Abstract: Provided is a cooking oil degradation degree determination device, etc., capable of accurately determining the degradation degree of fry oil, comprising: a fryer 2 that includes an oil vat 21 for storing frying oil Y therein and a color sample 23 for displaying gradual change in the color of the frying oil Y; a video camera 42 that captures an oil surface image of the frying oil Y; and a controller 5 that executes degradation degree determination processing of the frying oil Y, wherein the color sample 23 is arranged at a position included within an angle of view of the video camera 42 which is the same as an angle of view thereof for the oil surface image, and the controller 5 compares the color of the frying oil Y with colors displayed on the color sample 23, respectively, to determine the degradation degree of the frying oil Y.

Abstract: Provided is a food disposal time management device capable of managing a disposal time of a plurality of cooked foods being displayed in a display cabinet individually and easily. A fried food disposal time management device 4 for managing a disposal time of fried food X displayed in a hot showcase 1, comprising: an image acquisition unit 41 that acquires an image including images of a plurality of pieces of fried food X being displayed; an individual surface image management unit 42 that manages a surface image included in the image in association with identification information; a time measurement unit 43 that measures a time during which the surface image associated with the identification information is being included in the image; and a determination unit 45 that determines, for each of the plurality of pieces of fried food X, whether the measured time thereof has reached a reference time.

Abstract: Provided is a fried food disposal time management device for improving the accuracy of management of the time to dispose a fried food being displayed in a display cabinet. A fried food disposal time management device 4 for managing a time to dispose a fried food X being displayed in a hot showcase 1 includes: a data acquisition unit 41 that acquires data on a condition of the fried food X; a determination unit 44 that determines whether the time to dispose the fried food X is reached based on the condition of the fried food acquired by the data acquisition unit 41 and a determination reference; and a notification unit 46 that outputs, when the determination unit 44 makes a determination result that the time to dispose the fried food X is reached, a notification signal for notifying the determination signal to a monitor 308.

Abstract: Provided is an edible oil deterioration level determination device and the like capable of precisely determining the deterioration level of frying oil. A deterioration level determination device 5 for determining the deterioration level of frying oil Y comprises an air bubble image extraction section 51 for extracting an air bubble image that is an image of a portion of air bubbles formed due to deep-fry cooking from an oil surface image, a feature parameter calculation section 54 for calculating a feature parameter F characterizing deterioration of the frying oil Y from the air bubble image extracted by the air bubble image extraction section 51, a deterioration indicator estimation section 55 for estimating a deterioration indicator DI of the frying oil Y based on the feature parameter F, and a deterioration level determination section 56 for determining the deterioration level of the frying oil Y based on the deterioration indicator DI.

Abstract: A degree of deterioration of frying oil in a fryer can be assessed easily and accurately. A frying oil deterioration assessment device 41 comprises a recording unit 45 that records types of fried foods 19 fried in frying oil 17 in an electric fryer 14 and a fried quantity for each type, a holding unit 46 that holds correlation data indicating a relationship between the fried quantity for each type of fried food 19 and a degree of deterioration of the frying oil 17, and an assessment unit 47 that assesses the degree of deterioration of the frying oil 17 on the basis of the correlation data and the recorded types of fried food 19 and fried quantity of each type.

Abstract: Provided are a piezoelectric device capable of exhibiting high power-generation performance without impairing flexibility and a method of manufacturing the piezoelectric device. The piezoelectric device includes a multilayer structure 1 in which a polymer nonwoven fabric 3 holding or containing piezoelectric ceramic particles 4 and a polymer resin sheet 2 containing piezoelectric ceramic particles are stacked such that at least one layer of the polymer nonwoven fabric is included. This multilayer structure can provide an electric power output equal to or larger than the electric power output produced by a multilayer structure in which a layer of the polymer resin sheet is stacked on each of two main surface sides of a layer of the polymer nonwoven fabric.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for enabling fluid material contained in a package to be examined in a non-destructive manner to see whether there is any unacceptable alteration in the material. This examination is accomplished by shaking the package so that the package and its contents vibrate at the natural resonance frequency thereof, exposing the package to an irradiation of ultra-soft X-ray beams while the package is vibrating at the resonant frequency, either immediately after the package contents begin to be agitated by shaking or immediately after the vibration is stopped and it ceases to be agitated, detecting the strength of X-rays transmitted through the package and its contents, coverting the transmitted X-rays to a corresponding analog signal, and determining any alteration by comparing the analog signal against the refernece signal previously obtained in the same manner as described above for a like package with unaltered contents.

Abstract: There is provided a pigment composition comprising 100 parts by weight of a pigment and from 0.3 to 30 parts by weight of a colorless or slightly colored aromatic compound having the following general formula (I) ##STR1## wherein Q represents a residue of an aromatic polycyclic compound which is joined directly or through A to --SO.sub.2 -- radical of the compound of the formula (I), A represents a member selected from the group consisting of --O--, ##STR2## --S--, --CO--, --SO.sub.2 --, ##STR3## a divalent phenylene residue and a combination thereof, in which R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 represent, independently, a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 represent, independently, a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or together form a heterocyclic ring together with N* in the formula (I), R.sub.

Abstract: A pigment composition is disclosed which includes a pigment and a coloring compound of the general formula (I), ##STR1## wherein Q represents a residue of a coloring compound other than phthalocyanine, X represents --SO.sub.2 -- or --CO--, m and n represent, respectively, an integer of from 1 to 4 and an integer of from 1 to 6, R represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms or an alkenyl group having from 2 to 20 carbon atoms, and R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 represent, independently, a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms or a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl group having from 2 to 20 carbon atoms, or R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 together form a heterocyclic ring which contains a nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur atom therein.