Abstract: The present invention provides a composition obtained by organic solvent extraction of defatted plant seed which is an atherosclerosis preventative agent. The present invention further provides a food and a pharmaceutical composition containing the composition, as well as a method of preventing an atherosclerotic disease.

Abstract: Plant seed extract compositions obtained by washing a defatted plant seed with water, and extracting the resulting washed seed product with an organic solvent and safflower seed extract compositions wherein the weight ratio of the total content of (a) p-coumaroylserotonin, feruloylserotonin, p-coumaroylserotonin glycoside, and feruloylserotonin glycoside to (b) 2-hydroxyarctiin is 1:0.01 to 0.2, are effective for reducing the risk of developing atherosclerosis and diseases caused by atherosclerosis and also exhibit a reduced tendency to cause diarrhea.

Abstract: When superimposing toner images of a plurality of colors on an image supporting member to form a color image, a free phase ion in a precedent image is removed without distorting the toner image precedently formed on the image supporting member, thereby improving reproducibility of image dots of the toner images having second and subsequent colors to obtain a high-definition color image with high contrast.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention having a transferring particle layer forming equipment which forms a transferring particle layer prior to forming a toner layer on a surface of an image recording member, whose coagulation force among the transferring particles in the transferring particle layer is smaller than adhesive force of the transferring particle layer to the image recording member, a development equipment which forms a toner layer on a surface of the image recording member according to image information with a liquid developer in a manner that a part of the toner layer is superimposed on the transferring particle layer and a transfer equipment which transfer the toner layer to a transfer medium together with a part of the transferring particle layer. As a result, high transfer efficiency can be obtained, and an image forming apparatus which realizes high image quality is provided.

Abstract: A multilayer chip varistor comprises a multilayer body and a pair of external electrodes formed on the multilayer body. The multilayer body has a varistor section and a pair of outer layer sections disposed so as to interpose said varistor section. The varistor section comprises a varistor layer developing a voltage nonlinear characteristic and a pair of internal electrodes disposed so as to interpose the varistor layer. The pair of external electrodes are connected to respective electrodes of the pair of internal electrodes. The relative dielectric constant of the outer layer sections is set lower than the relative dielectric constant of the region where the pair of internal electrodes in the varistor layer overlap each other.

Abstract: When image processing is performed, the present invention increases the speed of processing for an individual scanning line constituting an image, and improves the throughput while suppressing the required memory area. The present invention is an image processor for performing image processing in parallel using a plurality of processors, wherein when an individual scanning line is divided into a plurality of partial areas, at least one of the plurality of processors is allocated to each of the partial areas for at lest one scanning line constituting an image, and image processing is performed in parallel. As a memory area for storing the image processing result, the image processor comprises memory areas for the number of scanning lines, which is less than the number of the plurality of processors.

Abstract: The present invention provides a composition obtained by organic solvent extraction of defatted plant seed which is an atherosclerosis preventative agent. The present invention further provides a food and a pharmaceutical composition containing the composition, as well as a method of preventing an atherosclerotic disease.

Abstract: The cost of service provision for data storage is minimized, particularly for temporary storage of data. An information processing device includes: a storage case searching unit that accepts a data storage request from an input interface and searches cases in which data can be stored in a data center having a free capacity of at least the size of the storage data, as indicated in the data storage request and a data center table; a storage cost calculation unit that calculates the storage cost required for each case; a default cost calculation unit that calculates the default cost required for each case; and a case selection unit that calculates the total cost for each case and selects whether the data is stored in the data center or whether a data storage request is made to the data center, according to the case for which the total cost is a minimum.

Abstract: A method for conveniently detecting binding between the von Willebrand factor and glycoprotein Ib and a means to be used therein. The von Willebrand factor fixed in a reactor immobilized in a reaction vessel in the presence of bottrocetin is bound to a chimeric protein constructed by fusing the carboxyl terminal of a partial protein containing the von Willebrand factor-binding site of glycoprotein Ib with the amino terminal of the Fc region of an immunoglobulin molecule. Then the Fc region of the above immunoglobulin molecule is detected to thereby detect the binding between the von Willebrand factor and the glycoprotein Ib or inhibition of this binding.

Abstract: A method for forming an image including carrying an image formed with toner particles on a surface of an image carrier; transferring the image from the surface of an image carrier to a first area of an intermediate transfer medium that includes a first area and second area having an adhesion lower than that of the first area; and transferring the image from the first area to a recording medium fed by a feeding mechanism.

