Abstract: The operation sequence identification device identifies an operation sequence including a series of individual operations. The operation sequence identification device includes an communication circuit that acquires first sensing information indicating the position of a moving object in an operation area in chronological order and plural pieces of second sensing information indicating surrounding environment states at different positions in the operation area in chronological order, and a control circuit that specifies the order of the series of individual operations based on the first sensing information and that identifies the operation content of each of the series of individual operations based on the second sensing information.

Abstract: The operation sequence identification device identifies an operation sequence including a series of individual operations. The operation sequence identification device includes an communication circuit that acquires first sensing information indicating the position of a moving object in an operation area in chronological order and plural pieces of second sensing information indicating surrounding environment states at different positions in the operation area in chronological order, and a control circuit that specifies the order of the series of individual operations based on the first sensing information and that identifies the operation content of each of the series of individual operations based on the second sensing information.

Abstract: A prosthesis for a blood vessel, which is an expanded porous polytetrafluoroethylene tube having a fine fibrous structure with nodes connected to each other by fibrils. The average fibril length is at least 40 &mgr;m, and the tube has a porosity of at least 70%. The load required for compressing the tube by 10% in its axial direction at a strain rate of 100%/min is at least 10 gf. The resistant force per unit sectional area of the tube produced upon the 10% compression is at least 1.0 gf/mm2.

Abstract: An indole derivative represented by the general formula (I) ##STR1## wherein R is hydrogen, lower alkyl having 1 to 6 carbons, carboxymethyl, or substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl; R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, and R.sup.4 may be the same with or different from each other and are hydrogen, halogen, lower alkyl having 1 to 6 carbons, lower alkoxy having 1 to 6 carbons, acyl, substituted or unsubstituted amino, nitro, hydroxy, acyloxy, substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl, substituted or unsubstituted aryloxy, or substituted or unsubstituted aralkyloxy, or a combination of R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 may be methylenedioxy;R.sup.5 is hydrogen, lower alkyl having 1 to 6 carbons, or substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl; R and R.sup.4, or R.sup.1 and R.sup.5 may form together a six-membered ring constituted of methylene chains which may contain a heteroatom;R.sup.6 and R.sup.

Abstract: A process for producing acetic acid by: a reaction step for continuously allowing methanol to react with carbon monoxide in the presence of a catalyst system comprising a metal catalyst, an ionic iodide, and methyl iodide in a carbonylation reactor, a flash distillation step for continuously feeding a flasher with a reaction mixture from the reactor and evaporating a volatile component at least containing product acetic acid, methyl acetate, and methyl iodide by flash distillation to separate the volatile component and a liquid catalyst mixture at least containing the metal catalyst and the ionic iodide, and an acetic acid collection step for separating a stream containing acetic acid from the volatile component to collect acetic acid; wherein, in the flash distillation step, the flash distillation is conducted under the condition that the concentration of methyl acetate in the liquid catalyst mixture is not less than 0.6% by weight.