Abstract: The image comparison portion calculates a plurality of pixel SSIM values of a first image and a second image and a representative SSIM value which is an overall SSIM value of both images. The image comparison portion identifies one or more count target SSIM values that belong to a specific range below a first threshold value among the plurality of pixel SSIM values when the representative SSIM value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value. The image comparison portion adds up a number of pixels for each level of the one or more count target SSIM values in both images with a weight according to each level of the one or more count target SSIM values to calculate a weighted sum. The image comparison portion determines that the two images do not match when the weighted sum exceeds a second threshold value.

Abstract: An image comparison apparatus includes an image comparison portion configured to compare a reference image with a target image. The image comparison portion calculates a degree of blur of each of the reference image and the target image. The image comparison apparatus reduces a difference in the degree of blur between the reference image and the target image to within a specific range by adding blur to one of the reference image and the target image that has a smaller degree of blur. The image comparison apparatus compares the reference image and the target image whose difference in the degree of blur has been reduced to within the specific range.

Abstract: An optical apparatus includes an aperture unit having a variable aperture value, an operation member operable by a user and configured to set the aperture value, and a processor configured to output a specified aperture value according to an operation of the operation member, generate a target aperture value from the specified aperture value, and control driving of the aperture unit based on the target aperture value. The processor performs one of first processing for generating the target aperture value with a first resolution from the specified aperture value, and second processing for generating the target aperture value with a second resolution, which is finer than the first resolution, from the specified aperture value.

Abstract: To provide a novel immobilized product in which a carbon material and/or a silicon material is/are immobilized on a base material surface by a chemical bond via a linking group, and a method for producing the same. The immobilized product is an immobilized product in which a carbon material is immobilizing on a surface of a base material, wherein the carbon material is chemically bonded on the surface of the base material via a linking group, and the linking group is at least one selected from the group consisting of a —NH group, a —NH—R1—NH group, a —SO group, a R2 group, a —O—R3—O group, and a R4 group (in which the R1 to R4 each independently represent at least one selected from the group consisting of a chain alkyl group, a cyclic alkyl group, a chain alkenyl group, a cyclic alkenyl group, a chain alkynyl group, etc.).

Abstract: Provided is a substance capable of effectively suppressing cancer metastasis or a pharmaceutical composition that effectively acts on an inflammatory disease. The pharmaceutical composition is a pharmaceutical composition containing, as an active ingredient, an antibody or an antibody fragment thereof having antigen-binding activity for an S100A8/A9 heterodimer, and blocks interaction between S100A8/A9 and a group of receptors therefor, to thereby strongly suppress cancer metastasis both in vitro and in vivo, or alleviate inflammation. That is, the anti-S100A8/A9 antibody or the antibody fragment thereof can strongly suppress cancer metastasis or alleviate inflammation, by virtue of its blocking action on the interaction between S100A8/A9 and the group of receptors therefor.

Abstract: Provided is a separation and recovery apparatus for continuously separating and recovering, from a resin mixture containing a resin containing a hydrolyzable polymer and a resin containing a nonhydrolyzable polymer, a hydrolytic component a of the hydrolyzable polymer A and the nonhydrolyzable polymer B, the apparatus including: a crushing unit that crushes the resin mixture a melting/discharging unit that melts a crushed product obtained by the crushing unit to form a fluid and discharges the fluid at a high pressure; and a hydrothermal reaction treatment unit that continuously subjects the fluid discharged from the melting/discharging unit to a hydrothermal reaction treatment, wherein, in the melting/discharging unit, the hydrolyzable polymer A is hydrolyzed, and the hydrolytic component a thereof is dissolved and transferred into water permeating a sintered alloy diaphragm, thereby separating the nonhydrolyzable polymer B.

Abstract: A detection device detecting collapse of PM collected in a filter provided in an exhaust system flow path of an internal combustion engine includes: a differential pressure sensor configured to acquire a differential pressure between an exhaust inlet side and an exhaust outlet side of the filter; a water generation determination unit configured to determine whether water is generated in the exhaust system flow path; and a PM collapse determination unit configured to determine that at least a part of the PM collected in the filter has collapsed when a PM accumulation amount estimated based on the acquired differential pressure has increased by a predetermined amount or more within a predetermined period in a state where the PM accumulation amount estimated based on the acquired differential pressure is equal to or larger than a predetermined first threshold and the water generation determination unit has determined that water is generated.

Abstract: A relay system includes a relay device and a controller. The relay device includes a contact and a driving mechanism configured to switch the contact between an open mode and a closed mode. The controller is configured to control the relay device. The controller is configured to, when freezing occurs on the contact, to commence first application of electric current to the driving mechanism to generate a driving force acting in a direction in which the contact is not switched between the open mode and a closed mode.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a flame-retardant fabric that includes a modacrylic fiber and a cellulose fiber. The cellulose fiber is one or more selected from a regenerated cellulose fiber and a natural cellulose fiber. The flame-retardant fabric contains the modacrylic fiber in an amount of 65 to 90 wt % and the cellulose fiber in an amount of 10 to 35 wt % with respect to the overall weight of the fabric. The modacrylic fiber contains a magnesium compound inside the fiber. The flame-retardant fabric contains the magnesium compound in an amount of 2.5 to 4.5 wt %. Afterflame time and afterglow time of the flame-retardant fabric measured using a flammability test based on ISO 15025: 2000 are 2 seconds or less and 2 seconds or less, respectively.

Abstract: A control method for gas-shielded arc welding includes providing a normal arc period in which the welding current is maintained at a setting current Icc set in advance, and providing a separation control period after the separation timing of the molten droplet is detected in the normal arc period, the separation control period including a current decreasing section, a current maintaining section, and a current increasing section. In the separation control period, at least one of the following controls for preventing a short circuit is performed: control of an output voltage, control of a feeding speed, and control of a gas ratio.

