Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt, a rotatable pressing member, a pad member inside of the belt, and a sliding member held by the pad member and sliding on an inner circumferential surface of the belt in a nip. The rotatable pressing member nips and feeds a recording material in the nip in cooperation with the belt and fixes a toner image on the recording material by applying heat and pressure. The sliding member includes a base material layer on which a plurality of projections projecting toward the rotatable pressing member are formed on a side sliding with the belt and a sliding layer provided on an outer surface of the plurality of projections. A shape of a surface of the sliding layer is a curved surface and a radius of curvature R of the curved surface satisfies 300 ?m?R?850 ?m.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt, a rotatable pressing member, a pad member inside of the belt, and a sliding member held by the pad member and sliding on an inner circumferential surface of the belt in a nip. The rotatable pressing member nips and feeds a recording material in the nip in cooperation with the belt and fixes a toner image on the recording material by applying heat and pressure. The sliding member includes a base material layer on which a plurality of projections projecting toward the rotatable pressing member are formed on a side sliding with the belt and a sliding layer provided on an outer surface of the plurality of projections. A leading end of the plurality of projections is a plane and an average roughness (Ra) of the plane satisfies 0.13 ?m?Ra?1.67 ?m.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a dough which includes a yeast of the genus Saccharomyces resistant to polyene antibiotics. These yeasts have been found to be particularly useful in the preparation of doughs which are frozen and subsequently defrosted for use. The doughs according to the invention when used after freezing and defrosting provide comestible products of a higher quality than previously known for such products.

Abstract: Crops are protected from suffering various damages by applying polyamine compounds such as long-chain alkylenediamines. By the use of said polyamine compounds, various effects can be obtained, for example, reduction of cold-weather damage or frost damage to crops, retardation of fading of green color of green crops, reduction of damage from photochemical oxidants to crops, retardation of wilting of leaves of crop plants, etc.

Abstract: Novel compounds are disclosed which are useful as agents capable, when applied to citrus tree, of modifying the metabolism and organic acid content of the citrus fruit.