Abstract: A perfluorovinyloxy polyether carboxylic acid alkali metal salt represented by the general formula is provided: CF2?CF[OCF2CF(CF3)]bO(CF2)aO[CF(CF3)CF2O]cCF(CF3)COOM??[I], wherein M is alkali metal, preferably sodium or potassium, a is an integer of 1 to 6, preferably 2, and b+c is an integer of 0 to 6, preferably 0 or 1. This perfluorovinyloxy polyether carboxylic acid alkali metal salt is produced by subjecting a perfluorovinyloxy polyether carboxylic acid alkyl ester represented by the general formula: CF2?CF[OCF2CF(CF3)]bO(CF2)aO[CF(CF3)CF2O]cCF(CF3)COOR??[II], wherein R is an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, a is an integer of 1 to 6, and b+c is an integer of 0 to 6; to hydrolysis or solvolysis in the presence of an alkali metal hydroxide.

Abstract: The present invention improves the solubility of sesamin-class compounds in fish oil and/or wheat germ oil. More specifically, ?-orizanol is combined with fish oil and/or wheat germ oil as well as sesamin-class compounds.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a division unit configured to divide an input image into a plurality of subblocks subjected to quantization control a subblock quantization parameter calculation unit configured to calculate a quantization parameter of each of the subblocks, a basic block quantization parameter calculation unit configured to set a basic block including at least two subblocks and to calculate a quantization parameter of the basic block, a difference value calculation unit configured to calculate a difference value between the quantization parameter of the basic block and the quantization parameter of each subblock included in the basic block, and a difference value coding unit configured to code the difference value.

Abstract: An image encoding device comprising a prediction unit configured to perform prediction for a received image for each block on the basis of encoded pixels to generate prediction errors, a transform and quantization unit configured to perform orthogonal transform and quantization on the prediction errors to generate quantization coefficients, a coefficient encoding unit configured to encode the quantization coefficients, an arithmetic precision information generating unit configured to generate arithmetic precision selection information representing selection of arithmetic precision of at least one of the prediction, the orthogonal transform, and the quantization, and an arithmetic precision encoding unit configured to encode the arithmetic precision selection information.

Abstract: The present invention relates to specification of a tile capable of being independently processed to process a certain area at high speed in encoding and decoding of tiles resulting from division of an image in hierarchical coding of the image, An image encoding apparatus that performs the hierarchical coding of an input image with multiple layers includes an acquiring unit and an encoding unit. The acquiring unit acquires a first image generated from the input image and a second image having resolution different from that of the first image. In the encoding of a first area in the first image acquired by the acquiring unit, the encoding unit performs the encoding using a second area existing at the relatively same position as that of the first area in the first image in the second image as a reference image.

Abstract: The image quality and coding efficiency are improved in a higher hierarchical layer such as a base layer while independence of coding and decoding of a tile is ensured even during hierarchical coding. An image coding device of the present invention that performs hierarchical coding on an image, which forms a movie, for a plurality of hierarchical layers, includes a first acquiring unit configured to acquire at least one of first and second images of different hierarchical layers from the image; a coding unit configured to code at least one of the first and second images; and a determination unit configured to determine whether or not an independent region, which is coded without reference to other region in an image, is set for each of the images of the respective hierarchical layers. The coding unit codes an image of a coding subject based on a determined result of the determination unit.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a division unit configured to divide an input image into a plurality of subblocks subjected to quantization control a subblock quantization parameter calculation unit configured to calculate a quantization parameter of each of the subblocks, a basic block quantization parameter calculation unit configured to set a basic block including at least two subblocks and to calculate a quantization parameter of the basic block, a difference value calculation unit configured to calculate a difference value between the quantization parameter of the basic block and the quantization parameter of each subblock included in the basic block, and a difference value coding unit configured to code the difference value.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a technique capable of improving an coding efficiency by setting a quantization parameter of a peripheral block that is strongly correlated with a quantization parameter of an encoding target block as a prediction value.

Abstract: An image coding method for an image coding apparatus includes determining an anchor picture in a same view as a picture to be coded, determining an anchor block corresponding to a block to be coded, selecting an inter-view prediction method, encoding an inter-view prediction mode indicating the inter-view prediction method, and calculating, using a parallax vector of the anchor block, a parallax vector of the block to be coded.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a technique capable of improving an coding efficiency by setting a quantization parameter of a peripheral block that is strongly correlated with a quantization parameter of an encoding target block as a prediction value.

Abstract: A linear interpolation filter used for intra-prediction is applied to not only a luminance signal, but also a chrominance signal. A noise like contouring, which may occur in the chrominance signal, is reduced by performing control independently on the chrominance signal. Also, only a square block has been supported in related art. However, a rectangular block is also supported. Accordingly, 4:2:2 can be applied.

