Abstract: A particulate material production apparatus is disclosed. The particulate material production apparatus includes a droplet ejector to eject droplets of a particulate material composition liquid or a melted particulate material composition in a droplet ejection direction from nozzles; a solidifying device to solidify the droplets; a first airflow forming device to form a first airflow to feed the ejected droplets to the solidifying device with the first airflow; and a second airflow forming device to form a second airflow to apply the second airflow the droplets before the droplets are fed by the first airflow. The second airflow forming device forms the second airflow by supplying a pressed gas from a slit, and the traveling direction of the first airflow is substantially perpendicular to the droplet ejection direction.

Abstract: A toner, wherein the toner satisfies a ratio XPS (%)/CIC (ppm) of 1.40×10?2 or less, where CIC (ppm) denotes a fluorine content ratio (ppm) determined by combustion ion chromatography and XPS (%) denotes a fluorine content ratio (%) determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis.

Abstract: A toner, including: base particles containing a polyester resin, a colorant, and a release agent, wherein the toner has a glass transition temperature (Tg1st) of 20° C. to 50° C. where the glass transition temperature (Tg1st) is measured in first heating of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the toner, wherein tetrahydrofuran (THF) insoluble matter of the toner has a glass transition temperature [Tg2nd (THF insoluble matter)] of 30° C. or lower where the glass transition temperature [Tg2nd (THF insoluble to matter)] is measured in second heating of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the THF insoluble matter, and wherein 50% or less of the colorant is present within a region of 1,000 nm from a surface of each of the base particles toward a center thereof.

Abstract: Provided is a toner containing a binder resin. The binder resin contains a crystalline resin. The toner has a maximum endothermic peak temperature (P1) of from 50° C. to 80° C. and a total endothermic amount (Q) of from 35 J/g to 90 J/g at a first temperature elevation of differential scanning calorimetry. A ratio (Qp/Q) of a total endothermic amount (Qp) of the toner in a temperature range of from 20° C. to the maximum endothermic peak temperature (P1) to the total endothermic amount (Q) of the toner is from 0.65 to 0.83.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing fine particles is provided. The apparatus includes a liquid droplet discharge device and a liquid droplet solidification device. The liquid droplet discharge device has multiple nozzles. The liquid droplet discharge device is adapted to discharge a liquid from the multiple nozzles to form the liquid into liquid droplets. The liquid comprises a solvent in which constituents of the fine particles are dissolved or dispersed or a melt of constituents of the fine particles. The liquid droplet solidification device is adapted to solidify the liquid droplets by an airflow. The multiple nozzles are arranged in a manner such that each of the nozzles does not overlap each other relative to a direction of the airflow.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member; a charger; an irradiator; a development device having an accommodation unit to accommodate toner to obtain a visible image; a transfer device; and a fixing device to fix the visible image transferred onto a recording medium. The fixing device having a fixing rotation member; and a pressure rotation member to form a nipping portion by contacting the fixing rotation member, wherein the surface pressure of the nipping portion is 1.5 kgf/cm2 or less, wherein the fixing rotation member has a Martens hardness of 1.0 N/mm2 or less at 23° C., wherein the ratio of the projected area of a single particle of the toner onto the recording medium at 120° C. to the projected area of a single particle of the toner onto the recording medium at 23° C. is 1.60 or less.

Abstract: A carrier for use in a two component developer for developing an electrostatic latent image is provided. The carrier includes a particulate core material; and a cover layer located on a surface of the core material and including a silicone resin and barium sulfate. The cover layer includes Ba and Si at an atomic ratio of from 0.01 to 0.08 as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a method of determining 1,5-anhydroglucitol, including using (a) a protein which consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2; (b) a protein which consists of an amino acid sequence having deletion, substitution and/or addition of one or more amino acid residues in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 and which has sorbose dehydrogenase activity; or (c) a protein which consists of an amino acid sequence having a homology of at least 60% with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 and which has sorbose dehydrogenase activity.

Abstract: The developing method includes developing an electrostatic latent image on an image bearing member with a two-component developer including a toner and a carrier and born on at least one developer bearing member, whose surface moves at a linear speed of from 300 mm/sec to 2,000 mm/sec. The carrier includes a particulate core material; and a cover layer located on a surface of the core material and including a crosslinked material obtained by crosslinking a resin including a first unit having a specific tris(trialkylsiloxy) silyl group and a second unit having a specific alkoxysilyl group having a crosslinking ability. Each of the first unit and the second unit is included in the resin in a molar ratio of from 0.1 to 0.9 based on all the units included in the resin.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member; a charger; an irradiator; a development device having an accommodation unit to accommodate toner to obtain a visible image; a transfer device; and a fixing device to fix the visible image transferred onto a recording medium. The fixing device having a fixing rotation member; and a pressure rotation member to form a nipping portion by contacting the fixing rotation member, wherein the surface pressure of the nipping portion is 1.5 kgf/cm2 or less, wherein the fixing rotation member has a Martens hardness of 1.0 N/mm2 or less at 23° C., wherein the ratio of the projected area of a single particle of the toner onto the recording medium at 120° C. to the projected area of a single particle of the toner onto the recording medium at 23° C. is 1.60 or less.

