Abstract: An image forming apparatus (1) includes a front covering (2) and a locking mechanism (2). The front covering (2) is opened and closed in attachment or detachment of a toner container (15). The locking mechanism (3) locks the front covering (2). The term “lock” refers to the front covering (2) being kept closed with no external force acting on the front covering (2). The toner container (15) includes a protrusion (151). Only when the protrusion is located at a specific position of the toner container (15), the locking mechanism (3) operates according to opening or closing of the front covering (2).

Abstract: Various methods and systems are provided for a flexible, lightweight, low-cost radio frequency (RF) coil array of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. In one example, a posterior RF coil assembly for a MRI system includes an RF coil array including a plurality of RF coils and a deformable material housing the plurality of RF coils, each RF coil comprising a loop portion of distributed capacitance wire conductors and a coupling electronics unit coupled to each of the plurality of RF coils.

Abstract: An exposure head configured to expose a photosensitive drum to light includes a circuit board on which a plating layer is formed, a semiconductor chip, which is provided on the plating layer, and includes a light emitting element configured to emit the light for exposing the photosensitive drum, a lens array configured to condense the light emitted from the light emitting element onto the photosensitive drum, and a housing to which the lens array and the circuit board are fixed, wherein the plating layer and a part of the housing abut against each other in an optical axis direction of the lens array, and wherein the light emitting element and the lens array are opposed to each other in the optical axis direction.

Abstract: A combined dataset can be formed from partial datasets acquired at different positions of a patient support with a magnetic resonance device. The partial datasets can be of an anatomical region of a patient delimited perpendicularly to a longitudinal direction within an acquisition region. In a method for correcting the combined dataset formed from the partial datasets, for slices of a slice stack in the longitudinal direction of the combined dataset, information describing geometry of the anatomical region and/or an anatomical feature of the anatomical region is determined. For at least one slice group including adjacent slices, the geometry information is compared to detect one or more discontinuities. For at least one discontinuity of the one or more discontinuities satisfying a correction criterion, the combined dataset is corrected as a function of the geometry information to eliminate or reduce the at least one discontinuity.

Abstract: Various methods and systems are provided for a flexible, lightweight, low-cost radio frequency (RF) coil array of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. In one example, a RF coil array for a MRI system includes a plurality of RF coils, each RF coil comprising an integrated capacitor coil loop; a plurality of coupling electronics units each coupled to a respective coil loop; and a plurality of wires coupling each coupling electronics unit to an interface board configured to couple to a cable of the MRI system. The RF coil array is a high density (referring to the number of coil elements) anterior array (HDAA) or a high definition (referring to image resolution) anterior array.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotating belt in a main body. A roller is supported by a support shaft that moves the roller into contact with the rotating belt and away from the rotating belt. A pressing part in the main body is configured to press the support shaft so that the roller presses against the rotating belt. A lever is provided that when moved causes the pressing part to move between a first position, pressing the support shaft, and a second position, away from the support shaft. A openable and closable cover covers the main body and rotates about a first axis. An engagement part is fixed to the cover and moves with rotation of the cover. The engagement part engages the lever when the cover is closed and releases the lever when the cover is opened.

Abstract: A target value for a gap between a developer bearing member supported by a developing frame member and a regulating blade that is fixed to the developing frame member is determined based on input information about a local maximum peak value of magnetic flux density of a predetermined magnetic pole which is located closest to the regulating blade when the regulating blade is fixed to the developing frame member among a plurality of magnetic poles included in a magnet fixedly located inside the developer bearing member and configured to generate a magnetic field for causing a developer to be borne by the developer bearing member.

Abstract: An apparatus and method create or modify a magnetic field in a region of interest and utilize a plurality of electropermanent magnets configured to perform both the action of establishing a quasi-static magnetic field, and the action of imposing transient magnetic non-uniformity.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable photosensitive drum together with first and second chips which include plural light emission elements arranged along a rotational axis of the photosensitive drum so as to expose the photosensitive drum to light emitted therefrom for each of one line extending along the rotational axis. Parts of the first and second chips overlap in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis. A controller controls actuation of said light emitting elements on the basis of image data, wherein for the overlapped parts, the light emission pattern is controlled to be different for every predetermined number of the lines.

Abstract: A hybrid imaging apparatus includes a magnetic resonance imaging (MM) arrangement having an RF resonator structure (1) and a gradient coil system (8) having a longitudinal axis, an emission tomography (ET) arrangement with a detector device having at least one photosensor (3) and one circuit board arrangement with at least one readout circuit board (11) on which an ET electronics is arranged, and an internal shielding device (7) shielding the readout electronics (4) of the ET arrangement and shielding the RF resonator structure of the MRI arrangement. The photosensor is arranged, in relation to the longitudinal axis, radially inside the sensor circuit boards and radially outside the RF resonator structure. The internal shielding device is arranged radially outside the photosensor and/or integrated into the photosensor. This achieves both a compact design and optimized performance of the detection of the MR and ET imaging.

Abstract: Methods and systems for determining location of hydrocarbon in unconventional plays are provided. The methods provide at least two steps of measuring formation samples as received, as dried and/or as saturated using high resolution NMR, and subsequent processing of the NMR data to determine one of several formation properties or components where the formation property or the component can be used to locate an oil or gas reservoir, complete a well, and/or increase production efficiency. Also, the present methods provide a series of sequential and ordered combination of steps related to the financial evaluation of number of barrels of oil or cubic feet of gas which can be produced at a location.