Abstract: A luminance signal of an image and a chrominance signal of a bit depth different from that of the luminance signal is input, a luminance quantization parameter used to quantize the input luminance signal in block units is generated, a chrominance quantization parameter used to quantize the input chrominance signal in block units within a range depending on the luminance quantization parameter is generated, the input luminance signal is quantized by the luminance quantization parameter, the chrominance signal is quantized by the chrominance quantization parameter, and the range is changed depending on the difference between the bit depth of the luminance signal and the chrominance signal during the generation of the chrominance quantization parameter.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an anti-obesity agent which contains a tea-derived component and which is safe and does not compromise the flavor of foods and beverages. According to the present invention, a safe and palatable anti-obesity agent can be provided by incorporating a benzotropolone ring-containing compound which has tea-derived, high inhibitory activities against lipase and alfa-glucosidase. The anti-obesity agent of the present invention does not compromise the flavor of foods and beverage, has palatability, and can be used in various use applications including foods and beverages intended for health enhancement such as reduction in triglycerides.

Abstract: A distribution board is provided in a dwelling unit in order to distribute electric power supplied from an electric power provider to branch wirings, and to supply the electric power to apparatuses (air-conditioner, dishwasher, monitor device, and the like) that are connected to the branch wirings. The distribution board includes a distribution board body that houses two or more types of internal units including a trunk switch to which a trunk wiring from the electric power provider is connected and a branch switch to which a branch wiring is connected. The distribution board body houses a communication unit that communicates with a power meter having a communication function and a control unit that performs control regarding power supply to the apparatuses based on the contents of communication with the power meter.

Abstract: A splitter includes, in parallel between trunk terminals and branch terminals, a signal branching circuit that blocks distributed power and passes a PLC communication signal and a power branching circuit that blocks the communication signal and passes the distributed power. In the signal branching circuit, impedance viewed from the branch terminal side is matched with characteristic impedance of a power line and impedance viewed from the trunk terminal side is higher than impedance viewed from the branch terminal side, in the frequency band of the communication signal. In the power branching circuit, input/output impedance is set to be sufficiently higher than the impedance of the signal branching circuit viewed from the trunk terminal side, in the frequency band of the communication signal.

Abstract: An image encoding format includes a profile indicating a combination of processes which an image decoding apparatus is capable of decoding and a level indicating a range of a parameter which the image decoding apparatus is capable of decoding. The image decoding apparatus includes a decoding unit that decodes the image encoding format on the basis of a code that indicates whether parallel processing of the decoding processes in each tile is enabled depending on the profile.

Abstract: A quaternary copolymer, fluorine-containing elastomer having a copolymerization composition comprising: (A) 2.0 to 8.0 mol % of vinylidene fluoride, (B) 60.0 to 70.0 mol % of tetrafluoroethylene, (C) 35.0 to 25.0 mol % of perfluoro(lower alkyl vinyl ether) or perfluoro(lower alkoxy-lower alkyl vinyl ether), and (D) 0.2 to 3.0 mol % of a perfluoro unsaturated nitrile compound, and having a Mooney viscosity ML1+10(121° C.) of 65 to 110, as well as a vulcanizable fluorine-containing elastomer composition comprising said fluorine-containing elastomer and a bisamidoxime compound in an amount of 0.2 to 5 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the fluorine-containing elastomer. A sealing material obtained by vulcanization-molding of the fluorine-containing elastomer has not only excellent compression set characteristics and plasma resistance, but also low adhesion to metal at a higher temperature, specifically 150° C.

Abstract: Disclosed is a perfluoroelastomer composition comprising 100 parts by weight of a perfluoroelastomer containing a cyano group as a crosslinkable group, 0.2 to 5 parts by weight of a bisamidoxime compound vulcanizing agent represented by the general formula: HON?C(NH2)—(CF2)n—C(NH2)?NOH (n: an integer of 1 to 10), and 0.005 to 0.3 parts by weight of a coloring agent with a melting point of 300° C. or above. This perfluoroelastomer composition provides a colored molded product that does not form blooms under high temperature conditions of 300° C. or above, and that can be effectively used, for example, as a sealing material for semiconductor manufacturing devices.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an anti-obesity agent which contains a tea-derived component and which is safe and does not compromise the flavor of foods and beverages. According to the present invention, a safe and palatable anti-obesity agent can be provided by incorporating a benzotropolone ring-containing compound which has tea-derived, high inhibitory activities against lipase and alfa-glucosidase. The anti-obesity agent of the present invention does not compromise the flavor of foods and beverage, has palatability, and can be used in various use applications including foods and beverages intended for health enhancement such as reduction in triglycerides.

Abstract: Provided is a fluorine-containing elastomer blend comprising 5 to 60 wt. % of a high-molecular-weight, fluorine-containing elastomer having a number average molecular weight of 3,000,000 or more, 20 to 80 wt. % of a medium-molecular-weight, fluorine-containing elastomer having a number average molecular weight of 100,000 to 1,000,000, and 10 to 50 wt. % of a low-molecular-weight, fluorine-containing elastomer having a number average molecular weight of 7,000 to 13,000; the number average molecular weight Mn of each fluorine-containing elastomer being measured by liquid chromatography using tetrahydrofuran as a developing solvent at a polymer concentration of 0.5 wt. % at a measurement temperature of 35° C. The fluorine-containing elastomer blend can achieve low hardness and low modulus while improving roll processability.