Abstract: A method is provided for evaluating the suitability of a duodenal fluid sample collected from an animal as a sample for detecting pancreatic fluid-derived components. The method includes: (a) mixing a duodenal fluid sample with a chymotrypsin-specific substrate and measuring an amount of degradation the chymotrypsin-specific substrate by of the duodenal fluid sample, (b) mixing the duodenal fluid sample with a pepsin-specific substrate and measuring an amount of degradation of the pepsin-specific substrate by the duodenal fluid sample, and (c) evaluating that the duodenal fluid sample is suitable as a sample for detecting pancreatic fluid-derived components if the amount of degradation of the chymotrypsin-specific substrate by the duodenal fluid sample is higher than a prescribed threshold value and the amount of degradation of the pepsin-specific substrate by the duodenal fluid sample is lower than a prescribed threshold value, as being suitable as a sample for detecting pancreatic fluid-derived components.

Abstract: A method is provided for evaluating the suitability of a duodenal fluid sample collected from an animal as a sample for detecting pancreatic fluid-derived components. The method comprises: (a) mixing a duodenal fluid sample with a chymotrypsin-specific substrate and measuring an amount of degradation the chymotrypsin-specific substrate by of the duodenal fluid sample, (b) mixing the duodenal fluid sample with a pepsin-specific substrate and measuring an amount of degradation of the pepsin-specific substrate by the duodenal fluid sample, and (c) evaluating that the duodenal fluid sample is suitable as a sample for detecting pancreatic fluid-derived components if the amount of degradation of the chymotrypsin-specific substrate by the duodenal fluid sample is higher than a prescribed threshold value and the amount of degradation of the pepsin-specific substrate by the duodenal fluid sample is lower than a prescribed threshold value, as being suitable as a sample for detecting pancreatic fluid-derived components.

Abstract: A method of recovering a nucleic acid derived from a mammalian cell taken from feces is provided. The nucleic acid is recovered easily even from feces collected in routine health checkups or the like. The nucleic acid of mammalian cell can be recovered more selectively than that from an enterobacterial cell. The method of recovering of the present invention includes the steps of, (A) preparing a fecal sample by placing the feces in a treatment solution with a high salt concentration, immersing the feces in the treatment solution for a predetermined period; (B) recovering a solid component from the fecal sample after the step (A); and (C) recovering a nucleic acid from the solid component recovered in the step (B).

Abstract: An image forming device includes a developer container sectioned into a plurality of chambers, an image forming unit which forms an image by using a developer supplied from the developer container, sensors which are respectively provided in at least two of the chambers of the developer container and detect the remaining amount of the developer in the chambers, and a determining unit which determines a status of the developer in the developer container in accordance with the remaining amount of the developer detected by the sensors.

Abstract: An image forming device includes a casing including a cover capable of being opened and closed, a process unit which is arranged inside the casing and executes a printing process on a printing medium, an image forming unit which is arranged inside the casing and forms an electrostatic latent image on the process unit, and a sensing unit which senses an installation state of the process unit. When the cover is closed, and when the process unit is installed and the sensing unit is activated, power is supplied to the image forming unit.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image forming device and an image forming method using an LED print head. A number of black pixels is counted for a prescribed unit within input image data, and a number of black isolated points is counted for the prescribed unit within the input image data. In accordance with the counted number of the black pixels and the counted number of the black isolated points, strobe signals having different time widths are generated for a corresponding unit of the LED print head.

Abstract: An image forming device includes a developer container sectioned into a plurality of chambers, an image forming unit which forms an image by using a developer supplied from the developer container, sensors which are respectively provided in at least two of the chambers of the developer container and detect the remaining amount of the developer in the chambers, and a determining unit which determines a status of the developer in the developer container in accordance with the remaining amount of the developer detected by the sensors.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus including a process unit inserted in and removed from the image forming apparatus. The process unit includes a first memory having an identification code and a count value stores therein. The image forming apparatus also includes a memory access unit that accesses the first memory and reads the identification code and the count value and a second memory that stores an identification code and a count value of the image forming apparatus. A control unit limits an image forming operation if the identification code stored in the first memory matches the identification code stored in the second memory and the count value stored in the first memory has a predetermined relation with the count value of the second memory.

Abstract: An image processing device includes an isolated point detecting unit that detects isolated points from image data, an isolated point counting unit that counts the isolated points detected by the isolated point detecting unit, and an isolated point eliminating unit that eliminates the isolated points from the image data. When the number of the isolated points counted by the counting unit reaches a threshold value or less, the isolated points are eliminated from the image data by the isolated point eliminating unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image data transfer unit that transfers image data having a predetermined number of pixels to a print head. A clock signal transfer unit transfers a clock signal in synchronization with the number of pixels of the image data, the clock signal having the same number of pulses as the number of pixels of the image data. A transfer control unit that modifies a transfer time of the image data compared with a clock signal transfer time according to a margin to be formed.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus including a process unit inserted in and removed from the image forming apparatus. The process unit includes a first memory having an identification code and a count value stores therein. The image forming apparatus also includes a memory access unit that accesses the first memory and reads the identification code and the count value and a second memory that stores an identification code and a count value of the image forming apparatus. A control unit limits an image forming operation if the identification code stored in the first memory matches the identification code stored in the second memory and the count value stored in the first memory has a predetermined relation with the count value of the second memory.

Abstract: An image processing method and an image processing machine that can suppress emergence of vertical streaks in a resulting image with a simple system when reducing or enlarging a pseudo gray-scale image. A counter which counts a reference clock necessary to interpolate or thin out inputted pixel data in every line is not reset at every line. Accordingly, each line has its own bit numeral numbers for the pixels requiring interpolation. The interpolated pixel data are positioned randomly in the resulting image, so that the emergence of vertical streaks is prevented.

Abstract: In a coal-water slurry producing system, low grade coal is wet-ground to not greater than 3 mm in particle size to produce a ground coal slurry. An upgrading treatment is applied to the ground coal slurry under a pressurized hydrothermal atmosphere not less than 300.degree. C. to produce an upgraded coal slurry. The upgraded coal slurry is subjected to a dehydration treatment to produce an upgraded coal cake and a filtrate. A final coal-water slurry is produced from the upgraded coal cake. The filtrate is recycled for producing the ground coal slurry. A slurry transfer mechanism is provided in the coal-water slurry producing system for ensuring a stable transfer of the upgraded coal slurry from a high-pressure slurry vessel to a low-pressure slurry vessel.