the sever computer to appraise and register a card. The management company appraises the card received from the client and stores an appraisal result and information regarding the client in an IC chip as card information. Subsequently, the management company returns the card and the IC chip to the client.

Abstract: A substrate used for cast-coated paper, with the substrate having Cobb water absorbency of from 30 to 100 g/m2 and Oken smoothness of at least 30 seconds on the side where the cast-coated layer is to be provided, and a cast-coated paper which is produced using such a substrate to acquire ink jet recording suitability and improved productivity.

Abstract: The objective of this invention is to provide a recording material that can be recorded by ink with water-soluble dye, particularly to provide an ink jet recording sheet, which provides an excellent combination of in ink absorbency, ink coloration, light resistance, water resistance and surface gloss. One subject of the invention is an ink jet recording sheet having on an ink-receiving support an image preserving layer comprising anionic colloidal silica and zinc oxide particulates with an average particle size of about 15 to 380 nm and having a 75 degree specular glossiness of at least about 25% at the surface. Another subject of the invention is an ink jet recording sheet having on an ink-receiving support, in succession, an image preserving layer comprising anionic colloidal silica and zinc oxide particulates with an average particle size of about 15 to 380 nm and a fixing layer comprising cationic colloidal silica and cationic polymer electrolyte.

Abstract: A variable gain amplifier comprises a main amplifier circuit whose gain is controllable and which amplifies a difference signal between an input signal and a feedback signal, a feedback amplifier circuit whose gain is controllable and which amplifies an output signal of the main amplifier circuit, and a gain control circuit which complementarily control the gain of the main amplifier circuit and the gain of the feedback amplifier circuit.

Abstract: A middle volume of refrigerator includes a refrigerating compartment provided at an upper position therein; a freezer compartment provided at a lower position therein; and a new temperature zone of freezer compartment, the new temperature zone of freezer compartment working as a compartment having a new temperature zone of not higher than a maximum ice forming temperature zone and higher than a freezing temperature zone, wherein the new temperature zone of freezer occupies substantially an entire width of the refrigerator. The new temperature zone of freezer compartment may have a temperature therein set to a temperature that foods preserved in the new temperature zone of freezer compartment can be cut without being thawed.

Abstract: There is disclosed an impedance conversion circuit called a regulated cascode circuit in which a parasitic capacity deteriorating frequency characteristics is reduced during operation up to about several hundreds of megahertz or higher frequencies. In the impedance conversion circuit comprising two regulated cascode circuits in which active elements and reverse amplifiers are interconnected with a feedback applied thereto, a capacity element is disposed between a control end of one active element and an output end of the other active element.

Abstract: To present a material for stamper free from deterioration of stamper quality due to reaction with an electron-attracting radical contained in the resist material. An electrode formed on the surface of a patterned resist film 2 for electrocasting a stamper material is formed of a nickel alloy thin film 3 comprising Ni element as a principal component, and Ru element added in a range of less than 25 percent by weight.

Abstract: An alloy material, a thin film and an optical recording medium to achieve various tasks such as maintenance of a high reflectivity, improved corrosion resistance, simplified production of the alloy, and realization of stability and simplicity/easiness of a sputtering process when being used as a sputtering target. An AgPd alloy including Ag as a main component and Pd in the range of 0.5 to 4.9 atomic % is used as a thin film formation use sputtering target material, with the target material a thin film, that is a reflecting film, constituting an optical recording medium is formed and the optical recording medium containing the reflecting film as a constituent is produced.

Abstract: To present a material for stamper free from deterioration of stamper quality due to reaction with an electron-attracting radical contained in the resist material. An electrode formed on the surface of a patterned resist film 2 for electrocasting a stamper material is formed of a nickel alloy thin film 3 comprising Ni element as a principal component, and Ru element added in a range of less than 25 percent by weight.