Abstract: A particulate production apparatus, including a droplet discharger to discharge a liquid including a particulate element which is solidified to become a particulate; and a pressure controller to feed the liquid including a particulate element to the droplet discharger at a pressure within a desired range.

Abstract: A particulate material production method is provided. The particulate material production method includes ejecting a particulate material composition liquid, which includes an organic solvent and a particulate material composition including at least a resin and dissolved or dispersed in the organic solvent, from at least one nozzle to form droplets of the particulate material composition liquid in a gas phase; and solidifying the droplets of the particulate material composition liquid to prepare particles of the particulate material composition. The droplet solidifying step includes contacting the droplets with a poor solvent for the particulate material composition.

Abstract: A toner including toner particles including a binder resin containing at least one polyester resin comprising an inorganic tin (II) compound and an external additive including a particulate inorganic material having a volume average particle diameter greater than 70 nm and less than 300 nm. The binder resin preferably includes a polyester resin having a weight average molecular weight of from 5,000 to 50,000 and another resin having a weight average molecular weight of from 200,000 to 400,000. A developer including the toner; and a developing device, an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge, which form toner images using the toner are also provided.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing a toner, including a liquid droplet-forming unit configured to discharge a toner composition liquid containing at least a resin and a colorant at a uniform discharge speed from a plurality of discharge holes some of which have different shapes from each other to thereby form liquid droplets, and a particle-forming unit configured to solidify the liquid droplets of the toner composition liquid to thereby form particles.

Abstract: The particulate material production method includes vibrating a particulate material composition liquid in a liquid column resonance chamber having at least one nozzle to form a standing wave in the particulate material composition liquid caused by liquid column resonance, so that droplets of the particulate material composition liquid are ejected in a droplet ejection direction from the nozzle so as to fly in a space in a flight direction; feeding a gas in a direction substantially perpendicular to the droplet ejection direction to change the flight direction of the ejected droplets; and solidifying the droplets in the space to produce a particulate material. The particulate material composition liquid includes at least a solvent and a component of the particulate material dissolved or dispersed in the solvent, and the nozzle is located at a location corresponding to an anitnode of the standing wave.

Abstract: The present invention provides a highly functional polyethylene fiber excellent in the cut resistance, has a high dimensional stability at about room temperature at which products are used, has a high shrinkage rate and stress, and excellent in forming processability when processed at a low temperature much less than a melting point of a polyethylene. And the present invention provides a highly functional polyethylene fiber excellent in processability at a low temperature, wherein an intrinsic viscosity [?] is higher than or equal to 0.8 dL/g, and is not higher than 4.9 dL/g, ethylene is substantially contained as a repeating unit, and a thermal stress at 40° C. is lower than or equal to 0.05 cN/dtex, and a thermal stress at 70° C. is higher than or equal to 0.05 cN/dtex, and is not higher than 0.25 cN/dtex. Further the present invention provides strings, ropes, woven/knitted textiles, and gloves thereof.

Abstract: A cleaning method for cleaning a droplet ejector, which includes nozzles to eject a particulate material composition liquid, and a nozzle plate bearing the nozzles is provided. The cleaning method includes forming a substantially closed cleaning space outside the nozzles and the nozzle plate; supplying a cleaning liquid to the cleaning space so that the nozzles and the nozzle plate are contacted with the cleaning liquid; and vibrating the cleaning liquid when the nozzles and the nozzle plate are contacted with the cleaning liquid to clean the nozzles and the nozzle plate.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing toner is provided. The method includes preparing a toner constituents liquid by dissolving or dispersing toner constituents in an organic solvent. The toner constituents includes a binder resin and a charge controlling agent. The charge controlling agent includes a polycondensation product of a phenol with an aldehyde. The method further includes forming a liquid column resonance standing wave in the toner constituents liquid in a chamber having at least one nozzle by vibrating the toner constituents liquid. The method further includes forming the toner constituents liquid into liquid droplets by discharging the toner constituents liquid from the nozzle. The nozzle is disposed within an area including antinodes of the liquid column resonance standing wave. The method further includes removing the organic solvent from the liquid droplets to solidify the liquid droplets.

Abstract: The particulate material production method includes vibrating a particulate material composition liquid in a liquid column resonance chamber having at least one nozzle to form a standing wave in the particulate material composition liquid caused by liquid column resonance, so that droplets of the particulate material composition liquid are ejected in a droplet ejection direction from the nozzle so as to fly in a space in a flight direction; feeding a gas in a direction substantially perpendicular to the droplet ejection direction to change the flight direction of the ejected droplets; and solidifying the droplets in the space to produce a particulate material. The particulate material composition liquid includes at least a solvent and a component of the particulate material dissolved or dispersed in the solvent, and the nozzle is located at a location corresponding to an anitnode of the standing wave.