Abstract: There is provided a novel method of forming uniform viral particles under physiological conditions. The method of forming uniform-sized viral particle aggregates composed of viral protein is characterized by incubating a viral protein such as SV40 virus VP1 at pH 5.0 to 7.0, room temperature, in the presence of 130 mM to 170 mM sodium chloride and 1.5 mM to 2.5 mM divalent cation, and in the presence of a particle formation acceleration factor such as SV40 VP2. For encapsulation of a substance to be encapsulated in the viral particles, the substance to be encapsulated is included during the incubation.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes: a housing having first and second sidewalls through which respective end portions of a developing roller shaft are rotatably inserted; a developing gear, which is arranged outside of the first sidewall, and which is fixed to the end portion of the developing roller shaft; a transmission gear, which is arranged outside of the first sidewall, and which transmits driving force to the developing gear; a first cover member, which is attached to the first sidewall, and which covers the transmission gear; and a second cover member, which is attached to the first sidewall, and which covers the developing gear from an outer side in the axis line direction. The second cover member is formed separately from the first cover member and is arranged side by side with the first cover member outside of the first sidewall.

Abstract: A developing device including: a first seal member arranged between a housing and a layer thickness regulation blade, and a second seal member arranged between the housing and a developing roller, wherein the first seal member is arranged adjacent to the second seal member in a rotating direction of the developing roller, wherein the second seal member includes a first member contacting a circumferential surface of the developing roller and a second member arranged between the housing and the first member, wherein the second member includes a protruding portion that, in the rotating direction of the developing roller, protrudes more towards the first seal member than the first member, and wherein end portions of the first and second members in the rotating direction of the developing roller are respectively configured to contact with the first seal member.

Abstract: A method for preparing polymer magnetic particles comprising magnetic particles and a coating polymer layer covering the magnetic particles and containing fluorescent molecules, the method includes swelling a coating polymer layer of the polymer magnetic particles in a non-aqueous solvent-containing and absorbing the fluorescent molecules inside the swelled coating polymer layer, adding water to the non-aqueous solvent in which the polymer magnetic particles adsorbing the fluorescent molecules are present, and removing the non-aqueous solvent by evaporation; where the non-aqueous solvent has affinity with water, a lower boiling point, and a higher vapor pressure than those of water, and the fluorescent molecule is selected from rare earth metal chelate complexes.

Abstract: With an aim to provide a novel factor inducing proliferation of neural stem cells and differentiation of these cells into nerve cells, a pharmaceutical composition comprising 1) CRBN, 2) a nucleic acid encoding CRBN, or 3) a stem cell or a neural progenitor cell in which CRBN is expressed, a method including administering the pharmaceutical composition to a non-human animal and inducing proliferation of neural stem cells or neural progenitor cells of the non-human animal and differentiation of these cells into nerve cells, and a method for screening for a therapeutic drug for a disease of cerebral cortex or a surgical injury of cerebral cortex, using CRBN, are provided.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a newly identified insulin secretion regulation factor that can control blood sugar in the normal range, and a method for screening an antidiabetic drug using said factor. In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a composition which is (i) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID NO: 4; or (ii) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence in which one or several amino acids are deleted, substituted or added in an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID NO: 4 and negatively regulating insulin secretion, as well as a method for screening antidiabetic drug using said protein or a nucleic acid encoding the same.

Abstract: A cartridge is configured to supply developing agent to a peripheral surface of a photosensitive drum. The cartridge includes a frame, a developing roller and first and second side seal members. The developing roller defines an axial direction, and is configured to supply developing agent in the frame to the photosensitive drum. The first side seal member is configured to seal a boundary between the frame and one end portion of the developing roller in the axial direction. The second side seal member is configured to seal a boundary between the frame and another end portion of the developing roller. The first and second side seal members define a gap therebetween in the axial direction, and the gap has a gap length smaller than a width in the axial direction of a maximum width sheet conveyed to the photosensitive drum.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes: a housing having first and second sidewalls through which respective end portions of a developing roller shaft are rotatably inserted; a developing gear, which is arranged outside of the first sidewall, and which is fixed to the end portion of the developing roller shaft; a transmission gear, which is arranged outside of the first sidewall, and which transmits driving force to the developing gear; a first cover member, which is attached to the first sidewall, and which covers the transmission gear; and a second cover member, which is attached to the first sidewall, and which covers the developing gear from an outer side in the axis line direction. The second cover member is formed separately from the first cover member and is arranged side by side with the first cover member outside of the first sidewall.

Abstract: The present invention provides; a novel gene introduction method which enables a gene to be introduced more safely and more freely, particularly a method for introducing a gene into a specified site in the brain safely and freely; a carrier for gene introduction use, which comprises a nano-particle and a substance capable of binding to a vector for gene introduction and has functional groups involved in the induction of phagocytosis by cells, wherein the substance capable of binding to a vector for gene introduction can bind to the surface of the nano-particle through some of the functional groups and another some of the functional groups remain unbound to the substance capable of binding to a vector for gene introduction; and a gene introduction agent, in which a vector for gene introduction is bound to the substance capable of binding to a vector for gene introduction in the carrier for gene introduction.

