Abstract: A lubricant applicator includes a block of lubricant, a supply member contactable against the block of lubricant to scrape the block of lubricant, and a lubricant gauge including a first electrode and a second electrode. The lubricant gauge is electrically connected to the first electrode and the second electrode to detect whether an amount of lubricant remaining is less than a threshold value based on establishment of electrical continuity between the first electrode and the second electrode. One of the first electrode and the second electrode includes a projection projecting toward the other one of the first electrode and the second electrode.

Abstract: An image carrier surface treatment device is disposed opposite an image carrier rotatable in a first rotation direction and carrying a toner image. The image carrier surface treatment device includes a roller rotatable in a second rotation direction while contacting an outer circumferential surface of the image carrier. The roller includes a shaft projecting from each lateral end of the roller in an axial direction thereof. A rolling-element bearing is fitted on the shaft of the roller to support and position the roller inside the image carrier surface treatment device.

Abstract: A method of preparing silica composite particles includes preparing an alkali catalyst solution containing an alkali catalyst at a concentration of from 0.6 mol/L to 0.85 mol/L, in a solvent containing alcohol; and supplying, into the alkali catalyst solution, (i) a mixed solution of tetraalkoxysilane and an organic titanium compound in which an organic group is coupled to a titanium atom through oxygen, and (ii) an alkali catalyst. The mixed solution is supplied at a supply amount of from 0.001 mol/(mol·min) to 0.01 mol/(mol·min) relative to the alcohol, and the alkali catalyst is supplied at a supply amount of from 0.1 mol to 0.4 mol, relative to 1 mol of a total supply amount of the tetraalkoxysilane and the organic titanium compound supplied per one minute.

Abstract: A small and inexpensive optical measurement apparatus is provided in which noise due to optical interference such as inter-layer crosstalk or speckle is suppressed.

Abstract: When the acute angle between a normal line, oriented outward from a blade abutting portion of a photosensitive member over which a cleaning blade remains abutted before separation of the surface of the photosensitive member from the cleaning blade, and a horizontal plane, passing through the origin of the normal line, is expressed as a positive value when the normal line lies above the horizontal plane and expressed as a negative value when the normal line lies below the horizontal plane; an imaging unit frame so supports a photosensitive module that the photosensitive member can rotate to a specific rotational position having a greater angle than the angle at the time of separation of the surface of the photosensitive member from the cleaning blade. Until the photosensitive member rotates from a normal rotational position to the specific rotational position, the photosensitive module cannot be removed from the imaging unit frame.

Abstract: A motion picture is captured while a focal position is changed in a predetermined reproduction layer of a recording medium, the resolutions of a plurality of still images acquired by the capturing of the motion picture are checked using check patterns, which are recorded at a predetermined frequency, of the medium, it is determined whether the still images are usable for the reproduction of data, and a plurality of the still images determined to be usable are composed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, a charger, an irradiator, a developing device, a transfer device, a neutralizer, and a varying device is provided. The neutralizer is adapted to neutralize the image bearing member by emitting neutralization light thereto, after a toner image formed on the image bearing member is transferred therefrom. The varying device is adapted to vary an amount of the neutralization light to be emitted to the image bearing member by pulse-width modulation of a voltage to be supplied to the neutralizer. The image forming apparatus satisfies the following formula: f/V>5 wherein f (Hz) represents a frequency of the pulse-width modulation and V (mm/s) represents a linear speed of the image bearing member.

Abstract: A solid lubricant supply system includes a solid lubricant supplier to receive and supply solid lubricant to a solid lubricant supplying target. A pair of first and second moveable planar electrodes is opposed to each other. The second moveable planar electrode is partially moved toward the first moveable planar electrode as the solid lubricant is consumed. A residual solid lubricant quantity detecting unit is provide to detect a quantity of the residual solid lubricant at a first stage, in which the residual solid lubricant quantity is below a given level, by detecting electric conduction between the pair of first and second moveable planar electrodes when the pair of first and second moveable planar electrodes contacts each other. The first moveable planar electrode is enabled to further move together with the second moveable planar electrode when it is contacted and pressed by the second moveable planar electrode.

Abstract: The present invention provides a compound having a lysine-specific demethylase 1 inhibitory action, and useful as a medicament such as a prophylactic or therapeutic agent for cancer, and central nervous system diseases, and the like.

Abstract: In a navigation apparatus, HOV information related to a high-occupancy vehicle lane or carpool lane is added into node data of a node as a part of the node data in map data. The HOV information of all nodes in a highway in a guide route is acquired from the map data to calculate the total number of transfer permit points. When it is determined that a guide for HOV is possible based on the calculated total number of transfer permit points, and then it is determined that an entry distance from the present position to a nearest transfer permit point is in a predetermined range suitable for an entrance guide into the carpool lane, the entry distance is determined to be suitable for the entrance guide into the carpool lane. Thereby the entrance guide into the carpool lane is provided.

