Abstract: A decision making support device including: an opinion acquiring module that acquires an expressed opinion from each of a plurality of participants with respect to each of the plurality of selective elements; and a target person determining module that determines, with respect to a given selective element, from which participant an opinion on the selective element is to be elicited when there are a plurality of unexpressed participants who have not yet expressed opinions on the selective element, wherein the target person determining module respectively calculates, when assuming that each of the unexpressed participants has expressed any of expected opinions, assumed group satisfaction that is determined based on contents of decision making and contents of expression of opinions of the plurality of participants, and determines from which participant an opinion on the selective element is to be elicited in consideration of the assumed group satisfaction.

Abstract: A decision making support device including: an opinion acquiring module that acquires an expressed opinion from each of a plurality of participants with respect to each of the plurality of selective elements; and a target person determining module that determines, with respect to a given selective element, from which participant an opinion on the selective element is to be elicited when there are a plurality of unexpressed participants who have not yet expressed opinions on the selective element, wherein the target person determining module respectively calculates, when assuming that each of the unexpressed participants has expressed any of expected opinions, assumed group satisfaction that is determined based on contents of decision making and contents of expression of opinions of the plurality of participants, and determines from which participant an opinion on the selective element is to be elicited in consideration of the assumed group satisfaction.

Abstract: A group status determining device determining a status of a group made up of a plurality of speakers engaged in a conversation includes: a storage that stores determination criteria, based on conversation situational data with respect to a plurality of group types; and a processor configured to operate as: an acquisition module that acquires conversation situational data, which is data regarding a series of groups of utterances made by a plurality of speakers and estimated to be on a same conversation theme; and a determination module that acquires a type of the group made up of the plurality of speakers, based on the conversation situational data and the determination criteria as a group status of the group made up of the plurality of speakers.

Abstract: The object is to provide a brace which allows its installment to an object portion and its detachment therefrom to be carried out easily. In a brace including a brace body 3 which is attachable between attaching object portions of a structure, at each one of opposed end portions of the brace body 3, there is provided a contact attaching portion to be attached to the attaching object portion. The brace body 3 includes an expandable urging mechanism S which can be expanded to urgedly extend the brace body 3 along a longitudinal direction thereof, with the two contact attaching portions attached to the attaching object portions and a prestress introducing mechanism P which can be switched over between a state for introducing a compressive prestress to the brace body 3 along the longitudinal direction thereof and a state for releasing the introduced prestress. At least a state switchover control portion 22 of the prestress introducing mechanism is provided to be exposed outside the brace body 3.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal panel in which two substrates are faced to each other with spacers interposed therebetween, applied with heat pressure in an overlapped condition, and adhesive arranged between the two substrates is cured for fixing, characterized in that at least of a pair of pressurizing plates for applying pressure to the two substrates is a graphite plate and in that upper and lower pressurizing plates are made to be of different rigidity. The graphite plate of low rigidity is made to stick to the substrate, and shifts between substrate can be prevented while securing uniformity in gap between substrates.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal panel in which two substrates are faced to each other with spacers interposed therebetween, applied with heat and pressure in an overlapped condition, and adhesive arranged between the two substrates is cured for fixing, characterized in that at least one of a pair of pressurizing plates for applying pressure to the two substrates is a graphite plate and in that upper and lower pressurizing plates are made to be of different rigidity. The graphite plate of low rigidity is made to stick to the substrate, and shifts between substrates can be prevented while securing uniformity in gaps between substrates.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal panel in which two substrates are faced to each other with spacers interposed therebetween, applied with heat and pressure in an overlapped condition, and adhesive arranged between two substrates is cured for fixing, characterized in that at least one of a pair of pressurizing plates for applying pressure to the two substrates is a graphite plate and in that upper and lower pressurizing plates are made to be of different rigidity. The graphite plate of low rigidity is made to stick to the substrate, and shifts between substrates can be prevented while securing uniformity in gaps between substrates.

Abstract: A suspended load swaying and vibration preventing apparatus for simultaneously controlling prevention of swaying of a suspended load and suppression of vibration of a structural body is provided in a container crane or the like. A trolley position and a trolley velocity are detected by a trolley position detector and a trolley detector. A swaying shift and a swaying velocity of the suspended load is detected by an image sensor. Furthermore, a shift and a velocity of a structural body is detected by a structural body vibration detector. A controller receives the detection signals from these sections, calculates the optimum trolley velocity based upon a control theory and outputs a trolley velocity command. Then, a trolley drive device is driven in accordance with the trolley velocity command from the controller. The suspended load is delivered to a desired position in a stable manner under the condition that swaying of the suspended load and the vibration of the structural body are suppressed.

Abstract: A method for continuously measuring the concentration of CaCO.sub.3 in slurries comprising CaCO.sub.3 is described. The method comprises continuously sampling a given amount of the slurry, feeding the sampled slurry into an agitated continuous reactor container which is isolated from the outside air, keeping the slurry in the reactor container at a temperature of at least 50.degree. C., adding sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid to adjust the pH to below 4, blowing air into the slurry in the reactor container, withdrawing from the reactor container CO.sub.2, produced by the reaction between CaCO.sub.3 and the acid, by entrainment with the air, and calculating the concentration of CaCO.sub.3 in the slurry from the concentration of CO.sub.2 in the withdrawn gas, the amount of the sampled slurry and the flow rate of the blown air.

Abstract: A solution or slurry containing a carbonate or sulfite, or both is continuously supplied into a tightly closed vessel, while any excess of the liquid is allowed to overflow the vessel. Sulfuric acid is supplied into the vessel to maintain the pH level of the liquid in the vessel at a value not exceeding 3. Air is supplied into the vessel as a carrier gas for CO.sub.2 or SO.sub.2 or both formed by the reaction of the carbonate or sulfite or both in the liquid with the sulfuric acid. The carrier gas is collected from the vessel, and the concentration of CO.sub.2 or SO.sub.2 or both in the carrier gas is determined. The concentration of the carbonate or sulfite or both in the liquid is obtained by calculations from the concentration of CO.sub.2 or SO.sub.2 or both, the flow rate of the liquid and the flow rate of the carrier gas.

Abstract: In an absorption tower of a wet lime-gypsum process desulfurization plant which desulfurizes an exhaust gas by bringing an incoming exhaust gas into contact with an absorbent liquid circulated therethrough by means of a plurality of pumps, an optimum pH value of the absorbent liquid and an optimum number of working pumps are set according to an amount of an exhaust gas load of the absorption tower, and a feed rate of the absorbent liquid and a number of working pumps are controlled on the basis of these set values. According to one mode of embodiment of the invention, a variation rate of the exhaust gas load and a desulfurization ratio are detected, and when the amount of exhaust gas load is constant or rising and also the desulfurization ratio is lower than a desired desulfurization ratio, the number of working pumps is correctively increased.