Abstract: To provide a method for producing pyrimidine compound useful as an intermediate for agricultural chemicals or pharmaceuticals, which is simple in operation, presents high yield and produces only a small amount of by-products. The method comprises reacting a compound represented by the formula (I) with a compound represented by the formula (II) in the presence of a pyridine compound to produce a compound represented by the formula (III), a compound represented by the formula (IV) or their mixture.

Abstract: An optical scanning device, that outputs a light beam through an emission window in an optical housing to scan a surface, may include a shutter member that closes or opens the emission window. The shutter member may include a first opening, that may allow the light beam passed through the emission window to pass the first opening, and a second opening, that may be at a position corresponding to an insertion operation of a cleaning member for cleaning the emission window. The shutter member may include a first opening, that may be on a front surface of the shutter member to allow the light beam passed through the emission window to pass the first opening, and a second opening, that may be on a side surface of the shutter member to allow a cleaning member to be inserted through the second opening for cleaning the emission window.

Abstract: An optical scanning unit of an image forming apparatus may include: an optical housing configured to include at least one optical part and to have a light-beam emitting aperture through which a light beam can emanate from the optical housing; a shutter configured to cover the light-beam emitting aperture; and a driving unit configured to drive the shutter to and fro, thus opening and closing the light-beam emitting aperture. Such a driving unit further can operate to coordinate at least one of the opening and the closing to occur after activation and before deactivation of a writing operation conducted by the optical scanning unit, respectively.

Abstract: An enclosure includes a first enclosure and a second enclosure. A deflector deflects a light emitted from a light source. A first optical system leads the light emitted from the light source to the deflector. A second optical system includes at least one optical element, and leads the light deflected by the deflector onto a surface to be scanned. The first enclosure holds the light source, the deflector, and the first optical system, and the second enclosure holds the at least one optical element included in the second optical system.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte for a secondary battery, including a non-aqueous solvent in which a solute is dissolved, a first additive and a second additive, wherein the first additive is a vinyl monomer having an electron donating group, the second additive is a carbonic acid ester having at least one carbon-carbon unsaturated bond, and an e value, which is a polarization factor of the vinyl monomer having an electron donating group, is a negative value.

Abstract: Disclosed is a secondary battery with a non-aqueous electrolyte that has excellent cycle characteristics and output characteristics. Also disclosed is a positive electrode active material for a secondary battery with a non-aqueous electrolyte that includes a powder of a volume resistivity of 20 ?·cm or more and 100 ?·cm or less when said powder has a bulk density of 3 g/cm3. The use of the lithium nickel composite oxide as a positive electrode active material can provide a secondary battery with a non-aqueous electrolyte that has excellent cycle characteristics and output characteristics.

Abstract: A negative electrode for a lithium ion secondary battery including a current collector and an active material layer carried on the current collector, wherein the active material layer includes a first layer and a second layer alternately laminated in a thickness direction of the active material layer, and wherein the first layer includes silicon or silicon and a small amount of oxygen and the second layer includes silicon and a larger amount of oxygen than the first layer. With the use of the negative electrode, it is possible to provide a high capacity lithium ion secondary battery having excellent high rate charge/discharge characteristics and superior cycle characteristics.

Abstract: To provide a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery in which the amount of Li deposited is small and the battery surface temperature does not increase so much, a positive electrode active material comprising crystal particles of an oxide having a layered single-phase crystal structure and a composition represented by the formula (1): LiNi2/3Mn1/3O2, wherein the arrangement of oxygen atoms constituting the oxide is a cubic close-packed structure is used.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and an electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode comprises a positive electrode active material comprising a particle of a composite oxide represented by a general formula: LixMe1-y-zMyLzO2. In the general formula, the element Me is at least one transition metal element except Ti, Mn, Y and Zr, the element M is at least one selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ti, Mn and Zn, and the element L is at least one selected from the group consisting of Al, Ca, Ba, Sr, Y and Zr, and 1?x?1.05, 0.005?y?0.1 (with a proviso that 0.005?y?0.5 is satisfied in the case of the element M being Mn) and 0?z?0.05 are satisfied.

Abstract: A negative electrode for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, including: an active material layer capable of electrochemically absorbing and desorbing at least Li; and a current collector sheet that supports the active material layer thereon and that does not react with Li, wherein the active material layer includes a plurality of deposited films or sintered films supported on a surface of the current collector sheet, and each of the deposited films or sintered films is provided with at least one groove formed in a side surface thereof, the groove extending from a top surface side towards the current collector sheet side thereof. It is preferable that the plurality of deposited films or sintered films are arranged in a grid configuration, a staggered grid configuration or a honeycomb configuration on a surface of the current collector sheet.

