Abstract: A sausage suspension member undergoes primary pivoting whereby an opening portion with an inner link of a sausage placed thereon is moved about a pivot axis laterally inwardly, and after the primary pivoting the sausage suspension member undergoes secondary pivoting whereby the opening portion with the inner link placed thereon is moved about the pivot axis laterally inwardly so as to move the opening portion with the inner link placed thereon laterally inwardly away from a stick in a state of being inserted between the inner link and an outer link.

Abstract: A stuffing apparatus includes a main body case, a stuffing nozzle for discharging a material, a material feed pump for feeding the material into the stuffing nozzle, a pump drive motor for driving the material feed pump, and a conveying device for conveying a stuffed casing in a direction in which the material discharged is discharged, wherein a hopper into which the material is charged from above is provided above the material feed pump, the material feed pump, the pump drive motor, and the hopper are provided on the main body case on which the stuffing nozzle and the conveying device are provided, and the material which is fed from the material feed pump is automatically stuffed by being fed into the stuffing nozzle via a material feed pipe.

Abstract: Hook groups formed by hooks in a number identical to a maximum number of loops of sausage to be suspended from a stick are provided on a wrapping connector moving body of a conveyor with a respective hook absent zone interposed between adjacent ones of the hook groups. When the sausage is suspended from all the hooks of one hook group, the supply of the sausage to the conveyor is interrupted, and the sausage whose supply to the conveyor has been restarted after the hook absent zone moved a predetermined distance is suspended from a first hook of an ensuing hook group to form one loop by a last hook of the one hook group and a first hook of the ensuing hook group.

Abstract: A document retrieving apparatus can retrieve a target document and output the retrieved target documents according to ranking when a retrieval keyword or retrieval expression is input. However, it requires a skilful technique to narrow a retrieval range since an appropriate retrieval keyword or retrieval expression needs to be created. A document retrieving apparatus of the present invention reads out and compiles a document list included in a designated area when a user designates an area of a document to be read on a two-dimensional map. When the user designates an area of a document to be read on the two-dimensional map, the document retrieving apparatus of the present invention combines query vectors of a plurality of documents included in a designated area and extracts documents based on a combined query vector.

Abstract: Provided are a scaffold material that functions as a scaffold material for two weeks or more in vivo and causes substantially no foreign-body reaction, and a method for producing the scaffold material. Specifically, a porous scaffold material comprising collagen fibers is provided.

Abstract: Disclosed are a separator for lithium ion secondary batteries, having an inorganic layer formed from inorganic particles, characterized in that the inorganic particles have a particle diameter distribution in which the 50% cumulative particle diameter D50 is in the range of 100 nm to 500 nm, the 10% cumulative particle diameter D10 is 0.5D50 or more, and the 90% cumulative particle diameter D90 is 2D50 or less; a method for manufacturing the separator; and a lithium ion secondary battery using the separator. When the separator is used, there can be produced a lithium ion secondary battery in which a short circuit caused by contraction or melting can be definitely prevented, as well as the current density applied to the electrodes during charging and discharging is uniform so that charging and discharging can be efficiently achieved.

Abstract: A structure made of collagen for improving promotion of nerve tissue regeneration, curing and regeneration of a defective part of a soft biological tissue and so on without using laminin or nerve growth factor (NGF), and a member for tissue regeneration including the same. The structure made of collagen has a thin film multilocular formation and is therefore a structure different from a colloid form, a gel form, and a fiber form. When the new structure made of collagen is used as a member for tissue regeneration, surprisingly, promotion of regeneration, shortening of a treatment period, functional recovery, or the like of bodily tissue such as nerve tissue, subdermal tissue, submucosal tissue, membranous tissue, fat tissue, muscle tissue, skin tissue, and gingival tissue can be improved. When the structure is used in a patient having neuropathic pain, the member has an effect on the disappearance of the pain.

Abstract: Provided are a method of producing canine iPS cells, comprising (a) the step of bringing into contact with each other a canine somatic cell and a nuclear reprogramming factor, and (b) the step of culturing the cell in a medium containing at least one substance selected from the group consisting of a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor, an activin receptor-like kinase inhibitor, a glycogen synthase kinase inhibitor, a L-type calcium channel agonist and a DNA methylation inhibitor, and a leukemia inhibitory factor, and canine iPS cells that can be obtained by the method.

Abstract: A bottled drink includes a cap and a bottle where a granular supplement containing multiple constituents in a stable manner is stored in the cap and a solution suitable for dispersing the granules is filled in the bottle. Granules which contains mutually incompatible multiple chemical agents or nutritional constituents and whose surface is coated with polyglyceryl fatty acid ester are stored in the cap of the bottle and the bottle is filled with a solution whose viscosity at a shear deformation speed of 0.01 s?1 is 10 to 300 Pa·s.

Abstract: A water control sheet having superior drainage and gas diffusion properties and superior handling characteristics, and a gas diffusion sheet, a membrane-electrode assembly and a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, which utilize the water control sheet, are provided. The water control sheet is independent and located for use adjacent to a catalyst layer of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, and is formed of a nonwoven fabric containing conductive fibers containing conductive particles at least inside a hydrophobic organic resin. The gas diffusion sheet, the membrane-electrode assembly and the polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to the present invention have the above water control sheet.

