Abstract: A ceramic honeycomb structure comprising a ceramic honeycomb body comprising axial grooves on its periphery and cell walls constituting a larger number of flow paths inside the grooves, and a peripheral wall layer covering the grooves, wherein there are stress release portions at least partially in the peripheral wall layer and/or between the peripheral wall layer and the grooves. The thermal expansion coefficient of the peripheral wall layer is preferably smaller than those of the cell walls in a radial direction. The peripheral wall layer is preferably formed on the ceramic honeycomb body formed by removing a peripheral wall from a ceramic green body, before or after firing the ceramic honeycomb body.

Abstract: A ceramic honeycomb structure comprising a ceramic honeycomb body comprising axial grooves on its periphery and cell walls constituting a larger number of flow paths inside the grooves, and a peripheral wall layer covering the grooves, wherein there are stress release portions at least partially in the peripheral wall layer and/or between the peripheral wall layer and the grooves. The thermal expansion coefficient of the peripheral wall layer is preferably smaller than those of the cell walls in a radial direction. The peripheral wall layer is preferably formed on the ceramic honeycomb body formed by removing a peripheral wall from a ceramic green body, before or after firing the ceramic honeycomb body.

Abstract: A crimped yarn includes a synthetic fiber which contains an aliphatic polyester resin (A) and a thermoplastic polyamide resin (B) and exposed area ratio of the aliphatic polyester resin (A) with respect to fiber surface area is 5% or less and a crimp is imparted to a multifilament comprising said synthetic fiber, and a fiber structure containing said crimped yarn as at least a part thereof. Furthermore, a crimped yarn in which the aliphatic polyester resin (A) and the thermoplastic polyamide resin (B) are constituted of a polymer alloy type synthetic fiber, or a crimped yarn constituted by a sheath/core type composite fiber in which the core component comprises the aliphatic polyester resin (A) or a polymer alloy of the aliphatic polyester resin (A) and the thermoplastic polyamide resin (B) and the sheath component comprises the thermoplastic polyamide resin (B), and a fiber structure containing said crimped yarn as at least a part thereof.

Abstract: Disclosed is a cushioning material for a polishing pad, which hardly suffers swelling deformation caused by water because it is extremely low in water-absorbing characteristics and water-swelling characteristics. The cushioning material for a polishing pad includes a polyurethane foam capable of polishing even a semiconductor wafer having an undulated surface or a wafer having a local step that is formed during circuit forming process so that the undulation or step becomes smaller by uniformly polishing an entire surface of the wafer along the undulation or step. The cushioning material for a polishing pad is characterized by including a polyurethane foam obtained by reacting polyol and polyisocyanate with each other, the polyurethane foam having a contact angle with water of 90° or more. The polyurethane foam is preferably made by using hydrophobic polyol, and preferably has a self-skin layer formed thereon.

Abstract: A ceramic honeycomb structure comprising a ceramic honeycomb body comprising axial grooves on its periphery and cell walls constituting a larger number of flow paths inside the grooves, and a peripheral wall layer covering the grooves, wherein there are stress release portions at least partially in the peripheral wall layer and/or between the peripheral wall layer and the grooves. The thermal expansion coefficient of the peripheral wall layer is preferably smaller than those of the cell walls in a radial direction. The peripheral wall layer is preferably formed on the ceramic honeycomb body formed by removing a peripheral wall from a ceramic green body, before or after firing the ceramic honeycomb body.

Abstract: When making powder material ride on gaseous current to move it, the present invention prevents the powder material from fixedly adhering to a wall surface of a treating apparatus. The present invention concerns a process of treating powder material and an apparatus for treating the same, each of which makes the powder material such as pharmaceutical, ride on gaseous current to move it. In a powder-material treating apparatus (1) such as the jet mill, a heating means (13) is provided along a wall surface (12) to which the powder material collides. This heating means (13) heats the wall surface (12) to not less than approximately a temperature at which the powder material commences to soften and to a temperature lower than a melting temperature of the powder material. And the powder material is made to move while riding on the gaseous current within this powder-material treating apparatus (1).

Abstract: A ceramic honeycomb structure comprising a ceramic honeycomb body comprising axial grooves on its periphery and cell walls constituting a larger number of flow paths inside the grooves, and a peripheral wall layer covering the grooves, wherein there are stress release portions at least partially in the peripheral wall layer and/or between the peripheral wall layer and the grooves. The thermal expansion coefficient of the peripheral wall layer is preferably smaller than those of the cell walls in a radial direction. The peripheral wall layer is preferably formed on the ceramic honeycomb body formed by removing a peripheral wall from a ceramic green body, before or after firing the ceramic honeycomb body.

Abstract: The present invention provides new process for preparing inorganic fine particles, which suppresses agglomeration and adhesion of particles due to heat when preparing powder from a raw material liquid such as a slurry of zirconia hydrate fine particles in order to obtain inorganic raw material powder having sharp particle size distribution. Furthermore, the present invention provides a new process for preparing inorganic fine particles, which can make the chemical structure homogenous among the produced particles and inside the particles even in a multi-component system. The present invention provides a process for preparing inorganic fine particles, which comprises heating and applying impulse waves to a raw material liquid.

Abstract: Polylactic acid fibers excellent in wearing resistance and in the ability to smoothly pass through processing steps. The polylactic acid fibers contain a fatty acid bisamide and/or an alkyl-substituted fatty acid monoamide in an amount of 0.1 to 5 wt. % based on the whole fibers.

