Abstract: A process for producing a toner with which toner particles can be highly conglobated, a toner that hardly causes fogging in an image, and an yield of toner is increased is provided. A process for producing a toner of the present invention comprises the step of simultaneously performing a surface modification and classification of particles by using a batch-wise surface modification apparatus, in which when a straight line extending from a central position S1 of a loading pipe in a direction of loading a raw material is denoted by L1 and a straight line extending from a central position O1 of the fine powder discharging pipe in a direction of discharging fine powder and ultra-fine powder is denoted by L2, an angle ? formed between the lines L1 and L2 is in a range of 210 to 330° with reference to the direction in which a classification rotor rotates.

Abstract: A method of utilizing the physiological activity of a rare saccharide, wherein physiological-activity sensitive cells are treated with the rare saccharide to modify the function of the cells. A composition containing, as an active ingredient, a rare saccharide which is introduced into physiological-activity sensitive cells and has an effect of modifying the function of the cells. The cells are human cells. The composition is a functional food, a drug, or a cosmetic. The rare saccharide is a rare saccharide belonging to aldose and/or ketose. The aldose is D-allose, and the cells are selected from the group consisting of cancer-cell proliferation inhibitory activity sensitive cells and active-oxygen production inhibitory activity sensitive cells. The ketose is D-psicose, and the cells are selected from the group consisting of chemokine secretion inhibitory activity sensitive cells, microglia migration inhibitory activity sensitive cells, and hypoglycemic activity sensitive cells.

Abstract: A disease control device has light emitting diodes (D1 to Dn) emitting green light and a controller (2) controlling a drive circuit (1) for turning on the light emitting diodes (D1 to Dn). The drive circuit (1) is controlled by the controller (2) to cause the light emitting diodes (D1 to Dn) to emit green light to irradiate plants with the light. The irradiation with the green light enhances resistance of the plants against diseases.

Abstract: A tactile sensor of an embodiment of the present invention includes: a sensing section having an elastic member at a portion which contacts a measurement target; an image acquiring section for acquiring as image information the state of a contact surface of the measurement target and the elastic member, before and after application of an external force tangential to the contact surface; a deformation analyzing section for analyzing deformation information of the contact surface, based on the image information acquired by the image acquiring section; an external force detecting section for detecting the external force applied tangential to the contact surface; and an estimating section for estimating a slippage margin between the measurement target and the elastic member, based on (I) the deformation information of the contact surface, which information acquired by the deformation analyzing section, (II) the external force detected by the external force detecting section, and (III) an object constant of the el

Abstract: A tactile sensor of an embodiment of the present invention includes: a sensing section having an elastic member at a portion which contacts a measurement target; an image acquiring section for acquiring as image information the state of a contact surface of the measurement target and the elastic member, before and after application of an external force tangential to the contact surface; a deformation analyzing section for analyzing deformation information of the contact surface, based on the image information acquired by the image acquiring section; an external force detecting section for detecting the external force applied tangential to the contact surface; and an estimating section for estimating a slippage margin between the measurement target and the elastic member, based on (I) the deformation information of the contact surface, which information acquired by the deformation analyzing section, (II) the external force detected by the external force detecting section, and (III) an object constant of the el

Abstract: A method of utilizing the physiological activity of a rare saccharide, wherein physiological-activity sensitive cells are treated with the rare saccharide to modify the function of the cells. A composition containing, as an active ingredient, a rare saccharide which is introduced into physiological-activity sensitive cells and has an effect of modifying the function of the cells. The cells are human cells. The composition is a functional food, a drug, or a cosmetic. The rare saccharide is a rare saccharide belonging to aldose and/or ketose. The aldose is D-allose, and the cells are selected from the group consisting of cancer-cell proliferation inhibitory activity sensitive cells and active-oxygen production inhibitory activity sensitive cells. The ketose is D-psicose, and the cells are selected from the group consisting of chemokine secretion inhibitory activity sensitive cells, microglia migration inhibitory activity sensitive cells, and hypoglycemic activity sensitive cells.

