Abstract: Proposed are the welding conditions under which welds are always stably formed such that the difference in hardness between flash-butt welds and rail base metal and the deflection in a bending test are in better ranges. A plurality of pieces of rail base metal are joined via welds formed by flash-butt welding, where the rail base metal has a chemical composition containing C: 0.60 to 1.20 mass %, Si: 0.10 to 1.50 mass %, Mn: 0.10 to 1.50 mass %, and Cr: 0.10 to 1.50 mass %, with the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities, and the flash-butt welding is performed with an amount of welding heat input of 1.50×105 kA2×sec or more and 4.50×105 kA2×sec or less.

Abstract: An optical driving apparatus, including: a fixed member; a driven member that is movable with respect to the fixed member; and a guiding member that restricts the driven member from moving in a predetermined direction with respect to the fixed member, wherein the guiding member has: a first groove in a V-shaped cross-sectional shape, which is formed on any one of the fixed member or the driven member; a first convex portion fitting into the first groove, which is formed on another of the fixed member or the driven member; and a plurality of microspheres interposed in a gap between the first groove and the first convex portion and disposed in a longitudinal direction of the first groove and in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction to generate rolling friction.

Abstract: A substrate stacking apparatus that stacks first and second substrates on each other, by forming a contact region where the first substrate held by a first holding section and the second substrate held by a second holding section contact each other, at one portion of the first and second substrates, and expanding the contact region from the one portion by releasing holding of the first substrate by the first holding section, wherein an amount of deformation occurring in a plurality of directions at least in the first substrate differs when the contact region expands, and the substrate stacking apparatus incudes a restricting section that restricts misalignment between the first and second substrates caused by a difference in the amount of deformation. In the substrate stacking apparatus above, the restricting section may restrict the misalignment such that an amount of the misalignment is less than or equal to a prescribed value.

Abstract: A vehicle management device includes one or more processors configured to: manage a plurality of vehicles to be provided for users in a car sharing service; manage, as a plurality of first vehicles, a part of the vehicles to be allocated to an on-demand use in which the users use the car sharing service without reservation; manage, as a plurality of second vehicles, a part of the vehicles to be allocated to a reservation use in which the users use the car sharing service with the reservation; and change at least one of the second vehicles to the first vehicles when the number of the first vehicles is less than a first predetermined number.

Abstract: An automated valet parking system enables a plurality of charging parking frames in a parking place to be utilized and reduces inconvenience to an EV user using an automated valet parking service. The management device acquires a vehicle usage schedule and a remaining charge amount of each EV and determines a parking frame usage schedule of a charging parking frame. Specifically, with respect to an EV scheduled to be used on the next day, the management device assigns a charging parking frame closer to the departure/arrival place to an EV having earlier use start time on the next day. With respect to an EV not scheduled to be used on the next day and an EV whose usage schedule is unknown, the management device assigns a charging parking frame farther from the departure/arrival place to an EV with smaller remaining charge amount.

Abstract: This technology relates to a solid-state imaging device and an electronic apparatus by which image quality can be enhanced. The solid-state imaging device includes a pixel region in which a plurality of pixels are arranged, a first wiring, a second wiring, and a shield layer. The second wiring is formed in a layer lower than that of the first wiring, and the shield layer is formed in a layer lower at least than that of the first wiring. This technology is applicable to a CMOS image sensor, for example.

Abstract: A substrate stacking apparatus that stacks first and second substrates on each other, by forming a contact region where the first substrate held by a first holding section and the second substrate held by a second holding section contact each other, at one portion of the first and second substrates, and expanding the contact region from the one portion by releasing holding of the first substrate by the first holding section, wherein an amount of deformation occurring in a plurality of directions at least in the first substrate differs when the contact region expands, and the substrate stacking apparatus includes a restricting section that restricts misalignment between the first and second substrates caused by a difference in the amount of deformation. In the substrate stacking apparatus above, the restricting section may restrict the misalignment such that an amount of the misalignment is less than or equal to a prescribed value.

Abstract: An automated valet parking (AVP) management system manages an AVP service delivered in a predetermined area. A pick-up or drop-off point is away from a parking facility in which a vehicle is parked. When it is not possible to deliver the AVP service to a user in accordance with a user request, notification information is delivered to the user. The notification information includes at least one of: a congestion situation on a route from a current position of the vehicle to a specified pick-up or drop-off point; a congestion situation at the specified pick-up or drop-off point; a waiting time for the user to get on or off the vehicle at the specified pick-up or drop-off point; a recommended time of day of use at the specified pick-up or drop-off point; and a substitute pick-up or drop-off point being a substitute for the specified pick-up or drop-off point.

Abstract: A water-soluble film is provided that is capable of achieving deformation resistance during pouch storage as well as excellent water solubility of the film and excellent reduction in undissolved residues. A water-soluble film includes a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin, wherein a crystal long period Ds obtained from an X-ray profile obtained by small-angle X-ray scattering measurement in a water/methanol mixed solvent (volume ratio: 2/8) is from 10.0 to 30.0 nm and a rate of increase (DS?Da)/Da of the crystal long period Ds to a crystal long period Da obtained by small-angle X-ray scattering measurement before immersion in the solvent is 30% or more and 130% or less.

Abstract: A multilayer structure having: a polyolefin layer (A); an adhesive resin layer (B); and a resin composition layer (C), wherein the polyolefin layer (A) is laminated on at least one face of the resin composition layer (C) via the adhesive resin layer (B), the multilayer structure has neither a layer in which a resin having a melting point of 210° C. or higher is a principal component, nor a metal layer having a thickness of 1 ?m or more, a resin being a principal component constituting the polyolefin layer (A) is a polyolefin resin having a density of 0.850 g/cm3 or more and 0.

