Abstract: An absolute position detection device includes: a scale unit having a first member and disposed on a mover or a stator; a sensor unit having detection elements disposed at a first interval to detect position correspondence information corresponding to the first member; and a computation unit that: detects a distortion boundary position of output based on a comparison result between the position correspondence information by first and second detection elements; based on element coordinates of either the first or second detection element, element coordinates of a third detection element, the first interval, a length of the output pairs, and the position correspondence information by the third detection element, calculates a position of the third detection element to an end position of the first member; and calculates a positional relationship between the mover and the stator based on the calculated position and a length of the first member.

Abstract: An incubator includes: a housing which is divided into a thermostatic chamber and an air-conditioning chamber and allows first air to circulate between the thermostatic chamber and the air-conditioning chamber; and an air conditioner that regulates a temperature of the first air in the air-conditioning chamber. A channel through which the first air flows is formed in the air-conditioning chamber. The air conditioner includes: a supply unit having a supply port for supplying second air colder than the first air to the channel; an upstream fan which is arranged upstream of the supply port and allows the first air in the thermostatic chamber to flow into the channel; and a downstream fan which is arranged downstream of the supply port, mixes the second air with the first air, and allows the first air mixed with the second air to flow from the channel into the thermostatic chamber.

Abstract: A display system is a system that displays, on a display, a lane marking of a lane in which a vehicle travels. The display system includes: a recognition and generation section configured to recognize the lane marking, based on an image captured by a camera of the vehicle, and to generate an image for display including a road shape image disposed along the lane marking; and a display control section configured to cause the display to display the image for display. The display control section is configured to estimate a cant angle of the lane, based on a result of detection by an internal sensor that detects a traveling state of the vehicle, and to correct, by using the cant angle, a position of the road shape image in the image for display.

Abstract: A control device for a DC-DC converter includes: an acquisition unit that, for each switching period for a switch, acquires a detected current value from a current detection unit for detecting current flowing in a reactor; and a determination unit that determines whether the current control mode is a discontinuous current mode or a continuous current mode. The determination unit calculates the difference between the detected current values acquired at corresponding specific timings within different switching periods or the difference between the detected current values acquired at two specific timings within each switching period, and determines whether the control mode is the discontinuous current mode or the continuous current mode based on the calculated difference.

Abstract: An organic solvent collection apparatus includes at least one collection tank, a dewatering circulator, and a purification circulator. The collection tank stores a mixed liquid of an organic solvent and water. The dewatering circulator includes at least one dewatering circulation pipe connected to the collection tank and a circulation dewaterer that separates water from the mixed liquid, and generates a first concentrated liquid that is a mixed liquid in which a solvent concentration of the organic solvent is increased by circulation through the dewatering circulation pipe. The purification circulator includes at least one purification circulation pipe through which the first concentrated liquid is circulated and at least one filter that captures an impurity of the first concentrated liquid, and circulates the first concentrated liquid through the purification circulation pipe to generate a recycling liquid in which a content rate of the impurity in the first concentrated liquid is reduced.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes: a collection tank storing a mixed fluid containing water and an organic solvent; a dewaterer disposed in a pipe connected to the collection tank, and including a separation membrane allowing the water to pass through and does not allow the organic solvent to pass through; a separation pipe which is connected to the dewaterer and into which separated water that has passed through the separation membrane flows; a concentration monitoring sensor measuring a concentration of the organic solvent contained in the separated water; a shut-off valve disposed in the separation pipe, and shutting off a flow of the separated water when the shut-off valve is in a closed state; and a controller closing the shut-off valve when the concentration of the organic solvent measured by the concentration monitoring sensor exceeds a safe concentration lower than a lower explosion limit of the organic solvent.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes: a collection tank that stores a mixed fluid containing water supplied to a substrate and then collected and an organic solvent supplied to the substrate and then collected; a circulation pipe connected to the collection tank; a dewaterer disposed in the circulation pipe and including a separation membrane that allows the water to pass through and does not allow the organic solvent to pass through; a pump disposed in the circulation pipe; and a heater disposed downstream of the collection tank and upstream of the dewaterer in the circulation pipe, the heater heating the mixed fluid to a boiling point of the water or higher.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a treatment tank, a substrate holder, a discharge part, and an organic solvent recovery part. The treatment tank stores liquid. The substrate holder holds a plurality of substrates and immerses the plurality of substrates in a liquid in the treatment tank. The discharge part discharges a second concentration liquid having a solvent concentration higher than that of the first concentration liquid while avoiding at least a part of the first concentration liquid in the liquid from the treatment tank. The organic solvent recovery part includes a dewaterer that separates water from the second concentration liquid discharged by the discharge part to generate a third concentration liquid having a solvent concentration higher than that of the second concentration liquid.

Abstract: An organic solvent collection apparatus includes a collection pipe, a first dewaterer, a selector, and a controller. A mixed liquid of an organic solvent and water flows through the collection pipe. The first dewaterer includes a first membrane separator including a first separation membrane having an application range of a solvent concentration and separating the water from the mixed liquid. The selector selects between a first state in which the solvent concentration is increased by the first dewaterer and a second state in which the mixed liquid is supplied to another part different from the first dewaterer. The controller causes the selector to select the first state when the solvent concentration is greater than or equal to a concentration lower limit value of the first separation membrane, and causes the selector to select the second state when the solvent concentration is less than the concentration lower limit value.

