Abstract: The disclosure provides 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosose reductases derived from a microorganism having the ability to utilize (?)-vibo-quercitol, recombinant vectors and transformants comprising genes encoding the same, and methods of use thereof.

Abstract: [Problem] The purpose of the present invention is to produce (?)-vibo-quercitol with high efficiency by a simple process. Particularly, it is intended to utilize an enzyme capable of converting 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosose to (?)-vibo-quercitol directly. [Solution] A 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosose reductase which is originated from a microorganism capable of utilizing (?)-vibo-quercitol and has the properties (a) to (c): (a) the enzyme has a catalytic activity of converting 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosose to (?)-vibo-quercitol; (b) the activity of the enzyme becomes maximum at a pH value of 7.0 to 9.0; and (c) a polypeptide moiety in the enzyme has a molecular mass of about 36 kDa as measured by SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis.

Abstract: A composite ceramic body and a method thereof are provided. The composite ceramic body comprising a first bonding body comprising a ceramic containing Si ingredient, and a second bonding body bonded to the first bonding body through a bonding material containing, as main ingredient, a Si compound which includes the element common to the Si ingredient contained in the first bonding body. The first and second bonding bodies can be bonded strongly and uniformly without any adhesive. Since the composite ceramic body has high bonding strength, it is applicable to microchemical chips and reformers.

Abstract: A composite ceramic body and a method thereof are provided. The composite ceramic body comprising a first bonding body comprising a ceramic containing Si ingredient, and a second bonding body bonded to the first bonding body through a bonding material containing, as main ingredient, a Si compound which includes the element common to the Si ingredient contained in the first bonding body. The first and second bonding bodies can be bonded strongly and uniformly without any adhesive. Since the composite ceramic body has high bonding strength, it is applicable to microchemical chips and reformers.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus using a charge roller for uniformly charging the surface of a photoconductive element, or image carrier, during image formation, and a charging device having the charge roller. The charging efficiency is enhanced, and a uniform charge distribution is set up by the application of a DC voltage only. This suppresses the increase in the cost of an apparatus, the increase in power source cost, and the generation of a great amount of ozone. As a result, a charging member and a photoconductive element are prevented from being deteriorated while environmental pollution is eliminated.

Abstract: An electrostatic charging roller having at least two layers; namely an elastic layer and a surface layer covering a surface of the elastic layer; wherein the surface layer contains low structure acetylene with a particle diameter of 44 to 60 m.mu. to improve uniformity in electrification by the electrostatic charging roller having a surface layer in which conductive particles and non-adhesive resin are dispersed therein. Also dependency of the electrostatic charging roller on humidity is suppressed to a lower level, which makes smaller fluctuation of the electrifying characteristics caused by changes in environmental conditions.

Abstract: In a charging device included in an image forming apparatus for charging an image carrier uniformly, a charge roller has an elastic layer and a surface layer. The elastic layer is made of a substance having a medium electric resistance and having no conductive particles dispersed therein. The surface layer is made of a non-adhering substance having a greater non-adhering property than the substance constituting the elastic layer.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus using a charge roller for uniformly charging the surface of a photoconductive element, or image carrier, during image formation, and a charging device having the charge roller. The charging efficiency is enhanced, and a uniform charge distribution is set up by the application of a DC voltage only. This suppresses the increase in the cost of an apparatus, the increase in power source cost, and the generation of a great amount of ozone. As a result, a charging member and a photoconductive element are prevented from being deteriorated while environmental pollution is eliminated.

Abstract: In the roller charging apparatus according to the present invention, the charging roller includes a layer of an epichlorohydrin rubber, so that it is possible to eliminate electric nonuniformity of a conductive elastic layer and to be charged by loading only a DC voltage. The charging roller also may have a surface layer formed of polyamide resin or fluorine resin. In addition durability can be improved by setting the roller hardness of the charging roller to 42 (measured by a JISA hardness meter) or more. Further, a roller diameter D.sub.r of the charging roller and drum diameter D.sub.d of the photosensitive drum may satisfy the relation of D.sub.d /D.sub.r .gtoreq.4. A cleaner can also be provided for removing foreign materials, such as toner, from the charging roller, and the cleaner may have a rubber hardness less than that of the charging roller.