Abstract: A water-soluble film is provided that is capable of achieving deformation resistance during pouch storage as well as excellent water solubility of the film and excellent reduction in undissolved residues. A water-soluble film includes a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin, wherein a crystal long period Ds obtained from an X-ray profile obtained by small-angle X-ray scattering measurement in a water/methanol mixed solvent (volume ratio: 2/8) is from 10.0 to 30.0 nm and a rate of increase (DS?Da)/Da of the crystal long period Ds to a crystal long period Da obtained by small-angle X-ray scattering measurement before immersion in the solvent is 30% or more and 130% or less.

Abstract: The present invention provides a monolayer base film for hydraulic transfer printing that is excellent in water solubility and allows high resolution transfer printing without rupture even in high speed printing and a film for hydraulic transfer printing using the same. The present invention is a base film for hydraulic transfer printing comprising a polyvinyl alcohol resin, the base film forming a printing layer to be transferred to an article by hydraulic transfer printing. In this base film for hydraulic transfer printing, the base film for hydraulic transfer printing has an amount (A1) of crystalline component of 60% or less and an amount (A2) of constrained amorphous component from 10% to 50%, the amounts being obtained from a spin-spin relaxation curve by 1H pulse NMR measurement of the base film in deuterated methanol, and a moisture content from 1 to 5 mass %.

Abstract: This technology relates to a solid-state imaging device and an electronic apparatus by which image quality can be enhanced. The solid-state imaging device includes a pixel region in which a plurality of pixels are arranged, a first wiring, a second wiring, and a shield layer. The second wiring is formed in a layer lower than that of the first wiring, and the shield layer is formed in a layer lower at least than that of the first wiring. This technology is applicable to a CMOS image sensor, for example.

Abstract: Provided is a fiber structure having a high dust holding capacity. The fiber structure includes a thick fiber group composed of fibers A each having a single fiber diameter larger than 5 ?m and a thin fiber group composed of fibers B each having a single fiber diameter of 5 ?m or smaller, and has an intermingled region in which the thick fiber group and the thin fiber group are intermingled.

Abstract: [Problem to be solved] To provide a water-soluble film capable of achieving both cold water solubility and resistance to oxidative deterioration. [Solution] A water-soluble film containing a polyvinyl alcohol resin, wherein the water-soluble film has a surface on at least one side in which an abundance ratio of carbonyl in all carbon bonds obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is 1 to 5%, and a complete dissolution time in water at 10° C. is 120 seconds or less.

Abstract: [Problem to be solved] To provide a water-soluble film having good transparency and good releasability from a support with less surfactant content. [Solution] A water-soluble film containing a polyvinyl alcohol resin and surfactant, wherein a content of the surfactant is 0.005 to 1 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polyvinyl alcohol resin, and a ratio S(0)/S(32) of an abundance amount S(0) of the surfactant on at least one surface of the water-soluble film to an abundance amount S(32) of the surfactant on a cross-section surface at a depth of 32 nm from the at least one surface of the water-soluble film, measured by a count number of fragment ions derived from the surfactant detected by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry on the at least one surface of the water-soluble film, is in the range of 100 to 500.

Abstract: [Problem to be solved] To provide a water-soluble film capable of suppressing formation of holes when used as a package while maintaining water solubility, and a package using such a water-soluble film. [Solution] A water-soluble film containing a polyvinyl alcohol resin, wherein within a square A1 with a side of 1 cm or more and 5 cm or less positioned at an arbitrary location on at least one surface of the water-soluble film, each side of an area of square A2 with a side of 5 ?m is divided into 64 to divide the entire area into 4096 pixels, and when elastic moduli of the pixels are measured by an atomic force microscope, a number average value of the elastic moduli of the pixels is 1 to 200 MPa, and a coefficient of variation of the elastic moduli of the pixels is 0.1 to 0.7.

Abstract: [Problem to be solved] To provide a water-soluble film capable of which is excellent in water solubility and less likely to cause problems such as breakage of packaging material during storage and transportation by controlling the crystal long period structure of the PVA molecule and, for example, the degree of phase separation state between PVA and other components in the water-soluble film.

Abstract: [Problem to be solved] To provide a water-soluble film excellent in high-speed heat-sealing property while maintaining excellent solubility in water, and a package using the same. [Solution] A water-soluble film of the present invention is a water-soluble film containing a polyvinyl alcohol resin, wherein after conditioning the water-soluble film at a temperature of 20° C. and a relative humidity of 60% for 24 hours, a first melting temperature Tm1 obtained from a melting curve when the temperature of the water-soluble film is raised to 200° C. at 500° C./sec and a second melting temperature Tm2 obtained from a melting curve when the temperature of the water-soluble film is cooled to 0° C. at 100° C./sec after a temperature rise and the temperature of the water-soluble film is again raised to 200° C. at 100° C./sec satisfy relationships of the following formulas (1) and (2). 105° C.?Tm1?165° C.??(1) Tm2?Tm1?20° C.

Abstract: [Problem to be solved] To provide a water-soluble film that is excellent in high-speed printability and moisture resistance. [Solution] A water-soluble film containing a polyvinyl alcohol resin, wherein the water-soluble film has a surface on at least one side in which an abundance ratio of carbon-oxygen single bond (C—O) in all carbon element bonds obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is in the range of 75 to 85%.