Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to provide a water purification cartridge with excellent water permeability and processing capability. The present invention relates to a water purification cartridge positioned between a raw water reservoir and a purified water reservoir of a water purifier and having a container to accommodate an adsorbent and a hollow-fiber membrane for filtering raw water. Such a water purification cartridge includes an adsorber section in which the adsorbent is positioned and which has a water collector section through which the water filtered by the adsorbent flows; a hollow-fiber membrane section in which the hollow-fiber membrane is positioned and which is located on the downstream side of the adsorber section and the water collector section; and an air outlet positioned on the upper side of the container and connected to the space in the water collector section.

Abstract: Provided is an improved nitrile hydratase with improved catalytic activity. Also provided are DNA for coding the improved nitrile hydratase, a recombinant vector that contains the DNA, a transformant that contains the recombinant vector, nitrile hydratase acquired from a culture of the transformant, and a method for producing the nitrile hydratase. Also provided is a method for producing an amide compound that uses the culture or a processed product of the culture. The improved nitrile hydratase contains an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 50 (GX1X2X3X4DX5X6R) in a beta subunit, and is characterized in that X4 is an amino acid selected from a group comprising cysteine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, histidine, isoleucine, lysine, methionine, asparagine, proline, glutamine, serine and threonine.

Abstract: Provided is an inspection method of a hollow fiber membrane module and a repairing method capable of quickly identifying the position of a damaged membrane in the hollow fiber membrane module with a simple configuration.

Abstract: Provided is an acrylic film for punching excellent in transparency and free from breakage or whitening even if it is punched. The present invention is an acrylic film for punching containing a polymer (C) containing a di(meth)acrylate (A) unit represented by general formula (1) below and a mono(meth)acrylate (B) unit: —CH2—CR1—COO—(X)n—COCR1—CH2—??(1) wherein (X) represents at least one repeat unit selected from C2H4O, C3H6O and C4H8O; the molecular weight of (X)n is 500 or more; and R1 represents H or CH3.

Abstract: Provided are: a polyacrylonitrile-based precursor fiber for the production of a carbon fiber having a large single-fiber fineness, said precursor fiber ensuring high heat stability of a spinning dope and excellent productivity; and a copolymer suitable for the production of said precursor fiber. Also provided are: high-quality carbon fiber bundles which have a large single-fiber fineness and excellent productivity; a process for producing the same; and a process for producing flameproofed fiber bundles suitable for the production of the carbon fiber bundles. A polyacrylonitrile-based copolymer which comprises 93.0 to 99.4 mol % of acrylonitrile units, 0.5 to 4.0 mol % of (meth)acrylamide-based units, and 0.1 to 3.

Abstract: A filling method is provided. The filling method has a filling step in which a valve at the tip of a vertically movable nozzle of a filling device is disposed within a container and a liquid containing at least either or both of cells of a microorganism and a substance treated thereby transferred from a storage tank is sprayed from the valve. In the filling step, either or both of an initial flow rate for filling and a later stage flow rate for filling are less than the maximum flow rate. In addition, the initial filling stage in this filling step, the valve at the tip of the movable nozzle is disposed in the proximity of the bottom surface of the container, and thereafter, the movable nozzle is made to rise according to the filling conditions for the liquid in the container.

Abstract: A method is presented for stably, highly, and efficiently producing a three-dimensional molded article of a fiber-reinforced composite material having a three-dimensional shape, uniform quality, and free from wrinkles by press molding a plurality of prepregs cut out in a predetermined shape and also to a molded article.

Abstract: A steam drawing apparatus for providing pressurized steam on running yarn to draw the yarn, comprising a steam chamber; first seal chamber adjacent to a yarn entrance of the steam chamber; and second seal chamber adjacent to a yarn exit of the steam chamber, first seal chamber and second seal chamber are each provided with a labyrinth seal section having a plurality of plate pieces, first yarn-position regulating bar is provided to prevent the running yarn from touching the plate pieces, first yarn-position regulating bar extends horizontally intersecting the running direction of the yarn at right angles, and a horizontal plane passing through the point of the first yarn-position regulating bar closest to the yarn is set at least 0.1 mm closer to the yarn than a horizontal plane passing through the tip of the plate piece closest to the yarn.

Abstract: A modifier for resin has an average particle size of 20 ?m or more, wherein particles having an average particle size of 10 ?m or less account for less than 30% by mass of the modifier, and particles having an average particle size of 10 ?m or less account for 30% by mass or more of the modifier after irradiating the modifier with ultrasonic wave of 40 W for 5 minutes. Also a resin composition comprises 1 to 40% by mass of the modifier for resin and 99 to 60% by mass (the total amount of both components is 100% by mass) of a thermoplastic resin or a curable resin, and a molded article is produced by molding the same.

