Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a cartridge including at least one of an image bearing member and a developing device; a main assembly including an opening; an openable member movable between a closed position in which the opening is covered and an open position in which the opening is exposed; and a movable member for supporting the cartridge. The movable member is movable between an inside position in which the cartridge is located inside the main assembly and a pulled out position in which the movable member is outwardly pulled out from the main assembly. The openable member is prevented, from moving from the open position to the closed position, in a state in which the movable member is located outside the open position but is movable from the open position to the closed position in a state in which the movable member is located at the open position.

Abstract: By using a virus having a gene sequence comprising a telomerase promoter and an E1 gene (preferably a sequence comprising E1A gene, IRES sequence and E1B gene) or by using an anticancer agent comprising the virus, the virus replicates in cancer cells to thereby produce an efficient anticancer effect.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a cartridge supporting member movable between an inside position inside the main assembly of the apparatus and an outside position outside the main assembly, a light source, a light guide member, on the cartridge supporting member, for guiding the light from the light source to electrically discharge charge remaining on a drum after a developed image on the drum is transferred onto recording material when the cartridge is in an image forming position, an interrelating member for moving the light source to an operating position where the light enters the light guide member in interrelation with movement of the cartridge supporting member from the outside to the inside positions, and a positioning member positioning the light source at the operating position.

Abstract: The present invention provides a reagent for cancer cell detection or cancer diagnosis. The present invention relates to a reagent for cancer cell detection, comprising a recombinant virus where a replication cassette comprising a promoter from human telomerase, an E1A gene, an IRES sequence and an E1B gene in this order is integrated in E1 region of the viral genome and a labeling cassette comprising a gene encoding a labeling protein and a promoter capable of regulating the expression of the gene encoding the labeling protein is integrated in E3 region of the viral genome.

Abstract: The present invention provides a reagent for cancer cell detection or cancer diagnosis. The present invention relates to a reagent for cancer cell detection, comprising a recombinant virus where a replication cassette comprising a promoter from human telomerase, an E1A gene, an IRES sequence and an E1B gene in this order is integrated in E1 region of the viral genome and a labeling cassette comprising a gene encoding a labeling protein and a promoter capable of regulating the expression of the gene encoding the labeling protein is integrated in E3 region of the viral genome.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a gene amplification method, wherein the method can amplify both methylated and unmethylated nucleic acids present in a biological sample, and further regulate the amplification ratio of the methylated and/or unmethylated nucleic acid as needed. Such objects can be solved by an amplification method using a nonspecific primer which can hybridize both with methylated and unmethylated nucleic acids and a specific primer which specifically hybridizes with either methylated or unmethylated nucleic acid, and further by an amplification method which can change the amplification ratio of methylated or unmethylated nucleic acid by changing the mixing rate of these primers.

Abstract: The present invention provides a cell line which can be substituted for ? cells in human mature pancreatic islets and express insulin in a glucose-concentration dependent manner, and enables the easy obtainment of the number of cells which meets the demand. The present invention also provides a therapeutical cell preparation for treating diabetes. The cell lines of the present invention can be obtained by integrating both a nucleotide sequence encoding tamoxifen-induced Cre recombinase and a nucleotide sequence encoding insulin regulated by glucose-sensitive promoter into the chromosome in a human immortalized hepatic cell line FERM BP-7498 containing the TERT gene inserted in between a pair of LoxP sequences.

Abstract: Provided is a promoter showing transcriptional activity in a mesothelioma-specific manner and showing low transcriptional activity in other kinds of cancer cells and normal cells including mesothelium. Also provided are applications of the promoter, and more specifically, a gene therapy vector and a therapeutic agent for mesothelioma each including the promoter. The promoter includes a CRI1 gene-derived promoter, which is one kind of mesothelioma markers. The use of a vector including a cell death-inducing gene or a cell lysis-inducing gene as a transgene and carrying the CRI1 gene-derived promoter upstream of the transgene can induce a cell death or cell lysis action in a mesothelioma-specific manner. That is, the gene therapy vector and the therapeutic agent for mesothelioma each include a virus vector carrying the CRI1 gene-derived promoter.

Abstract: By using a virus having a gene sequence comprising a telomerase promoter and an E1 gene (preferably a sequence comprising E1A gene, IRES sequence and E1B gene) or by using an anticancer agent comprising the virus, the virus replicates in cancer cells to thereby produce an efficient anticancer effect.

Abstract: A resistor testing circuit for a battery charger that tests divisional resistors used to estimate the resistance of a thermistor in a battery pack. The battery charger when activated conducts a self test. In the self test, switches are sequentially switched to form groups of resistors and test the connection state of the resistors groups. When a defect is detected by the self test, the battery charger stops performing charging. When no defects are detected by the self test, the thermistor of the battery pack is used to estimate temperature. The charging current is determined in correspondence with the temperature. Then, charging is started.

