Abstract: An illuminating device, an image reading device, and an image forming apparatus. The illuminating device includes a plurality of first light sources arrayed on a circuit board, the first light sources having a plurality of first light emitting surfaces through which light is emitted, and a second light source disposed on an upstream side of the first light sources in an irradiation direction of the light. In the illuminating device, the second light source has a second light emitting surface through which light is emitted, and the second light source has a directivity angle different from a directivity angle of each one of the first light sources. The image reading device includes the illuminating device, and an imaging device to receive the light reflected by a document to capture an image of the document.

Abstract: A biaxially stretched, blow molded bottle made of a resin comprising at least one of polyethylene terephthalate and a copolymerized polyester comprising ethylene terephthalate. The bottle neck is formed, just as the bottle body is formed, by expanding a body of a preform in a shape of a test tube in a stretching step of the molding process. The bottle neck has an average thickness in a range of 0.6 to 1.8 mm, and at the bottle neck, the resin is partially crystallized and is in an oriented crystallized state. A ratio of an absolute value of crystallization enthalpy, ?Hc, to melting enthalpy, ?Hm (|?Hc|/?Hm) of the bottle neck is a value less than 0.1, and a rate of dimensional change in the outer diameter of the bottle neck is 0.2% or less.

Abstract: A preform is formed by compounding a resin made from poly-L-lactic acid with a functional filler and subjecting a mouth portion to a heat treatment. Also, a hollow shaped product is produced by blow-molding the preform.

Abstract: A container made of synthetic resin which does not cause whitening or clouding in an unstretched portion even after long-period storage and which has excellent barrier properties. A PET bottle comprising a substrate layer made of PET and a barrier layer having a gas permeability lower than that of the substrate layer, wherein the barrier layer is made of a barrier material prepared by incorporating a polyamide containing m-xylene groups with an amorphous polyamide comprising both m-xylene isophthalamide structures and hexamethylene isophthalamide structures. A copolyamide composed of both a copolymer of m-xylenediamine and isophthalic acid and a copolymer of hexamethylenediamine and isophthalic acid is used as the amorphous polyamide. The content of the amorphous polyamide in the barrier layer is adjusted to 15 to 25 wt %.

Abstract: A biodegradable molded article and a container using the molded article, exhibiting heat resistant properties. The molded article is obtained by injection molding a polylactic acid resin, wherein the polylactic acid resin of the molded article contains less than 4 mol % of D-lactic acid. The molded article has a crystallized portion having a ratio of the crystallizing heat quantity to the melting heat quantity (|?HC|/|Hm), which ratio is not more than 0.7 in a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curve.

Abstract: A biaxially stretched, blow molded bottle made of a resin of the PET series has a bottle neck that is formed by expanding a body of a preform in a shape of a test tube to give the bottle neck a large diameter, just as the preform is expanded to obtain a body of the bottle, in a stretching step of a biaxial stretching and blow molding process. The bottle neck density is set at 1.368 g/cm3 or more or a ratio of an absolute value of crystallization enthalpy, ?Hc, to melting enthalpy, ?Hm, (that is, |?Hc|/?Hm) is set at a value less than 0.1, by meeting a processing condition for stretching in a stretching step and by setting a predetermined mold temperature within a thermally crystallizable range used for the resin of the polyethylene terephthalate series.

Abstract: A container made of synthetic resin which does not cause whitening or clouding in an unstretched portion even after long-period storage and which has excellent barrier properties. A PET bottle comprising a substrate layer made of PET and a barrier layer having a gas permeability lower than that of the substrate layer, wherein the barrier layer is made of a barrier material prepared by incorporating a polyamide containing m-xylene groups with an amorphous polyamide comprising both m-xylene isophthalamide structures and hexamethylene isophthalamide structures. A copolyamide composed of both a copolymer of m-xylenediamine and isophthalic acid and a copolymer of hexamethylenediamine and isophthalic acid is used as the amorphous polyamide. The content of the amorphous polyamide in the barrier layer is adjusted to 15 to 25 wt %.

Abstract: A biodegradable molded article and a container using the molded article, exhibiting an improved heat resistance. The molded article is obtained by injection molding a polylactic acid resin, wherein the molded article comprises poly-L-lactic acid containing less than 4 mol% of D-lactic acid. The molded article has a crystallized portion at least locally, having a ratio of the crystallizing heat quantity to the melting heat quantity (|?Hc|/?Hm), which ratio is not more than 0.7 in a temperature rising chart obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).

Abstract: A preform is formed by compounding a resin made from poly-L-lactic acid with a functional filler and subjecting a mouth portion to a heat treatment. Also, a hollow shaped product is produced by blow-molding the preform.

Abstract: A synthetic resin container possessing a higher gas barrier property, and having a coating film (2) possessing a higher gas barrier property and positioned on an inner surface and/or and outer surface of the container body, wherein at least the coating film (2) is constituted of: an organic silicon compound layer (2a) positioned on the or each surface of the container body and including nitrogen, silicon, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; and a silicon oxide compound layer (2b) including a silicon oxide compound as a main component.

Abstract: A synthetic resin container possessing a higher gas barrier property, and having a coating film possessing a higher gas barrier property and positioned on an inner surface and/or outer surface of a body of the container, wherein the coating film (2) is constituted of a layered coating including at least a gas barrier coating (2a) and a cover coating (2b), the cover coating being positioned at a topmost side of the coating film. The cover coating (2b) includes a layer positioned at a topmost side of the cover coating and possessing such a water repellency that the layer has a contact angle with water of 80° to 100°. The layers (2a, 2b) constituting the coatings, respectively, are each formed by vapor deposition and each have a refractive index in a range of 1.3 to 1.6.