Abstract: The image forming apparatus transfers an image onto a surface of a sheet at a transfer position on a conveying path. A pair of conveying rollers convey the sheet to the transfer position. The image sensor reads the sheet upstream of the transfer position. The rotary body is disposed to face the image sensor with the conveying path interposed therebetween. The rotary body includes a background portion configured to face a reading surface of the image sensor when the rotary body is at a first rotational position, and a cleaning portion configured to come into contact with the reading surface of the image sensor when the rotary body is at a second rotational position.

Abstract: A vehicle-light marking tool includes: an attachment part that is attached to a vehicle-constituting member; a first marking unit provided on a side of the attachment part opposite from an attachment side, the first marking unit containing a reflective material; and a second marking unit provided adjacent to the first marking unit and containing a light-emitting material.

Abstract: A heating unit urging member urges a first support body of a heating unit toward a second support body of a fixing unit with elastic force. The heating unit urging member brings the first support body into contact with the second support body and brings the second support body into contact with two struts. An interlocking mechanism moves the heating unit along a direction in which the heating unit and the fixing unit are arranged, in conjunction with movement of an operation portion. When the operation portion moves from a first position to a second position, the interlocking mechanism moves the first support body from a reference position where the first support body is in contact with the second support body to a retracted position where the first support body is separated from the second support body.

Abstract: In an image formation device, a driven gear is coupled to a far end portion in a unit inserting and withdrawing direction of a rotary fixing member or a rotary pressure member of a fixing unit. A driving gear is provided in a far end portion of a fixing unit housing part and engages with the driven gear when the fixing unit is housed in the fixing unit housing part. The driving gear and the driven gear are formed so that a transmission force transmitted from the driving gear to the driven gear in a mutual engagement position has a component so directed as to horizontally press the fixing unit against columns making a pair. The fixing unit as housed in the fixing unit housing part is pressed by the transmission force against the columns and positioned in a direction orthogonal to the unit inserting and withdrawing direction.

Abstract: A fixing unit includes a plurality of first engagement portions which respectively engage with a plurality of first to-be-engaged portions to restrict a movement of a heating unit in a third direction intersecting with a first direction and a second direction. A fixed unit includes a second engagement portion which engages with a second to-be-engaged portion to restrict a movement of the heating unit in the first direction. The fixing unit includes a movable unit, a supporting member, and a reciprocating mechanism. The supporting member supports the movable unit such that the movable unit is movable along the first direction. The reciprocating mechanism causes the movable unit to reciprocate. The reciprocating mechanism causes the movable unit to reciprocate once every time a plurality of sheets pass between a first rotation member and a second rotation member in the fixing unit.

Abstract: A heating unit includes a to-be-engaged portion. A fixing unit includes an engagement portion. The heating unit or the fixing unit includes an engagement guide portion. A movement mechanism retains the heating unit in a tilted attitude when causing the heating unit to move at a position set apart from the fixing unit. The engagement guide portion causes the heating unit to rock from the tilted attitude to a reference attitude while guiding the to-be-engaged portion to the engagement portion. The engagement portion engages with the to-be-engaged portion to restrict a movement of the heating unit in a longitudinal direction. A unit bias portion retains an engagement state between the engagement portion and the to-be-engaged portion.

Abstract: A heating unit urging member urges a first support body of a heating unit toward a second support body of a fixing unit with elastic force. The heating unit urging member brings the first support body into contact with the second support body and brings the second support body into contact with two struts. An interlocking mechanism moves the heating unit along a direction in which the heating unit and the fixing unit are arranged, in conjunction with movement of an operation portion. When the operation portion moves from a first position to a second position, the interlocking mechanism moves the first support body from a reference position where the first support body is in contact with the second support body to a retracted position where the first support body is separated from the second support body.

Abstract: In an image formation device, a driven gear is coupled to a far end portion in a unit inserting and withdrawing direction of a rotary fixing member or a rotary pressure member of a fixing unit. A driving gear is provided in a far end portion of a fixing unit housing part and engages with the driven gear when the fixing unit is housed in the fixing unit housing part. The driving gear and the driven gear are formed so that a transmission force transmitted from the driving gear to the driven gear in a mutual engagement position has a component so directed as to horizontally press the fixing unit against columns making a pair. The fixing unit as housed in the fixing unit housing part is pressed by the transmission force against the columns and positioned in a direction orthogonal to the unit inserting and withdrawing direction.

Abstract: A colored resin sheet includes a resin and a colorant dispersed in the resin, and has an average value of visible light transmittances for a red range of a wavelength of 680 to 780 nm, of 50% or more. The colored resin sheet has a combination of a lightness L* value and an average value of light transmittances for an entire visible light range of a wavelength of 380 to 780 nm, respectively, of: a) 15 or less, and 15% or more; b) greater than 15 and less than or equal to 35, and 25% or more; or c) greater than 35 and less than or equal to 60, and 40% or more. A leather-like sheet includes a colored resin layer and a surface having a lightness L* value of 40 or less, and has an average value of visible light transmittances for the red range, of 5% or more.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention is to provide a bioabsorbable medical material having adhesiveness to a biological tissue and improved degradability. A bioabsorbable medical material according to an embodiment of the present invention contains a crosslinked polymer material forming a specific shape, and a disintegration delaying material retained by the crosslinked polymer material. The crosslinked polymer material has degradability in water, the degradability being suppressed in the presence of an acid. The disintegration delaying material releases 0.5 mol%/day or greater of an acid until the seventh day upon contact with water at 37° C.

