Abstract: Physical condition under stress can be controlled by using adiponectin in blood as a stress marker and measuring a level thereof. Moreover, endotoxin activity can be inhibited by using adiponectin.

Abstract: A catalyst converter having a retaining mat with a thickness wherein the apparent density during assembling becomes 0.25 g/cm3 or more and less than 0.51 g/cm3 and the outside diameter D1 of a catalyst retainer is set according to interference of the retaining mat in passing through a press-in tool and interference of the retaining mat after being pressed into a retaining tube. The retaining mat is formed of a non-expandable inorganic fiber sheet. A pressing force moves the catalyst retainer in the axial direction with respect to the retaining tube while the catalyst converter device is used with the length L2 along the longitudinal direction of the catalyst retainer in the retaining mat wound around the catalyst retainer being set longer than the winding diameter D1 of the retaining mat around the catalyst retainer so that a retaining force R greater than the pressing force F can be secured.

Abstract: There is provided a model that can evaluate properties of viscoelasticity and also rubber elasticity of an elastic material. A correlation equation between stress and strain that is calculated from: a correlation equation between stress, strain, elastic modulus and relaxation time, calculated based on a Maxwell model in which an elastic element and a viscous element are placed in series; and a correlation equation between strain and elastic modulus, including different moduli depending on properties, the correlation equation between stress and strain including different moduli depending on said properties as parameters is output as a stress-strain curve formula. There is one feature in finding a correlation between the strain and the elastic modulus, and this allows a large deformation behavior of an elastic material having properties of both rubber elasticity and viscoelasticity to be expressed with high quantitative characteristics on simulation.

Abstract: Provided is a press forming method in which the dimensional accuracy is improved and the cost for mass production can be reduced through the reduction of the number of the die corrections, etc. A press forming process forms a blank, which is the material to be pressed, into a product having a predetermined shape including a continuous hat-shaped section in the longitudinal direction and a curved portion protruding toward the top surface side in the longitudinal direction. In the press forming process, an intermediate product which has an excess thickness portion formed at a part of the curved portion of the product and protruding higher than the top surface of the product is formed while constraining the portion of the intermediate product other than the excess thickness portion until the excess thickness portion projects in a direction opposite to the protrusion direction thereof, whereby the intermediate product is formed into a predetermined shape.

Abstract: A workpiece bending method of forming a final formed article that has two surfaces on opposite sides of an inclined area, in which an inclined area is made up of a first bend portion, a second bend portion, and a flat surface portion, includes: the workpiece holding step of cantilevering an end portion of the workpiece by a stationary die and a holding member; and the forming step of curving an area in the workpiece that corresponds to the flat surface portion by moving a movable die to the stationary die so that the movable die presses a free-end side of the workpiece, and then forming the first bend portion and the second bend portion, and unbending the area in the workpiece that corresponds to the flat surface portion of the inclined area, by causing the moving die to press the workpiece to the stationary die.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, which includes irradiating a photopolymerizable acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition layer provided between two films with an active energy beam to polymerize the photopolymerizable acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition layer, in which the polymerization is performed while a layer of a composition for preventing polymerization inhibition which is curable with an active energy beam in the atmosphere is provided on a side surface of the photopolymerizable acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition layer. According to the process for producing a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer of the present invention, owing to the construction as discussed above, it is possible to reuse a film.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive including: a) an acrylic polymer containing, as a monomer unit, an alkyl (meth)acrylate including an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms in an amount of 50% by weight or more; and b) a tackifier resin, in which the acrylic polymer a) contains two kinds of monomer units having a difference in solubility parameter (SP value) of 0.2 (MPa)1/2 or more, each in an amount of 15% by weight or more.

Abstract: A pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet for a solar panel according to the present invention is a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet for use to seal silicon cells and includes a fluorine-containing resin film base and, on at least one side thereof, a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. The pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet for a solar panel according to the present invention, when used to seal silicon cells, enables the manufacture of a solar panel with improved productivity and workability, while avoiding problems caused by vacuum hot pressing, such as damage to the wiring and process contamination due to squeezing out of the sealing resin.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an acrylic viscoelastic composition including an acrylic polymer A obtained by polymerizing an acrylic monomer mixture containing an alkyl (meth)acrylate (a) and a terpene-based (meth)acrylate (b), the terpene-based (meth)acrylate (b) being contained in an amount of 5 to 70% by weight based on the total monomer components of the acrylic monomer mixture; and a tackifying component B having a weight average molecular weight of 2,000 to 20,000.

Abstract: There is provided a model that can evaluate properties of viscoelasticity and also rubber elasticity of an elastic material. A correlation equation between stress and strain that is calculated from: a correlation equation between stress, strain, elastic modulus and relaxation time, calculated based on a Maxwell model in which an elastic element and a viscous element are placed in series; and a correlation equation between strain and elastic modulus, including different moduli depending on properties, the correlation equation between stress and strain including different moduli depending on said properties as parameters is output as a stress-strain curve formula. There is one feature in finding a correlation between the strain and the elastic modulus, and this allows a large deformation behavior of an elastic material having properties of both rubber elasticity and viscoelasticity to be expressed with high quantitative characteristics on simulation.

