Abstract: A liquid crystal composition includes (1) an anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal compound of formula (1) and (2) a ferrielectric liquid crystal compound or racemic compound thereof. The composition ratio of (1) to (2) is in the range extending from a value which extends from within 5 mol % of the boundary compositional ratio on the anti-ferroelectric phase side and to within 25 mol % of the boundary compositional ratio on the ferrielectric phase side. The boundary compositional ratio is obtained on the basis of a liquid crystal phase diagram prepared on the basis of conoscopic image observations obtained by changing the mixing ratio of (1) and (2). The liquid crystal composition has the following properties: (b) an optical response in a positive voltage region and a negative voltage region and free or substantially free of hysteresis; and (c) excellent alignment stability.

Abstract: The invention includes: a stock control server 13 and a Web server 13 at a first parts maker and a stock control server 23 and a Web server 22 at an X'th parts maker for providing information about a stock status of parts through a network 100: and a server 52 at a market place 50 for receiving information specifying search-subject parts from a terminal of a first producing maker to thereby search for information of the specified parts based on the information about the stock statuses of the parts provided by the Web servers 12 and 22 and then return a search result.

Abstract: A fluorine-substituted compound of the following general formula (1) or (2), and a ferrielectric liquid crystal composition comprising the above compound and a specific ferrielectric liquid crystal compound, wherein, in the formula (1), each of X1 and X2 is a hydrogen atom, or one of them is a hydrogen atom and the other is a fluorine atom, p is an integer of 0 to 3 and q is an integer of 1 to 3, and in the formula (2), each of X1 and x2 is a hydrogen atom, or one of them is a hydrogen atom and the other is a fluorine atom, p is an integer of 1 to 3 and q is an integer of 1 to 3.

Abstract: An R-configuration or S-configuration optically active secondary alcohol of the general formula (1), CH3C*H(OH)(CH2)mOCH(CnH2n+1)2  (1) wherein C* is an asymmetric carbon atom, m is an integer of 1 to 3, and n is an integer of 1 to 3, and a process for the production thereof, comprising optical resolution of a corresponding racemic alcohol by asymmetric trans-esterification, specifically using a lipase derived from Candida antarcia microorganism. The present invention can provide the novel optically active secondary alcohol having a methyl group on an asymmetric carbon and an alkoxy terminal having branched alkyl chains formed of the same numbers of carbon atoms, and an economical and simple process for the production thereof.

Abstract: An anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal composition containing a phenyl triester compound of the formula (1), wherein R1 is a linear alkyl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, m is an integer of 0 to 3, n is an integer of 1 to 3, and X1 is a hydrogen atom or a fluorine atom, and an anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal compound of the formula (2),  wherein R2 is a linear alkyl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, X2 is a hydrogen atom or a fluorine atom, A is —CH3 or —CF3, r is 0 or 1 and C* is an asymmetric carbon, provided that when A is —CH3, r is 0 and p is an integer of 4 to 10, that when A is —CF3 and when r is 0, p is an integer of 6 to 8, and further than when A is —CF3 and when r is 1, q is an integer of 5 to 8 and p is 2 or 4.

Abstract: The present invention provides a ferrielectric liquid crystal compound represented by the following general formula (1), wherein R is a linear alkyl group having of 6 to 12 carbon atoms, X is a hydrogen atom or a fluorine atom, m is an integer of 1 to 3, n is an integer of 1 to 3, and C* is an asymmetric carbon atom. The ferrielectric liquid crystal compound of the present invention has a ferrielectric phase in a broad temperature range and shows a high speed response in spite of a small spontaneous polarization, and accordingly, it is very useful as a practical raw material for liquid crystal display device.

Abstract: A novel ferrielectric liquid crystal compound of the formula (1), wherein R is a linear alkyl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, X is a hydrogen atom or a fluorine atom, m is an integer of 1 to 3, n is an integer of 1 to 3, and C* is an asymmetric carbon atom. The ferrielectric liquid crystal compound of the invention characteristically has a ferrielectric phase in a broad temperature range and shows a high speed optical response in spite of a small spontaneous polarization.

Abstract: An antiferroelectric liquid crystal cell having a high-speed response and wide viewing angle characteristic free of an image sticking phenomenon is provided. This antiferroelectric liquid crystal cell is composed of an antiferroelectric liquid crystal material held between a pair of parallel substrates. The antiferroelectric liquid crystal material filled between the parallel substrates has such a characteristic that when a sinusoidal voltage value with a changing reference frequency is applied to the antiferroelectric liquid crystal cell, the imaginary part of the complex dielectric constant obtained by Fourier transform of the output voltage value output from the antiferroelectric liquid crystal cell has no local maximum value within the reference frequency range of 100 Hz to 5 kHz.

Abstract: A novel anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal compounds of the formula (1), ##STR1## wherein R is a linear alkyl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, X is a hydrogen atom or a fluorine atom, m is an integer of 1 to 3, n is an integer of 1 or 2, and C* is an asymmetric carbon atom.The above anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal compounds have an anti-ferroelectric phase in a broad temperature range, so that they can be advantageously used as a main component for a liquid crystal material for practical use or as a component for a liquid crystal composition.

Abstract: There is provided a program compilation execution system which uses an in-task shared data allocation system in which by allocating only the data used in a task on a main memory, the operation efficiency of main memory can be enhanced. A compiler 20 transmits to an object program 40 the group information for a variable designated in a source program 10. A linker 50 continuously allocates variables belonging to the same group in each group, and transmits a memory allocation size information of each group to an execution format file 70. When generating the task, a program execution portion 80 obtains from the execution format file the allocation size information relative to the group information designated in an argument, and allocates a region of an in-task shared variable on a memory.

