Abstract: A lactone is prepared by catalytically hydrogenating a dicarboxylic acid having 3 to 10 carbon atoms or a functional derivative thereof in the presence of a catalyst comprising a metal selected from the elements of group VIII of the periodic table or a combination of said metal with an element selected from the elements of groups IVa, VIb and VIIb of the peridic table, and further in the co-presence of an alkali metal salt or an alkali metal hydroxide.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for injecting and mold clamping control of an injection blow molding machine, wherein a parison injected downward from a die between mold halves defining a cavity is detected to thereby determine the dynamic locus of its free end. In every run the mold clamping is commanded to start before the end of injection is commanded and is effected according to the clamping operational conditions determined based on the parison locus determined in the instant or preceding run. In one method a clamping starting time is determined by a calculation with a predetermined clamping stroke speed. In another alternative method an initial clamping stroke speed is determined by a calculation with a predetermined clamping starting time and following stroke speed.

Abstract: A monoclonal antibody is described, having a specific reactivity with a cancer-associated antigen selected from pancreas cancer-associated antigen, intestinum crassum cancer-associated antigen and hepatoma-associated antigen and has the following characteristics:(1) it exists in a blood serum of pancreas cancer, intestinum crassum cancer and hepatoma patients;(2) it comprises glycoproteins;(3) it has a molecular weight of about 700,000 to 1,500,000, as measured by gel-filtration and determined by comparison with that of a known protein;(4) it has a maximum absorption of 2800 nm when dissolved in 0.1 M acetic acid buffer solution (pH 4.5); and(5) it is released at least in a cultured supernatant medium of establihed cell line of COLO-201, TE-1, TE-2, TE-3, NRC-12, MKN-45 and KATO III. The monoclonal antibody is utilized as a reagent for detecting pancreas cancer, intestinum crassum cancer and hepatoma. A process for preparing the monoclonal antibody and a process for preparing the reagent are also disclosed.