Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises an image carrier to rotate about a rotation axis, a cleaning blade to contact a surface of the image carrier, and a protective agent coater. The protective agent coater has a rotatable shaft extending along the rotation axis of the image carrier, an elastic body formed around the rotatable shaft, and a waste toner supply member. The waste toner supply member supplies waste toner to the elastic body of the protective agent coater. The elastic body transfers protective agent from a protective agent supply to the image carrier. The protective agent coater is positioned upstream of the cleaning blade in the rotation direction of the image carrier.

Abstract: A virtual network function management apparatus obtains information related to performance of a physical machine allocated to the virtual network function. The virtual network function management apparatus transmits information related to the performance of the physical machine allocated to the virtual network function to a virtual machine that configures the virtual network function. The virtual network function management apparatus causes the virtual machine that configures the virtual network function to change a congestion determination threshold that is set to the virtual machine based on the performance of the physical machine.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a toner supply unit, an application roller adjacent to the image carrier, a toner measuring unit, and a control unit. The toner supply unit supplies toner to the image carrier. The application roller applies a lubricant to the image carrier. The toner measuring unit measures an amount of toner transferred from the image carrier to the application roller. The control unit adjusts the supply of toner to be supplied to the image carrier in accordance with the amount of toner measured by the toner measuring unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a lubricant application device to apply a lubricant to a photoreceptor surface of the image forming apparatus, and a lubricant residual amount detector to detect a residual amount of the lubricant. The residual amount of the lubricant is compared to a predetermined amount, and a charging device charges the photoreceptor surface by selectively applying a DC voltage of varying voltage to the photoreceptor surface in response to the comparison of the residual amount of the lubricant to the predetermined amount.

Abstract: The reaction apparatus includes a cell in which a specimen liquid of 1 ?L or more is accommodated, a cooling plate structure that encloses the cell and consists of a cooling plate, a cooling unit that cools the cooling plate structure, and a heating unit that irradiates at least one of the cell or the specimen liquid with electromagnetic waves, in which the cooling plate configuring the cooling plate structure is in contact with at least two main surfaces of the cell, and the cooling plate structure includes a transparent window that transmits the electromagnetic waves.

Abstract: A separation device includes: a container that includes a storage portion for storing liquid containing magnetic particles; and a coil that separates the magnetic particles from the liquid by generating a magnetic field through application of current, causing a magnetic force to act on the magnetic particles in a state where the coil stops with respect to the storage portion, and causing the magnetic particles to move from the storage portion against gravity acting on the liquid containing the magnetic particles.

Abstract: A chip includes a first chamber that stores a fluid, a second chamber that stores a mixing target which is to be mixed with the fluid, a flow path that allows a communication between the first chamber and the second chamber, and a valve that is provided in the flow path and capable of changing the flow path by change in shape by heating.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a lubricant application device to apply a lubricant to a photoreceptor surface of the image forming apparatus, and a lubricant residual amount detector to detect a residual amount of the lubricant. The residual amount of the lubricant is compared to a predetermined amount, and a charging device charges the photoreceptor surface by selectively applying a DC voltage of varying voltage to the photoreceptor surface in response to the comparison of the residual amount of the lubricant to the predetermined amount.

Abstract: A virtual network function management apparatus includes: a physical machine candidate query part configured to query, when creating a virtual network function, about a physical machine candidate in which a virtual machine configuring a virtual network function can be deployed, with respect to a virtual infrastructure management apparatus that manages a virtual infrastructure configured by using 2 or more types of physical machine; a physical machine selection part configured to select a physical machine that can satisfy performance required by the virtual network function, from among physical machine candidates received from the virtual infrastructure management apparatus; and a virtual machine creation instruction part configured to instruct the virtual infrastructure management apparatus to specify the selected physical machine and create a virtual machine configuring the virtual network function.

Abstract: This application relates to an useful drug for prevention or treatment of avian influenza virus infection, and specifically provides a multiple antigen peptide comprising a dendritic core and 4-8 antigen peptides, wherein each of the antigen peptides is bound to a terminus of the dendritic core directly or through a spacer, and is a peptide consisting of 7-12 consecutive amino acids in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4, the multiple antigen peptide inducing the production of IgG antibodies in mammalian animals or birds, and further provides an immunity inducer comprising the multiple antigen peptide.

Abstract: The present invention provides a synthetic peptide capable of inducing an antibody to an autoantigen, and specifically, provides: a multiplexed same type-antigenic peptide having a dendritic core and B-cell recognition peptides, wherein the multiplexed same type-antigenic peptide comprises 4 to 8 B-cell recognition peptides of the same type that are bound to the terminal ends of the dendritic core directly or via a spacer, and each B-cell recognition peptide is bound to the terminal end of the dendritic core directly or via a spacer; an antibody production-inducing agent having the peptides; and a method for producing the peptide.