Abstract: A drawing processing apparatus is provided and includes: a plurality of character definition information memories each storing definition information on a character shape; a registering portion that, when a drawing command containing the definition information on the character shape is received, determines one of the plurality of character definition information memories for each character contained in the drawing command, depending on whether the definition information on the character shape is simple definition information that defines the character shape itself of the character or is a combinational definition information that defines a combination of simple or combinational definition information defining components of the character; and a drawing process instructing portion that instructs to read, from the plurality of character definition information memories, the definition information on the character shape corresponding to the character to be processed, to execute a drawing process of the each charac

Abstract: The present invention relates to providing a pharmaceutical composition with a still more enhanced anticancer activity. Specifically, the present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for combination therapy for tumors, comprising a recombinant virus comprising a polynucleotide containing a promoter for human telomerase, an E1A gene, an IRES sequence and an E1B gene in this order, and a substance having an antitumor effect.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a cartridge including at least one of an image bearing member and a developing device; a main assembly including an opening; an openable member movable between a closed position in which the opening is covered and an open position in which the opening is exposed; and a movable member for supporting the cartridge. The movable member is movable between an inside position in which the cartridge is located inside the main assembly and a pulled out position in which the movable member is outwardly pulled out from the main assembly. The openable member is prevented, from moving from the open position to the closed position, in a state in which the movable member is located outside the open position but is movable from the open position to the closed position in a state in which the movable member is located at the open position.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a cartridge supporting member movable between an inside position inside the main assembly of the apparatus and an outside position outside the main assembly, a light source, a light guide member, on the cartridge supporting member, for guiding the light from the light source to electrically discharge charge remaining on a drum after a developed image on the drum is transferred onto recording material when the cartridge is in an image forming position, an interrelating member for moving the light source to an operating position where the light enters the light guide member in interrelation with movement of the cartridge supporting member from the outside to the inside positions, and a positioning member positioning the light source at the operating position.

Abstract: A reversibly immortalized human pancreatic islet cell line containing an hTERT gene and an SV40T gene each interposed between a pair of LoxP sequences, characterized in that it is capable of producing insulin and enhancing expression of insulin after excising the hTERT gene and the SV40T gene, in particular, NAKT-13 (deposited with International Patent Organism Depository, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, address: AIST Tsukuba Central 6, 1-1, Higashi 1-Chome, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken, 305-8566 Japan, deposited date: Sep. 4, 2003, accession number: FERM BP-08461) or a passage cell line thereof; a human pancreatic islet cell obtained by excising the hTERT gene and the SV40T gene from the reversibly immortalized human pancreatic islet cell line or passage cell line thereof; and use of these cells. By using the reversibly immortalized human pancreatic islet cell line of the invention insulin-producing cells can be easily and surely obtained in a number enough to meet the demand.

Abstract: An image processing system includes: a receiving section that receives print information including at least a first control command indicating a first print setting and a second control command embedded in a document to be printed and indicating a second print setting; an interpreting section that interprets the first control command and the second control command; and a controller that performs a control so as to prohibit execution of processing based on one of the first control command and the second control command when the interpreting section determines that both of the first control command and the second control command cannot be concurrently executed.

Abstract: Provided is a cell cultivation method in which the cell is cultured using a peptide hydrogel as a scaffold, for carrying out high-dimensional culture of a cell such as porcine hepatocyte, human hepatocyte, porcine pancreatic islet or human pancreatic islet for a long period under conditions where cell survival, cell morphology and cell functions are maintained. Also provided are a cell culture including a cell and a peptide hydrogel obtained by the above-described cultivation method, a bioreactor including the cell culture, and a cell preparation including the cell culture.

Abstract: The present invention provides a cell line which can be substituted for ? cells in human mature pancreatic islets and express insulin in a glucose-concentration dependent manner, and enables the easy obtainment of the number of cells which meets the demand. The present invention also provides a therapeutical cell preparation for treating diabetes. The cell lines of the present invention can be obtained by integrating both a nucleotide sequence encoding tamoxifen-induced Cre recombinase and a nucleotide sequence encoding insulin regulated by glucose-sensitive promoter into the chromosome in a human immortalized hepatic cell line FERM BP-7498 containing the TERT gene inserted in between a pair of LoxP sequences.

Abstract: The object is to provide a novel enzyme which enables to determine the glucose level more accurately, a bacterium capable of producing the enzyme, and use of the enzyme. Disclosed is a flavin adenine dinucleotide-binding glucose dehydrogenase having the following properties (1) to (3): (1) the enzyme has an activity of catalyzing a reaction for oxidizing a hydroxyl group in glucose in the presence of an electron acceptor to produce glucono-?-lactone; (2) the enzyme has a molecular weight of about 100 kDa as measured by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis or about 400 kDa as measured by gel filtration chromatography; and (3) the enzyme is less reactive to maltose, D-fructose, D-mannose and D-galactose. Also disclosed is a microorganism Aspergillus oryzae which can produce the enzyme. Further disclosed are a glucose determination method, a reagent for the determination of glucose, and a kit for the determination of glucose, each utilizing the enzyme.

Abstract: The present invention provides a reversibly immortalized mammalian liver cell line, especially CYNK-1 (deposited with International Patent Organism Depository, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, address: AIST Tsukuba Central 6, 1-1, Higashi 1-Chome, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken, 305-8566 Japan, deposited date: Mar. 10, 2004, accession number: FERM BP-08657) comprising an immortalizing gene interposed between a pair of site-specific recombination sequences and a suicide gene in the outside of the pair of site-specific recombination sequences, characterized in that the suicide gene can exhibit its function after excision of the pair of site-specific recombination sequences, or passage cell line thereof; a mammalian liver cell obtained by excising the immortalizing gene from the reversibly immortalized mammalian liver cell line or passage cell line thereof; and use of these cells.