Abstract: Provided is a compact, low-cost optical measuring apparatus capable of acquiring an image of a target to be measured without moving a mirror or using a wavelength-scanning light source or beam splitter. A laser beam emitted from a light source is split into first and second beams, and the first beam is focused as a signal beam onto the target by a lens for irradiation purposes, while the second beam is reflected as a reference beam by a mirror without irradiating the target. Then, a signal beam reflected by or scattered by the target is multiplexed with the reference beam and then enters interference optics, whereby three or more interference beams with different phases are generated and detected by photodetectors. Then, the detection signals are operated by a signal processing unit. During the measurement, the focus position of the first beam is moved at least in the optical axis direction.

Abstract: A cleaning device to remove untransferred toner from a surface of an image carrier rotatable in a predetermined direction. The cleaning device includes a lubricant supply roller contacting the surface of the image carrier to supply a lubricant carried thereon to the surface of the image carrier, a first blade provided upstream from the lubricant supply roller in the direction of rotation of the image carrier, and a second blade provided downstream from the lubricant supply roller. The first blade contacts the surface of the image carrier to level the untransferred toner attaching to the surface of the image carrier to a thin layer. The second blade contacts the surface of the image carrier to level the lubricant supplied to the surface of the image carrier by the lubricant supply roller to a thin layer and to remove the untransferred toner from the surface of the image carrier.

Abstract: Provided is an optical pickup device that suppresses a fluctuation of a tracking error signal caused by stray light when recording/reproducing information on/from an optical disc including a plurality of recording layers and attains size reduction. It includes a laser diode emitting laser light of about 405 nm in wavelength, an objective lens irradiating the optical disc with an optical beam emitted from the laser diode and having a numerical aperture of about 0.85, and a detector including a detection part receiving the optical beam reflected from the optical disc. An optical magnification from the optical disc to the detector is set within a range from about 10× to 15×.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a cleaning device that collects a waste toner attached to the surface of the image carrier using a cleaning member, a waste container that is removable from an image forming apparatus body, a temporary storage unit that is provided in the image forming apparatus body to temporarily store a waste including the waste toner collected in the cleaning device before the waste is transported to the waste container, and a waste transport unit that transports the waste to the temporary storage unit, wherein a discharge speed of the waste from the temporary storage unit by the waste discharge unit is lower than a transport speed of the waste to the temporary storage unit by the waste transport unit.

Abstract: A lubricant supply device including a solid lubricant, a lubricant supply roller, a detector, and a varying device is provided. The lubricant supply roller is adapted to supply the lubricant to a toner image bearing member and is rotatable in a predetermined direction while slidably contacting both the solid lubricant and the toner image bearing member. The detector is adapted to detect an absolute humidity around the lubricant supply device. The varying device is adapted to vary an amount of the lubricant to be supplied to the toner image bearing member based on the absolute humidity detected by the detector.

Abstract: A lubricant supplying device includes a lubricant supplying roller configured to rotate in a certain direction and makes a sliding contact with an image carrier on which a toner image is carried; a solid lubricant arranged to slide in contact with the lubricant supplying roller; a changing unit configured to change a revolution of the lubricant supplying roller to adjust an amount of the solid lubricant supplied onto the image carrier; and a calculation unit configured to obtain a product life or total consumption of the solid lubricant from a total running distance or total operating time of the image carrier or the lubricant supplying roller, the product life or the total consumption of the solid lubricant being corrected based on the amount of the solid lubricant supplied onto the image carrier.

Abstract: A lubricant applicator includes a block of lubricant, a supply member contactable against the block of lubricant to scrape the block of lubricant, and a lubricant gauge including a first electrode and a second electrode. The lubricant gauge is electrically connected to the first electrode and the second electrode to detect whether an amount of lubricant remaining is less than a threshold value based on establishment of electrical continuity between the first electrode and the second electrode. One of the first electrode and the second electrode includes a projection projecting toward the other one of the first electrode and the second electrode.

Abstract: A lubricant applicator includes a lubricant, a supply member contactable against the lubricant to supply the lubricant to a target, and a lubricant gauge to detect whether an amount of lubricant remaining is less than a threshold value. The lubricant gauge includes a rotary member rotatable about a shaft, a pressing member to press and rotate the rotary member as the lubricant is consumed, a contact part of the rotary member pressed by the pressing member, and a detection part of the rotary member opposite to the contact part across the shaft of the rotary member.

Abstract: An electrostatic charge image developing toner includes toner particles, and silica composite particles that contain silicon oxide and from 0.001% by weight to 10% by weight of titanium, and have an average particle size of from 30 nm to 500 nm, a particle size distribution index of from 1.10 to 1.50, and an average circularity of from 0.50 to 0.85.

Abstract: An image carrier surface treatment device is disposed opposite an image carrier rotatable in a first rotation direction and carrying a toner image. The image carrier surface treatment device includes a roller rotatable in a second rotation direction while contacting an outer circumferential surface of the image carrier. The roller includes a shaft projecting from each lateral end of the roller in an axial direction thereof. A rolling-element bearing is fitted on the shaft of the roller to support and position the roller inside the image carrier surface treatment device.