Abstract: This application provides: a multiple antigen peptide comprising a dendritic core and 4-8 antigen peptides, wherein each of the antigen peptides is bound to a terminus of the dendritic core directly or through a spacer and is a peptide consisting of 7-15 consecutive amino acids in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, or a peptide which is the same as the peptide except that 1-3 amino acids are substituted; and an immune inducer comprising the multiple antigen peptide(s), wherein the multiple antigen peptide and the immune inducer are both useful for prevention or treatment of Ebola virus infection.

Abstract: Provided is a method for obtaining base sequence information of a single cell derived from a vertebrate, by which PCR amplification of an objective region can be performed uniformly and accurately.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a nanoparticle dispersion liquid of an ?-galactosylceramide-related compound that can be administered in the form of a stable dispersion liquid using water as a solvent. According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a nanoparticle dispersion liquid, which is not in the form of a liposome dispersion liquid obtained by using a phospholipid or the like, and also to control the size of nanoparticles.

Abstract: Provided is a method for determining a genetic condition of a fetus, the method including: an objective region selection step of selecting an objective region for determining the genetic condition, from regions on a human genome; a step of isolating a single cell from a maternal blood sample; a step of extracting genomic DNA from the single cell; a step of performing PCR amplification on the objective region using a primer set designed so as to perform the PCR amplification on the objective region using genomic DNA extracted from the single cell as a template; and a DNA sequencing step of decoding a DNA base sequence of a PCR amplification product of the objective region, in which the primer set designed so as to perform the PCR amplification on the objective region is designed through a method for designing a primer set used for the polymerase chain reaction, the method for designing a primer set including a first stage selection step based on a local alignment score and a second stage selection step based o

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a preparation for preventing or treating type I diabetes, said preparation exerting an excellent effect of preventing or treating type I diabetes, and a method for preventing or treating type I diabetes. The onset and symptoms of type I diabetes can be very remarkably relieved by dosing a combination of: (A) at least one member selected from the group consisting of proinsulin, insulin, insulin A chain, insulin B chain, fragments thereof and variants thereof; with (B) ?-GalCer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a noninvasive discrimination method of chromosomal heteroploidy of a fetus, the method including a step of analyzing DNA of a candidate cell of a nucleated red blood cell isolated from maternal blood, in which the fetuses are fetuses classified into any one case selected from monotocous, monochorionic monoamniotic twin fetuses, monochorionic diamniotic twin fetuses, and dichorionic diamniotic twin fetuses based on results of ultrasonic inspections and the number of candidate cells of nucleated red blood cells to be used for analyzing the DNA is optimized based on the classification, and a noninvasive discrimination system of chromosomal heteroploidy of a fetus.

Abstract: The present invention provides a synthetic peptide capable of inducing an antibody to an autoantigen, and specifically, provides: a multiplexed same type-antigenic peptide having a dendritic core and B-cell recognition peptides, wherein the multiplexed same type-antigenic peptide comprises 4 to 8 B-cell recognition peptides of the same type that are bound to the terminal ends of the dendritic core directly or via a spacer, and each B-cell recognition peptide is bound to the terminal end of the dendritic core directly or via a spacer; an antibody production-inducing agent having the peptides; and a method for producing the peptide.

Abstract: A method for detecting the presence or absence of heteroploidy of fetal chromosomes includes: obtaining a primary amplification products by amplifying chromosomal DNA obtained from a biological sample collected from a pregnant mother; performing multiplex amplification of a plurality of target regions to obtain a secondary amplification product using the primary amplification product as a template; adding a label to both terminals of the secondary amplification product to obtain the labeled secondary amplification product; performing amplification using a primer pair annealing to the label using the labeled secondary amplification product as a template to obtain a tertiary amplification product; and determining the amplification amount and base sequences of the plurality of target regions from the tertiary amplification product. The primary amplification amplifies the total amount of DNA by 6000 to 30000 times, and the secondary amplification step amplifies the total amount of DNA by 3 to 150 times.

Abstract: A method for sorting nucleated red blood cells, the method includes: selecting a candidate cell of nucleated red blood cells in accordance with shapes of cells; setting a search range including the candidate cell and selecting a white blood cell within the search range; defining that the candidate cell is a nucleated red blood cell through comparison of spectral characteristics of hemoglobin between the candidate cell and the white blood cell; and sorting the nucleated red blood cells into mother-derived nucleated red blood cells or fetus-derived nucleated red blood cells through comparison of an allele contained in the nucleated red blood cell after the defining of the nucleated red blood cell with an allele contained in a white blood cell which has not been selected in the selecting of the candidate cell or in the white blood cell selected in the selecting of the white blood cell.