Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion provided with an opening portion through which a cartridge is removably mounted and a cover member opening and closing the opening portion. An original reading portion is pivotable about a first rotation axis. The cover member is pivotable about a second rotation axis parallel to the first rotation axis. A force is applied to pivot the original reading portion so that an engagement portion of the original reading portion slides on a sliding face of the cover member to apply a force from the engagement portion to the sliding face to pivot the cover member. In a cross section orthogonal to the first rotation axis, a first portion of the sliding face approaches the original reading portion from one end side on which the first and the second rotation axes are provided toward an opposite side.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a printing unit; a bottle which is rotationally driven in a predetermined rotation direction, whereby a waste developer conveyed from the printing unit to an opening is accommodated inside and the waste developer inside is conveyed to a second end side in a longitudinal direction; and a capacitive sensor having a first detection electrode and a first ground electrode arranged in parallel, where a first detection surface of an electrostatic capacitance formed by the first detection electrode and the first ground electrode is arranged to directly face a portion of an outer peripheral surface of the bottle which is positioned obliquely upward with respect to a center line of rotation of the bottle in a region which moves from a bottom to a top when the bottle rotates in the predetermined rotation direction.

Abstract: A zoom lens according to the present invention includes sequentially from an object side: a first lens group having negative refractive power, and a second lens group having positive refractive power, and performs a magnification change operation by changing a gap between the adjacent lens groups. The zoom lens has specific optical characteristics represented by four expressions relating to the second lens group.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a printing unit; a bottle which is rotationally driven in a predetermined rotation direction, whereby the waste developer conveyed from the printing unit to the opening is accommodated inside and the waste developer inside is conveyed to a second end side in the longitudinal direction; and a capacitive sensor having a first detection electrode and a first ground electrode arranged in parallel, where a first detection surface of an electrostatic capacitance formed by the first detection electrode and the first ground electrode is arranged to directly face a portion of an outer peripheral surface of the bottle which is positioned obliquely upward with respect to a center line of rotation of the bottle in a region which moves from a bottom to a top when the bottle rotates in the predetermined rotation direction.

Abstract: In an imaging device according to the present disclosure, during a period in which a signal from an amplifier transistor is output from a pixel via a select transistor, the gate voltage of the capacitance addition transistor changes frons the first voltage VH to the second voltage VL, and the amount of voltage change per time until the gate voltage changes from the first voltage VH to the second voltage VL is smaller than the amount of voltage change per unit time until the gate voltage changes from the second voltage VL to the first voltage VH.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method of producing a copolymer that produces an aromatic vinyl-diene copolymer having a low glass transition temperature, and a method of producing a rubber composition using the method. The subject method produces an aromatic vinyl-diene copolymer having a content of repeating units derived from an aromatic vinyl in an amount of 18 mass % or greater, and among repeating units derived from a diene, a proportion of a vinyl structure of 8 mol % or less, a proportion of a 1,4-trans structure of 60 mol % or less, and a proportion of a 1,4-cis structure from 40 to 95 mol %, the method including copolymerizing a monomer containing an aromatic vinyl and a diene using an initiator prepared with an organolithium compound, an alkylaluminum, a metal alcoholate, and at least one polar compound selected from the group consisting of water and an alcohol.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion provided with an opening portion through which a cartridge is removably mounted and a cover member opening and closing the opening portion. An original reading portion is pivotable about a first rotation axis. The cover member is pivotable about a second rotation axis parallel to the first rotation axis. A force is applied to pivot the original reading portion so that an engagement portion of the original reading portion slides on a sliding face of the cover member to apply a force from the engagement portion to the sliding face to pivot the cover member. In a cross section orthogonal to the first rotation axis, a first portion of the sliding face approaches the original reading portion from one end side on which the first and the second rotation axes are provided toward an opposite side.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck includes: an electrically-conductive base plate including a first part, a second part at an outer circumference of the first part, and a gas inlet path for introducing a cooling gas; a first electrostatic chuck part configured to clamp a wafer on the first part, including a ceramic dielectric substrate that includes an embedded first clamping electrode and at least one through-hole communicating with the gas inlet path; and a second electrostatic chuck part configured to clamp a focus ring on the second part, including a ceramic layer that includes at least one through-hole for introducing a cooling gas and that includes at least a first layer contacting the focus ring when the second electrostatic chuck part clamps the focus ring, in which the first layer is less dense than the ceramic dielectric substrate. Thereby, the electrostatic chuck can increase the device yield.

