Abstract: Provided is a method for artificially and efficiently inducing ectopic embryogenesis without fertilization in a seed plant. The present method includes introducing and expressing, in a seed plant, nucleic acid that includes a base sequence that codes a protein having an embryogenesis induction function.

Abstract: A storage unit (14) stores a service procedure constituting business, a service support system used in the service procedure, and a service function constituting the service support system in association with each other, and stores a status determination checklist in which a plurality of conditions for determining whether the service procedure, the service support system, and the service function are normal are represented by a logical combination. A service function determination section (15d) determines whether a service function corresponding to the service support system is functioning normally, by using failure information of a service support system and the status determination checklist. When it is determined that the service function is not functioning normally, a service activity determination section (15e) determines whether a service procedure corresponding to the service function is normally executed, by using the status determination checklist.

Abstract: A resource distribution calculation device (10) decides resources required to recover a project in which a failure occurs. The resource distribution calculation device (10) then calculates the quantity of excess resources for another project in which no failure occurs. The resource distribution calculation device (10) then outputs information regarding excess resources distributable to the project in which the failure occurs based on the calculated excess resources.

Abstract: A storage unit stores a service support system and a service function constituting the service support system in association with each other, and stores a target restoration level at the time of a failure of the service support system, an achievement determination criterion defined using the service function to determine that the target restoration level has been reached, and an implementation item constituting a countermeasure for realizing the target restoration level in association with each other. A determination section determines whether the service support system is functioning normally, by using failure information of the service support system, and when it is determined that the service support system is not functioning normally, a specifying section refers to the storage unit and specifies a target restoration level corresponding to the achievement determination criterion corresponding to a service function concerning the failure information, from the target restoration levels of the business.

Abstract: A storage unit (14) stores a service procedure constituting business, a service support system used in the service procedure, and a service function constituting the service support system in association with each other, and stores a status determination checklist in which a plurality of conditions for determining whether the service procedure, the service support system, and the service function are normal are represented by a logical combination. A service function determination section (15d) determines whether a service function corresponding to the service support system is functioning normally, by using failure information of a service support system and the status determination checklist. When it is determined that the service function is not functioning normally, a service activity determination section (15e) determines whether a service procedure corresponding to the service function is normally executed, by using the status determination checklist.

Abstract: As a means for artificially inducing functional endosperm in a seed plant without fertilization, provided is a nucleic acid molecule that contains a base sequence encoding a polypeptide capable of inducing endosperm development, said nucleic acid molecule being to be transferred into the genome of the seed plant and expressed therein so as to induce endosperm development in the seed plant without fertilization.

Abstract: A deriving unit (15a) derives correspondences between businesses and any one or a plurality of work assist systems, work functions, programs, software, and setting information of the software, a calculation unit (15b) calculates any one or a plurality of importances of the work assist systems, the work functions, the programs, the software, and the setting information of the software using predetermined importances of the businesses, an analyzing unit (15c) analyzes importances based on utilization trends using utilization trends of work assist systems (Ns) in a predetermined period of time and each of the calculated importances, and a computing unit (15d) computes effects on the businesses using failure information of the work assist systems (Ns), the calculated importances and each of the analyzed importances based on the utilization trends.

