Abstract: A storage system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of storage devices using flash memory as a storage medium. The flash memory used for the storage device may include flash memory configured to operate each cell as a cell capable of storing n-bit information or a cell capable of storing m-bit information (where n<m). The storage system may periodically acquire a number of remaining erasures from the storage device and predict the lifetime of the storage device by using the acquired number of remaining erasures and the storage device operation time. If the predicted lifetime is less than a predetermined value (service life) a predetermined number of cells may be changed to cells capable of storing n-bit information.

Abstract: A storage system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of storage devices using flash memory as a storage medium. The flash memory used for the storage device may include flash memory configured to operate each cell as a cell capable of storing n-bit information or a cell capable of storing m-bit information (where n<m). The storage system may periodically acquire a number of remaining erasures from the storage device and predict the lifetime of the storage device by using the acquired number of remaining erasures and the storage device operation time. If the predicted lifetime is less than a predetermined value (service life) a predetermined number of cells may be changed to cells capable of storing n-bit information.

Abstract: There are disclosed a method and an apparatus for removing a cover from a golf ball. There is used a pair of geared rolls in an engaged manner, each geared roll comprising a cylindrical shaft on which teeth are axially formed and are circumferentially arranged at predetermined pitches. After the pair of geared rolls are rotated, the golf ball is placed on the upstream side of rotation of the geared rolls, so that part of the cover of the golf ball is bitten between the geared rolls. The cover bitten between the geared rolls is advanced by a rotational force of the geared rolls and is drawn out to the downstream side of rotation of the geared rolls. In this way, the core and cover of the golf ball are separated from each other. Accordingly, the cover can be mechanically removed from the golf ball with improved efficiency, so that the efficiency of work for recycling golf balls can be improved, and the amount of golf balls disposed as industrial waste can be reduced.

Abstract: A wheel rim for a two-wheeled vehicle has a spray coated metallic and/or ceramic layer covering at least a part of a rim surface with which a brake shoe is brought into contact when a brake is applied.

Abstract: A system and method for determining the anisotropy of a sample of a light transmitting sheet is disclosed. The surface of the sample is irradiated with a polarized light which is directed through the sample to an analyzer element. The polarizing plane of the analyzer is matched to, or maintained in a predetermined angular relation to, the polarizing plane of the polarized light. The sample is rotated relative to the analyzer element so that the optical anisotropy can be determined from the relationship between the rotation angle and the output of measured light.

Abstract: A method of measuring the orientation of the constituents of specimens is disclosed, which includes the steps of preparing a cavity resonator in the form of a pair of waveguides forming a cavity, said waveguides being formed with a slit, inserting a specimen sheet or web in said slit, oscillating said cavity resonator by microwaves of fixed frequency while producing a relative rotation between said inserted specimen sheet or web and the plane of microwaves of the cavity resonator, measuring the amount of attenuation of the output signal or transmitted microwave intensity from said cavity resonator with respect to said exciting input signal, and measuring the orientation from the relation between said amount of attenuation or transmitted microwave intensity and the angle of said specimen sheet with respect to the cavity resonator, said method being characterized in that the oscillation frequency of said microwaves is set shifted slightly toward the higher side from the resonance frequency of the cavity resonat

Abstract: A method of measuring the orientation or dielectric characteristic of a dielectric sheet or web is disclosed, with the steps of inserting a sample portion of the dielectric sheet or web in a small clearance in a cavity resonator formed of a pair of waveguides respectively having a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna, said waveguides being spaced apart from each other with their openings defining said clearance therebetween, irradiating said sample portion with frequency sweep type linearly polarized microwaves from the upper waveguide perpendicularly to said sample portion while producing a relative rotational motion between the plane of polarization of microwaves and said sample portion around the axis of said cavity resonator, and measuring the resonance frequency or Q value of the microwaves received by the lower waveguide.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring the orientation of the constituents of sheets are disclosed. The method comprises the steps of inserting a sheet into a small clearance with which the openings in a pair of waveguides are opposed to each other to form a cavity resonator, producing a relative motion at a constant speed between the sheet and the resonator while emitting linearly polarized microwaves from the upper waveguide to allow them to fall on the sheet at right angles thereto, measuring the amount of attenuation of the microwaves by the lower waveguide, and determining the orientation of the constituent of the sheet from that angle of the sheet with respect to the plane of polarization of the microwaves which gives the maximum attenuation.

Abstract: A laser thermal printer is disclosed. The printer comprises a CO.sub.2 gas laser light source, a modulator for the laser beam from said laser source, an optical scanning system for scanning the laser beam, which is passed through said modulator, transversely of a predetermined recording surface while focusing it on said surface, and a web feed mechanism for feeding a heat-sensitive recording web, which presents said recording surface, in a direction at right angles with the direction of said beam scanning.

Abstract: Scrap vulcanized rubber is reclaimed by mixing with a reclaiming agent selected from (a) 1,8-diazabicyclo-[5,4,0]-undecene-7, (DBU) (b) phenol salts of DBU, (c) carboxylic acid salts of DBU, (d) thiuramsulfide compounds, (e) aromatic disulfides, and (f) benzene sulfinic acid compounds or benzene sulfonyl hydrazides, provided that (e) aromatic disulfides are not used alone.Aliphatic or alicyclic amines may be used together with a compound selected from compounds (a)-(f) to enhance the reclaiming effect.

Abstract: A polyurethane composition is produced by mixing (a) 100 parts by weight of prepolymer having terminal isocyanate groups and having a number average molecular weight in the range of from 800 to 20,000, (b) 5 - 30 parts by weight of a radical polymerizable vinyl compound, and (c) 0.05 - 1.0 part by weight of a radical initiator, adding (d) a curative selected from the group consisting of polyamine and polyol, and curing the resulting mixture by heating at 70 - 140.degree. C, the equivalent ratio of the active hydrogen of (d) to the isocyanate groups of (a) being in the range of from 0.8 to 1.2.