Abstract: A toner concentration sensing apparatus includes a first acquisition processing portion, a second acquisition processing portion, and a third acquisition processing portion. The first acquisition processing portion acquires a first sensing value corresponding to light reflected by a first region of an image-carrying member where a toner image is not formed. The second acquisition processing portion acquires a second sensing value corresponding to light reflected by a second region of the image-carrying member where a toner image has been formed. The third acquisition processing portion acquires a component ratio of a component in the second sensing value, that corresponds to light reflected by toner adhered onto a surface of the image-carrying member, using a specific calculation formula determined based on a first relational expression based on the first sensing value and a second relational expression not based on the first sensing value, and the second sensing value.

Abstract: This battery includes: an electrical storage element with positive and negative electrodes and insulating film between the positive and negative electrodes and electrically separates the positive and negative electrodes; and an airtight case housing the electrical storage element, wherein the case includes: a first member having bottom and tubular portions; a second member having a lid-like portion covering an opening of the first member and a surrounding wall portion covering the tubular portion from an outside; and a gasket between an end face of the first member and the second member and between the tubular portion and the second member, and wherein a non-contact portion with which the gasket is not in contact is provided in either one or both of a part of a first surface of the first member that faces the gasket and a part of a second surface of the second member that faces the gasket.

Abstract: A toner for developing an electrostatic charge image, the toner including a binder resin in a toner base particle, in which the binder resin includes a polymer having a constituent unit represented by the following general formula (1) and a constituent unit represented by the following general formula (2): where, R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and R2 represents a hydrocarbon group having 6 or more and 12 or less carbon atoms and having an alicyclic structure, and where, R3 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and R4 represents a linear or branched hydrocarbon group having 8 or more and 18 or less carbon atoms.

Abstract: An authentication (or identification) of an electronic apparatus is performed using a response to be generated from a specific random number, which is specific to an IC chip included in the electronic apparatus, and a challenge, which is input to the electronic apparatus. A physical firewall, which is composed of the authenticated electronic apparatuses, is configured. Furthermore, a pair of a secret and public keys are generated using the said response. The said public key or a code information generated using the said public key serves as a logical address of the said electronic apparatus. An electronic signature generated using the said secret key is used to perform data transmission between electronic apparatuses inside the physical firewall.

Abstract: A closed physical network can be realized by putting physical addresses of electronic apparatuses under the central management in the chip level. Simultaneously, the decentralized management can be realized logically by converting the dictionary recording identifications of chips on the closed physical network (inside the physical firewall) to a blockchain. By this way, the present invention is characterized by making the central management of physical nodes and the decentralized management of logical nodes coexist and improving management and security of the entire of the closed network effectively.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a biaryl derivative or a pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof having an excellent collagen-synthesis inhibition activity. A biaryl derivative having a structure represented by the following General Formula (I) or a pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof: wherein R1 represents a C6-C10 aryl group which is substituted with one to three group(s) each independently selected from the group consisting of a group defined by formula R-L-, a di-(C1-C6 alkyl)amino group, a di-(C1-C6 alkyl)aminosulfonyl group, a hydroxyaminocarbonyl group, and a halogen atom, and so on; R represents a C1-C6 alkyl group, and so on; L represents a sulfonyl group, an aminosulfonyl group, or a sulfonylamino group, and so on; R2 represents a hydrogen atom, and so on; A represents a group defined by formula (II), (III), or (IV); R3 represents a C1-C6 alkyl group, and so on; and R4 represents a C1-C6 alkyl group, and so on.

Abstract: An electrostatic image developing toner wherein in the dynamic viscoelasticity of the toner, the lowest temperature at which the value of the storage elastic modulus (G′) of the toner coincides with the value of the loss elastic modulus (G″) of the toner obtained under a frequency of 6.28 rad/second in a temperature dispersion measurement at a temperature of at least 0° C. is in the range of from 60 to 75° C., or the weight average molecular weight of the toner obtained by a GPC measurement is in the range of from 20,000 to 65,000 and the peak area that the molecular weight of the toner obtained by the GPC measurement is not larger than 1,000 is 3.0% or lower. The toner is excellent in the document offset property, the bending resistance of the fixed image, the releasing property of the fixing sheet, and transparency of as optically projected image, has charging uniformity and a high stability, gives no fog and toner scattering, and can form images of excellent quality.

Abstract: It is to easily form a fixed image, especially a full color image, that exhibits a small difference in gloss depending on the fixing conditions of the toner, is excellent in smoothness, exhibits small unevenness of gloss, and has high image quality and high reliability. A toner for developing a static image to be fixed by heat on a fixing substrate, wherein a fixed image has a gloss Gm of about 20% or more, and a maximum value of a degree of change Gs of the gloss per 1° C. of a difference of a surface temperature within a range of about from 140 to 170° C. of a fixing member as a heating and fixing unit is 1.8% or less per 1° C.; and a developer for a static image and a process for producing an image using the toner are provided.

Abstract: An electrostatic-charged image developing toner containing a binder resin and a coloring agent, which is excellent in the fixing characteristics, has high charging uniformity and stability, and gives excellent images, wherein the crosslinking molecular weight Mc of the toner obtained by a temperature dispersion measurement in the dynamic viscoelasticity of the toner is from about 1.6.times.10.sup.4 to 3.5.times.10.sup.6, or the crosslinking density Me thereof is from about 1.6.times.10.sup.-8 to 3.5.times.10.sup.-6 /Kmol.