Abstract: A method for conveniently detecting binding between the von Willebrand factor and glycoprotein Ib and a means to be used therein. The von Willebrand factor fixed in a reactor immobilized in a reaction vessel in the presence of bottrocetin is bound to a chimeric protein constructed by fusing the carboxyl terminal of a partial protein containing the von Willebrand factor-binding site of glycoprotein Ib with the amino terminal of the Fc region of an immunoglobulin molecule. Then the Fc region of the above immunoglobulin molecule is detected to thereby detect the binding between the von Willebrand factor and the glycoprotein Ib or inhibition of this binding.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an optical unit which forms an electrostatic latent image on a surface of a photosensitive body, a developing device which supplies a liquid developer on the electrostatic latent image formed by the optical unit, and develops the electrostatic latent image into a develop image, a condensing device which condenses the developer image, and a transfer device which transfers the developer image condensed by the condensing device to a recording medium, while applying a shearing stress to the developer image.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention has an image carrier carrying an image formed with toner particles, a feeding mechanism feeding a recording medium, and an intermediate transfer medium having a first area to which the image on the surface of the image carrier is transferred and a second area having adhesion lower than that of the first area. The intermediate transfer medium transfers the image transferred to the first area to the recording medium fed by the feeding mechanism.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention has an image carrier carrying an image formed with toner particles, a feeding mechanism feeding a recording medium, and an intermediate transfer medium having a first area to which the image on the surface of the image carrier is transferred and a second area having adhesion lower than that of the first area. The intermediate transfer medium transfers the image transferred to the first area to the recording medium fed by the feeding mechanism.

Abstract: A game apparatus displays a world map, determines an arbitrary location within the displayed world map according to externally input operating information, obtains a terrain data set beforehand for the position determined within the world map and correlates a field map with the position determined within the world map. The game apparatus also obtains character data correlated with the field map that has been correlated with the position determined within the world map, and corrects the obtained character data based on the obtained terrain data. Thus, the field map and the enemy characters appearing in the field map are changed according to how the player plays the game.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention having a transferring particle layer forming equipment which forms a transferring particle layer prior to forming a toner layer on a surface of an image recording member, whose coagulation force among the transferring particles in the transferring particle layer is smaller than adhesive force of the transferring particle layer to the image recording member, a development equipment which forms a toner layer on a surface of the image recording member according to image information with a liquid developer in a manner that a part of the toner layer is superimposed on the transferring particle layer and a transfer equipment which transfer the toner layer to a transfer medium together with a part of the transferring particle layer. As a result, high transfer efficiency can be obtained, and an image forming apparatus which realizes high image quality is provided.

Abstract: A game system provides multiple classifications of character characteristic and is capable of advancing a game by assigning the desired characteristic to a character from multiple characteristics. Two jobs, that is, a main job and a support job are selectable for a character and a fixed pattern of table configuration data is provided as characteristic value information according to the job. In addition, the table configuration data corresponding to the classification of the job is extracted and applied to a growth table for each job, and ability values of the main job and support job are weighted differently so as to achieve character characteristic having two job abilities together. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively increase the job types to be assigned to the character and to create an interesting game, while reducing necessary memory capacity.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention has an image carrier carrying an image formed with toner particles, a feeding mechanism feeding a recording medium, and an intermediate transfer medium having a first area to which the image on the surface of the image carrier is transferred and a second area having adhesion lower than that of the first area. The intermediate transfer medium transfers the image transferred to the first area to the recording medium fed by the feeding mechanism.

Abstract: Method of a liquid process type electrophotographic apparatus forming a multicolor visible image on a surface of a photosensitive drum, which prevents the visible image after the second color from being disturbed. After a visible image of the first color has been formed with a development unit on a surface of a photosensitive drum, a part of liquid carrier existing on the surface of the photosensitive drum is removed by using a squeeze roller and an air blower. When an electrostatic latent image is formed with a charger 1 and an exposing unit on the photosensitive drum where the visible image of the first color has been formed, disturbance of the electrostatic latent image caused by a large amount of liquid carrier or lack of liquid carrier can be reduced by reserving a predetermined very small amount of liquid carrier, and disturbance of a visible image of the second color to be developed by a development unit can be reduced.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises an optical unit which forms an electrostatic latent image on a surface of a photosensitive body, a developing device which supplies a liquid developer on the electrostatic latent image formed by the optical unit, and develops the electrostatic latent image into a developer image, a condensing device which condenses the developer image, and a transfer device which transfers the developer image condensed by the condensing device to a recording medium, while applying a shearing stress to the developer image.