Abstract: A process for producing a toner with which toner particles can be highly conglobated, a toner that hardly causes fogging in an image, and an yield of toner is increased is provided. A process for producing a toner of the present invention comprises the step of simultaneously performing a surface modification and classification of particles by using a batch-wise surface modification apparatus, in which when a straight line extending from a central position S1 of a loading pipe in a direction of loading a raw material is denoted by L1 and a straight line extending from a central position O1 of the fine powder discharging pipe in a direction of discharging fine powder and ultra-fine powder is denoted by L2, an angle ? formed between the lines L1 and L2 is in a range of 210 to 330° with reference to the direction in which a classification rotor rotates.

Abstract: An air conditioner outlet vent device in which one of a blade and a housing is molded as a primary molding having a shaft hole by primary injection using a first synthetic resin, the other is molded, within a secondary mold die where the primary molding has been set, as a secondary molding having a support shaft by secondary injection using a second synthetic resin so that the shaft hole and the support shaft are fitted together at the same time as they are molded, thereby enabling the blade to pivot within the housing. The first and second synthetic resins are of the same synthetic resin system, and an additive for suppressing shrinkage in cooling and solidifying it after injection molding is added to the first synthetic resin so that the percentage mold shrinkage of the shaft hole becomes smaller than that of the support shaft.

Abstract: An air conditioner outlet vent device 1 in which one of a blade and a housing is molded as a primary molding having a shaft hole by primary injection using a first synthetic resin, the other is molded, within a secondary mold die where the primary molding has been set, as a secondary molding having a support shaft by secondary injection using a second synthetic resin so that the shaft hole and the support shaft are fitted together at the same time as they are molded, thereby enabling the blade to pivot within the housing. The first and second synthetic resins are of the same synthetic resin system, and an additive for suppressing shrinkage in cooling and solidifying it after injection molding is added to the first synthetic resin so that the percentage mold shrinkage of the shaft hole becomes smaller than that of the support shaft.

Abstract: A mutant AOX2 (alcohol oxidase 2) promoter derived from the natural AOX2 promoter by base sequence deletion, insertion, or substitution is disclosed. A microbial strain carrying a gene under the control of such a mutant AOX2 promoter can be obtained by growing in a methanol-containing medium a strain incapable of producing AOX encoded by the AOX1 gene but carrying the AOX2 gene under the control of the natural AOX2 promoter. A heterologous protein may be produced by cultivating the mutant strain with the desired heterologous protein gene incorporated downstream from the mutant AOX2 promoter. A plasmid carrying the mutant AOX2 promoter is also provided.

Abstract: A method for preparing foreign protein in yeast using an expression recombinant DNA comprising DNA encoding the serum albumin signal peptide adjacent to DNA encoding the foreign protein is disclosed.

Abstract: Novel signal peptides capable of functioning in yeasts have the amino acid sequence:Met-A.sub.1 -A.sub.2 -X-B-C-D-E-Fwherein A.sub.1 is a peptide chain composed of 1-3 amino acids each selected from the group consisting of Arg, Ser, Lys and His, A.sub.2 is a peptide chain composed of 1-3 amino acids, X is a peptide chain composed of 8-10 hydrophobic amino acids, B is Pro or Ser, C is Gly or Pro, D Cys, Ala, Leu, Ser, Thr and Val, E is Trp or Gln and F is Ala or Gly. DNA sequences coding for these signal peptides can be used for the secretory expression of heterologous proteins in yeasts.

Abstract: The method for forming a chemical conversion film on a substrate made of aluminum or its alloy which comprises the steps of: (a) etching a surface of the substrate with an aqueous solution of acid or alkali; (b) immersing the etched substrate in an aqueous, phosphate-based chemical conversion solution which is substantially free from fluoride ions; and (c) applying a negative voltage to the substrate during at least a part of the immersion step so that a potential of the substrate reaches a predetermined minimum potential which is lower than a natural electrode potential of the substrate in the aqueous chemical conversion solution.

Abstract: Alkaline protease which has leucine or isoleucine in the place of valine at the amino acid number 40 of wild type alkaline protease, a gene encoding the amino acid sequence of alkaline protease which has the substitution as described above, a recombinant DNA comprising said gene, a method of producing the above described alkaline protease, and a DNA fragment used for the expression of a gene.