Abstract: A method for producing a fluoropolymer which includes polymerizing a fluoromonomer in an aqueous medium in the presence of a surfactant to provide a fluoropolymer, the surfactant being represented by the general formula (1): CR1R2R4—CR3R5—X-A, wherein R1 to R5 are each H or a monovalent substituent, with the proviso that at least one of R1 and R3 represents a group represented by the general formula: —Y—R6 and at least one of R2 and R5 represents a group represented by the general formula: —X-A or a group represented by the general formula: —Y—R6; and A is the same or different at each occurrence and is —COOM, —SO3M, or —OSO3M. Also disclosed is a surfactant for polymerization represented by the general formula (1), a method for producing a fluoropolymer using the surfactant and a composition including a fluoropolymer and the surfactant.

Abstract: A method for producing a fluoropolymer, which includes polymerizing a fluoromonomer in an aqueous medium in the presence of a polymer (1), the polymer (1) including a polymerized unit derived from a monomer CX2?CY(—CZ2—O—Rf-A), wherein X is the same or different and is —H or —F; Y is —H, —F, an alkyl group, or a fluorine-containing alkyl group; Z is the same or different and is —H, —F, an alkyl group, or a fluoroalkyl group; Rf is a C1-C40 fluorine-containing alkylene group or a C—C100 fluorine-containing alkylene group and having an ether bond; and A is —COOM, —SO3M, or —OSO3M, wherein M is —H, a metal atom, —NR74, imidazolium optionally having a substituent, pyridinium optionally having a substituent, or phosphonium optionally having a substituent, wherein R7 is H or an organic group, providing that at least one of X, Y, and Z contains a fluorine atom.

Abstract: A low-weight infant diaper has a longitudinal direction, a width direction, and a thickness direction that intersect each other. The low-weight infant diaper includes: an absorbent body including at least an absorbent core; an exterior sheet disposed closer to a non-skin side than the absorbent body; and belts including a first locking member on a first side in longitudinal direction of the belts and a second locking member on a second side opposite to the first side in the longitudinal direction of the belts. The absorbent body includes a longitudinal outward end (LOE) in the longitudinal direction. The absorbent core includes an LOE in the longitudinal direction. The exterior sheet includes an LOE in the longitudinal direction. The first locking member includes an LOE in the longitudinal direction.

Abstract: A low-weight infant diaper includes: an absorbent body; an exterior sheet disposed closer to a non-skin side than the absorbent body; a pair of belts; and a first marker that indicates a lock position where one or more of the belts are locked to the non-skin-side surface of the exterior sheet. Each of the belts comprises a first locking member on a first side in a longitudinal direction of the belts and a second locking member on an opposite side of the first side in the longitudinal direction. The first and second locking members cause each of the belts to be locked to a non-skin-side surface of the exterior sheet. The marker is visible from a non-skin-side surface of the exterior sheet.

Abstract: A low-weight infant diaper has a longitudinal direction and a width direction that intersect each other. The low-weight infant diaper includes: an exterior sheet disposed closer to a non-skin side than an absorbent body; and a belt including a first locking member on a first side in the width direction and a second locking member on a second side opposite to the first side in the width direction. The belt is locked to a non-skin side of the exterior sheet by the first locking member. The belt includes a first additional joining portion that causes a part of the belt to join the exterior sheet. The first additional joining portion is disposed in a region in the first side.

Abstract: The character line division apparatus has character line contact determination unit configured to determine whether a character line of interest comes into contact with another character line in the height direction, count value derivation unit configured to derive a count value of the number of black pixels in the width direction in the character line of interest in the character line of interest determined to come into contact with another character line, and character line division unit configured to perform character line division for the character line of interest determined to come into contact with another character line on the periphery of a reference point derived from the character line information and the character height information by taking a first position at which the count value becomes a minimum in the height direction of the character line of interest as a character line division position.

Abstract: The straightening plate mounting structure includes: a support member including a bottom plate portion in which a first elongated hole and second elongated holes are formed; a left straightening plate which is formed in a plate shape having a convex portion engageable with the first elongated hole and adjusts an air flow in a hood; and a right straightening plate which is formed in a plate shape having convex portions engageable with the second elongated holes and adjusts the air flow in the hood.

Abstract: A refrigerant recovery management system includes a first generation unit and a second generation unit. The first generation unit generates first information to send a refrigerant recovered from refrigerant-use equipment to a refrigerant treatment practitioner that conducts refrigerant treatment on the refrigerant. The second generation unit generates second information on the refrigerant treatment, to report the refrigerant treatment to a manager that manages refrigerant recovery.

Abstract: An image measurement apparatus, which functions as a non-contact profile-measuring device, includes: an image sensor as an image pick-up device; a variable focal length lens (liquid lens unit) disposed on an optical axis extending from a workpiece to the image sensor; and a controller (image-pickup lens controller and image measurement processor) configured to control the variable focal length lens and process a detected image by the image sensor. The image measurement apparatus, which also functions as a non-contact displacement-detecting device, includes: an image sensor; a variable focal length lens (liquid lens unit) disposed on an optical axis extending from the workpiece to the image sensor; and a controller (displacement-detection lens controller and profile measurement processor) configured to control the variable focal length lens and a detected image by the image sensor.