Abstract: As a means for artificially inducing functional endosperm in a seed plant without fertilization, provided is a nucleic acid molecule that contains a base sequence encoding a polypeptide capable of inducing endosperm development, said nucleic acid molecule being to be transferred into the genome of the seed plant and expressed therein so as to induce endosperm development in the seed plant without fertilization.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image holding body that holds an image to be transferred to a recording material; a developing unit that causes a mixture, in which plural kinds of developers are mixed, to adhere to the image holding body and that forms an image on the image holding body; a transfer unit that transfers an image formed on the image holding body to a recording material; and a change portion that changes a transfer condition that is a condition under which the transfer unit performs transfer so that a ratio of the plural kinds of developers in the image to be transferred to a recording material becomes close to a predetermined ratio.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes image forming units, a transfer unit that transfers a superposed toner image including toner images formed by the image forming units onto a sheet, a fixing unit that fixes the superposed toner image onto the sheet, and a controller that performs control such that a toner image is formed while the amount of toner used per unit area by the second image forming unit when forming a line image is smaller than that when forming a solid image. The image forming units include a first image forming unit that forms a toner image that is transferred onto the transfer unit relatively earlier than the other toner images and a second image forming unit that forms a toner image that is transferred onto the transfer unit relatively later than the other toner images, the first and second image forming units using the same color toner.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit that transfers a toner image to a recording medium; a non-white toner image forming unit that forms a non-white toner image on the transfer unit by using non-white toner having a non-white color that differs from white; a white toner image forming unit that forms a white toner image on the transfer unit by using white toner that is white in color after the non-white toner image is formed on the transfer unit; and a control unit that controls an amount of the white toner used by the white toner image forming unit to form the white toner image so that the amount of the white toner is smaller when the non-white toner image is formed under the white toner image than when no toner image is formed under the white toner image.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit that transfers a toner image to a recording medium; a non-white toner image forming unit that forms a non-white toner image on the transfer unit by using non-white toner having a non-white color that differs from white; a white toner image forming unit that forms a white toner image on the transfer unit by using white toner that is white in color after the non-white toner image is formed on the transfer unit; and a control unit that controls an amount of the white toner used by the white toner image forming unit to form the white toner image so that the amount of the white toner is smaller when the non-white toner image is formed under the white toner image than when no toner image is formed under the white toner image.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes image forming units, a transfer unit that transfers a superposed toner image including toner images formed by the image forming units onto a sheet, a fixing unit that fixes the superposed toner image onto the sheet, and a controller that performs control such that a toner image is formed while the amount of toner used per unit area by the second image forming unit when forming a line image is smaller than that when forming a solid image. The image forming units include a first image forming unit that forms a toner image that is transferred onto the transfer unit relatively earlier than the other toner images and a second image forming unit that forms a toner image that is transferred onto the transfer unit relatively later than the other toner images, the first and second image forming units using the same color toner.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming portion that uses toner containing flat pigment; a second image forming portion that uses toner not containing the flat pigment; and a toner image carrier that carries a first toner image that is formed in the first image forming portion and a second toner image that is formed in the second image forming portion. The image forming apparatus has a mode in which a relationship Am<Ac is satisfied, where Am denotes a number of toner layers of the first toner image that is carried by the toner image carrier, and Ac denotes the number of toner layers of the second toner image that is carried by the toner image carrier.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms, when forming an image with a white toner on a colored recording medium, a base toner layer and a white toner layer in an overlapped manner such that the base toner layer is inserted between the white toner layer and the colored recording medium, and a fixing unit that fixes the base toner layer and the white toner layer that are formed by the image forming unit on the recording medium.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms, when forming an image with a white toner on a colored recording medium, a base toner layer and a white toner layer in an overlapped manner such that the base toner layer is inserted between the white toner layer and the colored recording medium, and a fixing unit that fixes the base toner layer and the white toner layer that are formed by the image forming unit on the recording medium.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a first image forming section that uses a toner containing flat pigment particles; a second image forming section that uses a toner not containing the flat pigment particles; and a fixing section that fixes an image formed on a recording medium to the recording medium using heat. The quantity of heat that the fixing section applies to the image is increased in the case where the image formed on the recording medium using the toner containing the flat pigment particles is to be fixed compared to a case where the image formed on the recording medium using the toner not containing the flat pigment particles is to be fixed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a heating unit, and a fixing unit. The image forming unit uses a toner including a flat pigment. The heating unit heats a recording medium. The fixing unit allows the recording medium to pass therethrough so as to cause an image formed on the recording medium to be fixed onto the recording medium by heat. In the image forming apparatus, the heating unit heats the recording medium on which the image has not been formed, the image forming unit forms the image on the recording medium having been heated, and the fixing unit fixes the image having been formed onto the recording medium.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including a first image portion that uses toner including a flat pigment, a second image portion that uses toner that does not include the flat pigment, a fixing portion that fixes an image formed on a recording medium to the recording medium by heat, and a controller that performs a control that switches the fixing portion to a first state in which an amount of heat similar to an amount of heat applied to the image when an image formed by the toner that does not include the flat pigment is fixed to the recording medium is applied to the image, and a second state in which, compared to when the image formed by the toner that does not include the flat pigment is fixed to the recording medium, the amount of heat applied to the image by the fixing portion is large.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first forming unit that forms a first image by using a toner that contains a pigment other than a flat pigment; a second forming unit that forms a second image by using a toner that contains a flat pigment; a transfer body that transports the first image and the second image transferred thereon and transfers the first image and the second image onto a recording medium; a first transfer member that nips the transfer body in cooperation with the first forming unit with a first load and transfers the first image from the first forming unit onto the transfer body; and a second transfer member that nips the transfer body in cooperation with the second forming unit with a second load, which is larger than the first load, and transfers the second image from the second forming unit onto the transfer body.