Abstract: A method of testing the hiding power of a coating using a plurality of black-and-white hiding testing materials each having a black-and-white pattern includes: arranging the plurality of testing materials side by side spaced substantially equal to each other; applying the coating to the plurality of testing materials, altering the number of times of the coating for each testing material such that film thickness values of the plurality of testing materials is different stepwise; curing the coating applied to the plurality of testing materials; evaluating the black-and-white hiding power of the coating by comparing each of the plurality of testing materials with other of the plurality of testing materials.

Abstract: Provided is a lactase preparation having an excellent lactose decomposing action in milk. A lactase according to an aspect of the present invention has, as lactase activity, any one of the following activities (1) to (6) or a combination of two or more thereof: (1) when the lactase is added to cow's milk, an added amount of protein in the lactase at which a residual lactose concentration reaches 0.1% or less after 16 hours at 10° C. is 15.1 mg/L or less; (2) when the lactase is added to cow's milk, the added amount of protein in the lactase at which the residual lactose concentration reaches 0.01% or less after 16 hours at 10° C. is 30.2 mg/L or less; (3) when the lactase is added to cow's milk, the added amount of protein in the lactase at which the residual lactose concentration reaches 0.10% or less after 24 hours at 10° C. is 10.1 mg/L or less; (4) when the lactase is added to cow's milk, the added amount of protein in the lactase at which the residual lactose concentration reaches 0.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a bacterial strain that can decrease the amount of an intermediate Compound P converted into Metabolite M and efficiently accumulate Compound P in a medium that is not supplemented with Metabolite M or the final product generated from Metabolite M. The present invention provides a prokaryotic organism having all features (a) to (d) as defined in the specification so as to accumulate Compound P by regulating expression level of Enzyme X that converts Compound P as an intermediate metabolite into Metabolite M in a biosynthetic pathway in which Metabolite M indispensable for the growth is produced from a carbon source.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a bacterial strain that can decrease the amount of an intermediate Compound P converted into Metabolite M and efficiently accumulate Compound P in a medium that is not supplemented with Metabolite M or the final product generated from Metabolite M. The present invention provides a prokaryotic organism having all features (a) to (d) as defined in the specification so as to accumulate Compound P by regulating expression level of Enzyme X that converts Compound P as an intermediate metabolite into Metabolite M in a biosynthetic pathway in which Metabolite M indispensable for the growth is produced from a carbon source.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a bacterial strain that can decrease the amount of an intermediate Compound P converted into Metabolite M and efficiently accumulate Compound P in a medium that is not supplemented with Metabolite M or the final product generated from Metabolite M. The present invention provides a prokaryotic organism having all features (a) to (d) as defined in the specification so as to accumulate Compound P by regulating expression level of Enzyme X that converts Compound P as an intermediate metabolite into Metabolite M in a biosynthetic pathway in which Metabolite M indispensable for the growth is produced from a carbon source.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a bacterial strain that can decrease the amount of an intermediate Compound P converted into Metabolite M and efficiently accumulate Compound P in a medium that is not supplemented with Metabolite M or the final product generated from Metabolite M. The present invention provides a prokaryotic organism having all features (a) to (d) as defined in the specification so as to accumulate Compound P by regulating expression level of Enzyme X that converts Compound P as an intermediate metabolite into Metabolite M in a biosynthetic pathway in which Metabolite M indispensable for the growth is produced from a carbon source.

Abstract: An irreversible compression system and method, includes fetching cells of bit map data from first and second adjacent blocks of bit map data, each of the fetched cells having a predetermined cell size, and each of the fetched cells is converted to compressed code. When the size of the first block of bit map data is indivisible by the predetermined cell size, a first incomplete cell having a first reduced size is fetched from the first block and a second incomplete cell is fetched from the second block, the second incomplete cell being adjacent the first incomplete cell and having a second reduced size such that the sum of the first reduced size and the second reduced size is equal to the predetermined cell size.

Abstract: A printing system is disclosed in which a host computer 1 sends print data to a printer 2, and the printer 2 prints an image on a paper in accordance with the print data received. The printer 2 includes a printing mechanism 19 for performing a printing operation and a control unit 18 with a stand-by function. In the host computer 1, a printer driver 4 receives a print command from an application 3, and outputs removal data to the control unit 18 and then generates print data. Upon receipt of the removal data, the control unit 18 removes a stand-by status of the printer and places the printer in a wake-up status. The signal format of the removal data is the same as of the print data. Accordingly, a conventional interface may be used for the transmission of the removal data. Further, the data format of the removal data is the same as of the print data. Accordingly, the wake-up status of the printer may be removed by utilizing commands provided for some other purposes.