Abstract: A laminated electronic component includes an element body formed by laminating an insulating layer and having a bottom surface used as a mounting surface, and a bottom surface electrode formed on the bottom surface of the element body and containing glass and a sintered metal. The bottom surface electrode includes a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer formed on the element body side from the first electrode layer, an edge portion of the second electrode layer is covered with an overcoat layer which is a part of the element body, the first electrode layer is laminated on the second electrode layer with the overcoat layer interposed therebetween, and a content of glass in the first electrode layer is larger than a content of glass in the second electrode layer.

Abstract: A quartz glass plate has a quartz glass plate body and a quartz glass member adhered to the quartz glass plate body through an adhesive layer, where the adhesive layer contains silica, and a sum of concentrations of Li, Na, and K ions, being alkali metal ions and Ca ions, being alkaline earth metal ions contained in the adhesive layer is 10 ppm by mass or less. Consequently, a step with a uniform thickness can be formed, and a quartz glass plate is not easily damaged by irradiation with a light containing an ultraviolet ray.

Abstract: A degassing apparatus capable of preventing cross-contamination is provided. A degassing apparatus 1 includes degassing modules 10, 20, and 30 each having a tube unit 12 that is a gas permeable membrane separating a fluid circulation space S1 and a reduced-pressure space S2 from each other, vacuum piping 40 communicatively connected to the reduced-pressure spaces S2, a discharge device 50 that discharges gas in the reduced-pressure spaces S2 through the vacuum piping 40, atmospheric release piping 60 communicatively connected to the reduced-pressure spaces S2, an atmospheric release valve 70 capable of introducing atmosphere into the reduced-pressure spaces S2 through the atmospheric release piping 60, and a control unit 80 that controls the operation of the discharge device 50 and the atmospheric release valve 70.

Abstract: In an optical fiber cable in which an optical fiber ribbon formed by parallelly arranging a plurality of optical fibers is packaged in an internal space, a core portion of each optical fiber is made of pure quartz and an effective cross-sectional area of the core portion at a wavelength of 1,550 nm is 110 ?m2 or more and 150 ?m2 or less. The optical fiber ribbon is an optical fiber ribbon in which the optical fibers are connected by continuously applying an adhesive resin between adjacent optical fibers. An occupation ratio of the optical fiber ribbon to the internal space calculated from a ratio of a cross-sectional area of the internal space to a cross-sectional area of the packaged optical fiber ribbon is 25% or more and 55% or less.

Abstract: A sub-module of a power conversion device includes: an IGBT, a drive circuit that drives the IGBT, a laminated bus bar on which the IGBT is mounted; a substrate on which the drive circuit is mounted; a housing frame for accommodating the IGBT, the drive circuit, the laminated bus bar, and the substrate; and a separation frame for separating a space in which the drive circuit and the substrate are disposed from a space in which the IGBT and the laminated bus bar are disposed.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an antibacterial material includes at least one microparticles selected from tungsten oxide microparticles and tungsten oxide complex microparticles. The microparticles, which have undergone a test to evaluate viable cell count by inoculating in a test piece, to which the microparticles are adhered in a range of 0.02 mg/cm2 or more and 40 mg/cm2 or less, at least one bacterium selected from among Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, and storing for 24 hours, have an antibacterial activity value R of 0.1 or more expressed by the following: R=log(B1/C1) where, B1 denotes an average value (number) of viable cell count after storing an untreated test piece for 24 hours, and C1 denotes an average value (number) of viable cell count after storing the test piece on which the microparticles are coated for 24 hours.

Abstract: The voice advertisement delivery system includes a user terminal, an advertiser terminal, and a voice advertisement delivery server. The voice advertisement delivery server receives designation of a preferred location to which voice advertisement is delivered from the advertiser terminal and acquires user location information indicating the location of a user and user direction information indicating the direction of the user. The user location information is transmitted to the voice advertisement delivery server. The advertisement location information and voice advertisement data are delivered to the user terminal when the user location information approaches the designated advertisement location information and satisfies a predetermined condition. The user terminal operates spatial sound and reproduces the voice advertisement.

Abstract: A flexible flywheel includes: a shaft fastening portion fixed to an end portion of an engine crankshaft; an annular inertia ring provided around the shaft fastening portion; a plurality of elastic spoke portions which extend in the radial direction between the shaft fastening portion and the inertia ring and connect the shaft fastening part and the inertia ring to each other, and that absorb vibration acting on the crankshaft by undergoing deflection; and weight portions provided between adjacent ones of the elastic spoke portions. The fastening portion, inertial ring, elastic spoke portions, and weight portions are formed integrally by casting or forging.

Abstract: An input device includes a top panel having an operation surface, a detection unit configured to detect a capacitance corresponding to a distance between the operation surface and an object, and a controller configured to determine, based on a detection result from the detection unit, a relative state between the operation surface and the object to be one out of a non-detection state and a plurality of states. The controller measures, for each of the plurality of states, a duration in which the capacitance is greater than or equal to a corresponding one of capacitance thresholds set for the plurality of states, and determines, using the durations and the time thresholds and capacitance thresholds set for the plurality of states, the relative state to be one out of the non-detection state and the plurality of states.

Abstract: An information providing system includes: a processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the information providing system to perform operations including: acquiring position information indicating a user position; acquiring at least one of pieces of data information, each including sound information representing a sound, range information associated with the sound information and representing a predetermined range on a map, and reproduction information associated with the sound information and indicating settings related to reproduction of the sound in the sound information; and reproducing a sound by referring to the at least one of pieces of data information based on the position information. In a case in which there are one or more pieces of range information representing ranges including the user position, the reproduction processing is executed for each of the one or more pieces of range information.