Abstract: A polylactic acid resin composition includes a polylactic acid resin in an amount of 99% by mass or more. A complex viscosity ?*(20) of the polylactic acid resin composition is 2×103 Pa·s or higher. A ratio of the complex viscosity ?*(20) to a complex viscosity ?*(5), which is represented by [?*(20)/?*(5)], is 0.6 or higher. The complex viscosity ?*(5) and the complex viscosity ?*(20) are complex viscosities respectively measured 5 minutes and 20 minutes after the start of measurement using a parallel plate-type rotary viscometer under measurement conditions below: [Measurement Conditions] Parallel plates: 20 mm in diameter, made of aluminum; Temperature: 200° C.; Gap between the parallel plates: 1.00 mm; Frequency: 1 Hz (6.28 rad/s); Atmosphere: under dry air (dew point: ?60° C.); and Size of measurement sample: a strip that is 30 ?m thick, 7 mm wide, and 35 mm long.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member, a developing member, a transfer member, and a brush contacting a surface of the image bearing member in a contact portion downstream of a transfer portion and upstream of a developing portion with respect to a rotational direction of the image bearing member. The toner which is not transferred onto a toner image receiving member is collected by the developing member. In a charging series, the toner is positioned on the same side as a normal charge polarity of the toner relative to the brush. In the contact portion, a maximum value of a contact pressure of 0.7 gf/mm2 or more and 3.5 gf/mm2 or less, a maximum contact area ratio is 18% or more and 74% or less, and a Clark-Evans index of the brush is 1 or more.

Abstract: The electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a surface layer containing a binder resin, electroconductive particles, and insulating particles, wherein when a volume resistivity of the insulating particles is represented by R1 [?·cm], a volume resistivity of the electroconductive particles is represented by R2 [?·cm], a ratio of an area of the insulating particles that are exposed to a total area of the surface layer is represented by S1 [%], a ratio of an area of the electroconductive particles that are exposed to the total area of the surface layer is represented by S2 [%], an average exposed height of the insulating particles exposed to a surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member is represented by L1 [nm], and an average exposed height of the electroconductive particles exposed to the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member is represented by L2 [nm], those parameters satisfy specific relational formulae.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member, a developing member, a transfer member, and a brush contacting a surface of the image bearing member in a contact portion downstream of a transfer portion and upstream of a developing portion with respect to a rotational direction of the image bearing member. The toner which is not transferred onto a toner image receiving member is collected by the developing member. In a charging series, the toner is positioned on the same side as a normal charge polarity of the toner relative to the brush. In the contact portion, a maximum value of a contact pressure of 0.7 gf/mm2 or more and 3.5 gf/mm2 or less, a maximum contact area ratio is 18% or more and 74% or less, and a Clark-Evans index of the brush is 1 or more.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photosensitive member including a surface layer containing a binder resin and metal oxide particles. An average primary particle diameter of the metal oxide particles measured from a cross-section of the surface layer is 20 to 70 nm. A content ratio of the metal oxide particles in the surface layer measured from the cross-section of the surface layer is 30 to 75 vol % with respect to a total volume of the surface layer.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photosensitive member including a support, an intermediate layer, and a photosensitive layer in this order, wherein the intermediate layer comprises a tungsten oxide particle, and the tungsten oxide particle contains a tungsten atom, an oxygen atom, and a cesium atom.

Abstract: A data creation system creates, based on first image data, second image data for use as learning data to generate a learned model about an object. The data creation system includes a deformer, a remover, a feature acquirer, and a feature assigner. The deformer generates, based on the first image data including a pixel region representing the object, the second image data by causing deformation about the object to the first image data. The remover removes a linear first feature present in the first image data. The feature acquirer acquires a second feature. The feature assigner assigns the second feature to the second image data.

Abstract: A data creation system creates, based on first image data, second image data for use as learning data to generate a learned model. The data creation system includes an acquirer and a superimposer. The acquirer acquires feature image data indicating respective pixel values of a plurality of pixels included in a feature region. The superimposer creates the second image data by superimposing a magnitude of shift on respective pixel values of a plurality of pixels included in a predetermined region of a first image represented by the first image data. The predetermined region has an outer peripheral shape corresponding to the feature region. The magnitude of shift is determined based on the respective pixel values of the plurality of pixels included in the feature region.

Abstract: A data creation system creates, based on first image data, second image data for use as learning data. A processor of the data creation system generates, based on the first image data including a first region as a pixel region representing the object and a second region adjacent to the first region, the second image data by causing deformation about height of the first region with respect to a reference plane. The processor generates the second image data such that the closer to a reference point within the first region a point of interest is, the greater a variation in the height of the first region with respect to the reference plane is and the closer to a boundary between the first region and the second region the point of interest is, the smaller the variation in the height of the first region with respect to the reference plane is.

Abstract: A data creation system creates, based on first image data, second image data for use as learning data to generate a learned model about an object. The data creation system includes a deformer that generates, based on the first image data including a pixel region representing the object, the second image data by deforming a shape of the object. The deformer generates the second image data to maintain a predetermined feature of the first image data before and after the shape of the object is deformed.