Abstract: A method of producing a three-dimensional shaped article includes a step of forming particle layers by arranging particles containing a material for forming a shaped article and particles containing a material having higher solubility in fluid than the material for forming the shaped article, a step of forming a stack by melting and stacking the particle layers, and a step of removing the material having higher solubility in the fluid than the material for forming the shaped article from the stack by dissolving the material having higher solubility in the fluid than the material for forming the shaped article in the fluid.

Abstract: An operating mechanism of a work vehicle includes: an operating portion that is provided to a side console disposed beside a seat and can be operated by an operator; and a switching portion capable of switching between a used state in which the operating portion can be used and a non-used state in which the operating portion cannot be used.

Abstract: A power conversion apparatus includes: a board; a first electronic component disposed on a first surface of the board; and a temperature sensor disposed on a second surface of the board which is opposite to the first surface. The power conversion apparatus may further include a first heat conductive member disposed between the first electronic component and the temperature sensor.

Abstract: Rack bar 10 for transmitting a steering operation to steered wheels while converting a rotational movement of a pinion shaft rotatably connected to a steering wheel into an axial movement, the rack bar being formed by conducting a die forging process on a material having an approximately circular cross section. A pair of face width-enlarged portions 15 is provided at both ends that rack teeth 14 have in face width direction. With this, it becomes possible to ensure face width dimension W of rack teeth 14 larger than outer shape S of a circular cross section of rack main body 13 (material), which results in an improvement of a contact gear ratio between the pinion teeth and the rack teeth.

Abstract: A disposable diaper includes side flaps; pieces of fastening tape respectively arranged on widthwise side portions of the side flaps; and joining portions each of which joins a portion of each piece of the fastening tape to a non-skin side of the side flaps in the thickness direction. In an unfolded state, for each of the pieces of fastening tape, a magnitude of force applied at a time when the joining portion is peeled off when a region of the fastening tape that is outward in the width direction with respect to the joining portion is pulled in an outward direction is greater than a minimum value of an magnitude of force applied at a time when the joining portion is peeled off when a region of the fastening tape that is inward with respect to the joining portion is pulled in any outward direction.

Abstract: A method of producing a three-dimensional shaped article includes a step of forming particle layers by arranging particles containing a material for forming a shaped article and particles containing a material having higher solubility in fluid than the material for forming the shaped article, a step of forming a stack by melting and stacking the particle layers, and a step of removing the material having higher solubility in the fluid than the material for forming the shaped article from the stack by dissolving the material having higher solubility in the fluid than the material for forming the shaped article in the fluid.

Abstract: A shaping apparatus includes a storage section that stores in advance a first relationship between a temperature of a shaping material and a heating time at a time at which oxidation of the shaping material starts as the shaping material is heated; and a control section that estimates a timing at which the oxidation of a material layer starts, based on an acquisition result from a temperature acquisition section, a measurement result from a time measurement section, and the first relationship stored in the storage section when the material layer on a conveyance body is preheated by a preheating section, and reduces a front surface temperature of the material layer on the conveyance body before the oxidation of the material layer starts.

Abstract: A power generation system includes: a heat source having a temperature being changed over time; a flow passage through which a heat medium heated by the heat source passes; a power generation device including a power generation element and a first electrode, the power generation element being electrically polarized by temperature change thereof depending on temperature change of the heat medium, the first electrode extracting electric power from the power generation element; a temperature detection device being disposed on an upstream side relative to the power generation device in the flow passage and detecting the temperature of the heat medium; a voltage application device that applies voltage to the power generation element; and a control device that activates the voltage application device when the temperature increase of the heat medium has been detected and deactivates the voltage application unit when the temperature decrease of the heat medium has been detected.

Abstract: Occurrence of layering defects is suppressed in a layering forming method where material layers on a conveyance member are heated and layered. A forming apparatus 1 configured to sequentially layer a plurality of material layers and form a three-dimensional object includes a stage having a forming face on which the material layers are layered, a conveyance member configured to support and convey the material layers to a layering position facing the forming face, and a heating member configured to nip the material layers between itself and the forming face of the stage at the layering position, and pressurize and heat the material layer. When a heating region of the heating member is perpendicularly projected onto a plane where a supporting face at which the conveyance member supports the material layer exists, a projection plane of the heating region has extending regions that extend further to the outer side from both edges of the supporting face, on both edges of the projection plane of the heating region.

Abstract: A molding system to manufacture a three-dimensional object corresponding to a three-dimensional model. The molding apparatus includes a slice data generation unit to generate slice data from three-dimensional shape data of the three-dimensional model, and a lamination unit to laminate a layer of a molding material on the basis of the slice data. The slice data generation unit analyzes data, and, if a region in which a layer of a second molding material different from a first molding material is to be laminated on a layer of the first molding material and in which it is difficult to laminate the layers is extracted, modifies the data of a region of at least one of an ith layer and an (i+1)th layer to data in which a portion in which the first molding material is disposed and a portion in which the second molding material is disposed.

Abstract: A power-generating system includes a heat source which is able to produce temporal temperature variation; a first device which is able to produce temporal temperature variation based on the temperature change of the heat source and in which polarization occurs; a second device for taking out a net generating power from the first device; a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the first device; a voltage application device that applies a voltage to the first device; and a control unit for activating the voltage application device on detecting an increase in temperature of the first device and for stopping the voltage application device on detecting a decrease in temperature of the first device by the temperature sensor.