Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide an agglutination enhancer which shows superior agglutination enhancing effect to those of conventional immunoagglutination enhancers, and the present invention relates to an agglutination enhancer for an immunoagglutination measurement method which comprises a polymer having a monomer unit shown by the following general formula [1]: (Wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; R2 and R3 independently represent a methyl group or an ethyl group, respectively; X represents —NH— or an oxygen atom; n represents an integer of 1 to 6; and m represents an integer of 1 to 3), and an immunoagglutination measurement method in which, in the coexistence of the above-described agglutination enhancer for immunoagglutination measurement method, an antibody against analyte or an antigen for the analyte is brought into contact with the analyte to cause an antigen-antibody reaction.

Abstract: An operating valve includes a valve chamber which is formed in a main body having a passage, a valve body which is housed in the valve chamber and has a passage corresponding to the passage of the main body, a rotary shaft which is detachably connected to the valve body, an operating member which operates a rotation of the rotary shaft, and a bias member which biases the rotary shaft to a position of the valve body.

Abstract: The antenna device includes: an element part 100 having an excitation element 1, a first passive element 11 having first and second conductive parts 11a and 11b, a second passive element 21 having third and fourth conductive parts 21a and 21b, a first switch 12 controlling conduction between the first and second conductive parts, and a second switch 22 controlling conduction between the third and fourth conductive parts; and a controller 200 outputting an electric signal for controlling conduction of the first and second switches. The controller outputs identical DC signal to the first and second switches, and one of the first and second switches is brought into conduction while the other one is brought out of conduction.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide means for efficiently incorporating substances such as lactic acid bacteria, which are useful for intestinal immune induction, into the intestinal tract. According to the present invention, the following are provided: an agent for promoting substance incorporation in the intestinal tract which has a surface layer protein (S-layer protein) having peptide motifs found in common among lactic acid bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus; a complex of the agent for promoting substance incorporation in the intestinal tract and a substance to be incorporated into the intestinal tract; a beverage or food product or a pharmaceutical product having the complex; and a method for screening for a lactic acid bacterium having a high level of ability to be transferred into the intestinal tract, by determining the expression level of an S-layer protein in the surface layers of bacterial cells of a test lactic acid bacterium.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for converting non-methylated cytosine in a single-stranded DNA into uracil by a bisulfite reaction with a high conversion efficiency from non-methylated cytosine into uracil. The invention also provides a method for amplifying the single-stranded DNA in which non-methylated cytosine has been converted into uracil, as well as a method for detecting methylated cytosine in the single-stranded DNA.

Abstract: A posture holding apparatus including, a base onto which a substance is placed, a supporting member being attached onto the base so that the supporting member swings between a standby state and an active state, and a swinging support member having a returning force for returning the supporting member to the standby state, wherein the swinging support member is structured by a swinging member, a biasing member for applying a biasing force to the swinging member to the standby state, a liquid pressure output member for outputting liquid pressure in response to a weight of the substance, and a displacement amount adjusting member, with which a point of action of the biasing force applied from the biasing member to the supporting member is moved in response to the liquid pressure such that a distance from the pivot to the point of action changes.

Abstract: A fastening member which penetrates a housing unit is provided with respect to a main body of an opening and closing valve. The fastening member is capable of rotating freely with respect to the main body, the tip end of the fastening member is connected to a discharge port of a container, and the fastening member has an action of fastening and fixing the main body to the discharge port side of the container. When the attachment orientation of the main body has been determined, the attachment orientation of the main body can be fixed in an optional state by fastening the fastening member.

Abstract: The present invention addresses the problem of providing a chelate color former which can measure the concentration of iron with high sensitivity and with low blank values when measuring the concentration of iron, and an iron concentration measurement method and kit that use this chelate color former. The present invention relates to: a compound represented by following formula [1] or a salt thereof wherein, R1 and R2 each independently represent —SO3H or —CO2H; an iron concentration measurement method in which the compound is used as a chelate color former, the compound is brought into contact with iron in a sample, and the concentration of iron in the sample is measured on the basis of the degree of resulting color development; and a kit to be used therein.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a rotatable heating member of magnetism-adjusted alloy configured to heat a toner image on a sheet; an excitation coil configured to generate a magnetic flux for electromagnetic induction heating of the rotatable heating member; a voltage source configured to supply an AC current to the excitation coil; a rotating mechanism configured to rotate the rotatable heating member at a first peripheral speed in an operation in a first image heating mode and configured to rotate the rotatable heating member at a second peripheral speed lower than the first peripheral speed in an operation in a second image heating mode; and a controller configured to control the voltage source in which a maximum current supplied to the excitation coil in the second image heating mode is smaller than a maximum current supplied to the excitation coil in the first image heating mode.

Abstract: An endless belt detachably mountable to an image heating apparatus includes: a lubricant applied along a longitudinal direction of the endless belt onto a part of an inner surface of the endless belt with respect to a circumferential direction; and an indicating portion configured to indicate a mounting phase of the endless belt to an operator. The indicating potion is provided on an outer surface of the endless belt so as to have a positional relationship with an applied region of the lubricant with respect to the circumferential direction.

