Abstract: A gas diffusion layer composed of a sheet of composite powder, the composite powder includes: conductive particles; conductive fibers; and a polymer resin, wherein a grain boundary of the composite powder is present on a surface or a cross section of the gas diffusion layer.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a composite powder, the method includes: stirring and mixing a polymer resin and at least one or more of fibers and particles with a dispersion solvent to obtain a mixed solution of the polymer resin and at least one or more of the fibers and the particles; spraying the mixed solution in a form of droplets into a chamber whose inside is cooled to a temperature lower than a melting point of the dispersion solvent to obtain a frozen composite powder in which the droplets are frozen; and sublimating the dispersion solvent contained in the frozen composite powder to obtain a dried composite powder.

Abstract: A slot-in connector including a connector unit and an adapter includes a connector, an illuminating member, a light guide, a board, a case, and a cable. The connector is mounted on the board and includes an insertion hole that is open in a first direction. The illuminating member illuminates the periphery of the insertion hole. The case includes a main body part and a first latch part. The main body part includes a first opening part that exposes the illuminating member to the outside of the case. The cable has one end part electrically connected to the board and another end part extracted to the outside of the case. The adapter includes a second opening part that exposes the illuminating member to the outside of the adapter, a first cut-out part that is open in the second direction, and a first engagement part engaged with a first protruding part.

Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes an outdoor unit including a compressor configured to compress refrigerant, a relay unit connected to the outdoor unit, and an indoor unit connected to the relay unit. The compressor is driven to circulate the refrigerant between the outdoor unit, the relay unit, and the indoor unit. The air-conditioning apparatus includes a supplementary heat source unit in parallel with the indoor unit and connected to the relay unit. The outdoor unit includes an outdoor heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger and a fluid. The supplementary heat source unit includes a supplementary heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through the supplementary heat exchanger and hot water.

Abstract: The present specification discloses a method for producing an isocyanate compound. The invention relates to a method for producing the compound represented by formula (2), wherein the compound represented by formula (1) or a salt thereof is mixed with phosgene(s) under a condition such that the pH of the aqueous layer is 1 or less, in the presence of a water-immiscible solvent and water.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a composite particle includes: a step of preparing a first raw material including an element selected from any of copper, molybdenum, and silver, and a second raw material including one or more types of elements selected from aluminum, titanium, zirconium, hafnium, iron, yttrium, niobium, tantalum, silicon, calcium, magnesium, tungsten, indium, tin, germanium, nickel, zinc, and molybdenum; and a thermal plasma evaporation and cooling step of introducing the prepared first and second raw materials into thermal plasma to evaporate the first raw materials, and cooling the evaporated first raw materials to generate a composite particle. The composite particle includes the second raw material, and a fine particle carried on a surface of the second raw material and generated from the first raw material having an average particle size of 0.5 nm or more and 300 nm or less.

Abstract: A liquid level detector includes: a vertically-mounted accumulator that stores refrigerant; a heater that heats the accumulator; a temperature detector that detects a surface temperature of the accumulator; a pressure detector that detects a pressure of the refrigerant in the accumulator; and a controller. The controller detects a position of a liquid surface of the refrigerant in the accumulator based on a surface temperature of the accumulator detected by the temperature detector when the accumulator is heated by the heater, and a pressure of the refrigerant in the accumulator detected by the pressure detector.

Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes an outdoor unit including a compressor configured to compress refrigerant, a relay unit connected to the outdoor unit, and an indoor unit connected to the relay unit. The compressor is driven to circulate the refrigerant between the outdoor unit, the relay unit, and the indoor unit. The air-conditioning apparatus includes a supplementary heat source unit in parallel with the indoor unit and connected to the relay unit. The outdoor unit includes an outdoor heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger and a fluid. The supplementary heat source unit includes a supplementary heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through the supplementary heat exchanger and hot water.

Abstract: A method for producing a fine-particle powder containing calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide includes: preparing a pulverized powder of shells or eggshells; introducing the pulverized powder of shells or eggshells into a controlled atmosphere, vaporizing the pulverized powder under thermal plasma and then solidifying the pulverized powder in a gas phase to produce fine particles containing calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide; and collecting a powder of the fine particles containing calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide produced with the thermal plasma.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a processor including hardware. The processor is configured to: calculate a motion evaluation value on a motion of a subject in a determination target frame; acquire a difference evaluation value of the determination target frame; determine whether to perform defective pixel detection on an image of the determination target frame by using the motion evaluation value and the difference evaluation value; and when it is determined that the defective pixel detection is to be performed, detect a defective pixel by determining whether a pixel of interest that is a determination target is a defective pixel with respect to the image of the determination target frame, based on a pixel value of the pixel of interest and pixel values of neighboring pixels that are located in a vicinity of the pixel of interest.

Abstract: A liquid level detector includes: a vertically-mounted accumulator configured to store refrigerant; a heater configured to heat the accumulator; a temperature detector configured to detect a surface temperature of the accumulator; a pressure detector configured to detect a pressure of the refrigerant in the accumulator; and a controller configured to detect a position of a liquid surface of the refrigerant in the accumulator based on a surface temperature of the accumulator detected by the temperature detector when the accumulator is heated by the heater, and a pressure of the refrigerant in the accumulator detected by the pressure detector.

