Abstract: An object is to estimate the degree of deterioration of an NOx catalyst with improved accuracy in an exhaust gas purification system having the NOx catalyst provided in an exhaust passage. According to the present invention, an NOx sensor is provided downstream of an NOx catalyst, and the difference between an estimated value of the NOx concentration in the exhaust gas in the exhaust passage upstream of the NOx catalyst and a detection value of the NOx sensor at a time when NOx in the exhaust gas is not removed in the NOx catalyst is calculated. In addition, in estimating the degree of deterioration of the NOx catalyst, the estimated value of the NOx concentration in the exhaust gas in the exhaust passage upstream of the NOx catalyst is corrected based on this difference, and the degree of deterioration of the NOx catalyst is estimated based on the difference between this corrected value and the detection value of the NOx sensor.

Abstract: When the NOx SCR catalyst (15) deteriorates, the NOx removal efficiency increases with an increase in the catalyst temperature as indicated by the curves B1 and B2. When there is an irregularity in the amount or quality of aqueous urea solution that is supplied to the NOx SCR catalyst, the NOx removal efficiency decreases at a constant rate as indicated by the curve C. When the NOx removal efficiency is first within the region X2 and then brought into the region Y1, it is determined that the NOx SCR catalyst deteriorates. When the NOx removal efficiency is first within the region X2 and then brought into the region Y2, it is determined that there is an irregularity in the amount or quality of the aqueous urea solution that is supplied to the NOx SCR catalyst.

Abstract: A catalyst deterioration diagnosis system performs a diagnosis of deterioration of the oxidation catalyst based on a high-temperature-inflow-condition exhaust gas temperature and a low-temperature-inflow-condition exhaust gas temperature. The high-temperature-inflow-condition exhaust gas temperature is a temperature detected by a temperature sensor while the temperature of the exhaust gas that flows into the oxidation catalyst is in a high temperature region H while the reducing agent is supplied from the reducing agent supply means into the exhaust gas that flows into the oxidation catalyst. The low-temperature-inflow-condition exhaust gas temperature is a temperature detected by the temperature sensor while the temperature of the exhaust gas that flows into the oxidation catalyst is in a low temperature region L while the reducing agent is supplied from a reducing agent supply means into the exhaust gas that flows into the oxidation catalyst.

Abstract: The present invention provides a mechanical seal sliding member with high lubricating characteristics, in which the coefficient of friction and the temperature of sliding surfaces are lowered and stabilized without excessive leakage. In the mechanical seal sliding member of the present invention, on the sliding surface 2, a plurality of grating sections 5 are formed separately in each of which a plurality of linear shape ridge portions parallel to each other are formed in a predetermined region with a predetermined pitch. The linear shape ridge portions of the plurality of grating sections are formed as inclined at a predetermined angle to a sliding direction of the sliding surfaces 2. Such periodic structure can improve the lubricating characteristics for lubrication.

Abstract: A cylinder-to-cylinder air/fuel ratio imbalance determination system obtains an imbalance determination parameter that increases or decreases as a difference between the air/fuel ratios of different cylinders increases, based on output values of an air/fuel ratio sensor, and makes a cylinder-to-cylinder A/F imbalance determination, based on the result of comparison between the imbalance determination parameter and a threshold value for imbalance determination. The determination system changes the amount of fuel injected into one or more of the cylinders so as to create a forced imbalance condition in which the air/fuel ratio of a particular cylinder deviates from the air/fuel ratio of the remaining cylinders, and obtains an air/fuel ratio sensor evaluation parameter (e.g., rate of change ?AF of the detected air/fuel ratio) in this condition.

Abstract: A periodic structure is to be successively formed over an extensive area with a uniaxial laser beam. Such method includes irradiating a uniaxial laser beam near an ablation threshold to a surface of a material; and executing an overlapped scanning on the irradiated region, so as to cause an ablation by interference between an incident beam and a surface scattered wave along the material surface; increasing the scattered wave; causing an interference at an interval equal to a wavelength of the laser beam, to thereby cause spontaneous formation of a periodic structure. The periodic structure can be made to have a different ripple spacing by changing an incident angle of the laser beam to the material surface. When the laser incident beam has an angle, the ripple spacing can be changed by changing a scanning direction.