Abstract: Systems and methods for accelerated diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging using a tilted reconstruction kernel to synthesize unsampled k-space data in phase encoded and point spread function (“PSF”) encoded k-space data are provided. Images reconstructed from the data have reduced B0-related distortions and reduced T2* blurring. In general, data are acquired with systematically optimized undersampling of the PSF and phase encoding subspace. Parallel imaging reconstruction is implemented with a B0 inhomogeneity informed approach to achieve greater than twenty-fold acceleration of the PSF encoding dimension. A tilted reconstruction kernel is used to exploit the correlations in the phase encoding-PSF encoding subspace. Self-navigated phase corrections are computed from the acquired data and used to synthesize the unsampled k-space data.

Abstract: A developing roller that enables the image density of electrophotographic images to be kept uniform even when used in an environment at a high temperature and a high humidity for a long period. The developing roller includes an electro-conductive mandrel and an electro-conductive layer on the mandrel, having an outer surface constituted by at least a first region which is electrically insulating, and a second region, the second region having higher electro-conductivity than that of the first region, the first region being arranged adjacent to the second region, the first region being disposed on an outer surface of the electro-conductive layer, the first region having a Vickers hardness of 10.0 or more as measured at an outer surface thereof, and the first region having a fracture toughness value of 800 Pa·m0.5 or more as measured at the outer surface thereof by an indentation fracture method.

Abstract: Methods, devices, and systems for tracking lateral motion of a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tool are disclosed. In some embodiments, a phase shift for one or more spin-echo signals received by the NMR tool is detected during a velocity measurement sequence that corresponds to at least one formation measurement sequence. A lateral velocity of the NMR tool is determined based, at least in part, on the detected phase shift.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for reducing noise in RF signal chain circuitry for a low-field magnetic resonance imaging system are provided. A switching circuit in the RF signal chain circuitry may include at least one field effect transistor (FET) configured to operate as an RF switch at an operating frequency of less than 10 MHz. A decoupling circuit may include tuning circuitry coupled across inputs of an amplifier and active feedback circuitry coupled between an output of the amplifier and an input of the amplifier, wherein the active feedback circuitry includes a feedback capacitor configured to reduce a quality factor of an RF coil coupled to the amplifier.

Abstract: A method for determining a signal representation of a subject in MRI is provided. The method may include acquiring a plurality of signals of the subject. The plurality of signals may be generated using an MRI device, and each of the plurality of signals may correspond to a set of values in a plurality of signal dimensions of signal acquisition using the MRI device. The method may include determining, among the plurality of signal dimensions, a primary signal dimension and at least one secondary signal dimension, the primary signal dimension being associated with the signal representation. The method may also include determining the signal representation of the subject based on the primary signal dimension, the at least one secondary signal dimension, and the plurality of signals.

Abstract: A remanufacturing method of a developing device is provided. The developing device includes a frame configured to store developer, a developer carrying member configured to carry the developer, a regulating member including a regulating portion configured to regulate the developer carried on the developer carrying member, and a storage member configured to store the developer, the storage member being mounted on the regulating member. A storage portion configured to store the developer and a first opening communicating with the storage portion are formed between the storage member and the regulating member, the first opening is opposed to an exposed portion of the developer carrying member, and the exposed portion is exposed to an outside of the frame. The remanufacturing method includes forming a communicating hole communicating with the storage portion, and removing the developer from the storage portion.

Abstract: A method and apparatuses are provided to perform chemical species separation in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (MRI). At least three MR images corresponding respectively to different echo times are obtained and represent signals from multiple chemical species including a first species and a second species in a tissue. A plurality of dual-echo pairs is selected from the at least three MR images. For each pair, a set of dual-echo separated images including a B0 field map, a first image for the first species, and a second image for the second species is estimated. An initial set of combined images including at least one of: an initial combined B0 field map, first, and second image is generated by combining at least one of: two or more of the B0 field maps, two or more of the first images, and two or more of the second images.

Abstract: A birdcage coil for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system is provided. The birdcage coil includes: (a) a pair of conductive end rings, each having a generally domed shape in axial cross section; (b) a plurality of conductive, elongated rungs extending between the pair of conductive end rings in an axial direction; and (c) an LC delay circuit incorporated into the pair of rings and the plurality of elongated rungs, where the LC delay circuit includes a plurality of capacitive elements and a plurality of inductive elements. In the present invention circumferential spacing between adjacent elongated rungs is varied to improve homogeneity of the volume excitation. Alternatively, or in addition, LC circuit capacitance and/or inductance values are varied to improve homogeneity of the volume excitation.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to birdcage coils with in-plane open RF shielding capable of operating at 7T and higher field strength. One example embodiment comprises a first birdcage circuit and second birdcage circuit, each comprising two rings, N rungs that electrically connect the two rings of that circuit, a plurality of capacitors in the first birdcage circuit to form a first birdcage coil, and an optional plurality of capacitors in the second birdcage circuit to form a second birdcage coil when included or a non-resonant RF shield when omitted, wherein the first birdcage circuit is electrically isolated from the second birdcage circuit, wherein the first birdcage circuit and the second birdcage circuit have a common cylindrical axis, and wherein the N rungs of the second birdcage circuit are azimuthally rotated through a first angle relative to the N rungs of the first birdcage circuit.