Abstract: A rotary valve of a multi-circuit type consists of an outer valve body with a cylindrical hole therethrough and an inner valve body rotatably inserted into the cylindrical hole of the outer valve body. The outer valve body is at a plurality of heights provided with outer fluid lines extending through the wall of the outer valve body to the cylindrical hole, and with fittings on its outer surface that connect to the outer fluid lines. The inner valve body has on its outer periphery annular passages made fluid-tight and communicated with respective outer fluid lines of the outer valve body when the inner valve body is inserted into the outer valve body. The inner valve body further has inner fluid lines that communicate one of the annular passages with a respective one of the fittings mounted around the flange of the inner valve body. To one or the other of the fittings on the outer and inner valve bodies are connected pipeways on the fluid inlet side or pipeways on the fluid outlet side.

Abstract: An airflow amount measuring body is formed such that two pipes are arranged in parallel and a bypass passage having an inverted U-shape is provided. The passage sectional areas A1, A2 and A3 of an upstream side passage, a turning section and a downstream passage of the bypass passage are set as A1<A2 and A1<A3, more preferably A2/A1.gtoreq.1.14 and A3/A1.gtoreq.1.20 to suppress contraction flow. A venturi tube section is provided at the lower end of the flow amount measuring body at the peripheral wall of the venturi tube section at the downstream side. A passage enlarging section is provided at the part of the peripheral walls of the venturi tube section at the downstream side where the bypass flow joins, and a guide section for guiding the bypass flow is provided at an outflow port of the bypass passage.

Abstract: A method for making a gel coat of gel-coated seed easily disintegrable, in which the gel-coated seed has an aqueous gel layer water-insolubilized with a metal ion, wherein the method comprises blocking the insolubilizing action of the metal ion with a sequestering agent.

Abstract: A method of planting gel-coated seeds comprising previously making the seeds sprout a root and then sowing the seeds with the tip of the root facing downward.

Abstract: A gel-coated seed processing method and an apparatus therefore capable of easily accommodating increased capacity of the apparatus to carry out a series of gel-coated seed processing consisting of coating seeds with gelatinization agent and curing the gelatinization agent to produce gel-coated seeds. The gel-coated seed processing method comprises the steps of: substantially linearly transporting seeds to be processed; coating the seeds to be processed with gelatinization agent at a destination to produce coated seeds; substantially linearly moving the coated seeds in curing agent while being immersed in the curing agent such that a direction that the coated seeds is transported in the curing agent when observed from above coincides with a direction that the seeds to be processed are transported when observed from above to harden the coated agent through reaction with the curing agent and obtain gel-coated seeds.

Abstract: The covered seed hardening apparatus of this invention has a construction suited for performing simultaneous parallel processes of hardening the gelling agent of seeds. The seeds covered with the gelling agent are dropped from the valves (73b) of the gel covering section (7) into the liquid hardener in the front half of the feed liquid tank (111a) on the reaction tank (111b) side of the flow regulating barrage (111g) in the hardening tank (111) of the gel hardening section (11). The covered seeds immersed in the hardener are moved through the hardener in the guide direction Y by the guide paddles (113b) after the guide paddles (113b) dip into the hardener in the reaction tank (111b) on the feed liquid tank (111a) side until the guide paddles (113b) move to a point in the reaction tank (111b) near the inclined surface (111m) of the hardner stopping barrage (111k) and come out of the hardener.

Abstract: The gel-covering apparatus has an inexpensive configuration that can supply the gelling agent to the seed covering portions under uniform pressure when performing simultaneously a plurality of same processes of covering the seeds with gelling agent. The gelling agent is supplied and filled into the closed spaces (73m) formed between the eight passages (73c) and the plungers (73h) in the nozzle block (73). The eight pressurizing air cylinders (77) connected to the eight gel supply passages (73B) communicating with the spaces (73m) are operated to pressurize the gelling agent in the spaces (73m) through the gel passages (75a) to cause the plungers (73h) in respective passages (73c) to move up, opening the valves (73b) at the lower ends of the passages (73c).

Abstract: A processing section in a gel coat processing unit for seeds to uniform the coating amount of seeds with gelatinizer to change a grain diameter of coated seeds without taking plenty of time and labor nor cost.

Abstract: A method for making a gel coat of gel-coated seed easily disintegrable, in which the gel-coated seed has an aqueous gel layer water-insolubilized with a metal ion, wherein the method comprises blocking the insolubilizing action of the metal ion with a sequestering agent.

Abstract: A method for storing gel-coated seeds having a gel coat comprising an aqueous gel having been water-insolubilized by a metal ion, which comprises storing the gel-coated seeds in an aqueous solution containing the metal ion.

Abstract: In a working nozzle for a gel coating apparatus, a nozzle plunger (15) has, in addition to a valve portion (15b), located at its lower end, for opening or shutting the small-diameter portion of a plunger insertion hole (4), a flange (16) which is located above the valve portion and can be brought into contact with or separated from an edge of the small-diameter hole portion (5). This prevents leakage of gel during shutting of the small diameter. The nozzle plunger has also a gel accommodating groove (17) provided on the outer periphery of said valve portion and adjoining to a lower surface of the flange, thereby permitting the sharp cutting of the gel when the valve shuts. The nozzle plunger has a step (25) provided at the lower end of its inner periphery and having a larger diameter than larger than the inner diameter of the valve portion, thus preventing stagnancy of seeds within the nozzle plunger.