Abstract: A control device for a DC-to-DC converter includes: an electric current calculation unit that calculates, based on electric current detection values of an electric current detection unit, an average electric current that is a time average value of electric current flowing through a reactor in one switching cycle; a duty ratio calculation unit that calculates, based on a command value of the average electric current, a duty ratio in a discontinuous current mode; and a switch control unit that performs, based on the calculated duty ratio, switching control of a switch. Moreover, the duty ratio calculation unit is configured to: calculate, based on the duty ratio and the average electric current calculated in a plurality of past switching cycles, relationship information between the average electric current and the duty ratio; and calculate, based on the calculated relationship information and the command value, the duty ratio in a next switching cycle.

Abstract: An organic solvent collection apparatus includes a collection pipe, a first dewaterer, and a second dewaterer. A mixed liquid of an organic solvent and water discharged from a processing unit flows through the collection pipe. The first dewaterer includes a first membrane separator that includes a first separation membrane having an application range of a solvent concentration and separates water from the mixed liquid having a solvent concentration greater than or equal to a concentration lower limit value of the application range. The second dewaterer is provided at a preceding stage of the first dewaterer, separates water from the mixed liquid discharged through the collection pipe to increase the solvent concentration of the mixed liquid to greater than or equal to the concentration lower limit value, and supplies the mixed liquid having the solvent concentration greater than or equal to the concentration lower limit value to the first dewaterer.

Abstract: A circulation pipe is connected to a collection tank storing a mixed fluid containing water and an organic solvent, and includes: a first pipe connecting a downstream side of a second position and an upstream side of a first position; a second pipe connecting a downstream side of the first position and an upstream side of the second position; and a bypass pipe connecting the downstream side of the first position and the upstream side of the second position through a path different from that of the second pipe. The dewaterer is disposed in the first pipe or the bypass pipe, and the pump pressurizes the mixed fluid at a separation pressure higher than a circulation pressure and the heater heats the mixed fluid, in a state where the mixed fluid circulates through the first pipe and the bypass pipe.

Abstract: An absolute position detection device includes: a scale unit having a first member and disposed on a mover or a stator; a sensor unit having detection elements disposed at a first interval to detect position correspondence information corresponding to the first member; and a computation unit that: detects a distortion boundary position of output based on a comparison result between the position correspondence information by first and second detection elements; based on element coordinates of either the first or second detection element, element coordinates of a third detection element, the first interval, a length of the output pairs, and the position correspondence information by the third detection element, calculates a position of the third detection element to an end position of the first member; and calculates a positional relationship between the mover and the stator based on the calculated position and a length of the first member.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a DC-to-DC converter includes a switching controller working to selectively perform a first control task and a second control task. The first control task is to control on-off operations of switching devices of the DC-to-DC converter not to have at least one of an all-on period and an all-off period. The all-on period being a period of time in which all the switching devices are turned on. The all-off period is a period of time in which all the switching devices are turned off. The second control task is to control the on-off operations of the switching devices to have both the all-on period and the all-off period. The switching controller works to change the first control task to the second control task before a current mode is switched from a continuous current mode to a discontinuous current mode.

Abstract: Provided is a testing method using a biomarker for prediction of success or failure of induction of labor, prediction of preterm birth, and prediction of preterm labor, which can be performed with high reliability, simply, and non-invasively. The testing method of the present invention is a testing method using an expression level of 15-PGDH as an index for success or failure of induction of labor, the testing method including a step of detecting the expression level of 15-PGDH in a specimen, the specimen being a vaginal secretion.

Abstract: A fuel cell system having a direct liquid fuel cell that uses a liquid containing a formic acid or an alcohol as a fuel includes: a fuel tank that stores the fuel to be supplied to the fuel cell; a fuel supply device that supplies the fuel in the fuel tank to the fuel cell; and a bubbling device that blows an inert gas into the fuel stored in the fuel tank.

Abstract: Superabsorbent particles have a median size of from about 50 to about 2,000 micrometers and contain a porous network that includes a plurality of nanopores having an average cross-sectional dimension of from about 10 to about 500 nanometers, wherein the superabsorbent particles exhibit a Vortex Time of about 80 seconds or less and a free swell gel bed permeability (GBP) of 5 darcys or more, of 10 darcys or more, of 20 darcys or more, of 30 darcys or more, of 60 darcys or more, or of 90 darcys or more. A method for forming such superabsorbent particles includes forming a composition that contains a superabsorbent polymer and a solvent system; contacting the composition with a non-solvent system to initiate formation of the porous network through phase inversion; removing non-solvent from the composition; and surface crosslinking the superabsorbent particles.

Abstract: A fuel cell system having a direct liquid fuel cell that uses a liquid containing a formic acid or an alcohol as a fuel includes: a fuel tank that stores the fuel to be supplied to the fuel cell; a fuel supply device that supplies the fuel in the fuel tank to the fuel cell; and a bubbling device that blows an inert gas into the fuel stored in the fuel tank.

Abstract: An incubator includes: a housing which is divided into a thermostatic chamber and an air-conditioning chamber and allows first air to circulate between the thermostatic chamber and the air-conditioning chamber; and an air conditioner that regulates a temperature of the first air in the air-conditioning chamber. A channel through which the first air flows is formed in the air-conditioning chamber. The air conditioner includes: a supply unit having a supply port for supplying second air colder than the first air to the channel; an upstream fan which is arranged upstream of the supply port and allows the first air in the thermostatic chamber to flow into the channel; and a downstream fan which is arranged downstream of the supply port, mixes the second air with the first air, and allows the first air mixed with the second air to flow from the channel into the thermostatic chamber.