Abstract: A refrigeration cycle apparatus includes a compressor, an expansion valve, a flow switching device, a heat source side heat exchanger including a first heat source side heat exchanger and a second heat source side heat exchanger connected in parallel, an opening-and-closing valve provided on downstream of the second heat source side heat exchanger through which refrigerant flows during a defrosting operation, and a controller that, when the defrosting operation is performed, controls the flow switching device so that the refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows into the heat source side heat exchanger. The controller switches the opening-and-closing valve from an open state to a closed state when the defrosting operation is started, determines a point in time when defrosting targets to be defrosted are switched, and switches the opening-and-closing valve from the closed state to the open state in accordance with the point in time determined.

Abstract: The present specification discloses a method for producing an isocyanate compound. The invention relates to a method for producing the compound represented by formula (2), wherein the compound represented by formula (1) or a salt thereof is mixed with phosgene(s) under a condition such that the pH of the aqueous layer is 1 or less, in the presence of a water-immiscible solvent and water.

Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus that includes a compressor, a flow switching device, an outdoor heat exchange unit, an expansion section and an indoor heat exchanger, which are connected by pipes, in which the outdoor heat exchange unit includes a first outdoor heat exchanger, a first flow rate control device, a second outdoor heat exchanger, a second flow rate control device, a bypass pipe, the second outdoor heat exchanger, the second flow rate control device, a third flow rate control device, and a flow control device.

Abstract: A refrigerant distributor branches refrigerant flowing in a refrigerant circuit into three, and includes a first bifurcate flow divider including a first pipe portion forming one inflow port, a second pipe portion and a third pipe portion forming two outflow ports communicating with the inflow port of the first pipe portion, and a second bifurcate flow divider including a fourth pipe portion forming one inflow port, and a fifth pipe portion and a sixth pipe portion forming two outflow ports communicating with the inflow port of the fourth pipe portion. The outflow port of the third pipe portion and the inflow port of the fourth pipe portion communicate with each other, and an angle ? formed by a first plane passing through the first bifurcate flow divider and a second plane passing through the second bifurcate flow divider is between 60 and 120 degrees.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus including a processor including hardware, the processor being configured to: detect a defective pixel from among the multiple pixels; calculate a level of a pixel value of the defective pixel; compare the calculated level of the pixel value of the defective pixel with a threshold to determine whether a defective pixel that is stored in a storage is to be corrected, the threshold being determined based on a brightness that is calculated from pixel values close to a defective pixel and on any one of an exposure time of image data corresponding to a defective pixel on which a determination is to be made, a value of gain, and variation in pixel value among pixels surrounding the defective pixel on which a determination is to be made; and interpolate the pixel value of the determined defective pixel that is to be corrected.

Abstract: A liquid level detection device detecting a liquid level of a liquid in a container includes a heater configured to heat the container, a plurality of temperature sensors provided at different heights of the container, and configured to detect a surface temperature of the container, and a controller configured to detect the liquid level of the liquid in the container, based on the surface temperature of the container detected by the plurality of temperature sensors when the heater is caused to heat.

Abstract: A refrigeration cycle apparatus includes a main circuit through which refrigerant circulates and in which a compressor, a condenser, a first expansion device, a centrifugal gas-liquid separator that separates refrigerant into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant by using centrifugal force, and an evaporator are connected by refrigerant pipes; and a bypass that returns the gas refrigerant obtained through the separation by the gas-liquid separator to a suction side of the compressor. The gas-liquid separator includes a cylindrical container, an inflow pipe, a gas outflow pipe, and a liquid outflow pipe. The main circuit includes a second expansion device provided between the liquid outflow pipe of the gas-liquid separator and the evaporator. The gas refrigerant discharged from the gas outflow pipe of the gas-liquid separator flows into the bypass, and the bypass is provided with a third expansion device.

Abstract: A server as the payment control device includes an acquisition unit, a determination unit, an instruction unit, and a storage unit. The acquisition unit acquires transaction information including store information, amount information, and customer account information from a transmission source of the transaction information. The determination unit checks a customer account status corresponding to the customer account information, and determines whether or not to establish a transaction between a customer and a store based on the amount information and the customer account status. In the case of determining to establish the transaction by the determination unit, the storage unit accumulates and stores transaction information related to the established transaction.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus including a processor including hardware, the processor being configured to: detect a defective pixel from among the multiple pixels; calculate a level of a pixel value of the defective pixel; compare the calculated level of the pixel value of the defective pixel with a threshold to determine whether a defective pixel that is stored in a storage is to be corrected, the threshold being determined based on a brightness that is calculated from pixel values close to a defective pixel and on any one of an exposure time of image data corresponding to a defective pixel on which a determination is to be made, a value of gain, and variation in pixel value among pixels surrounding the defective pixel on which a determination is to be made; and interpolate the pixel value of the determined defective pixel that is to be corrected.