Abstract: A detection system of a test substance, includes: a magnetic body that is modified by a first substance capable of being bound to the test substance at a first binding site of the test substance; a marker that is modified by a second substance capable of being bound to the test substance at a second binding site of the test substance, the second coupling site being a different site from the first binding site; a development medium that has a flow passage into which liquid, in which the magnetic body and the marker is dispersed, flows due to a capillary phenomenon, the development medium having a detection position for detecting the marker in a portion of the flow passage, the development medium having light transparency at least in the detection position; and a magnetic force generating portion that is equipped in the development medium.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes: a housing having first and second sidewalls through which respective end portions of a developing roller shaft are rotatably inserted; a developing gear, which is arranged outside of the first sidewall, and which is fixed to the end portion of the developing roller shaft; a transmission gear, which is arranged outside of the first sidewall, and which transmits driving force to the developing gear; a first cover member, which is attached to the first sidewall, and which covers the transmission gear; and a second cover member, which is attached to the first sidewall, and which covers the developing gear from an outer side in the axis line direction. The second cover member is formed separately from the first cover member and is arranged side by side with the first cover member outside of the first sidewall.

Abstract: A image forming apparatus includes a developing roller and a photosensitive drum configured to rotate about a first axis, and has a peripheral surface. The developing roller is configured to contact the photosensitive drum and is configured to supply developer to the photosensitive drum by rotating about a second axis positioned lower than the first axis in a vertical direction to form a visible image on the peripheral surface. Extraneous matter on the peripheral surface is recovered only by the developing roller.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes: a developing roller main body; a developing roller shaft, which is arranged along a central axis line of the developing roller main body, and which protrudes from both end portions of the developing roller main body along the central axis line, wherein the developing roller shaft includes a small diameter part located at a first end portion in the axis line direction, the small diameter part having an outer diameter smaller than an outer diameter of a second end portion opposite to the first end portion; and a developing gear that is fixed to the first end portion of the developing roller shaft.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes: a housing having first and second sidewalls through which respective end portions of a developing roller shaft are rotatably inserted; a developing gear, which is arranged outside of the first sidewall, and which is fixed to the end portion of the developing roller shaft; a transmission gear, which is arranged outside of the first sidewall, and which transmits driving force to the developing gear; a first cover member, which is attached to the first sidewall, and which covers the transmission gear; and a second cover member, which is attached to the first sidewall, and which covers the developing gear from an outer side in the axis line direction. The second cover member is formed separately from the first cover member and is arranged side by side with the first cover member outside of the first sidewall.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes: a housing having first and second sidewalls through which respective end portions of a developing roller shaft are rotatably inserted; a developing gear, which is arranged outside of the first sidewall, and which is fixed to the end portion of the developing roller shaft; a transmission gear, which is arranged outside of the first sidewall, and which transmits driving force to the developing gear; a first cover member, which is attached to the first sidewall, and which covers the transmission gear; and a second cover member, which is attached to the first sidewall, and which covers the developing gear from an outer side in the axis line direction. The second cover member is formed separately from the first cover member and is arranged side by side with the first cover member outside of the first sidewall.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a photosensitive member; a charging member; a developer carrier; a transfer member; a charging control unit that applies a charging bias having the same polarity as a charged polarity of the developers to the charging member; and a transfer control unit that applies a transfer bias having a reverse polarity to the charged polarity of the developers to the transfer member, wherein when the transfer control unit sets the absolute value of the transfer bias to a first value, the charging control unit sets an absolute value of the charging bias to a third value, and wherein when the transfer control unit sets the absolute value of the transfer bias to a second value, the charging control unit sets the absolute value of the charging bias to a fourth value smaller than the third value.

Abstract: A developing device includes: a housing made of resin; a developer carrier, which is rotatably supported by the housing, and which is configured to carry developer on a circumferential surface thereof; a receiving-side coupling member, which is provided rotatably to one of end portions of the developer carrier and is configured to couple with a driving-side coupling member in the rotational axial direction to transmit driving force to the developer carrier; a blade, which is provided along the rotational axial direction, and which configured to contact the circumferential surface of the developer carrier to regulate a layer thickness of the developer on the circumferential surface; and a support member, which is bent into an L-shape as viewed from the rotational axial direction, and which supports the blade, wherein the receiving-side coupling member is overlapped with a bending portion of the support member, as viewed from the rotational axial direction.

Abstract: Nano-sized inorganic particles having uniform particle sizes and precisely controlled particle diameters have already been produced by synthesis in an organic solvent, but these nano-sized inorganic particles are hindered from dispersing in a polar solvent because of the adsorption of a long-chain fatty acid on the surfaces of the particles. Further, it was difficult to form nano-sized inorganic particles dispersible in a polar solvent by replacing the long-chain fatty acid coats.

Abstract: A developing apparatus includes a housing; a developing roller; a seal member, and a layer thickness regulating member that contacts a circumferential surface of the developing roller via developer and regulates a thickness of a developer layer on the circumferential surface of the developing roller. The seal member has a sliding contact portion made of fiber having elasticity and sliding-contacting the circumferential surface of the developing roller. The layer thickness regulating member has one end portion that is supported by the housing and the other end portion to which a bent portion is formed to face the seal member, and the bent portion is configured to enter the sliding contact portion.

Abstract: A developing cartridge includes: a developing roller main body; a developing roller shaft, which is arranged along a central axis line of the developing roller main body, and which protrudes from both end portions of the developing roller main body along the central axis line, wherein the developing roller shaft includes a small diameter part located at a first end portion in the axis line direction, the small diameter part having an outer diameter smaller than an outer diameter of a second end portion opposite to the first end portion; and a developing gear that is fixed to the first end portion of the developing roller shaft.