Abstract: In order to enable efficient utilization of an available bandwidth by properly estimating the available bandwidth under conditions in which the available bandwidth significantly changes upon occurrence of communication path switching, an available bandwidth estimation is performed by estimating a current available bandwidth based on historical communication state information i.e.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a sheet supporting portion, a sheet feeding portion configured to feed a sheet supported on the sheet supporting portion, a sheet regulation portion configured to regulate a position of the sheet in a width direction, an image forming portion including an exposing portion configured to expose a charged surface of an image bearing member, the image forming portion being configured to form an image on the sheet fed by the sheet feeding portion, and a frame member provided inside the apparatus body. A position of the exposing portion is determined with respect to the frame member. A position of the sheet regulation portion is determined with respect to the frame member.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device includes: pixels forming columns and each configured to output a pixel signal; and comparator units provided to respective columns and each configured to receive the pixel signal from the pixels on a corresponding column and the reference signal. Each comparator unit includes a comparator having a first input node that receives the pixel signal and a second input node that receives the reference signal, a first capacitor that connects a reference signal line and the second input node, a second capacitor whose one electrode is connected to the second input node, and a select unit that connects the other electrode of the second capacitor to either the reference signal line or a reference voltage line. The other electrode of the second capacitor is connected to the reference signal line during first mode AD conversion and connected to the reference voltage line during second mode AD conversion.

Abstract: The semiconductor device includes a heat sink including fins and a base portion, and provided with a semiconductor module on a first surface and the fins on a second surface of the base portion; a housing attached to the base portion and covering the first surface of the base portion, the semiconductor module, electronic component, and a circuit board; a fan configured to cool the fins; and a first ventilation port and a second ventilation port each communicating inside and outside of the housing. The first ventilation port is provided above the half-height of the highest part in height of the electronic component from the circuit board. The second ventilation port extends through the first surface in the housing and the second surface of the base portion. The first ventilation port and the second ventilation port form a wind path in the housing.

Abstract: A rubber composition for tires of the present technology contains a diene rubber, silica, and a predetermined alkyltrialkoxysilane; the diene rubber containing a butadiene rubber and a particular conjugated diene rubber, a content of the butadiene rubber in the diene rubber being 20 mass % or greater and a content of the particular conjugated diene rubber in the diene rubber being from 30 to 80 mass %; an average glass transition temperature of the diene rubber being from ?65 to ?45° C.; the particular conjugated diene rubber being a conjugated diene rubber produced by a particular production method and having predetermined ranges of aromatic vinyl unit content, vinyl bond content, and weight average molecular weight.

Abstract: Provided is an optical system and an imaging apparatus provided with the optical system. The optical system includes: a first lens having negative refractive power; a second lens having negative refractive power; a third lens having positive refractive power; and a fourth lens having positive refractive power, the first lens, the second lens, the third lens, and the fourth lens being disposed in this order from an object side. The optical system satisfies a predetermined condition relating to the focal length of the optical system and the distance on the optical axis between an exit pupil and an imaging plane in the optical system.

Abstract: Provided is a reagent cartridge configured to be set in a genetic testing device and the reagent cartridge includes a plurality of reagent containers in which a reagent is filled, and a holder formed with a plurality of opening parts in which the reagent containers are loaded and configured to hold the reagent containers loaded in the opening parts, in which the holder holds the reagent containers with an allowance in a vertical direction in a state in which the reagent cartridge is set in the genetic testing device.

Abstract: A rubber composition for a tire contains: 100 parts by mass of a diene rubber (A); from 30 to 100 parts by mass of a filler (B); from 0.3 to 30 parts by mass of a crosslinkable component (C) that is not miscible with the diene rubber (A); and a fibrillated fiber (D). The fibrillated fiber (D) is dispersed in advance in the crosslinkable component (C) in a proportion of 0.1 to 10 mass % of the crosslinkable component (C), and the crosslinkable component (C) is a polyether-based, polyester-based, polyolefin-based, polycarbonate-based, aliphatic-based, saturated hydrocarbon-based, acrylic-based, or plant-derived polymer or copolymer.

Abstract: In the present technology, a thermally expandable microcapsule complex is blended in a rubber component, the thermally expandable microcapsule complex being obtained by preparing an aqueous solution of a water-soluble polymer having a concentration of 1 to 30 mass %, adding from 5 to 60 parts by mass of cellulose fibers to 100 parts by mass of the aqueous solution to prepare a liquid dispersion (1), adding from 10 to 200 parts by mass of thermally expandable microcapsules to the liquid dispersion (1) to prepare a liquid dispersion 2), and evaporating the moisture content of the liquid dispersion (2).

Abstract: A method for extracting nucleic acid from a biological sample is disclosed. The method comprises steps of: (i) mixing a biological sample, an anionic surfactant and a chaotropic compound to obtain a lysate; (ii) mixing the lysate, an alkanol having a boiling point higher than 75° C., a chaotropic compound and silica particles to adsorb the nucleic acid on the silica particles; (iii) washing the silica particles having the nucleic acid adsorbed thereon with a washing liquid; and (iv) eluting the nucleic acid adsorbed on the silica particles with an eluent, wherein at least steps (i) and (ii) are performed at a temperature higher than 75° C.