Abstract: A large amount of entrapping immobilization pellets with highly stable quality are produced inexpensively by high-speed treatment. There is provided a process for producing entrapping immobilization pellets in which microorganisms are entrapped and immobilized in an immobilizing agent, the process comprising polymerizing a mixture containing the microorganisms and a solution of the immobilizing agent in a forming frame into a gel to prepare a pellet block.

Abstract: Outlier detection methods and apparatus have light computational resources requirement, especially on the storage requirement, and yet achieve a state-of-the-art predictive performance. The outlier detection problem is first reduced to that of a classification learning problem, and then selective sampling based on uncertainty of prediction is applied to further reduce the amount of data required for data analysis, resulting in enhanced predictive performance. The reduction to classification essentially consists in using the unlabeled normal data as positive examples, and randomly generated synthesized examples as negative examples. Application of selective sampling makes use of an underlying, arbitrary classification learning algorithm, the data labeled by the above procedure, and proceeds iteratively.

Abstract: A light scanning device is provided. The light scanning device includes: an oscillating mirror which oscillates rotationally and reflects a light beam to be scanned over a scanning range, the scanning range including a first scanning range and a second scanning range set across a center of the scanning range; a detection unit including a light receiving face, on which the light beam is incident, to detect the light beam; and first and second stationary mirrors which reflect the light beam reflected by the oscillating mirror to the first scanning range and the second scanning range, respectively, to be incident on the light receiving face, wherein an incident pattern of the light beam reflected by the first stationary mirror incident on the light receiving face is different from an incident pattern of the light beam reflected by the second stationary mirror incident on the light receiving face.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, an image forming portion forms an image on a rotator. A storage portion stores change characteristics information relevant to correction parameters corresponding to phase points of the rotator. A designating portion sequentially designates the correction parameters based on the change characteristics information. A correcting portion corrects an image forming position on the rotator based on the correction parameter designated by the designating portion. When it is determined, based on a detecting phase point of the rotator detected by a detecting portion, that the current phase of the rotator corresponds to a gradual phase point at which the correction parameter changes at a rate equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the designation by said designating portion is shifted to the correction parameter corresponding to the gradual phase point.

Abstract: A “variable group selection” system and method in which constructs are based upon a training data set, a regression modeling module that takes into account information on groups of related predictor variables given as input and outputs a regression model with selected variable groups. Optionally, the method can be employed as a component in methods of temporal causal modeling, which are applied on a time series training data set, and output a model of causal relationships between the multiple times series in the data.

Abstract: Entrapping immobilization pellets for purifying breeding water in an aquarium to breed aquatic animals, wherein the entrapping immobilization pellets have a phosphorus content of 0.05 mass % or less.

Abstract: It is possible to eliminate fluctuation in the pellet strength of the entrapping immobilization pellets according to production lots, and constantly and stably produce the entrapping immobilization pellets having high pellet strength regardless of the production lots. An apparatus for producing entrapping immobilization pellets by polymerizing an immobilizing material into a gel in the presence of an activated sludge to entrap and immobilize microorganisms in the immobilizing material, the apparatus including: a line mixer which mixes an activated sludge with an immobilizing material to prepare a raw material solution, a temperature sensor which measures a temperature of the prepared raw material solution, an addition pump which adds a polymerization initiator to the prepared raw material solution, and a controller which controls the addition pump according to the measured temperature to control an additive rate of the polymerization initiator.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. A second photoconductor is disposed at a downstream side of a first photoconductor in a moving direction of a medium. First and second exposure units form first and second electrostatic latent images on the first and second photoconductors line by line at first and second exposure timing intervals in first and second exposure enabling time periods based on successive lines of first and second image data, respectively. A correction unit corrects at least one of the first and second exposure timing intervals. A change unit changes the second exposure enabling time period so as to suppress a difference between the number of the successive lines of the first image data and the number of the successive lines of the second image data.

Abstract: Entrapping immobilization pellets in which microorganisms are entrapped and immobilized, the entrapping immobilization pellets comprising entrapped and immobilized purified water sludge containing nitrifying bacteria.

Abstract: A process for storing entrapping immobilization pellets in which microorganisms are entrapped and immobilized in an immobilizing material until the entrapping immobilization pellets are used in a treatment tank, the process comprising: storing a large pellet block in water at 15° C. or less or in air at a relative humidity of 90% or more and a temperature of 15° C. or less until the pellet block is cut into the entrapping immobilization pellets and used.

Abstract: Entrapping immobilization pellets for purifying breeding water in an aquarium to breed aquatic animals, wherein microorganisms are entrapped and immobilized in an aqueous polymer gel and the entrapping immobilization pellets are colored.

Abstract: The present invention produces entrapping immobilization pellets which have high pellet strength and retain high and stable microbial activity (nitrification activity) even if a low concentration of a material involved in immobilization (such as an immobilizing material or polymerization initiator) used. The entrapping immobilization pellets in which microorganisms are entrapped and immobilized in an immobilizing material comprise a filler having a plate-like and/or needle-like crystal structure in the immobilizing material.