Abstract: A holding force adjusting apparatus to be attached to a posture holding apparatus having a base, a supporting member which is attached onto the base so that the supporting member freely swings between a standby state where the supporting member does not support a substance on the base and an active state where the supporting member supports the substance in an inclination state, and a swinging support member having a biasing force for returning the supporting member to the standby state when the supporting member is inclined, the holding force adjusting apparatus being designed to adjust a biasing force of the swinging support member, the holding force adjusting apparatus including a weighting detection member for detecting weight of the substance to be placed, and a returning force adjusting member for adjusting the bias force according to a detected weight by the weight detecting means.

Abstract: An apparatus includes: a coil; a heater, including an electroconductive layer of magnetism-adjusted alloy whose Curie temperature is lower than apparatus's durable temperature; a magnetic core directing a magnetic flux generated by the coil to the heater; a controller controlling electric power supply to the coil so that a temperature of the heater is a temperature sufficient to heat an image on a sheet, the Curie temperature being higher than the image heating temperature; and a blocker of non-magnetic metal having a resistivity smaller than that of the magnetism-adjusted alloy. The blocker opposes the coil with the heater therebetween. The blocker is in a first region where the coil opposes the heater, and a length L2 of the first region and a length L3 of a second region where the heater and blocker oppose each other, both regions measured in a rotational direction of the heater, satisfy L2/2?L3.

Abstract: An operating valve includes a valve chamber which is formed in a main body having a passage, a valve body which is housed in the valve chamber and has a passage corresponding to the passage of the main body, a rotary shaft which is detachably connected to the valve body, an operating member which operates a rotation of the rotary shaft, and a bias member which biases the rotary shaft to a position of the valve body.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes: a rotatable heating member of magnetism-adjusted alloy configured to heat a toner image on a sheet; an excitation coil configured to generate a magnetic flux for electromagnetic induction heating of the rotatable heating member; a voltage source configured to supply an AC current to the excitation coil; a rotating mechanism configured to rotate the rotatable heating member at a first peripheral speed in an operation in a first image heating mode and configured to rotate the rotatable heating member at a second peripheral speed lower than the first peripheral speed in an operation in a second image heating mode; and a controller configured to control the voltage source in which the maximum current supplied to the excitation coil in the second image heating mode is smaller than the maximum current supplied to the excitation coil in the first image heating mode.

Abstract: This invention provides a means for screening for lactic acid bacteria having immunoregulatory functions in a simple and rapid manner. This invention provides a method for screening for or producing lactic acid bacteria having immunoregulatory functions comprising determining the number of the test lactic acid bacteria bound to the uromodulin (Umod) protein, lactic acid bacteria obtained by such method, and an immunoregulatory composition comprising such lactic acid bacteria.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a method for detecting a hydroxymethylated cytosine in DNA and a detection kit therefor. The present invention relates to “a method for detecting the hydroxymethylated cytosine in DNA, which the method comprises: (1) a step in which a single-stranded DNA is contacted with (i) a polyvalent metal oxide or a polyvalent metal acid salt of a metal atom selected from group 6, group 8, group 9 and group 10 of the periodic table, and contacted with (ii) a peroxide selected from persulfuric acid, percarboxylic acids and the salts thereof; (2) a step in which a specific region of the single-stranded DNA treated in (1) is subjected to amplification treatment; (3) a step in which the presence or absence of an objective amplification product obtained in (2) is detected; and (4) a step in which on the basis of the results of (3), the presence or absence of hydroxymethylated cytosine in the specific region of DNA is determined.

Abstract: The present invention addresses the problem of providing a chelate color former which can measure the concentration of iron with high sensitivity and with low blank values when measuring the concentration of iron, and an iron concentration measurement method and kit that use this chelate color former. The present invention relates to: a compound represented by following formula [1] or a salt thereof wherein, R1 and R2 each independently represent —SO3H or —CO2H; an iron concentration measurement method in which the compound is used as a chelate color former, the compound is brought into contact with iron in a sample, and the concentration of iron in the sample is measured on the basis of the degree of resulting color development; and a kit to be used therein.

Abstract: An endless belt detachably mountable to an image heating apparatus includes: a lubricant applied along a longitudinal direction of the endless belt onto a part of an inner surface of the endless belt with respect to a circumferential direction; and an indicating portion configured to indicate a mounting phase of the endless belt to an operator, wherein the indicating potion is provided on an outer surface of the endless belt so as to have a positional relationship with an applied region of the lubricant with respect to the circumferential direction.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes: an exciting coil; a current applying device configured to apply a high-frequency current to the exciting coil; a rotatable heating member configured to heat a toner image on a recording material at a nip, wherein the rotatable heating member includes a first electroconductive layer for generating heat by electromagnetic induction of magnetic flux from the exciting coil; a rotatable pressing member configured to press-contact the rotatable heating member to form the nip, wherein the rotatable pressing member includes a second electroconductive layer electrically insulated from the first electroconductive layer; and a rectifying element configured to be connected between the second electroconductive layer and the ground in a direction in which a surface potential of the rotatable pressing member has an opposite polarity to a normal charge polarity of a toner.