Abstract: There is provided by the present invention an electrifying roller having a roller layer having at least two layers of an elastic layer provided on a peripheral surface of core metal and a surface layer covering the elastic layer, wherein a slope (.DELTA.I/.DELTA.V) of the V-I characteristics of the roller layer is 1 or less, the electrifying roller is rotated in contact with the light-sensing drum, a voltage is loaded from a power supply unit to the core metal of the electrifying roller, and a surface of the light-sensing drum is electrified to a surface potential (Vs).

Abstract: A charge roller rotatable in contact with a photoconductive element in the form of a drum or a belt and applied with a voltage for charging the element, and an image forming apparatus using the same. The surface of the charge roller is ground in order to remove toner particles and other impurities firmly deposited thereon, as needed. The charge roller is capable of uniformly charging the photoconductive element at all times.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a charge roller for providing a charge to a photoconductive member. The charge roller includes a metallic core with a conductive elastic layer covering the metallic core and a surface layer covering the elastic layer. The conductive elastic layer is preferably formed of an epichlorohydrein rubber or a urethane rubber. In addition, the conductive elastic layer and surface layer preferably have thickness and roughness characteristics as discussed herein.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus using a charge roller for uniformly charging the surface of a photoconductive element, or image carrier, during image formation, and a charging device having the charge roller. The charging efficiency is enhanced, and a uniform charge distribution is set up by the application of a DC voltage only. This suppresses the increase in the cost of an apparatus, the increase in power source cost, and the generation of a great amount of ozone. As a result, a charging member and a photoconductive element are prevented from being deteriorated while environmental pollution is eliminated.

Abstract: A device for controlling the application of a bias for development in electrophotographic image forming equipment which forms a latent image on a photoconductive element and develops it by a magnetic brush formed by a dry two-component developer on a developing sleeve to which the bias is applied. A detector is located between the optics and the developing unit for detecting the passage of opposite ends of a charged area of the photoconductive element one by one. The bias is turned on and then turned off, each later than the detection of a particular edge of the charged area by a period of time in which the edge travels from a sensing position to a developing position. The bias applied to the developing sleeve is turned on at the time when the leading edge of the actually charged area of the photoconductive element arrives at the developing position, and it is turned off at the time when the trailing edge of such an area passes the developing position.

Abstract: A continuous plural page copying method for a copier determines the size and lengthwise direction of a document which is laid on a glass platen, and produces magnifications on the basis of a relationship between one half of the size of the document in the lengthwise direction and the size of the papers selected. Consecutive pages of the document are reproduced continuously with no regard to the orientation of the document on the glass platen relative to the scanning direction of a scanner. The method reproduces an image on a paper while desirably matching it to the size of the paper.

Abstract: An electrophotographic color image forming process wherein three light beams each representing image information of one of three primary colors or yellow, magenta and cyan of a color document to be recorded obtained by color separation are projected against an electrophotographic photosensitive member to form electrostatic latent images which are developed by toners of the three different colors, respectively, and printed by transfer-printing, to record a color image. The image information of three colors is simultaneously written to a surface of the photosensitive member as three scanning lines either by successively writing a plurality of sets of three scanning lines each representing image information of one color or by writing image information of different colors of the same set separately in three different zones, so that the scanning lines representing image information of different colors form a repeating series of three stripes of different colors.

Abstract: The present invention provides a developing method for electrophotography which is developed to perform the development by electrically insulating the developing electrode from the support of the photosensitive material, together with apparatuses suitable for practicing said method. This developing method is applicable to both the wet inversion development and the magnetic brush inversion development, and produces a negative-positive image having a satisfactory reproducibility particularly with respect to the solid image area thereof.

Abstract: The apparatus comprises a projection optical system and a copying system. The projection optical system can project an image of an original either onto a screen or to an exposing position of the copying system by switching between two positions. The copying system comprises a plurality of chargers providing different charging conditions in accordance with the types and sizes of copy sheets, by utilizing a change-over switch. A plurality of switches adapted for use with copy sheets of different lengths are arranged along the path of movement of a sheet of paper and, when the switch corresponding to the particular length of copy sheet desired is actuated, the movement of the sheet of paper is stopped, so that the central portion of the copy sheet can be brought into alignment with the optical axis for exposing at all times regardless of the difference in the length of copy sheets.