Abstract: An exhaust passage (15) of an internal-combustion engine (10) includes a selective reduction NOx catalyst (34) and an after-catalyst NOx sensor (50) for detecting a NOx concentration Cr at the downstream thereof. Reducing agent is selectively added from an addition valve (40) to the NOx catalyst. A NOx concentration Ce at the upstream side of the NOx catalyst is detected or estimated. NOx concentrations Cr and Ce before and after the NOx catalyst, which were detected or estimated during the stoppage of an addition of the reducing agent, are compared to each other to thereby determine an abnormality of the after-catalyst NOx sensor (50). An abnormality diagnosis is executed while the addition of reducing agent is being stopped to remove an influence by the NOx catalyst.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to diagnose a failure of an addition valve provided in the exhaust system of an internal combustion engine. To achieve the object, post injection through a fuel injection valve of the internal combustion engine and reducing agent addition through the reducing agent addition valve are performed at different timings, the quantity of fuel injected through the fuel injection valve when the post injection is performed and the quantity of reducing agent added through the reducing agent addition valve when the reducing agent addition is performed are estimated based on a same parameter, and it is diagnosed that the reducing agent addition valve has a failure on condition that the difference between the estimated fuel quantity and the estimated reducing agent quantity exceeds a predetermined quantity.

Abstract: A catalyst deterioration diagnosing apparatus is provided with means for performing stoichiometric feedback control on the air-fuel ratio based on at least output from an upstream air-fuel ratio sensor provided upstream of a catalyst, means for measuring the oxygen storage capacity of the catalyst, and means for correcting the measured value of the oxygen storage capacity based on at least the output behavior of a downstream air-fuel ratio sensor provided downstream of the catalyst during the stoichiometric feedback control. The measured value of the oxygen storage capacity is corrected using the output behavior of the downstream air-fuel ratio sensor during stoichiometric feedback control. The diagnostic is performed after eliminating the effects from sulfur by correcting the measured value to a value corresponding to when low sulfur fuel is used, which makes it possible to prevent an erroneous diagnosis from being made.

Abstract: A positive electrode active material including lithium (Li), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn) and a transition metal that can be in the hexavalent state is used. As the transition metal that can be in the hexavalent state, for example, one or both of tungsten (W) and molybdenum (Mo) can be used. As the positive electrode active material including a plurality of materials as mentioned above, LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2 can be used. As a negative electrode, a carbon material or a silicon material capable of storing and releasing lithium ions can be used.

Abstract: An abnormality diagnosis apparatus for an NOx catalyst of the present invention measures an index value (R) regarding an NOx clarification capacity of an NOx catalyst and determines an abnormality of the NOx catalyst based on index values (R1, R2) respectively measured at a timing (Tc1) at which the NOx catalyst has a relatively-low activation level and a timing (Tc2) at which the NOx catalyst has a relatively-high activation level. Since the index value at the timing at which the NOx catalyst has a relatively-low activation level (i.e., a timing at which the NOx catalyst originally does not have a sufficient NOx clarification capacity) is used, the abnormality diagnosis for the NOx catalyst can be carried out without intentionally deteriorating emission.

Abstract: A fuel injection amount from fuel injection valves is actively controlled and an input air-fuel ratio is caused forcibly to oscillate. A system from the fuel injection valves to the air-fuel ratio sensor is simulated by a first order delay system, and a gain and time constant are identified on the basis of the input air-fuel ratio relating to the model and an output air-fuel ratio obtained from the air-fuel ratio sensor. The presence of an air-fuel ratio abnormal variation is diagnosed on the basis of whether or not the identified values of the gain and the time constant are less than a first and second predetermined values respectively.

Abstract: In a malfunction diagnosis device for an exhaust gas purification system including an exhaust gas purification catalyst disposed in the exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine, and a reductant supply device that supplies reductant to exhaust gas that flows in an upstream side of the exhaust gas purification catalyst, the degree of degradation of the exhaust gas purification catalyst is diagnosed by comparing the timing at which the bed temperature of the exhaust gas purification catalyst starts to rise due to the heat of moisture adsorption reaction, against a normal value.