Abstract: There is disclosed an impedance conversion circuit called a regulated cascode circuit in which a parasitic capacity deteriorating frequency characteristics is reduced during operation up to about several hundreds of megahertz or higher frequencies. In the impedance conversion circuit comprising two regulated cascode circuits in which active elements and reverse amplifiers are interconnected with a feedback applied thereto, a capacity element is disposed between a control end of one active element and an output end of the other active element.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a production method for an optical disc, capable of obtaining a good S/N ratio without deterioration of the stamper quality due to reaction with an electron attractive group contained in a resist material. The processes of forming a resist film on a substrate, patterning the resist film on the substrate by an electron beam cutting, forming a nickel alloy thin film on the patterned resist film, forming a nickel layer on the nickel alloy thin film by the electrocasting, and injection molding of a resin, using the nickel layer peeled off from the nickel alloy thin film as a stamper, are provided. The nickel alloy thin film has a composition containing Ni element as the main component as well as Ru element by less than 25% by weight.

Abstract: The ZnS-series sintered material of the present invention includes ZnS as a main component and niobium oxide. The content of the niobium oxide in the sintered material is preferably in the range from more than 5 to 50% by weight, in terms of Nb2O5. The sintered material can be used as the sputtering target. Since this target has a low resistance, it is possible to deposit a thin film using this target by direct current (DC) sputtering. By employing the DC sputtering, the deposition rate of the thin film can be increased. The resultant thin film is used as a protecting layer for protecting a recording layer in an optical recording medium for recording a signal of a laser beam.

Abstract: A high speed agitation granulator method of preparing a substantially spherical granule for pharmaceutical use comprising a medicament for pharmaceutical use, wherein the medicament has an aqueous solubility of 0.01 to 0.30 g/ml, which method comprises introducing a mixture of medicament and excipients comprising at least 5% crystalline cellulose into the granulator and spraying on water or a mixture of ethanol and water as binder solution; a substantially spherical granule for pharmaceutical use comprising famciclovir and 5% or more crystalline cellulose, together with an optional coating; and a sachet containing a unit dose of famciclovir in the form of such granules.

Abstract: There is disclosed an optical data storage medium in which the weather resistance of the semitransparent reflective film is improved and the adhesive property between the semitransparent reflective film and a substrate is enhanced, and which has a higher reliability. In an optical data storage medium (6), on the side on which a reproduction light (8) is incident, a first information layer (9) is located while on the side opposite to the side on which the reproduction light (8) is incident, a second information layer (10) is located. A semitransparent reflective film (3) of first information layer (9) is AgPdCu alloy thin films containing 0.5 to 3.0 weight % Pd and 0.1 to 3.0 weight % Cu or AgPdTi alloy thin films containing 0.5 to 3.0 weight % Pd and 0.1 to 3.0 weight % Ti. At the wavelength 650 nm, the optimum film thickness of AgPdCu alloy thin film is 5 to 18 nm and the optimum film thickness of AgPdTi alloy thin film is 10 to 25 nm.

Abstract: The present invention offers a method for the purification or removal of virus characterized in containing a step where the virus in the virus-containing sample is adsorbed with sulfated-fucose-containing polysaccharide(s) and/or degradation product(s) thereof.

Abstract: In information communication system and method applicable to an in-vehicle networking architecture, at least one first electronic equipment which is enabled to serve another electronic equipment with its function and at least one second electronic equipment which is enabled to make use of a function which another electronic equipment serves are connected to a common communication bus (network). An equipment managing apparatus connected to the common communication bus stores a function serving information representing the function that the first electronic equipment can serve and a making-use-of function information representing the function of which the second electronic equipment can make use. If both contents of the function serving information and the making-use-of function information are coincident with each other, the second electronic equipment makes use of the function of the first electronic equipment.

Abstract: The present invention provides .epsilon.-caprolactone having a purity of at least 99.8% by weight and a total concentration of not more than 200 ppm based on area ratio of components having a relative retention time of not more than 0.6 (low-boiling fraction), the relative retention time of .epsilon.-caprolactone being set to 1.00 in gas-chromatographic analysis under determined conditions. The present invention also provides a method of producing .epsilon.-caprolactone consisting of co-oxidizing cyclohexanone and aldehyde(s) or oxidizing cyclohexanone using a peracid to obtain .epsilon.-caprolactone and carboxylic acid(s) and recovering the .epsilon.-caprolactone via distillation after addition of an element selected from 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A, 8, 1B and 2B groups and/or a compound containing such an element.