Abstract: Disclosed is a lithium ion secondary battery, in which comprises a vinyl alcohol polymer or a derivative thereof in an amount of 0.3 mg or more per 1 mAh of battery capacity in terms of a vinyl alcohol unit moiety content. The lithium ion secondary battery can decrease the battery voltage under high-temperature conditions and cannot be recharged after being exposed to high-temperature conditions.

Abstract: A new structure made of collagen for improving promotion of nerve tissue regeneration, curing and regeneration of a defective part of a soft biological tissue and so on without using laminin or nerve growth factor (NGF), and a member for tissue regeneration including the same. The structure made of collagen has a thin film multilocular formation and is therefore a new structure different from a colloid form, a gel form, and a fiber form. When the new structure made of collagen is used as a member for tissue regeneration, surprisingly, promotion of regeneration, shortening of a treatment period, functional recovery, or the like of bodily tissue such as nerve tissue, subdermal tissue, submucosal tissue, membranous tissue, fat tissue, muscle tissue, skin tissue, and gingival tissue can be improved. When the structure is used in a patient having neuropathic pain, the member has an effect on the disappearance of the pain.

Abstract: A water control sheet having superior drainage and gas diffusion properties and superior handling characteristics, and a gas diffusion sheet, a membrane-electrode assembly and a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, which utilize the water control sheet, are provided. The water control sheet is independent and located for use adjacent to a catalyst layer of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, and is formed of a nonwoven fabric containing conductive fibers containing conductive particles at least inside a hydrophobic organic resin. The gas diffusion sheet, the membrane-electrode assembly and the polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to the present invention have the above water control sheet.

Abstract: A stuffing apparatus includes: a stuffing nozzle for discharging a stuffing material from a discharge port into a casing; a stuffing pump for feeding the stuffing material into the stuffing nozzle; a casing pushing device which has a casing pusher and a fluid cylinder having a cylinder, a piston, and a rod, and which is adapted to push in a direction toward the discharge port of said stuffing nozzle a trailing end portion of a casing which is yet to be stuffed and is in a shirred state; and a movement stop detecting device (casing breakage detecting device) for detecting stoppage of the casing pushing device in the course of its movement.

Abstract: A detecting structure for a stuffing apparatus includes: a stuffing nozzle having a material discharge port and a photoelectric sensor for detecting a terminating end of a casing loaded on an outer periphery of the stuffing nozzle, wherein the photoelectric sensor is accommodated in a protective case having a transparent portion, and a first air supplying arrangement for supplying air into the protective case is provided on the protective case. Further, the first air supplying arrangement may have an air nozzle which is provided in the protective case and jets air toward an inner surface of the transparent portion. Still further, second air supplying arrangement may be provided for supplying air toward an outer surface of the transparent portion. Furthermore, third air supplying arrangement may be provided for supplying air toward the casing.

Abstract: Provided herein are various suspension devices and associated methods and apparatus to open loops (or form opened loops) in a chain of linked products suspended from one or more suspension devices in a conveyor system. In one implementation, a suspension device for a chain of linked products includes a link support portion pivotally coupled to a conveyor, the link support portion configured to suspend a portion of the chain of linked products therefrom and comprising a lower portion downwardly extending from the link support portion. The lower portion is configured to engage a portion of a respective link of the chain upon a pivoting motion of the link support portion about a pivot axis in order to open a respective loop suspended from the link support portion to an unloading orientation for unloading.

Abstract: A stuffing apparatus includes: a stuffing nozzle for discharging a stuffing material from a discharge port into a casing; a stuffing pump for feeding the stuffing material into the stuffing nozzle; a casing pushing device which has a casing pusher and a fluid cylinder having a cylinder, a piston, and a rod, and which is adapted to push in a direction toward the discharge port of said stuffing nozzle a trailing end portion of a casing which is yet to be stuffed and is in a shirred state; and a movement stop detecting device (casing breakage detecting device) for detecting stoppage of the casing pushing device in the course of its movement.

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring a stick with a strand of sausage or the like suspended therefrom includes a transversely transferring device for transferring a stick from a first position to a second position by stick transverse transfer members; and a vertically transferring device having stick vertical transfer members which receive the stick from the stick transverse transfer members at the second position and deliver the stick to a conveyor device. The transversely transferring device has a stick transfer body having the stick transverse transfer members provided thereon, a rail body for supporting the stick transfer body and guiding its linear movement, and a transverse wrapping connector traveling body wound around and trained between transverse transfer wheels. A stick transfer body is adapted to be reciprocatingly moved by a transverse transfer electric motor.

Abstract: Disclosed is a lithium ion secondary battery, in which comprises a vinyl alcohol polymer or a derivative thereof in an amount of 0.3 mg or more per 1 mAh of battery capacity in terms of a vinyl alcohol unit moiety content. The lithium ion secondary battery can decrease the battery voltage under high-temperature conditions and cannot be recharged after being exposed to high-temperature conditions.

Abstract: Disclosed are a separator for lithium ion secondary batteries, having an inorganic layer formed from inorganic particles, characterized in that the inorganic particles have a particle diameter distribution in which the 50% cumulative particle diameter D50 is in the range of 100 nm to 500 nm, the 10% cumulative particle diameter D10 is 0.5D50 or more, and the 90% cumulative particle diameter D90 is 2D50 or less; a method for manufacturing the separator; and a lithium ion secondary battery using the separator. When the separator is used, there can be produced a lithium ion secondary battery in which a short circuit caused by contraction or melting can be definitely prevented, as well as the current density applied to the electrodes during charging and discharging is uniform so that charging and discharging can be efficiently achieved.