Abstract: A fixing device includes a rotatable first nip formation member, a rotatable second nip formation member, a first heater, a second heater, and a controller. The second nip formation member is provided under the first nip formation member to contact the first nip formation member to form a fixing nip portion between the first nip formation member and the second nip formation member. The first heater heats the first nip formation member. The second heater heats the second nip formation member. The controller supplies a portion of power to the second heater and the remainder of power to the first heater when a plurality of sheets having a sheet weight not greater than about 100 g/m2 passes through the fixing nip portion continuously.

Abstract: A fixing device that fixes a toner image on a recording medium while the recording medium is conveyed by passing through a nip formed by a heating member and a pressing member including: a cleaning unit that is provided in at least any one of the heating member and the pressing member for removing toner adhered thereto. The cleaning unit is in contact with a member to be cleaned and a rotating cleaning member is in contact with the member to be cleaned in a downstream side of the cleaning unit in a rotation direction.

Abstract: An apparatus for supporting a worker's body part, for example a surgeon's arm, is provided. The body part is supported by a base movably supported by a support. The apparatus has a free mode and a limitation mode, which are switchable. When it is determined that the body part is attempting to move the base or a fastening member, the operating mode is switched to the free mode. When it is determined that the body part is not attempting to move the base or the fastening member, the operating mode is switched to the limitation mode. The free mode allows the fastening member to fasten the body part on the base and allows a brake to release limitations to the motions of the base. The limitation mode allows the fastening member to release the body part from being fastened and allows the brake to limit the motions of the base.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a paper sheet processing apparatus includes a supply unit, a pick-up mechanism, an inspection device, a stacking device, and a wrapping device configured to wind a band around a stacked paper sheet bundle and wrap the stacked paper sheet bundle. The wrapping device includes a clamp mechanism configured to curve the stacked paper sheet bundle by pressing both side portions of the stacked paper sheet bundle, a band winding device configured to wind a wrapper band around the curved stacked paper sheet bundle, and a heater configured to heat-seal an end of the wrapper band. The clamp mechanism includes a press member configured to adjust a degree of curvature of the stacked paper sheet bundle.

Abstract: An Fe-based amorphous alloy powder of the present invention has a composition represented by (Fe100-a-b-c-x-y-z-tNiaSnbCrcPxCyBzSit)100-?M?. In this composition, 0 at %?a?10 at %, 0 at %?b?3 at %, 0 at %?c?6 at %, 6.8 at %?x?10.8 at %, 2.2 at %?y?9.8 at %, 0 at %?z?4.2 at %, and 0 at %?t?3.9 at % hold, a metal element M is at least one selected from the group consisting of Ti, Al, Mn, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Mo, and W, and the addition amount ? of the metal element M satisfies 0.04 wt %???0.6 wt %. Accordingly, besides a decrease of a glass transition temperature (Tg), an excellent corrosion resistance and high magnetic characteristics can be obtained.

Abstract: The device enables measurement of both of blood glucose level and hemoglobin A1c level, being small-sized and thus portable, allowing the measurement of a small amount of a specimen and, being usable in POC. The device comprises: a test-piece-mounting section (1) for detachably mounting test pieces (200) on which the blood specimen is to be spotted; a light-emitting section (2) for emitting light for irradiating the test pieces; a light-receiving section (3) for receiving reflected lights from the test pieces; and an operating section (4) for calculating the blood glucose level and hemoglobin A1c level of the blood specimen on the basis of photometric values obtained from the light-receiving section. For measuring the blood glucose level of the blood specimen, test piece (A) carries a composition reacting with glucose and showing color change. Test piece (B) carries a composition reacting with glycated hemoglobin and showing color change.

