Abstract: A method of manufacturing a sheet molding compound (SMC) according to an aspect of the present invention comprises: (i) drawing out a carrier film from a roll to travel on a conveyance path such that the surface of the carrier film is horizontal; (ii) cutting a continuous carbon fiber bundle into short carbon fiber bundles with a chopper disposed above the conveyance path; (iii) allowing the short carbon fiber bundles to fall onto the carrier film traveling on the conveyance path while dispersing them using a dispersing roll disposed below the chopper to deposit a carbon fiber mat on the carrier film; (iv) impregnating the carbon fiber mat with a thermosetting resin composition to obtain a resin-impregnated carbon fiber mat; and v) concurrently with the deposition of the carbon fiber mat, removing fiber dust generated from the short carbon fiber bundles due to contact with the dispersing roll using a dust collector.

Abstract: A food composition contains a solid composition, the solid composition containing starch derived from beans and/or cereals, in a seasoning liquid. The food composition satisfies all of the following (a) to (c): (a) the sodium chloride content of the food composition is 2 mass % or less in terms of wet mass; (b) when measured in accordance with [Procedure a] using a rapid visco analyzer, the final viscosity of the seasoning liquid at a lowered temperature of 50° C. is higher than 5.0 cP and not higher than 550 cP; and (c) when measured by dynamic headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, the 2-pentylfuran peak area ratio of the seasoning liquid to the solid composition is 100 or less. In [Procedure a] a sample is heated from 50° C. to 95° C. with a rapid visco analyzer, maintained for 3 minutes, and then cooled to 50° C. followed by the measurement of the viscosity.

Abstract: Contaminants are efficiently purified without affecting the environment or necessitating the performance of any post-treatments such as pH adjustment that would be used to prevent environmental impact, even when the contaminated soil is highly viscous. In the method of purifying contaminated soil by microorganisms according to the present invention, contaminated soil mainly comprising clay or silt and containing trichloroethylene as a contaminant is dug out, and then temporarily placed on the ground (step 101). Next, perlite 2, which is an inorganic soil-improving material, the soil-improving material, and degradation microbes 3 degrading trichloroethylene are added to the contaminated soil 1 (step 102). The contaminated soil is subsequently mixed by agitation, so as to cause the perlite 2 to absorb pore water contained in the clay or silt (step 103). Next, aeration is performed to inject air into the contaminated soil 1, thereby microbially degrading trichloroethylene (step 104).

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: Microorganisms belonging to the genus Burkholderia and having the ability to decompose halogenated hydrocarbon, which are able to decompose 50% or more of 100 ppm of trichloroethylene in 2 days, or decompose 100% of 30 ppm of trichloroethylene in 18 hours, as well as providing a process for decomposing halogenated hydrocarbons in water or soil using those microorganisms.

Abstract: In a two-stage railgun accelerating apparatus, a flying object is initially accelerated by acceleration gas produced by a gas gun. The initially accelerated flying object is led through an introducing pipe to an inlet of a railgun section of the two-stage railgun accelerating apparatus. A position and a velocity of the flying object are detected by a position detector and a velocity detector provided in the introducing pipe. According to the results of detection, both a voltage is applied to the railgun section and the acceleration gas is irradiated just behind the flying object with a laser beam, such that a dielectric breakdown of the gas is effected to generate plasma of good quality for accelerating the flying object.

Abstract: In a two-stage railgun accelerating apparatus, a flying object is initially accelerated by acceleration gas produced by a gas gun. The initially accelerated flying object is led through an introducing pipe to an inlet of a railgun section of the two-stage railgun accelerating apparatus. A position and a velocity of the flying object are detected by a position detector and a velocity detector provided in the introducing pipe. According to the results of detection, both a voltage is applied to the railgun section and the acceleration gas is irradiated just behind the flying object with a laser beam, such that a dielectric breakdown of the gas is effected to generate plasma of good quality for accelerating the flying object.