Abstract: In a protective film affixed to a microscopic roughness structure having a microscopically rough structure on the surface, water contact angle of the surface of the microscopic roughness structure is 40° or less, compressive stress obtainable when the adhesive layer of the protective film is compressed to a compression ratio of 20% is 0.6 MPa to 3.0 MPa; in the infrared absorption spectrum of the surface on the microscopically rough structure side of the microscopic roughness structure, ratio (A1/A2) of peak area A1 having absorption maximum of 3700 cm?1 to 3100 cm?1, and peak area A2 having absorption maximum of 1730±10 cm?1, is 0.1 to 0.8; in the surface of adhesive layer of the protective film, ratio (B1/B2) of peak area B1 having absorption maximum of 3700 cm?1 to 3100 cm?1, and peak area B2 having absorption maximum of 1730±10 cm?1, is 0.6 to 1.3.

Abstract: A solid electrolytic capacitor in which a solid electrolytic layer is formed by applying and drying a conductive-polymer solution which contains a conductive polymer that satisfies following condition (A) and which meets following condition (B) to a dielectric layer formed by oxidizing the surface of an anode metal. Condition (A): Out of one or more peaks that appear when particle size distributions are measured by a dynamic light-scattering method using a conductive-polymer solution containing 1 mass % conductive polymer, the volume average particle size in the distribution that includes the peak of the smallest particle size is smaller than 26 nm.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an article having a fine concave-convex structure on a surface thereof, the structure having pores in which a pore interval is less than or equal to a wavelength of visible light, including: irradiating a surface of the article having the fine concave-convex structure on the surface, with light from an illumination device; capturing an image of reflected light from the surface of the article having the fine concave-convex structure on the surface using imaging device; acquiring color information from an image captured by the imaging device; and inspecting the article having the fine concave-convex structure based on the color information. According to the present invention, it is possible to easily inspect the depth of the pores of anodized alumina and the pitch between the pores, and to provide a method of manufacturing anodized alumina having a stable pore shape.

Abstract: The invention relates to a binder for an electrode of an electrochemical element. The binder is a polymer having an N-vinyl formamide unit, which suppresses the decline of battery performances due to deterioration of binding property and increase of internal resistance of the battery and improves the battery performance.

Abstract: Disclosed is an additive for a thermoplastic resin, which provides a thermoplastic resin composition excellent in formability and also provides a shaped article excellent in surface appearance and flame retardance. The additive for a thermoplastic resin comprises tetrafluoroethylene polymer (A) and alkyl methacrylate polymer (B) containing 50% by mass or more of units of alkyl methacrylate having an alkyl group with carbon numbers of 2 to 6.

Abstract: A rod lens array is configured so that when a relation between R and r0 is set to be R?r0?0.8R, and the gradient index of the rod lens is approximate to n(r)2=n02{1?(g·r)2}, an overlap degree m, defined by m=X0/2R, is 2.55 or more and 4 or less and an aperture angle of the rod lens, represented by n0·g·r0, is 0.1 or more and less than 0.22. The array is capable of minimizing light quantity unevenness even where there may be assembly error or aged deterioration occurs. An equal-magnification imaging optical apparatus usefully includes a rod lens array.

Abstract: A golf club head enables the initial velocity of a ball to be increased and enables the carry to be lengthened. In some example structures, the golf club includes a face plate formed from metal and club head body (e.g., a crown and sole) formed from fiber reinforced plastic. A weighted body is provided inside the rearmost portion of the golf club head and a low rigidity portion whose width becomes gradually narrower as it approaches the rearmost portion is provided in the crown extending from the vicinity of the face plate to the rearmost portion.

Abstract: A hollow porous membrane with a reduced cost and excellent separation characteristic, water permeability, and mechanical strength and a process of producing the hollow porous membrane with an excellent adhesive property between a support and a porous membrane layer at a low cost are provided. The hollow porous membrane includes a porous membrane layer in which dense layers are disposed in the vicinities of an outer surface and an inner surface. In the process of producing the hollow porous membrane, membrane-forming dopes of a first membrane-forming dope and a second membrane-forming dope, which contain the material of the porous membrane layer and a solvent, are successively applied and stacked onto the outer circumferential surface of a hollow support and the applied membrane-forming dopes are simultaneously coagulated.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a porous film includes a decomposition step of introducing a porous film precursor which is formed by coagulating an undiluted film forming solution containing a hydrophilic polymer and a hydrophobic polymer, into a decomposition container; bringing a heated chemical containing an oxidizing agent into contact with the porous film precursor in the decomposition container; warming the porous film precursor in contact with the chemical; and decomposing the hydrophilic polymer remaining inside the porous film precursor using the oxidizing agent. An apparatus for manufacturing a porous film includes a decomposition device provided with the decomposition container.

Abstract: A furnace to flame-resistantly treat a precursor fiber strand by sending hot air to a heat treatment chamber through a hot air blowing nozzle in a direction parallel to a running direction of the strand is provided. The hot air passes through a porous plate and a rectifying member satisfying the following conditions: (1) AB?4.0; (2) 0.15???0.35; (3) 0?B?d?20; and (4) 80% or more of the area of one opening of the porous plate when facing surfaces of the porous plate and the rectifying member overlap is included in one opening of the rectifying member, where A is the rectifying member hot air passage distance (mm), B is a horizontal maximum distance (mm) of one opening of the rectifying member, ? is a rate of hole area of the porous plate, and d is the porous plate equivalent diameter (mm).