Abstract: Provided is an acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive tape or sheet highly adhesive to hard-to-adhere adherends such as coatings having the surface control agent bleeding thereon. The acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive tape or sheet, according to the present invention, having a viscoelastic layer (X) containing microspheres and an acrylic polymer containing an alkyl (meth)acrylate as the principal monomer component as the base polymer and a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer (Y) formed at least on one side of the viscoelastic layer (X) by irradiation of an acrylic monomer mixture or a prepolymer of the acrylic monomer mixture with active energy ray, wherein the amount of acrylic acid in the acrylic monomer mixture for the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer (Y) or a prepolymer of the acrylic monomer mixture is 6 to 12 wt % with respect to all monomer components and the amount of n-butyl acrylate is 35 to 65 wt % with respect to the total amount of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate and n-butyl acrylate.

Abstract: Disclosed is an acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive tape or sheet that exhibits satisfactory adhesion to hard-to-adhere adherends. The acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive tape or sheet includes a microsphere-containing viscoelastic layer (X); and a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer (Y) arranged on at least one side of the viscoelastic layer (X). The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer (Y) is derived from an acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition through the application of an active energy ray, and the acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition contains (a) a vinyl monomer mixture mainly containing an alkyl(meth)acrylate (a1) whose alkyl moiety has 2 to 14 carbon atoms, or a partial polymer of the vinyl monomer mixture; (b) a photoinitiator; and (c) an alkylphenol tackifier. The acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition preferably contains 0.001 to 5 parts by weight of the photoinitiator (b) and 0.

Abstract: A whitening agent containing a solvent extract of a plant Elephantopus mollis H. B. & K. belonging to Compositae having a superior whitening action and having a superior effect in lightening and whitening pigmentation after suntans, senile lentigo, freckles, melasma, is provided.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a photocurable acrylic viscoelastic material composition including: an acrylic monomer mixture containing an alkyl (meth)acrylate as a main monomer component and a polar group-containing vinyl monomer, or a partial polymerization product thereof; a (meth)acrylate compound having at least one isocyanate group within the molecule thereof; and a photopolymerization initiator. The photocurable acrylic viscoelastic material composition of the present invention has, by virtue of the above-described construction, excellent pot life and excellent storage stability, despite containing an isocyanate compound having at least one isocyanate group within the molecule thereof, and further can form an acrylic viscoelastic material excellent in the holding power at high temperatures through photocuring. Also, the acrylic viscoelastic material and acrylic viscoelastic material layer tape or sheet of the present invention is excellent in the holding power at high temperatures.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a microparticle-containing viscoelastic layer containing microparticles, the microparticles having a 90% particle diameter of 30 ?m or less. A layer of the microparticle-containing viscoelastic composition of the invention is not deteriorated in adhesion strength at ordinary temperature and shear strength and excellent in adhesion strength at high temperatures. In particular, the microparticles are preferably hollow inorganic microparticles and hollow glass balloon are preferably used as the hollow inorganic microparticles. The layer of the microparticle-containing viscoelastic composition of the invention is used as a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer or a substrate, or is used as a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape or sheet having the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer or as a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape or sheet having the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, which includes irradiating a photopolymerizable acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition layer provided between two films with an active energy beam to polymerize the photopolymerizable acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition layer, in which the polymerization is performed while a layer of a composition for preventing polymerization inhibition which is curable with an active energy beam in the atmosphere is provided on a side surface of the photopolymerizable acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition layer. According to the process for producing a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer of the present invention, owing to the construction as discussed above, it is possible to reuse a film.

Abstract: Physical condition under stress can be controlled by using adiponectin in blood as a stress marker and measuring a level thereof. Moreover, endotoxin activity can be inhibited by using adiponectin.

Abstract: An external preparation for skin whitening containing 0.001 to 20.0 mass % of an extract of at least one plant selected from the group consisting of Pilea cavaleriei (Urticaceae), Saururus chinensis (Saururaceae), Streptocaulon griffithii (Asclepiadaceae), Toddalia asiatica (Rutaceae) and Tadehagi triquetrum (Leguminosae).

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for producing an adhesive tape are disclosed in which an adhesive tape is produced while a liquid reservoir is almost hermetically sealed by bringing a blade into contact with an upper laminate roller, and supplement of adhesive to the liquid reservoir is controlled so that the liquid surface of the adhesive reserved in the liquid reservoir comes into contact with the back face of the blade.

Abstract: A whitening agent containing a solvent extract of a plant Elephantopus mollis H. B. & K. belonging to Compositae having a superior whitening action and having a superior effect in lightening and whitening pigmentation after suntans, senile lentigo, freckles, melasma, is provided.