Abstract: The present invention provides a method of producing a sheet-like pancreatic islet, comprising culturing an isolated pancreatic islet in a culture vessel, wherein a polypeptide comprising an EC1 domain of E-cadherin and having a binding ability to said E-cadherin is fixed on or applied to a surface of a solid phase, while being adhered to the solid phase surface for a period sufficient for the pancreatic islet to take a sheet-like form.

Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus has a heating only temporary operation mode in which, in changing from a heating main operation mode to a heating only operation mode, when an outside air temperature is at or above a predetermined temperature, at least one of heat exchangers functioning as a condenser in the heating main operation mode continues functioning as the condenser, and the refrigerant is not supplied to the intermediate heat exchanger functioning as an evaporator in the heating main operation mode and a cooling only temporary operation mode in which, in changing from a cooling main operation mode to a cooling only operation mode, when the outside air temperature is at or below a predetermined temperature, at least one of heat exchangers functioning as the evaporator in the cooling main operation mode continues functioning as the evaporator, and the refrigerant is not supplied to the intermediate heat exchanger functioning as the condenser in the cooling main operation mode.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a water dispersion for ink-jet printing including two kinds of carbon blacks (a) and (b) and a water-insoluble polymer which adheres to a surface of the respective carbon blacks (a) and (b), wherein the carbon black (a) has an acid group content of from 0 to 200 ?mol/g and the carbon black (b) has an acid group content of more than 200 ?mol/g but not more than 1000 ?mol/g, and a difference between acid group contents of the carbon blacks (a) and (b) is from 100 to 1000 ?mol/g, and a water-based ink for ink-jet printing which contains the water dispersion. The water-based ink is excellent in image density, fixing property, high lighter fastness, image uniformity, ejection reliability and storage stability.

Abstract: A vibration damping device for suppressing vibrations of a structure includes: a slide body mechanism having a concave slide body and a convex slide body which are fixed to the structure and are arranged so as to be slidable relative to each other in a reciprocating manner; and a biasing means which pushes the slide bodies to each other. Each slide body has: a first slide surface having a shape which increases a height of the slide body mechanism 2 along with the increase of a displacement amount of the slide body in one sliding direction from a neutral position relative to the counterpart slide body; and a second slide surface having a shape by which the height of the slide body mechanism is increased along with the increase of the displacement of the slide body in the other sliding direction from the neutral position.

Abstract: A refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus is provided, with which a cold-storage/refrigeration load and air-conditioning loads such as a cooling load and a heating load can be simultaneously processed and a stable heat source can be supplied throughout the year. In the refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus, heating energy or cooling energy stored in the primary-side refrigerant is usable as an air-conditioning load through the indoor heat exchanger while cooling energy stored in the primary-side refrigerant is transferred to the secondary-side refrigerant circulated in the cold-storage/refrigeration refrigeration cycle through the first refrigerant-refrigerant heat exchanger so as to be usable as a cold-storage/refrigeration load.

Abstract: A switching device or the like efficiently performs operations such as the cutting off of a refrigerant and is easy to maintain, design, and manufacture at low cost even if the switching device is included in, for example, an air-conditioning apparatus including a plurality of indoor units. A plurality of shut-off valves for individually stopping the flow of a refrigerant are provided in a plurality of pipes for making a refrigerant circulate between a heat source unit and a plurality of indoor units. The shut-off valves are integrated into pairs. A number of pairs of the shut-off valves corresponding to the number of indoor units are grouped together.

Abstract: Provided is an air-conditioning hot-water supply combined system configured such that, in the case where all of load side units perform a cooling operation and a hot water load (heating load) is low during a cooling and heating mixed operation in a cooling cycle, an input of an air conditioning refrigerant block is reduced to increase the COP of the system. An air-conditioning hot-water supply combined system A reduces a target condensing temperature in a heat source unit in the case where a heating load in load side units and a hot water load in a hot water unit are less than a predetermined reference value in a cooling operation cycle state.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an air-conditioning apparatus that can effectively utilize heat energy generated by a control unit. In an air-conditioning apparatus in which a main heat source unit having a main compressor, a main four-way switching valve, and a main heat-source-side water-cooling heat exchanger and a use side load device having a throttle device and a use side heat exchanger are connected by a pipeline so as to constitute a refrigerant circuit that performs cooling/heating by switching a circulation path of a refrigerant by the main four-way switching valve, a main control unit that controls operations of at least the main compressor and the main four-way switching valve is disposed in the refrigerant circuit as an evaporator that exchanges heat generated by the main control unit with the refrigerant.

Abstract: The present invention relates to (A) a water dispersion for ink-jet printing including particles of a waster-insoluble crosslinked polymer which contain a colorant, and a water-insoluble organic compound, wherein the water-insoluble crosslinked polymer is (1) a polymer produced by crosslinking a water-insoluble polymer with a crosslinking agent; (2) a polymer produced by crosslinking 100 parts by weight of the water-insoluble polymer with 0.5 to 9.5 parts by weight of the crosslinking agent; or (3) a polymer having a weight-average segment molecular weight of from 1,400 to 20,000 as calculated from [(weigh-average molecular weight of the water-insoluble polymer)/(number of molar equivalents of the crosslinking agent to be reacted with 1 mol of the water-insoluble polymer+1)]; (B) an ink for ink-jet printing containing the above water dispersion which is excellent in gloss and storage stability; and (C) particles of the water-insoluble crosslinked polymer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to crosslinked core/shell polymer particles containing a pigment which are usable in a water-based ink for ink-jet printing and exhibit excellent optical density and gloss and are prevented from suffering from occurrence of bronzing, wherein the polymer particles each include a core portion and a shell portion which are respectively made of a crosslinked polymer, and a weight ratio of the pigment to the pigment-containing crosslinked core/shell polymer particles [(weight of the pigment/weight of the pigment-containing crosslinked core/shell polymer particles)×100] is from 25 to 75. The present invention further relates to a water dispersion and a water-based ink for ink-jet printing which contain the crosslinked core/shell polymer particles and a process for producing crosslinked polymer particles.