Abstract: A hole plug attachment structure includes: a first attachment-target member is formed with a first attachment hole; a second attachment-target member is formed with a second attachment hole; and a hole plug that includes a tube-shaped outer peripheral wall, a blocking portion, a ring shaped flange jutting out toward a radial direction outer side of the outer peripheral wall from an end portion of the outer peripheral wall on an opposite side from an insertion direction so as to cover a location surrounding the second attachment hole, and a hook portion, a location of the flange that abuts an edge of the second attachment hole being thicker than a location of the flange that abuts the edge of the first attachment hole, in a state in which a back face of the flange abuts both the edge of the first attachment hole and the edge of the second attachment hole.

Abstract: A transfer unit includes, as transfer rollers, a first roller and a second roller of which the latter has an elastic layer larger in an axial direction than that of the former, a first bearing member, a second bearing member, a roller holder, a first urging member, a second urging member, a switching cam, a transfer voltage power supply, and a driving mechanism. By rotating the roller holder, one of the first and second rollers is arranged opposite an image carrying member and, by rotating the switching cam, the first or second roller arranged opposite the image carrying member is arranged either at a reference position at which, by being kept in pressed contact with the image carrying member, the first or second roller forms a transfer nip or at a released position at which the first or second roller lies away from the image carrying member.

Abstract: A transfer unit includes, as transfer rollers, first and second rollers of which the second has an elastic layer larger in an axial direction than the first, first and second bearing members, a roller holder, first and second urging members, a switching cam, a driving mechanism, and a first pre-transfer guide. By rotating the roller holder, the first or second roller is arranged opposite an image carrier and, by rotating the switching cam, the first or second roller arranged opposite the image carrier is arranged selectively either at a reference position where the first or second roller is in pressed contact with the image carrier or at a released position where the first or second roller lies away from the image carrier. With the first or second roller arranged at the reference position, the first pre-transfer guide is arranged at a first guide position.

Abstract: A transfer unit includes first and second rollers of which the second roller has an elastic layer larger in the axial direction than the first roller, a roller holder, and a switching cam. One of the first and second rollers is, by rotating the roller holder, arranged opposite an image carrying member and, by rotating the switching cam, arranged selectively either at a reference position to form a transfer nip or at a released position to lie away from the image carrying member. Let a length of the elastic layer of the first roller in the axial direction, a width of an effective image area on the image carrying member to which a toner image can be transferred, and a width of a recording medium of a maximum size allowing transfer using the first roller be L1, L3, and L4 respectively, L4<L1?L3?5 mm is fulfilled.

Abstract: To provide a muscle tissue-regenerating agent containing a fibroin protein. A muscle tissue-regenerating agent containing a modified fibroin protein.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a conveyance device, a fixing device and an air blower. The conveyance device conveys a medium along a conveyance guide. The fixing device fixes a toner image on the medium thermally by passing the medium between a fixing member and a pressing member which are rotated around axes. The air blower sucks air above the conveyance guide to attract the medium to the conveyance guide, and blows the sucked air to a pair of medium non-passing regions set on both end portions of at least the fixing member and the pressing member in the axial direction.

Abstract: A hole plug includes: a tube-shaped outer peripheral wall configured to be inserted into an attachment hole formed in an attachment-target member; a blocking portion-close off the inside of the outer peripheral wall; a ring-shaped flange that juts out toward a radial direction outer side of the outer peripheral wall from an end portion of the outer peripheral wall on an opposite side from an insertion direction so as to cover a location surrounding the attachment hole; a hook portion engage with an edge of the attachment hole; and a plurality of recess portions that are formed at a front face of a base end portion of the flange at intervals around a circumferential direction of the flange, each of the recess portions including a bottom portion with a planar face profile or a curved face profile.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, an image input portion, a transfer unit, a transfer voltage power supply, and a control portion. The transfer unit includes a transfer roller having a metal shaft and an elastic layer laid around an outer circumferential face of the metal shaft to form a transfer nip by keeping the elastic layer in pressed contact with an image carrying member, and transfers a toner image formed on the image carrying member to a recording medium as it passes through the transfer nip. The transfer unit includes, as the transfer roller, a first roller, and a second roller having a larger axial-size elastic layer compared to the first roller. The control portion arranges the first or second roller opposite the image carrying member according to width-direction sizes of the recording medium and image data fed to the image input portion.

Abstract: Provided is a structural protein microbody that functions as a core for forming a protein nanofiber. There is provided a structural protein microbody including a structural protein, in which the structural protein microbody satisfies at least two of the following (i) to (iii): (i) a peak is present within a range of 480 to 500 nm in a fluorescence intensity measurement by thioflavin T staining; (ii) a peak is present in a region where Q is 0.15 or less in a modified Kratky plot of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS); and (iii) the structural protein microbody is an aggregate of two or more structural protein molecules.

Abstract: A transfer unit includes first and second rollers of which the second has an elastic layer larger in the axial direction than the first, a roller holder, and a switching cam. One of the first and second rollers is, by rotating the roller holder, arranged opposite the image carrying member and, by rotating the switching cam, arranged selectively either at a reference position to form a transfer nip or at a released position to lie away from the image carrying member. Let the length of the elastic layer of the first roller in the axial direction, the width of the effective image area on the image carrying member to which the toner image can be transferred, and the width of the recording medium of the maximum size allowing transfer using the first roller be L1, L3, and L4 respectively, L4<L1?L3?5 mm is fulfilled.