Abstract: A cosmetic agent serves to form film being durable to various effects and comprises a copolymer of a fluoroalkyl (meth)acrylate and a long chain, linear alkyl (meth)acrylate. It may further comprise a volatile oil and solid fat(s).

Abstract: An electrophotographic toner composition, improved in uniform dispersion therein of carbon black and electrophotographic properties, comprises a binder polymer, carbon black and a compound selected from the group consisting of a sulfonate compound having the formula (I), an alkaline earth metal salt of a basic alkylphenol persulfide having the formula (II), an alkyl or alkenyl succinic acid imide having the formula (III-1) or (III-2), an alkyl salicylic acid salt having the formula (IV), a compound having the formula (V) and a product obtained by treating the compound (V) with sulfur, in which R, R', R1 and R2 are a substituent and M is an alkaline earth metal.

Abstract: A film-forming cosmetic composition useful as a facial pack, nail enamel, eye liner etc., which comprises a copolymer of vinyl alcohol and alkyl vinyl ether, being referred to simply as PVA/AVE, consisting of 98 to 80 mole % of vinyl alcohol monomer units and 2 to 20 mole % of linear or branched alkyl vinyl monomer units having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms. The molar ratio of the vinyl alcohol monomer units to the alkyl vinyl ether monomer units is in the range of from 95/5 to 85/15. The PVA/AVE according to the invention has no acetic groups with ester bonds in a molecule. Instead, there are alkyl or alkenyl groups having ether bonds which serve for steric hindrance for preventing gelation of an aqueous solution of such copolymer. From this reason, the PVA/AVE does not undergo any hydrolysis as time passes and is thus excellent in storage stability.

Abstract: A Viterbi decoder synchronization circuit comprises a phase shifter for introducing a variable amount of delay time to a received bit stream of convolutional codes in response to a control signal applied thereto with respect to a word synchronization signal which is derived from the bit stream. A first detector detects maximum and minimum metric values of the Viterbi decoder. A second detector detects the difference between the detected maximum and minimum metric values for coupling to an integrator. The output of the integrator is applied to a third detector which detects when the integrator output reaches a value indicative of a word-in-sync or word-out-of-sync condition. A phase shift signal is generated in response to an output signal from the third detector and applied to the phase shifter as the control signal.

Abstract: A Viterbi decoder synchronization circuit comprises a circuit that derives a word synchronization signal from a received bit stream of convolutional codes. A first detector detects a maximum of metric values derived from the Viterbi decoder at different locations in time. A memory is provided for storing therein the address codes derived at different times and the maximum metric values detected by the first detector. A second detector is connected to the memory for detecting the presence of a path between the states addressed by the address codes stored in the memory. An integrator is connected to the second detector to integrate its output signal. To the integrator is connected a third detector which detects when the integrator output reaches a value indicative of one of word-in-sync and word-out-of-sync conditions of the Viterbi decoder. A phase shift signal is generated in response to an output signal from the third detector and applied to a phase shifter to introduce a delay time to the bit stream.

Abstract: A maximum likelihood error correcting technique for a digital communication in which a transmit side provides coded data with some redundancy through a convolutional coding circuit, and a receive side corrects transmission errors automatically through a maximum likelihood error correcting circuit has been improved by deleting some symbols at a transmit side to increase a coding rate close to 1, and inserting dummy symbols at a receive side into each bit position where a symbol has been deleted at a transmit side. A likelihood value for that dummy symbol inserted at a receive side for the maximum likelihood decoding is a fixed predetermined value. Thus, both a coding circuit in a transmit side and a decoding circuit in a receiving circuit have only to handle original low rate code, while keeping a coding rate in a transmission line high.

Abstract: A 2-(.alpha.-substituted alkyl)-2-imidazoline represented by the general formula I: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 represents a C.sub.6 -C.sub.20 alkyl or alkenyl group and R.sub.2 represents a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl group which is novel and useful as an intermediate for useful surfactants and polymer-modifiers.

Abstract: An .alpha.-substituted carboxylamidoamine represented by the general formula I: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 represents a C.sub.6 -C.sub.20 alkyl or alkenyl group, R.sub.2 represents H or C.sub.2 H.sub.4 OH, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 represent each H, C.sub.2 H.sub.4 CO.sub.2 M or C.sub.2 H.sub.4 OH and when R.sub.2 is C.sub.2 H.sub.4 OH, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 represent each H or C.sub.2 H.sub.4 CO.sub.2 M and when R.sub.2 is H, one of R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 represents C.sub.2 H.sub.4 OH, and M is H, an alkali metal, an ammonium or an organic ammonium is novel and useful as a surfactant.

Abstract: The invention converts between a cyclic and a general code sequence, each sequence having a succession of normal code blocks and an additional or shorter code block. A zero bit series is hypothetically assumed before the additional code block. In an encoder for producing a cyclic code sequence, the zero bit series is placed before the additional code block by cooperation of a timing control circuit and a divider. In a decoder, a counter times an additional cyclic code block and starts counting while another counter is still counting to time a period, which is the period next preceding a normal cyclic code block, whereby the zero bit series is assumed.

Abstract: Novel cyano substituted diphenoquinones of the formula, ##STR1## wherein X is a bromine atom or a cyano group, are useful as oxidizing agents and electron acceptors in charge-transfer complex formation owing to their high redox potentials. They may be easily prepared by oxidizing the corresponding cyano substituted biphenols with dinitrogen tetraoxide in an inert organic solvent.