Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member and a rotatable developing member to carry developer made up of toner particles and carrier particles adhered to surfaces of the toner particles. Where a pressing force pressing the developing member against the image bearing member is F1, a total number of the carrier particles interposed between the toner particles and the image bearing member is N1, and an adhesion Ft between a carrier particle and a toner particle, measured when the carrier particle is pressed against the toner particle with F1/N1 that is a pressing force per unit carrier particle, and an adhesion Fdr1 between the carrier particle and the image bearing member, measured when the carrier particle is pressed against the image bearing member with F1/N1, satisfy Ft?Fdr1.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a circular single-stranded nucleic acid, and a method for preparing the same and a method for using the same. A circular single-stranded nucleic acid according to one embodiment of the present invention is a circular single-stranded nucleic acid for determining a target base on a genomic DNA, and includes a first single-stranded nucleic acid which has the target base or a complementary base thereto and is a part of one of the strands of the genomic DNA, and a second single-stranded nucleic acid which has an index sequence to serve as an index of a cell, from which the genomic DNA is derived, or a complementary sequence thereto.

Abstract: A reaction liquid after a nucleic acid amplification reaction is made suitable for various processes. A step of measuring the amount of a target product and the amount of a byproduct after performing a nucleic acid amplification reaction, and a step of determining that a process for removing the byproduct is needed when the abundance ratio of the target product to the byproduct is lower than a prescribed value, and determining the dilution ratio of a reaction liquid after the nucleic acid amplification reaction when the abundance ratio is higher than the prescribed value are included.

Abstract: The present invention provides a simple and highly reliable cell collection system with high throughput and improved in cell collection efficiency. In the present invention, one or more pores are formed in a cell collection plate. One surface of the plate can be directly introduced in e.g., a petri dish, so as to be in contact with a solution containing cells. In this case, means for obtaining an optical image of collected cells from its rear surface is provided to improve reliability and convenience during a cell collection process. Alternatively, the vicinities of the pores in the cell collection plate are only hydrophilized and the other region is made water repellent to improve the efficiency of cell collection.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a technique for amplifying, individually and in parallel, nucleic acids contained in a mixture of plural kinds of nucleic acid samples. The present invention provides a nucleic acid analysis method comprising amplification means, whereby amplification reaction is performed in a reaction solution comprising a homogeneous solvent and comprising at least plural template nucleic acids and solid phase carriers comprising one or more kinds of amplification probes immobilized on the surface, to prevent amplified products attributed to two or more template nucleic acids from being replicated in one solid phase carrier. According to the present invention, plural kinds of analyte nucleic acid samples in a mixed state can be amplified individually and in parallel. This method achieves one solid phase carrier-one nucleic acid. Therefore, a higher density of solid phase carriers with obtained amplified products is easily achieved, leading to improved throughput of amplified product analysis.

Abstract: A method for the diagnosis and identification of new or residual lung cancer is disclosed which uses newly identified markers for lung cancer including syndecan 1, collagen 1 alpha 2, and two novel proteins, 7013 and 7018. The method involves identification of the lung cancer markers is blood from a patient. It is envisioned that at least one marker may be used or any mixture of the four. The method may also include the identification of cytokeratin-19.

Abstract: A method for the diagnosis and identification of new or residual lung cancer is disclosed which uses newly identified markers for lung cancer including syndecan 1, collagen 1 alpha 2, and two novel proteins, 7013 and 7018. The method involves identification of the lung cancer markers is blood from a patient. It is envisioned that at least one marker may be used or any mixture of the four. The method may also include the identification of cytokeratin-19.

Abstract: A simple and highly accurate method for detecting the presence or absence of gene mutation and methylated cytosine in CpG dinucleotide that are contained in a target sequence derived from an analysis sample is provided. Features of the method for nucleic acid analysis include cleaving one or more noncomplementary sites in a double-stranded nucleic acid sample by a single strand-specific endonuclease, hybridizing at least one of the nucleic acid fragments obtained to a probe containing a nucleotide sequence that is partially or totally identical to either one strand of the double-stranded nucleic acid sample, allowing an extension reaction to proceed from the nucleic acid fragment hybridized to the probe, and optically detecting pyrophosphate generated by the extension reaction, thereby judging the presence or absence of at least a noncomplementary site in the double-stranded nucleic acid sample.

Abstract: This invention provides a method of genetic testing that enables testing of a plurality of variation sites (SNPs) in a cost-effective and simple manner, allowing realization of genetic diagnosis in clinical settings. The SNP type of the nucleic acid sample is evaluated by: allowing a nucleic acid sample having an anchor sequence at its 5? end to hybridize to a support having, immobilized on its surface, a probe containing a sequence that is complementary to the target sequence (the SNP region); extending a complementary strand from the probe utilizing the nucleic acid sample as a template; dissociating and removing the nucleic acid sample from the extended probe; extending a complementary strand using the extended probe as a template and a primer having a sequence identical to the anchor sequence; and detecting pyrophosphoric acid generated via the primer extension, based on bioluminescence.

Abstract: A method for the diagnosis and identification of new or residual lung cancer is disclosed which uses newly identified markers for lung cancer including syndecan 1, collagen 1 alpha 2, and two novel proteins, 7013 and 7018. The method involves identification of the lung cancer markers is blood from a patient. It is envisioned that at least one marker may be used or any mixture of the four. The method may also include the identification of cytokeratin-19.

Abstract: There are beforehand prepared a monomer having a reaction residue and a polynucleotide probe set comprising plural kinds of polynucleotide probes having a residue bonded to the reaction residue. The monomer is mixed with each kind of polynucleotide probes comprising any plural probes selected from the polynucleotide probe set. Each kind of the resultant mixtures is added to each of different small holes to make the mixture into gel matrix. Thus, a polynucleotide probe chip is produced. Sample DNA is forcibly migrated in the gels by electrophoresis. Laser light is projected onto the side face of the chip. The fluorescence emitted from the whole surface of the chip is collectively detected with a high-sensitive two-dimensional detector. Thus, the polynucleotide probe chip, holding various kinds of DNA probes, for detecting DNA can be provided. This chip has high hybridization-efficiency and makes high-sensitivity and high-speed DNA detection possible.

Abstract: There are beforehand prepared a monomer having a reaction residue and a polynucleotide probe set comprising plural kinds of polynucleotide probes having a residue bonded to the reaction residue. The monomer is mixed with each kind of polynucleotide probes comprising any plural probes selected from the polynucleotide probe set. Each kind of the resultant mixtures is added to each of different small holes to make the mixture into gel matrix. Thus, a polynucleotide probe chip is produced. Sample DNA is forcibly migrated in the gels by electrophoresis. Laser light is projected onto the side face of the chip. The fluorescence emitted from the whole surface of the chip is collectively detected with a high-sensitive two-dimensional detector. Thus, the polynucleotide probe chip, holding various kinds of DNA probes, for detecting DNA can be provided. This chip has high hybridization-efficiency and makes high-sensitivity and high-speed DNA detection possible.

Abstract: The present invention provides a DNA sequencing method comprising: (1) a step of fragmentation of a sample DNA and amplifying each fragment to obtain a first DNA fragment; (2) a step of obtaining from the first DNA fragment a second DNA fragment substantially complementary to the sample DNA at least at the 3' terminus thereof; and (3) a step of performing an extension reaction of complementary strand, using the sample DNA as a template to produce a third DNA fragment containing a base sequence complementary to the second DNA fragment and having a size longer than that of the second DNA fragment, and using the third DNA fragment as a template for sequencing of the sample DNA. DNA sequencing can be proceeded efficiently with extremely low redundancy.