Abstract: A low-cost flexographic printing plate which does not require a conventional tackiness tape or a tacky-elastic foam in mounting on a printing press and is capable of repeated uses and of high-accuracy printing. A flexographic printing plate and a raw plate therefor, comprising a photo-curable resin layer, a support layer with a barrier performance, an adhesive layer to stick the photo-curable resin layer and the support layer to each other, and an elastic layer, wherein the photo-curable resin layer and the elastic layer serve as the outermost layers, wherein the outer surface of the elastic layer has a rereleasable tacky surface.

Abstract: Providing a brassiere production management system that enables the efficient production of a brassiere that fits a given user.

Abstract: A novel microorganism which has the following characteristics: morphology (coccoid, rod shaped); gram staining (+), spore forming (−), motility (−), relationship to oxygen (aerobic), oxidase test (−), catalase test (+), resistance to acid (−), rod-coccus cycle (+), and GC content of DNA (mole%) (73 (by HPLC)), and which can decompose chloroethylene. The microorganism can decompose in 24 hours 30 ppm of trichloroethylene, and decompose of 100 ppm of trichloroethylene by 50%.

Abstract: A novel microorganism which has the following characteristics: morphology (coccoid, rod shaped), gram staining (+), spore forming (−), motility (−), relationship to exygen (aerobic), oxidase test (−), catalase test (+), resistance to acid (−), rod-coccus cycle (+), and GC content of DNA (mole %) (73 (by HPLC)), and which can decompose chloroethylene. The microorganism can decompose in 24 hours 30 ppm of trichloroethylene, and decompose of 100 ppm of trichloroethylene by 50%.

Abstract: A flexible pipe unit for an exhaust pipe line of an internal combustion engine comprises a metal bellows which has a front open end adapted to be connected to a first exhaust pipe and a rear open end adapted to be connected to a second exhaust pipe. A cylindrical outer case of metal is coaxially disposed about the metal bellows in a manner to define therebetween a cylindrical space. A first structure is arranged between a front end of the outer case and a front end of the bellows to achieve a mechanical connection therebetween. A second structure is arranged between a rear end of the outer case and a rear end of the bellows to achieve a mechanical connection therebetween. At least one of the first and second structures comprises a spring member by which the bellows and the outer case are resiliently connected.

Abstract: A product required to be kept in a clean environment is packaged by removing outer layers of a multi-layer film and immediately thereafter introducing its inner core sheet inside a clean room. A bag with an opening is produced inside the clean room by superposing and sealing together two of such core sheets, by splitting one core sheet into two sub-layers and superposing and sealing together these two sub-layers or by folding one core sheet and superposing and sealing together its folded parts. The product may be packaged in such a bag either by using the same apparatus which makes the bag or by using another apparatus. The bag is made of a multi-layered material, and its outer layer is peeled off immediately before it is put inside a clean room to be torn apart and to have the produce taken out.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a bubble-containing ethylene/.alpha.-olefin rubber excellent in kneadability, characterized in that the ethylene/.alpha.-olefin rubber prepared by copolymerization of 50-95 mol % of ethylene, 5-50 mol % of .alpha.-olefin having at least 3 carbon atoms and 0-10 mol % of non-conjugated polyene contains 5-1000 parts by volume, based on 100 parts by volume of said rubber, of bubbles and has a water absorption volume as measured in accordance with ASTM D 1506 of less than 20% by volume of the total bubble volume.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a bubble-containing ehtylene/.alpha.-olefin rubber excellent in kneadability, characterized in that the ethylene/.alpha.-olefin rubber prepared by copolymerization of 50-95 mol% of ethylene, 5-50 mol% of .alpha.-olefin having at least 3 carbon atoms and 0-10 mol% of non-conjugated polyene contains 5-1000 parts by volume, based on 100 parts by volume of said rubber, of bubbles and has a water absorption volume as measured in accordance with ASTM D 1506 of less than 20% by volume of the total bubble volume.

Abstract: An optical recording medium is provided which comprises a diacetylene derivative compound and at least one compound selected from the group consisting of azulenium salt compounds, pyrylium dyes, diene compounds, croconic methines, and polymethine compounds. An optical recording method is also provided which comprises a step of writing by irradiating with a radiation ray corresponding to a recording information an optical recording medium comprising a polydiacetylene derivative compound and a compound selected from the above-mentioned group.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of producing a paste-type electrode for a lead storage battery which comprises packing into an active material support a paste prepared by kneading a lead oxide having a conversion ratio to red lead (Pb.sub.3 O.sub.4) of 90% or less or a mixture of this lead oxide powder with water and sulfuric acid as the principal components. Because this lead oxide contains red lead less than 90%, red lead formed on the surface of this oxide and lead oxide (PbO) formed in the particle core are directly bonded. This enhances the bonding power between the active materials. The paste-type electrode prepared by this method provides high adhesion of the paste to the active material support and high bonding power between the active materials. Therefore, both improvements in life and in efficiency of formation charge can be attained.

Abstract: A device for blowing fine particles is provided which comprises a plural number of upstream chambers for jetting out fine particles provided against a movable substrate. Each of the upstream chambers may be provided with a gas exciter, and also may be provided with an energy imparter for imparting energy to the substrate.