Abstract: A fixing device fixes a toner image on a recording medium by heating the recording medium, with a heating area and a non-heating area selected in accordance with a magnetic flux and a repulsive magnetic flux. The fixing device includes a heat generating layer, an exciting coil, and a demagnetizing member. The heat generating layer generates heat. The exciting coil generates the magnetic flux, and thereby inductively heats the heat generating layer. The demagnetizing member faces the heat generating layer in the non-heating area. The demagnetizing member generates the repulsive magnetic flux against the magnetic flux generated by the exciting coil, and thereby demagnetizes the magnetic flux and suppresses the heating. Further, the demagnetizing member has a demagnetization effect different between at least a portion of the non-heating area adjacent to the heating area and the remaining portion of the non-heating area.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a rotatable first nip formation member, a rotatable second nip formation member, and an oil applier. The second nip formation member is provided under the first nip formation member to contact the first nip formation member. The oil applier includes an oil pan, an oil receiver, and an oil filter. The oil pan is provided under the second nip formation member to contain oil in which the second nip formation member is dipped. The oil receiver holds the oil pan. The oil filter is provided between the oil pan and the oil receiver to filter oil overflowing the oil pan.

Abstract: An Fe-based soft magnetic alloy includes: Fe; and a component R, wherein the component R contains at least one of P, C, B, and Si, there is a temperature difference of equal to or greater than 20° C. between a precipitation temperature of an ?-Fe crystal phase and a precipitation temperature of an Fe compound, the Fe-based soft magnetic alloy is formed of a mixed-phase structure in which an amorphous phase and the ?-Fe crystal phase are mixed, and a diameter of a crystallite of the ?-Fe crystal phase is equal to or smaller than 50 nm, and a volume fraction of the ?-Fe crystal phase to the total is equal to or lower than 40%. In addition, the composition formula is represented by Fe100?x?uJxRu, a component J contains at least one of Cr, Co, Ni, and Nb, and 0 at %?x?6 at %, 17 at %?u?25 at %, and 17 at %?x+u?27.1 at % are satisfied.

Abstract: A fixing unit includes a fixing rotatable body that is located at a side of a recording medium, the side carrying a not-fixed image, a pressing rotatable body that is located at another side of the recording medium and that is disposed so as to abut on the fixing rotatable body, a fixing heating unit that heats the fixing rotatable body, a first pressing heating unit that heats the pressing rotatable body from inside thereof, and a second pressing heating unit that is disposed opposite to a surface of the pressing rotatable body and that heats the pressing rotatable body from outside thereof.

Abstract: A subjective quality estimating part (11) receives an undeteriorated reference video signal (RI) and a deteriorated video signal (PI) produced from the reference video signal, calculates video signal feature values for both the signals, and according to a difference between the calculated video signal feature values of the signals, estimates a subjective quality of the deteriorated video signal. A feature value calculating part (12) calculates the video signal feature values of the reference video signal. A correction information storing part (13) stores correction information that corresponds to video signal feature values and is used to correct the subjective quality.

Abstract: This invention provides a video quality estimation apparatus (1) including a packet analysis unit (10) that derives the bit rate of an encoded video packet contained in an input packet, and the bit amount of the encoded video packet for each encoded video frame type, a video subset frame characteristic estimation unit (11) that derives the frame characteristic of each video frame type from the bit rate derived by the packet analysis unit (10), and an encoding quality estimation unit (12) that derives, based on the bit rate and the bit amount of each video frame type, a video quality value quantitatively representing the quality of encoded video data that is affected by encoding degradation. The video quality estimation apparatus performs more accurate video quality estimation by taking account of the bit amount of each video frame type.

Abstract: A fixing device that fixes a toner image on a recording medium while the recoding medium is conveyed by passing through a nip formed by a heating member and a pressing member includes: a cleaning unit that is provided in at least any one of the heating member and the pressing member for removing toner adhered thereto. The cleaning unit is in contact with a member to be cleaned and a rotating cleaning member is in contact with the member to be cleaned in a downstream side of the cleaning unit in a rotation direction.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a rotatable fixing member, a pressing member, a motor, and an oil applier. The pressing member contacts the fixing member. The oil applier includes an application roller and an oil supply mechanism. The application roller applies oil to one of the fixing member and the pressing member. The oil supply mechanism supplies oil to the application roller. The motor is provided independent of other drivers, and supplies a driving force to the application roller to rotate the application roller at an arbitrary speed.