Abstract: A seedlike substance making apparatus is provided which overcomes the problems experienced with conventional apparatuses that artificial seeds cannot be dispersed uniformly in a gelling agent, and which makes it possible to arbitrarily set the number of enclosures, such as adventive embryos, and the size of gelled coating. The apparatus comprises a coating material delivery mechanism (C), an enclosure supply mechanism (D) and a tip positioning mechanism (B). The coating material delivery mechanism (C) forms a film of coating material by opening and closing the nozzle plunger (8). The enclosure supply mechanism (D) has a vertically movable supply rod (29) at the bottom of the enclosure container (25) that contains a culture liquid in which the enclosures are immersed. The tip positioning mechanism (B) comprises a rotary plate (18), which is provided with a plurality of air cylinders (19).

Abstract: A product collecting device for use in an apparatus for coating seed with gel includes a product receiving case, a top portion of which is open, arranged in a downward direction of water wash bath. A partition wall is provided for a bottom wall of the product receiving case. A product collecting port is provided for one side of the partition wall. The other side of the partition wall is provided with a draining hole located directly under a carrying out side end portion of the water wash bath. A draining chute which covers the other side of bottom wall, is inclined downward toward the product collecting port water breaking hole is provide in such a way that a length of the water breaking hole is long along the direction both of inclination and hardening.

Abstract: The present invention provides a gel-coated seed processing device that comprises a gel-processing nozzle for coating the seed supplied thereto, a curing vessel which is disposed under the gel-processing nozzle and accommodate a curing agent for curing the surface of the gel-coated seeds, and a washing vessel for washing off the surface of the gel-coated seeds after being immersed in the curing vessel, wherein the curing vessel is composed of; a curing vessel main body for accommodating a gelatinizing agent in a receiving section thereof for receiving the gel-coated seeds dropped down thereto and in a gel conveying channel in connection with the receiving section, a pump for circulating the curing agent from the receiving section to the upstream thereof by way of the gel conveying channel, a rectifying plate disposed in the upstream of the receiving section to make the curing agent overflow the horizontal upper end brim thereof, and a horizontal guide wall extendedly disposed in the downstream side of the rec

Abstract: In the bottom of a seed vessel containing seeds is provided a throughhole through which a seed supply rod is longitudinally movably passed. The supply rod is connected to an actuator to be movably driven. When the supply rod is moved upwardly, it carries a small number of seeds on the top surface thereof to bring the seeds close to a suction tip so that the suction tip sucks one seed therefrom. Since the suction tip sucks one seed from the limited number of seeds on top of the supply rod, it becomes unlikely that a plurality of seeds sucked into the suction tip interfere with each other to cause the suction tip to make errors in sucking seeds.

Abstract: In a seed supply mechanism for seed coating/processing apparatus, a seed stirring mechanism is provided. A case within which seeds ape accommodated is provided with an opening into which a seed sucking nozzle is inserted and an air jet nozzle. The air jet nozzle for the seed stirring mechanism is connected to an air pressure source through an exchanging valve by a hose The seed sucking nozzle sucks a seed floating by air jetted from the air jet nozzle. Thus, only one seed can be surely sucked when the sucking operation is once carried out.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel cyclic aminophenylacetic acid derivatives having modulating action on immune response, their optical isomers, their salts and their preparative processes, and therapeutic agents for autoimmune diseases containing them as effective ingredients, the cyclic aminophenylacetic acid derivatives being represented by a general formula (1) ##STR1## wherein R and R.sup.1 each independently denotes hydrogen atom or lower alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, R.sup.

Abstract: A thermal type flow rate sensor comprising a sensor chip having a rectangular shape. The sensor chip is supported between supporting pins through ribbon-like leads connected to opposite ends of the sensor chip. The ribbon-like leads serve to correctly locate the surface of the sensor chip with respect to flow of fluid. The surfaces of the sensor chip is formed with a thin film heater. A heater portion of the thin film heater comprises a plurality of straight portions and a plurality of turn portions connecting the straight portions to each other. Each turn portion is formed in a smoothly curved shape to avoid the concentration of electric currents and is disposed at an end portion of the sensor chip which has a comparatively low temperature. This structure is effective in preventing generation of cracks in the turn portions. In addition, the plurality of straight portions are alternatively inclined to effectively utilize the surface of the sensor chip to form a long heating portion.

Abstract: The following cyclic anthranilic acid derivative, their acid addition salts or alkali salts thereof represented by a general formula [I] are useful for antirheumatic drug, autoimmune disease curing drug and metabolic bone disease curing drug. ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 to R.sup.6 and X are as defined in claim 1.

Abstract: Cyclic anthranilic acid acetic acid derivatives of the following formula, ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently indicate a hydrogen atom, lower alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms; their acid or alkali salts thereof are useful as drugs treat autoimmune diseases, antirheumatic agents and therapeutic or prophylactic agents to treat metabolic bone diseases.