Abstract: An optical scanning device comprises: an oscillating mirror which has a pair of electrodes and a mirror oscillator; a driving unit which applies a wave-like driving signal to the electrodes so as to oscillate the mirror oscillator correspondingly to the driving signal; a detecting unit which detects an oscillation amplitude of the oscillating mirror; an adjusting unit which changes a value of at least one of a duty ratio, a driving frequency, an amplitude, and a bias voltage of the driving signal as a parameter so as to adjust the oscillation amplitude detected by the detecting unit to a target value; and a storing unit which stores the value of the parameter changed by the adjusting unit as a reference value, wherein when the oscillating mirror is activated, the adjusting unit starts the adjusting of the oscillation amplitude with using the driving signal based on the reference value.

Abstract: The hydrogen-producing method of the an aspect of the present invention is a method for producing hydrogen in which hydrogen is produced from an organic matter using a microorganism, characterized by using pellets on which hydrogen-producing acid-resistant bacteria are entrapped and immobilized, producing hydrogen by bringing the pellets into contact and react with the organic matter in an environment of a pH of 4 to 6. The inventors of the present invention have obtained a finding that a hydrogen-producing bacteria are entrapped and immobilized, so that the optimum pH of the hydrogen-producing bacterium shifts to low range. The present invention is made based on the above finding and uses pellets on which the hydrogen-producing bacteria are entrapped and immobilized, so that the hydrogen-producing bacterium is activated at a low pH range of 4 to 6 to produce hydrogen. Therefore, the effects of contaminated bacteria that consume hydrogen are less, and the yield of hydrogen can be improved.

Abstract: Multi-class cost-sensitive boosting based on gradient boosting with “p-norm” cost functionals” uses iterative example weighting schemes derived with respect to cost functionals, and a binary classification algorithm. Weighted sampling is iteratively applied from an expanded data set obtained by enhancing each example in the original data set with as many data points as there are possible labels for any single instance, and where each non-optimally labeled example is given the weight equaling a half times the original misclassification cost for the labeled example times the p?1 norm of the average prediction of the current hypotheses. Each optimally labeled example is given the weight equaling the sum of the weights for all the non-optimally labeled examples for the same instance. Component classification algorithm is executed on a modified binary classification problem. A classifier hypothesis is output, which is the average of all the hypotheses output in the respective iterations.

Abstract: The entrapping immobilization pellets satisfy conditions: (A) the deformation rate expressed by (H0?H1)/H0×100 is 70% or more, where the thickness of the pellets before compression is H0 and the thickness of the pellets at the time the pellets are broken by compression is H1; and (B) the particle diameter falls within the range of 0.1 to 1.5 mm. The entrapping immobilization pellets are added to a biological treatment tank having no screen and the entrapping immobilization pellets discharged together with treated water to a solid-liquid separation tank are returned to the biological treatment tank by pumping. With this constitution, the entrapping immobilization pellets are less broken even if they are returned to the biological treatment tank by pumping, a conventional biological treatment tank in which wastewater is treated with activated sludge can be used without modification, and in addition, the particle diameter thereof can be reduced. Therefore, treatment efficiency can be markedly improved.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a series of techniques for treating a waste material of an asbestos-containing material, from emergency treatment, dismantling, or transportation of an already constructed asbestos-containing material to a heating and melting treatment of the dismantled asbestos-containing waste material. The preset invention provides a method of preventing the exposure of the fibrous dust of the asbestos involving melting an asbestos-containing waste material, into which lithium silicate is impregnated in a melting furnace for treating an asbestos-containing material into harmless. The lithium silicate impregnated into the asbestos-containing waste material forms a gel within the range of temperatures of 500 to 1,100° C., and the formed gel adheres onto the surfaces of asbestos fibers, thereby preventing the exposure of the fibrous dust of the asbestos. Moreover, the melting temperature of asbestos can be reduced to about 1,360° C.

Abstract: In an engine room accommodating an engine and a motor, an air cleaner accommodated in a resin case is disposed behind an inverter device, which has an inverter circuit for driving a motor and has a connection portion to which a power cable rising on a rear side of a vehicle is connected, with respect to the vehicle. The air cleaner is mounted in regions different from a front lower region thereof, namely, in a front upper region thereof and a rear lower region thereof to the engine room or a member mounted to the engine room. Thus, in the event of a collision of the vehicle, the power cable can be restrained from being deformed or damaged.

Abstract: A method and apparatus usable in an image forming apparatus, comprising a photoreceptor, and a plurality of exposing devices having a plurality of light emitting elements arranged therein for exposing the photoreceptor, wherein the plurality of exposing devices include at least two exposing devices having a distribution tendency similar to the plurality of light emitting elements.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. A second photoconductor is disposed at a downstream side of a first photoconductor in a moving direction of a medium. First and second exposure units form first and second electrostatic latent images on the first and second photoconductors line by line at first and second exposure timing intervals in first and second exposure enabling time periods based on successive lines of first and second image data, respectively. A correction unit corrects at least one of the first and second exposure timing intervals. A change unit changes the second exposure enabling time period so as to suppress a difference between the number of the successive lines of the first image data and the number of the successive lines of the second image data.