Abstract: A rubber composition that can improve in good balance the fuel economy, wet-grip performance, and abrasion resistance, and a pneumatic tire that uses this rubber composition are provided. This rubber composition contains a rubber component, and carbon black and/or silica, wherein based on 100% by mass of the rubber component, the rubber component contains 5 to 50% by mass of natural rubber, 0.3 to 10% by mass of an epoxidized natural rubber, and at least 5% by mass of a conjugated diene polymer that has a constituent unit based on a conjugated diene and a constituent unit represented by formula (I) below, at least one terminal of the polymer being modified, and wherein a total content of the carbon black and the silica is 3 to 100 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component.

Abstract: A singular point removing unit (12) removes a singular point as invisible high-frequency component noise from a degraded video signal and a reference video signal. A pixel value correcting unit (13) removes pixel-value bias added to the degraded video signal. The singular point removing unit (12) transforms the video signal into a spatial frequency, removes a high-frequency component, and restores the video signal by inverse transformation, or removes a singular point by using an averaging filter or a median filter. The pixel value correcting unit (13) obtains the correlation between the pixel values of the reference video signal and the corresponding pixel values of the degraded video signal, and corrects the pixel values of the reference video signal or the degraded video signal so as to match the pixel values of the degraded video signal with the pixel values of the reference video signal.

Abstract: A video quality objective assessment device includes a temporal/spatial feature amount derivation unit (12) which derives a temporal/spatial feature amount (PC) which is the feature amount of deterioration which has occurred in a deteriorated video signal (PI), from the deteriorated video signal (PI) to be assessed and a reference video signal (RI) which is a signal before deterioration of the deteriorated video signal, and a subjective quality estimation unit (14) which weights the temporal/spatial feature amount (PC) according to the relationship between the deteriorated video obtained in advance and the user subjective assessment value, thereby estimating the subjective quality (Y) of the deteriorated video signal (PI). Thus, it is possible to estimate a video subjective quality even when deterioration occurs locally in the video in the temporal/spatial direction.

Abstract: In a fixing device, a controller switches a pressing member between a pressure application state to contact the pressing member against a fixing member and a pressure release state to separate the pressing member from the fixing member. The controller starts rotation of the pressing member before the pressing member contacts the fixing member in the pressure application state, when the pressing member switches from the pressure release state to the pressure application state. An oil applier includes an oil pan and an oil regulating member. The oil pan is provided under the pressing member to contain oil in which the pressing member is dipped. The oil regulating member is provided downstream from the oil pan in a direction of rotation of the pressing member to contact the pressing member to regulate an amount of oil adhering to the pressing member.

Abstract: A matched state detection unit (33) of a video matching device (100) detects a reference video frame, of the respective video frames of a reference video (1) and degraded video (2B), which is in a matched state in which it is spatially and temporally matched with each degraded video frame. A matching degree derivation unit (34) controls a degradation amount derivation unit (40) to acquire the first degradation amount indicating the degradation amount between a reference video frame and a degraded video frame in the matched state and the second degradation amount indicating the degradation amount between a reference video frame and a degraded video frame in a state shifted from the matched state by a predetermined number of pixels and calculate a matching degree on the basis of the ratio between the first degradation amount and the second degradation amount. A matching information output unit (35) outputs the matching degree between the reference video and the degraded video after matching.

Abstract: A speech dialogue apparatus, a dialogue control method, and a dialogue control program are provided, whereby an appropriate dialogue control is enabled by determining a user's proficiency level in a dialogue behavior correctly and performing an appropriate dialogue control according to the user's proficiency level correctly determined, without being influenced by an accidental one-time behavior of the user. An input unit 1 inputs a speech uttered by the user. An extraction unit 3 extracts a proficiency level determination factor that is a factor for determining a user's proficiency level in a dialogue behavior, based upon an input result of the speech of the input unit 1. A history storage unit 4 stores as a history the proficiency level determination factor extracted by the extraction unit 3.