Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for rejecting defective absorbent articles from a converting line. At a downstream portion of a converting process, a continuous length of absorbent articles may be subjected to a final knife and cut to create discrete absorbent articles advancing on a first carrier. From the first carrier, the discrete absorbent articles may be transferred to a transfer apparatus, which in turn, transfers the discrete absorbent articles to a second carrier. The transfer apparatus may include carrier members that orbit around an axis of rotation and may be adapted to receive the absorbent articles from the first carrier and transfer the absorbent articles to the second carrier. Defective absorbent articles may be detected by an inspection system, which may be operably connected with the transfer apparatus and/or the first carrier to remove the defective absorbent articles from the converting process.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an automobile door hinge includes hot forging a round steel bar to form a forged workpiece including a mounting portion, an arm portion, and a column portion, and forming a shaft hole by punching the column portion by using a special die and a punch. The die has a gap formed therein so that, during punching, a slug is not generated and the column portion expands outward when the punch is pressed from a punching start point to a predetermined dimension, and a slug is generated and discharged when the punch is pressed from the predetermined dimension to a punching end point.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an image processing apparatus and method, which can improve the coding efficiency while suppressing an increase in the load. Included are: a region setting unit for setting a size in a vertical direction of a partial region to be a process unit upon coding an image as a fixed value and setting a size in a horizontal direction thereof depending on a value of a parameter of the image; a predicted image generation unit for generating a predicted image using the partial region set by the region setting unit as a process unit; and a coding unit for coding the image by use of a predicted image generated by the predicted image generation unit. The present technology can be applied to an image processing apparatus, for example.

Abstract: An identifier generator generates a second identifier containing information on contents. The second identifier is different from a first identifier used to grant a connection request sent from a terminal apparatus. A beacon transmitter transmits the second identifier, generated by the identifier generator, as a beacon. A connection processing unit permits the connection request by the first identifier stored beforehand in the terminal apparatus, and rejects the connection request by the second identifier. A base station apparatus generates the first identifier containing address information used to access a server apparatus, as an identifier used to permit a connection request sent from the terminal apparatus. The base station apparatus transmits, as beacons, a first identifier and a second identifier used to identify the base station itself.

Abstract: A content transmitter distributes contents. An update information management unit manages update information on the update of the contents distributed by the content transmitter. An identifier generator generates notifying identifiers containing the update information managed by the update information management unit. The update information contains the update time of each content or a time period until each content is updated. A beacon transmitter transmits, as beacon, the notifying identifiers generated by the identifier generator.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an image processing apparatus and a method therefor capable of reducing the amount of memory required for intra-frame prediction. The apparatus includes: a sampling unit that performs sampling to thin out pixel values to be used as adjacent pixels in intra-frame prediction according to a size in an horizontal direction of an image to be coded or a size in a vertical direction of regions obtained by dividing the image; a reconstruction unit that performs interpolation by using the pixel values sampled by the sampling unit to reconstruct the adjacent pixels; a predicted image generation unit that performs the intra-frame prediction by using the adjacent pixels reconstructed by the reconstruction unit to generate a predicted image; and a coding unit that codes the image by using the predicted image generated by the predicted image generation unit. The present technology can be applied to an image processing apparatus, for example.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a high-strength motor vehicle door hinge from a steel plate blank includes a cold heading step of forming a cylindrical bulging portion at one end of the blank in the width direction, a shaft hole forming step of forming a shaft hole in the cylindrical bulging portion, and a shaft hole finishing step. In the shaft hole forming step, a shaft hole is formed using a first punch having a top end with a shape of a cone and a first die having an inner wall with a gap volume relative to the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical bulging portion of the blank.

Abstract: The positive electrode active material in accordance with the present invention is used for a positive electrode for a lithium-ion secondary battery, includes Li, Mn, Ni, Co, and O atoms, and has a substantially halite type crystal structure. Specifically, it is preferably expressed by LiaMnbNicCodOe, where a is 0.85 to 1.1, b is 0.2 to 0.6, c is 0.2 to 0.6, d is 0.1 to 0.5, and e is 1 to 2 (the sum of b, c, and d being 1). Because of such composition and crystal structure, the positive electrode active material of the present invention reduces the amount of elution of the battery into the liquid electrolyte and enhances the stability at a high temperature.

Abstract: A vibration absorption that is both capable of damping vibrations in two directions and high in durability. A pair of pressure receiving chambers (102A) and (102B) at symmetrical positions sandwiching an axis S are structured between a first rubber elastic body (24) and a second rubber elastic body (38). The shape of a first rubber elastic body (18) in an unloaded state is determined such that a region between an inner side joining portion (24B) and an outer side joining portion (24A) becomes substantially horizontal in a loaded state in which the first rubber elastic body (24) supports the weight of an engine.

Abstract: A lithium secondary battery comprising positive and negative electrodes both capable of occluding and releasing lithium ions, and a lithium ion conductive material which contains a compound of formula (1) exhibits improved characteristics including charge/discharge efficiency, low-temperature properties and cycle performance when (a) only one substituent group of R1, R2, R3 and R4 in formula (1) is alkyl, (b) the negative electrode-constituting material partially contains a carboxyl or hydroxyl group-bearing compound, and the lithium ion conductive material contains propylene carbonate, or (c) a positive electrode active material is a lithium-containing transition metal compound, a negative electrode active material is a carbonaceous material, and the lithium ion conductive material contains as a non-aqueous electrolysis solution a solvent mixture of propylene carbonate and ethylene carbonate in combination with a chain-like carbonate as a low-viscosity solvent.