Abstract: A developer used in a developing apparatus equipped with a metal blade includes a toner base particle and external additives, the external additives including a silica particle with a particle diameter of 5 nm or more and 25 nm or less and an inorganic spacer particle with a particle diameter of 50 nm or more and 150 nm or less, and an area occupancy of the silica particle on a surface of the toner base particle is 40% or more.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus, wherein, in a non-image-forming operation, a control unit executes the following control processing: i) not discharging electric charge between the charging member and the image bearing member and applying a first voltage having a first polarity with respect to a potential on the image bearing member to the charging member; ii) after performing the processing of i), applying a second voltage having a polarity opposite to the first polarity with respect to the potential; and iii) after performing the processing of ii), controlling a third voltage having a second polarity with respect to the potential to be applied to the charging member and controlling a fourth voltage having a polarity opposite to the second polarity with respect to the potential to be applied to the charging member, and controlling electric charge to be discharged between the charging member and the image bearing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member, a developing member, a transfer member, and a brush contacting a surface of the image bearing member in a contact portion downstream of a transfer portion and upstream of a developing portion with respect to a rotational direction of the image bearing member. The toner which is not transferred onto a toner image receiving member is collected by the developing member. In a charging series, the toner is positioned on the same side as a normal charge polarity of the toner relative to the brush. In the contact portion, a maximum value of a contact pressure of 0.7 gf/mm2 or more and 3.5 gf/mm2 or less, a maximum contact area ratio is 18% or more and 74% or less, and a Clark-Evans index of the brush is 1 or more.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a technique which makes it possible to evaluate a state of a cell aggregation of one or more spheroids. In the culture state determination device according to the present disclosure, a plurality of light sources sequentially illuminate a plurality of cell aggregations put on an image sensor. The image sensor acquires captured images of the plurality of the cell aggregations each time when the plurality of the light sources illuminate the plurality of the cell aggregations.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a developing member that supplies a developer of a regular polarity, a developer supply member that supplies developer to the developing member, and a control unit that applies a first voltage to the developing member and a second voltage to the developer supply member. The control unit executes an image forming operation, and a rotational operation in which the developer supply member rotates in a state in which the first voltage of a regular polarity is applied thereto. The rotational operation includes a first rotational operation in which a potential difference is a first potential difference and a second rotational operation in which the developing member and the developer supply member rotate in a state in which the second voltage having the same polarity as the regular polarity and having a greater absolute value is applied.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member about a rotational axis extending in the axial direction, a charging member, an accommodating portion accommodating toner charged to a predetermined polarity; a developing member, a transfer portion, a static eliminating portion, and a collecting member. In the axial direction, when A is a eliminating width with which the eliminating portion discharges the surface of the image bearing member, B is an effective charging width with which the charging member charges the surface, and C is a collection contacting width with which the collecting member contacts the surface, the formula A < B < C is satisfied. In the axial direction, a surface potential of the surface in an area outside the effective charging width, inside the collection contacting width and in contact with the collecting member is a first potential larger than 0 V in the same polarity direction as the predetermined polarity.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus, including: an image bearing member; an exposure unit; a developing member which is rotatable at a rotation speed different from the image bearing member; a developer supply member; a developing voltage-applying unit; a supply voltage-applying unit; and a control unit. The control unit controls execution of: an image forming operation in which a developer image is formed by supplying developer on the image bearing member; and a cleaning operation which removes a substance adhered to the image bearing member using the developing member. In the cleaning operation, the control unit controls the developing voltage-applying unit or the supply voltage-applying unit so that the cleaning force using the developing member becomes stronger than that in the image forming operation.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member, a charging member, a developing member, a transfer member, an exposure unit, and a controller. The controller executes a preparatory operation in which before an image forming operation, rotation of the image bearing member is started and a charging voltage and a developing voltage are increased stepwise. In the preparatory operation, the controller carries out control so as to start application of the charging voltage at a voltage value not less than a discharge start voltage of the charging member before a surface region of the image bearing member positioned in a developing portion at a time of a start of the rotation of the image bearing member reaches a charging portion in a state which a surface of the image bearing member is exposed to light by the exposure unit.

Abstract: Provided is an electrophotographic photosensitive member including an electroconductive support, a photosensitive layer, and a protection layer, wherein the protection layer comprises an electroconductive particle, the electroconductive particle has a surface comprising a metal oxide containing a titanium atom and a niobium atom, an atomic concentration ratio of the niobium atom to the titanium atom in the metal oxide is 0.01 to 0.20, the electroconductive particle is surface-treated with a compound having a silicon atom, a content ratio of the electroconductive particle in the protection layer is 5 vol % or more and less than 40 vol % with respect to a total volume of the protection layer, and relative concentrations of a plurality of atoms at a surface of the protection layer, which are determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, satisfy specific conditions.

Abstract: Provided is an evaluation method for learning data that facilitates generation of learning data that can contribute to the improvement of the recognition rate of a model. An evaluation method for learning data includes a first evaluation step and a second evaluation step. The first evaluation step is a step of evaluating the performance of learned model machine-learned by using learning data generated by the data extension processing. The second evaluation step is a step of evaluating a parameter on the basis of the evaluation obtained in the first evaluation step and the possible range of the parameter of the data extension processing.