Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte battery includes a non-aqueous electrolyte containing an electrolytic salt and a non-aqueous solvent, a positive electrode, and a negative electrode having a negative active material that intercalates/deintercalates lithium ions at a potential not lower than 1.2 V relative to the potential of lithium, wherein a film coat having a carbonate structure and a thickness of not less than 10 nm exists on the surface of the negative electrode. A non-aqueous electrolyte battery is operated in a region of potential of the negative electrode higher than 0.8 V relative to the potential of lithium.

Abstract: To provide an industrial purification method of PDC obtained by fermentative production. A method of purifying 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid which comprises including a salt of monovalent to tetravalent cations in a fermentation liquid containing microbially-produced 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid; and a method of purifying 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid which method comprises extracting 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid from a fermentation liquid containing microbially-produced 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid without forming 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylate.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an active material for lithium ion battery having an excellent discharge capacity in the potential flat part and a high-performance and long-life lithium ion battery, and particularly to provide a technology of improving voltage flatness. The present invention provides an active material for lithium ion battery represented by a composition formula: Li[Li(1-2x)/3MgxTi(5-x)/3]O4 (0<x<1/2) in which a part of the element of lithium titanate is substituted with Mg, and a lithium ion battery using this active material as a negative electrode active material.

Abstract: The invention provides biodegradable polyesters, polyurethanes, comprising 3-carboxymuconolactone as a structural unit, 3-carboxymuconolactone esters and a process for their production. Polyesters comprising a repeating unit represented by the following formula (I): [wherein R represents a hydrocarbon-based divalent residue which, in the structure, optionally contains a heteroatom without an active hydrogen], polyurethanes comprising the polyester structure; 3-carboxymuconolactone esters; and a process for their production.

Abstract: A process for producing a lithium secondary battery employs a charging method where a positive electrode upon charging has a maximum achieved potential of 4.3 V (vs. Li/Li+) or lower. The process includes charging the lithium secondary battery to reach at least a region with relatively flat fluctuation of potential appearing in a positive electrode potential region exceeding 4.3 V (vs. Li/Li+) and 4.8V (vs. Li/Li+) or lower. The lithium secondary battery includes an active material having a solid solution of a lithium transition metal composite oxide having an ?-NaFeO2 type crystal structure. The composition ratio of Li, Co, Ni, and Mn contained in the solid solution satisfies Li1?1/3xCo1?x?yNiy/2Mn2x/3+y/2(x+y?1, 0?y and 1?x?y=z).

Abstract: An additive typified by tris(trimethylsilyl)phosphate, tris(trimethylsilyl)borate, and tetrakis(trimethylsiloxy)titanium (Chem. 3) are applied to a nonaqueous electrolyte containing a chain carbonate and/or a chain carboxylate as a main solvent (contained at a ratio of 70 volume % or higher). It is preferable that 0?a<30 is satisfied, in which “a” denotes the volume of a cyclic carbonate among carbonates having no carbon-carbon double bond in the entire volume, defined as 100, of the carbonates having no carbon-carbon double bond and chain carboxylates in a nonaqueous solvent contained in the nonaqueous electrolyte (0<a<30 in the case no chain carboxylate is contained).

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an active material for lithium ion battery capable of producing a lithium ion battery having an excellent high rate charge and discharge performance and a lithium ion battery having an excellent high rate charge and discharge performance. The present invention provides an active material for lithium ion battery represented by a composition formula: Li[Li(1-x)/3AlxTi(5-2x)/3]O4 (??x<1) lithium titanate is substituted with Al, and a lithium ion battery using this active material as a negative electrode active material.

Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolytic cell manufacturing method is characterized in that a nonaqueous electrolyte containing vinylene carbonate is used, a coating on the surface of the negative electrode is formed at the initial charging/discharging in such a way by lowering the negative electrode potential to less than 0.4 V with relative to the lithium potential, wherein the nonaqueous electrolytic cell comprises a nonaqueous electrolyte containing an electrolytic salt and a nonaqueous solvent, a positive electrode, and a negative electrode containing a negative electrode material into/from which lithium ions are inserted/desorbed at a potential higher than the lithium potential by 1.2 V. The nonaqueous electrolytic cell is used in a range of negative electrode potential nobler than the lithium potential by 0.8 V.

Abstract: The present invention provides an active material for a lithium secondary battery with a high discharge capacity, particularly for a lithium secondary battery that can increase the discharge capacity in a potential region of 4.3 V or lower, a method for producing the same, a lithium secondary battery having a high discharge capacity, and a method for producing the same. The active material for a lithium secondary battery includes a solid solution of a lithium transition metal composite oxide having an ?-NaFeO2 type crystal structure, in which the composition ratio of Li, Co, Ni, and Mn contained in the solid solution satisfies Li1+(1/3)xCo1?x?yNi(1/2)yMn(2/3)x+(1/2)y (x+y?1, 0?y and 1?x?y=z); in an Li[Li1/3Mn2/3]O2(x)-LiNi1/2Mn1/2O2(y)-LiCoO2(z) type ternary phase diagram, (x, y, z) is represented by values in a range present on or within a line of a heptagon (ABCDEFG) defined by the vertexes; point A(0.45, 0.55, 0), point B(0.63, 0.37, 0), point C(0.7, 0.25, 0.05), point D(0.67, 0.18, 0.15), point E(0.

Abstract: Industrial-scale fermentative production of 3-carboxy-cis,cis-muconic acid from terephthalic acid. Also, a protocatechuate 4,5-ring-cleaving enzyme gene-disrupted strain in which the gene coding for (a) the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1 or 3, or (b) the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1 or 3 which has a deletion, substitution, addition and/or insertion of one or more amino acids and exhibits protocatechuate 4,5-ring cleavage activity, present in the chromosomal DNA of microbial cells, has been disrupted; recombinant plasmids comprising the Tph gene and protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase gene; transformants obtained by introducing the recombinant plasmids into the disrupted strain; and a process for production of 3-carboxy-cis,cis-muconic acid and/or 3-carboxymuconolactone characterized by culturing the transformants in the presence of terephthalic acid.

Abstract: The invention aims to suppress gas generation in a nonaqueous electrolytic cell having a negative electrode containing negative active material such as lithium titanate and particularly suppress swelling in a nonaqueous electrolytic cell by suppressing gas generation at the time of storage at a high temperature. The nonaqueous electrolytic cell comprises a nonaqueous electrolyte containing an electrolytic salt and a nonaqueous solvent, a positive electrode, and a negative electrode containing a negative electrode material into/from which lithium ions are inserted/extracted at a potential higher than the lithium potential by 1.2 V. The nonaqueous electrolytic cell is characterized in that the nonaqueous electrolyte contains vinylene carbonate, the negative electrode has a coat thereon, and the nonaqueous electrolytic cell is used in a range of negative electrode potential nobler than the lithium potential by 0.8 V.

Abstract: There is provided a process for industrial production of simple 3-carboxy-cis,cis-muconic acid and/or 3-carboxymuconolactone from low molecular mixtures derived from plant components such as vanillin, vanillic acid and protocatechuic acid, via a multistage enzyme reaction. A recombinant plasmid containing a vanillate demethylase gene (vanAB genes), benzaldehyde dehydrogenase gene (ligV gene) and protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase gene (pcaHG genes); transformants incorporating the plasmid; and a process for production of 3-carboxy-cis,cis-muconic acid and/or 3-carboxymuconolactone characterized by culturing the transformants in the presence of vanillin, vanillic acid, protocatechuic acid or a mixture of two or more thereof.