Abstract: There are provided a water dispersion for ink-jet printing which contains a water dispersion of particles of a vinyl polymer or a polyester-based polymer which contain a colorant (B), and a water-insoluble organic compound (A) except for aliphatic acid derivatives; a water-based ink containing the water dispersion; a print obtainable by printing images or characters with the water-based ink; and a process for producing the water dispersion. Also, there are provided an ink set for ink-jet printing containing two or more kinds of inks having different colors from each other wherein the inks each contain a water dispersion of particles of a vinyl polymer or a polyester-based polymer which contain a colorant (B), and a water-insoluble organic compound (A) except for aliphatic acid derivatives; and a process for producing a print using the ink set. The water-based ink can provide multi-order color images or composite black images which exhibits a high optical density and is excellent in gloss and image clarity.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a water dispersion for ink-jet printing including two kinds of carbon blacks (a) and (b) and a water-insoluble polymer which adheres to a surface of the respective carbon blacks (a) and (b), wherein the carbon black (a) has an acid group content of from 0 to 200 ?mol/g and the carbon black (b) has an acid group content of more than 200 ?mol/g but not more than 1000 ?mol/g, and a difference between acid group contents of the carbon blacks (a) and (b) is from 100 to 1000 ?mol/g, and a water-based ink for ink-jet printing which contains the water dispersion. The water-based ink is excellent in image density, fixing property, high lighter fastness, image uniformity, ejection reliability and storage stability.

Abstract: A water dispersion for inkjet printing which contains polymer particles containing a colorant. The polymer constituting the polymer particles is produced by the copolymerization of a monomer mixture in the presence of a-methylstyrene dimer. The water dispersion for inkjet printing and a water-based ink for inkjet printing containing the water dispersion exhibit excellent jetting properties and a high optical density.

Abstract: Provided are a water dispersion for ink-jet printing, wherein it is a water dispersion of water-insoluble graft polymer particles containing a colorant; the above graft polymer contains a principal chain having a constitutional unit derived from a vinyl base monomer and a side chain which is derived from a macromer containing an aromatic ring and having a polymerizable functional group at one end; both of the Log P values of the above principal chain and the above side chain are positive; and a difference between both falls in a specific range, and a water-based ink containing the same. The above water-based ink is excellent in a discharge stability, a storage stability, a heat stability and a water resistance.

Abstract: The present invention relates to (A) a water dispersion for ink-jet printing including particles of a waster-insoluble crosslinked polymer which contain a colorant, and a water-insoluble organic compound, wherein the water-insoluble crosslinked polymer is (1) a polymer produced by crosslinking a water-insoluble polymer with a crosslinking agent; (2) a polymer produced by crosslinking 100 parts by weight of the water-insoluble polymer with 0.5 to 9.5 parts by weight of the crosslinking agent; or (3) a polymer having a weight-average segment molecular weight of from 1,400 to 20,000 as calculated from [(weigh-average molecular weight of the water-insoluble polymer)/(number of molar equivalents of the crosslinking agent to be reacted with 1 mol of the water-insoluble polymer+1)]; (B) an ink for ink-jet printing containing the above water dispersion which is excellent in gloss and storage stability; and (C) particles of the water-insoluble crosslinked polymer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a water dispersion for ink jet recording, comprising water-insoluble vinyl polymer particles containing a colorant, wherein the water-insoluble vinyl polymer is a water-insoluble vinyl polymer obtained by polymerizing a monomer mixture comprising: (A) a monomer represented by the formula (I): wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, R2 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms or a phenyl group whose hydrogen atom may be substituted with an alkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms and m denotes a number from 65 to 100; (B) a salt-forming group-containing monomer; and (C) a hydrophobic monomer and the average particle diameter of the water-insoluble vinyl polymer particles containing a colorant is 0.02 to 0.50 ?m.

Abstract: There are provided a water dispersion for ink-jet printing which contains a water dispersion of particles of a vinyl polymer or a polyester-based polymer which contain a colorant (B), and a water-insoluble organic compound (A) except for aliphatic acid derivatives; a water-based ink containing the water dispersion; a print obtainable by printing images or characters with the water-based ink; and a process for producing the water dispersion. Also, there are provided an ink set for ink-jet printing containing two or more kinds of inks having different colors from each other wherein the inks each contain a water dispersion of particles of a vinyl polymer or a polyester-based polymer which contain a colorant (B), and a water-insoluble organic compound (A) except for aliphatic acid derivatives; and a process for producing a print using the ink set. The water-based ink can provide multi-order color images or composite black images which exhibits a high optical density and is excellent in gloss and image clarity.

Abstract: The invention provides a process for producing a water dispersion for ink jet recording,which comprises the following steps 1 and 2: (Step 1) a step of obtaining a pigment treated with (a) a water-insoluble vinyl polymer particles by making a pigment and (a) a water-insoluble vinyl polymer particles present in an aqueous solvent and then removing the solvent; and (Step 2) a step of obtaining a water dispersion of a pigment-containing water-insoluble vinyl polymer particles by dispersing a mixture comprising the water-insoluble vinyl polymer particle (a)—treated pigment obtained in step 1, an organic solvent, (b) a water-insoluble vinyl polymer and water and then removing the organic solvent.