Abstract: An abnormality diagnosis device according to the present invention can calculate a calculation air-fuel ratio A/Fk based upon a fuel injection quantity and an intake air quantity, and determine the abnormality of the air-fuel ratio sensor based upon the calculation air-fuel ratio and an actual air-fuel ratio detected by an air-fuel ratio sensor, when an operating condition in the internal combustion engine relatively rapidly changes according to an engine operating demand and thereby the calculation air-fuel ratio relatively rapidly changes. Since the air-fuel ratio is not forcibly changed and fluctuated, deterioration of the exhaust emission and the combustion state, and deterioration of the vibration and the noise at abnormality diagnosing can be certainly prevented.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting abnormal air-fuel ratio variation among cylinders of a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine includes: a catalyst element that oxidizes hydrogen contained in exhaust gas to remove the hydrogen; a first air-fuel ratio sensor that detects an air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas that has not passed through the catalyst element; a second air-fuel ratio sensor that detects an air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas that has passed through the catalyst element; and a unit that determines whether abnormal air-fuel ratio variation among the cylinders has occurred based on an amount by which a value detected by the second air-fuel ratio sensor is leaner than a value detected by the first air-fuel ratio sensor

Abstract: An addition valve is instructed to add a reductant (step 122). A cumulative specified addition amount is then determined (step 124). An air-fuel ratio A/Fcal is estimated in accordance with the operating status of an internal combustion engine (step 126). An estimated air-fuel ratio A/Fcal and air-fuel ratio sensor output A/Fs are used to determine a measured addition amount (?t) at the current moment (step 128). A cumulative measured addition amount is then determined (step 130). The error between the measured addition amount and specified addition amount are compared against a reference value (step 134) to detect an abnormality in the addition valve.

Abstract: A catalyst deterioration detector not causing false detection of catalyst deterioration by eliminating the influence of a variation of the state of the gas at the catalyst outlet on the oxygen storage amount. Setting the lean target A/F to afL1 and the rich target A/F to afR1, the maximum oxygen storage amount Cmax1 is calculated (step 106). Next, setting the lean target A/F to afL2 and the rich target A/F to afR2, the maximum oxygen storage amount Cmax2 is calculated (step 108). Lastly, setting the lean target A/F to afL3 and the rich target A/F to afR3, the maximum oxygen storage amount Cmax3 is calculated (step 110). If these all calculated maximum oxygen storage amounts Cmax1, Cmax2, Cmax3 are less than a reference value Cmaxth, catalyst deterioration is detected (step 116).

Abstract: It is intended to provide a rapid, simple and noninvasive novel in vivo method for determining phospholipidosis (PLsis) by detecting a PLsis marker gene. More specifically, it is intended to provide a method for determining phospholipidosis in a mammal comprising the step of detecting change in expression of one or more genes whose expression changes correlated with the onset of phospholipidosis in a sample collected from the mammal, in which at least one of the genes comprises a base sequence identical or substantially identical to the base sequence represented by any of SEQ ID NO: n (wherein n is an odd number between 1 and 57, an integer number between 59 and 63, an even number between 64 and 98, 100 or 101.

Abstract: A positive electrode active material is made of sodium containing oxide. The sodium containing oxide contains NaALiBMO2±? that belongs to a space group P63/mmc of a hexagonal system, where the M includes at least one of manganese (Mn) and cobalt (Co). In the NaALiBMO2±?, the composition ratio A of sodium (Na) is not less than 0.5 and not more than 1.1, the composition ratio B of lithium (Li) is larger than 0 and not more than 0.3, and the ? is not less than 0 and not more than 0.3.

Abstract: In an exhaust purification system having a urea addition device adding a urea aqueous solution to an NOx catalyst of selective reduction type provided in an exhaust passage in an internal combustion engine, a sensor detecting an ammonia concentration is provided at the downstream side of the NOx catalyst. During fuel cut, a predetermined amount of urea aqueous solution is added. Then, based on a sensor output obtained at this time, an abnormality in at least one of the urea addition device and the urea aqueous solution is detected. The addition of the urea aqueous solution during the fuel cut prevents reactive consumption between urea and NOx. The sensor output corresponding to the amount of the urea aqueous solution is obtained. This output condition is compared with a normal one to allow determination of whether or not an appropriate amount of urea aqueous solution of appropriate quality has been added.