Abstract: An electrode is provided as one that can suppress generation of hydrogen and that has sufficiently low impedance. The electrode has an aluminum current collector, an aluminum hydroxide layer provided on the aluminum current collector, and an active material layer containing lithium-containing metal oxide and provided on the aluminum hydroxide layer. The thickness of the aluminum hydroxide layer is not more than 50 nm.

Abstract: In an authentication apparatus, an input section acquires a living body image which an image capture apparatus generates by capturing an image of a living body that is an object of authentication, and outputs the living body image to an operation section. When the operation section acquires the living body image from the input section, the operation section calculates, on the basis of the living body image acquired and a registered image stored in a registered image storage section, the difference between the relative position of the living body with respect to the image capture apparatus at the time of acquiring the living body image and the relative position of the living body with respect to the image capture apparatus at the time of acquiring the registered image. The output section outputs guidance information for prompting a reduction in the difference in the relative position calculated by the operation section.

Abstract: A method includes obtaining an image to be compared at the time of use which is intended for comparing biometric information at the time of use of a user, obtaining posture information at the time of use which indicates a posture when biometric information at the time of use of the user is shot, performing personal authentication for the user by comparing the image to be compared at the time of use with a preregistered image to be compared at the time of registration of the user, and inputting an operation instruction corresponding to operation information preregistered in association with posture information at the time of registration which is determined to match, by comparing the posture information at the time of use with a plurality of pieces of preregistered posture information at the time of registration of the user.

Abstract: Compounds described herein are suitable for use in three-dimensional optical recording materials, etc. The compounds each have a structure that allows pi-electron conjugation to be achieved by linking a porphyrin ring and a perinaphthothioindigo ring to each other with a straight-chain atomic group. The compounds are suitable for use in three-dimensional optical recording materials, etc. since they have a high two-photon absorption efficiency and undergo photochromism effectively through optical absorption. The compounds include those represented by the following formula (1): P1—[Y]—P2??(1) where P1 corresponds to a porphyrin ring; P2 corresponds to a perinaphthothioindigo ring a hydrogen atom, or a halogen atom; and Y is a group that links P1 and P2.

Abstract: A wide area network (50) connects a WLAN base station apparatus (60) and a content supply apparatus (510). The content supply apparatus (510) stores communication contents prepared in a broadcasting format. The WLAN base station apparatus (60) acquires and stores contents from the content supply apparatus (510) through the wide area network (50). The WLAN base station apparatus (60) converts the format of the contents to be distributed and distributes the converted contents using a WLAN method. The WLAN base station apparatus (60) transmits connection setting information and content information to an information distribution apparatus (520). The connection setting information includes information for connection of the terminal apparatus (30) to the WLAN base station apparatus (60). A terminal apparatus (30) acquires the connection setting information and the content information from the information distribution apparatus (520).

Abstract: An identifier generator generates a second identifier containing information on contents. The second identifier is different from a first identifier used to grant a connection request sent from a terminal apparatus. A beacon transmitter transmits the second identifier, generated by the identifier generator, as a beacon. A connection processing unit permits the connection request by the first identifier stored beforehand in the terminal apparatus, and rejects the connection request by the second identifier. A base station apparatus generates the first identifier containing address information used to access a server apparatus, as an identifier used to permit a connection request sent from the terminal apparatus. The base station apparatus transmits, as beacons, a first identifier and a second identifier used to identify the base station itself.

Abstract: A porphyrin/phthalocyanine dimer represented by the following Formula (A-1) and a tetramer represented by the following Formula (A-2) (where R1, R2 and R3 may be the same or different, and each represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl or alkyloxy group; M1 and M2 may be the same or different, and each represents two protons or a bivalent or trivalent metal ion; X1 represents a single bond or an alkylene group; X represents —O—, —S—, >NR101 (where R101 represents H or alkyl group), CH2, or a single bond; Y represents 2H, ?O or ?S; m is an integer of 0 to 4; Z represents a five- or six-membered nitrogen-containing coordinating heteroaromatic ring group; provided that the multiple substituent groups represented by the same character may be the same or different.

Abstract: A picture processing apparatus is disclosed which includes: a memory; and a decoding circuit configured to decode encoded picture data; wherein the memory holds first and second fields of the decoded picture in different areas while holding field planes of a plurality of reference planes in different areas; the decoding circuit includes a motion compensation circuit configured to effect motion-compensating prediction by dividing into a plurality of divisions each of macro blocks making up the picture data in order to perform motion compensation in accordance with the motion-compensating prediction; and, upon transferring the decoded picture held in the memory during a motion compensation process, the compensation circuit rearranges transfer requests to at least either the same reference plane or the same field plane within a divided macro block on the basis of macro block division information and reference picture information, before transferring the rearranged transfer requests consecutively to the memory.

Abstract: A nonaqueous solvent in a nonaqueous electrolytic solution in a lithium-ion secondary battery 1 contains propylene carbonate (PC), a first compound expressed by formula (I), and a second compound expressed by formula (II). The content of PC in the nonaqueous solvent is at least 10 volume %. The content X [mass %] of the first compound and the content Y [mass %] of the second compound simultaneously satisfy the conditions represented by expressions (1) and (2) [2?(X+Y)?8 (1), 0.01?(Y/X)?0.30 (2)]. R1 to R6 in formula (I) indicate any of a hydrogen atom and hydrocarbon groups having a carbon number of 1 to 3, whereas R7 and R8 in formula (II) indicate any of a hydrogen atom and hydrocarbon groups having a carbon number of 1 to 3.

Abstract: The invention aims to proliferate or establish undifferentiated pluripotent stem cells that retain their differentiation potency by culturing pluripotent stem cells in a medium free of a feeder cell, or a serum. The aim is attained by using a culture medium for pluripotent stem cells comprising the known ingredients, which is supplemented with an inhibitor of an adenylate cyclase activity.