Abstract: A ferrielectric liquid crystal compound of the general formula (1), ##STR1## wherein R is a linear alkyl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, either each of X and Y is a hydrogen atom or one of X and Y is a hydrogen atom and the other is a fluorine atom, m is an integer of 1 to 2, n is 1 and C* is an asymmetric carbon. The above liquid crystal compound shows a ferrielectric phase in a wide temperature range and exhibits a fast response in spite of its small spontaneous polarization, and it is therefore remarkably useful for an active-matrix liquid crystal display device.

Abstract: A process for the production of R-configuration or S-configuration optically active alcohol having the formula (1),CH.sub.3 C*H(OH)(CH.sub.2).sub.m OC.sub.n H.sub.2n+1 (1)wherein m is an integer of 3 to 5, n is an integer of 1 to 3, and C* is an asymmetric carbon,and the formula (2), which comprises carrying out the optical resolution of the racemic alcohol,CH.sub.3 CH(OH)(CH.sub.2).sub.m OC.sub.n H.sub.2n+1 (2)wherein m is an integer of 3 to 5 and n is an integer of 1 to 3,into an R-configuration compound and S-configuration compound by the asymmetric trans-esterification thereof is provided in the presence of vinyl propionate as an esterifying agent and a lipase as a catalyst.

Abstract: A process for purifying an anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal or a ferrielectric liquid crystal, which comprises the following steps 1 to 4,step 1: preparing a liquid crystal solution of an anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal or a ferrielectric liquid crystal to be purified in an aromatic hydrocarbon solvent,step 2; bringing the liquid crystal solution into contact with at least one adsorbent selected from the group consisting of zeolite, alumina and silica gel to separate the liquid crystal solution from the adsorbent,step 3; precision-filtering the resultant liquid crystal solution, andstep 4; removing the solvent from an obtained filtrate and recovering a purified liquid crystal,according to which process, there can be easily obtained a high-purity liquid crystal which shows a specific resistance value of at least 5.times.10.sup.12 .OMEGA..multidot.cm and a small thermal decomposition ratio, and which is therefore suitable as a raw material for a liquid crystal display device.

Abstract: A two-rings-containing phenyl ester compound of the following general formula (1), ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 is a linear alkyl group having 5 to 12 carbon atoms, R.sup.2 is a linear alkyl group having 1 to 15 carbon atoms, X.sup.1 and X.sup.2 are both hydrogen atoms or one of X.sup.1 and X.sup.2 is a fluorine atom and the other is a hydrogen atom, Y.sup.1 and Y.sup.2 are both hydrogen atoms or one of Y.sup.1 and Y.sup.2 is a fluorine atom and the other is a hydrogen atom, and A.sup.1 is a hydrogen atom, --CH.sub.3 or --CF.sub.3, provided that when A.sup.1 is a hydrogen atom or --CH.sub.3, p is 0 and that when A.sup.1 is --CF.sub.3, p is 1 and q is an integer of 5 to 8, and an anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal composition containing at least one of two-rings-containing phenyl ester compounds of the above general formula (1) in claim 1 and either an anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal compound or a mixture of anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal compounds.

Abstract: A liquid crystal compound represented by the following general formula (1): ##STR1## wherein R is a linear alkyl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, X and Y are both a hydrogen atom, or one of them is a hydrogen atom and the other is a fluorine atom, m is an integer of 0 to 5, n is an integer of 1 to 5, and C* is an asymmetric carbon atom. Since the liquid crystal compounds of the present invention have an anti-ferroelectric phase or a ferrielectric phase and the anti-ferroelectric phase or a ferrielectric phase has a highly practical phase sequence and wide temperature range, they are of great industrial value.

Abstract: Provided are an anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal composition consisting essentially of (a) a swallow-tailed compound of the formula (1), (b) an anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal compound of the formula (2), and (c) a phenyl ester compound of the formula (3), and a liquid crystal display device using the composition, ##STR1## The above anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal composition has an anti-ferroelectric phase in a broad temperature range, has a high response time I in the transition from an anti-ferroelectric state to a ferroelectric state and a proper response time II in the transition from a ferroelectric state to an anti-ferroelectric state, and can therefore provide an anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal display device having high display quality.

Abstract: A racemic compound of the formula (1) ##STR1## and an anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal composition consisting essentially of said racemic compound and one anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal compound of the formula (2) or a mixture of two or more compounds selected from anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal compounds of the formula (2), ##STR2## said composition having excellent steepness of threshold, having an anti-ferroelectric phase over a broad temperature range and having the performance of a high response speed and a high contrast.

Abstract: A racemic compound of the formula (1) ##STR1## and an anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal composition consisting essentially of said racemic compound and one anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal compound of the formula (2) or a mixture of two or more compounds selected from anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal compounds of the formula (2), ##STR2## said composition of the present invention, exhibiting a small spontaneous polarization and a fast response so that a display device having a high display quality can be achieved.

Abstract: A swallow-tail-shaped liquid crystal compound of the following general formula (1), ##STR1## wherein A is --O--, --COO-- or a single bond (--), m is an integer of 4 to 12, and n is an integer of 2 to 4.The above swallow-tail-shaped liquid crystal compound of the present invention is a novel achiral anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal and can be converted to an optically active anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal by mixing it with an optically active compound as a chiral dopant.

Abstract: A ferrielectric liquid crystal compound of the following general formula (1), ##STR1## wherein R is a linear alkyl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms; X is a hydrogen atom or a fluorine atom; m and n are the same or different from each other, each being an integer of 1 to 3; and C* is an asymmetric carbon atom,the ferrielectric liquid crystal compound being remarkably valuable as a raw material for a liquid crystal display device since it shows a ferrielectric phase in a broad temperature range and shows a high-speed response in spite of its small spontaneous polarization.