Abstract: Because fluazinam is excellent as an active ingredient of pesticides and highly useful, it is desired to produce it efficiently in a proper form with simple operations at low cost in an environmentally friendly manner. The desired product is obtained in good yields with simple operations by using industrially advantageous reaction systems by a process comprising (1) a step of reacting ACTF and DCDNBTF in the presence of an alkali component, a solvent selected from the group consisting of ketones, nitriles, ethers and esters and a sufficient amount of water to substantially dissolve the alkali component, (2) a step of neutralizing or acidifying the reaction mixture with an acid and (3) a step of removing the solvent by distillation from the mixture containing fluazinam as the reaction product and the reaction solvent to precipitate crystals the product.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an electrostatic latent image carrier, and an optical writing device including at least one light source, at least one aperture, at least one light shield, a light deflector, an image forming lens, and a housing. The aperture adjusts a light beam generated by the light source into a reference shape. The light shield shields an optical path formed between the light source and the aperture by the light beam. The light deflector deflects the light beam to scan in a main scanning direction. The image forming lens focuses the deflected light beam to scan on the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier. The housing contains the light source, the light deflector, and the image forming lens. The housing is integrally molded with the aperture and the light shield.

Abstract: A resistivity of an active material is reduced to drastically decrease an amount of a conductive auxiliary agent to be added, in order to provide a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery with high capacity. A material represented by a composition formula: LixMeOyNz, wherein 0?x?2, 0.1<y<2.2, 0<z<1.4, and Me is at least one selected from the group consisting of Ti, Co, Ni, Mn, Si, Ge, and Sn is used as an active material.

Abstract: As an alternative technique to lead-acid batteries, the present invention provides an inexpensive 2 V non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having excellent cycle life at a high rate by preventing volume change during charge and discharge. The non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery uses: a positive electrode active material having a layered structure, being represented by chemical formula Li1±?[Me]O2, where 0??<0.2, and Me is a transition metal including Ni and at least one selected from the group consisting of Mn, Fe, Co, Ti and Cu, and including elemental nickel and elemental cobalt in substantially the same ratio; and a negative electrode active material including Li4Ti5O12(Li[Li1/3Ti5/3]O4).

Abstract: The present invention provides a high-capacity and low-cost non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, comprising: a negative electrode containing, as a negative electrode active material, a substance capable of absorbing/desorbing lithium ions and/or metal lithium; a separator; a positive electrode; and an electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode active material contained in the positive electrode is composed of crystalline particles of an oxide containing two kinds of transition metal elements, the crystalline particles having a layered crystal structure, and oxygen atoms constituting the oxide forming a cubic closest packing structure.

Abstract: The present invention provides a high-capacity and low-cost non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, comprising: a negative electrode containing, as a negative electrode active material, a substance capable of absorbing/desorbing lithium ions and/or metal lithium; a separator; a positive electrode; and an electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode active material contained in the positive electrode is composed of crystalline particles of an oxide containing two kinds of transition metal elements, the crystalline particles having a layered crystal structure, and oxygen atoms constituting the oxide forming a cubic closest packing structure.

Abstract: Provided is a power supply unit for supplying power to an electric apparatus, comprising an indicator unit, an introduction-detecting unit for detecting introduction of the electric apparatus into a vehicle for transportation of the electric apparatus, a voltage-detecting unit for detecting the voltage of the power source, a memory unit for storing a first voltage and a second voltage lower than the first voltage, a judgment unit for determining whether the voltage of the power source detected by the voltage-detecting unit is higher than the first voltage and a forced discharge unit. The forced discharge unit is configured to cause the indicator unit to notify if the electric apparatus is in a state prohibiting introduction into the vehicle and forcibly discharge the power source.

Abstract: A positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte battery comprising a lithium-containing transition metal oxide, produced with the use of a dry precursor obtained by: introducing an alkaline solution together with an aqueous solution containing two or more of transition metal salts or two kinds or more of aqueous solutions of different transition metal salts into a reaction vessel to obtain a hydroxide or an oxide as a precursor through coprecipitation with a reductant being coexistent or an inert gas being supplied; and drying the precursor at 300 to 500° C. to obtain a dry precursor.

Abstract: An optical writing unit, e.g., that can be included in an image forming apparatus includes a housing within which are disposed additional components of the optical writing unit including the following, a plurality of optical elements, a polygon mirror configured to deflect a laser light beam, and a collecting member configured to collect dust in the housing.

Abstract: A coating liquid for use in formation of a positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery of the present invention includes a large-particle-size active material having an average particle diameter of 1 to 20 ?m and a small-particle-size active material having an average particle diameter of 5 to 100 nm, such that the blending ratio by volume between two materials is 90:10 to 50:50, and the average particle diameter ratio (the average particle diameter of large-particle-size active material/the average particle diameter of small-particle-size active material) is from 50 to 500. The coating liquid is excellent in storage stability over a long period of time and makes dense packing of active material possible, and therefore a positive electrode produced with the use of the coating liquid of the present invention can provide a lithium secondary battery having a high energy density and a high capacity.