Abstract: A polyester containing a biomass-derived material in a repeating unit structure and having all of sufficient mechanical strength, easy mold processability into a molded product such as fiber or film, and biodegradability, is provided. A PDC-L-lactic acid copolyester represented by the following formula: —[R1—PDC]x—[OCH(CH3)CO]1-x—??(I) [wherein PDC is a dicarboxylic acid residue represented by the following formula (II): R1 is selected from —O(CH2)nO—, —O(CH2CH2O)m— and —O[CH(CH3)CH2O]m—, where n represents an integer of 3 to 6 and m represents an integer of 1 to 4; and is 0.005?x?0.2 when n?4 or m?2, and is 0.005?x?0.4 in other cases]; and a molded product containing the PDC-L-lactic acid copolyester.

Abstract: An antimicrobial agent comprising, as an active component, compounds represented by the following formula [wherein, R1 and R2 each independently represent H or an alkali metal atom.]; and a microbicidal agent comprising, as an active component, compounds represented by formula (I): [wherein, R1 and R2 each independently represent H or an alkali metal atom.], wherein they have high safety and little impact on the environment.

Abstract: Gas generation of a non-aqueous electrolyte battery having a negative active material that intercalates/deintercalates lithium ions at a potential not lower than 1.2 V relative to the potential of lithium as negative electrode is suppressed. A non-aqueous electrolyte battery comprising a non-aqueous electrolyte containing an electrolyte salt and a non-aqueous solvent, a positive electrode and a negative electrode is characterized in that the main active material of said negative electrode is an active material that intercalates/deintercalates lithium ions at a potential not lower than 1.2 V relative to the potential of lithium and the auxiliary active material of said negative electrode is an active material that at least intercalates lithium ions at a potential lower than 1.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an active material for lithium ion battery having an excellent discharge capacity in the potential flat part and a high-performance and long-life lithium ion battery, and particularly to provide a technology of improving voltage flatness. The present invention provides an active material for lithium ion battery represented by a composition formula: Li[Li(1-2x)/3MgxTi(5-x)/3]O4(0<x<1/2) in which a part of the element of lithium titanate is substituted with Mg, and a lithium ion battery using this active material as a negative electrode active material.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte battery suppresses gas generation in a non-aqueous electrolyte battery having a negative active material that intercalates and deintercalates lithium ions at a potential not lower than 1.2 V relative to the potential of lithium for the negative electrode thereof. The non-aqueous electrolyte battery comprises a non-aqueous electrolyte containing an electrolytic salt and a non-aqueous solvent, a positive electrode and a negative electrode having a negative active material that intercalates/deintercalates lithium ions at a potential not lower than 1.2 V relative to the potential of lithium and is characterized in that a film coat having a carbonate structure and a thickness of not less than 10 nm exists on the surface of said negative electrode and that the non-aqueous electrolyte battery is operated in a region of potential of the negative electrode higher than 0.8 V relative to the potential of lithium.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an active material for lithium ion battery capable of producing a lithium ion battery having an excellent high rate charge and discharge performance and a lithium ion battery having an excellent high rate charge and discharge performance. The present invention provides an active material for lithium ion battery represented by a composition formula: Li[Li(1-x)/3AlxTi(5-2x)/3]O4 (0<x<1) in which a part of the element of lithium titanate is substituted with Al, and a lithium ion battery using this active material as a negative electrode active material.

Abstract: A sealed alkaline storage battery including a nickel electrode as a positive electrode, characterized by having the function of being capable of charge when the gas pressure in the battery and/or the battery temperature is not higher than a specified value and of being incapable of charge when the gas pressure in the battery and/or the battery temperature exceeds the specified value.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, a moving picture playback equipment includes a disk drive section which reads out video information containing voice streams, subtitle streams and menu information items of a plurality of languages and management information thereof, a decode stream setting information management section, a decode stream setting information management table which stores setting information set by the decode stream setting information management section, and a separating section which extracts a stream of a language set under control of the decode stream setting information management section, wherein the decode stream setting information management section includes means for making playback settings of disks of plural types of formats by use of setting information recorded in the decode stream setting information management table.