Abstract: A nonlinear resistor ceramic composition includes zinc oxide as main component, and, as subcomponents, with respect to 100 mol of zinc oxide in terms of respective elements, more than 0.05 to less than 30 at. % of oxide of Co, more than 0.05 to less than 20 at. % of oxide of Sr, more than 0.01 to less than 20 at. % of oxides of rare earth except for Sc and Pm, more than 0.01 to less than 10 at. % of oxide of Si and does not include Al, Ga and In. Alternatively, a nonlinear resistor ceramic composition includes zinc oxide as main component, and, as subcomponents, with respect to 100 mol of zinc oxide in terms of respective elements, more than 0.05 at. % and less than 30 at. % of an oxide of Co, more than 0.05 to less than 20 at. % of oxide of Sr, more than 0.01 to less than 20 at. % of oxides of rare earth except for Sc and Pm, more than 0.01 to less than 10 at. % of oxide of Si and more than 0.01 to less than 10 at. % of calcium zirconate in terms of CaZrO3.

Abstract: An optical scanning device includes a plurality of scanning optical systems that focus light beams deflected by an optical deflector onto corresponding scanning surfaces. The systems include a first scanning optical system and a second scanning optical system. The first scanning optical system and the second scanning optical system are disposed respectively at each side of a plane including a rotation axis of a polygonal-mirror optical deflector. Each of the scanning optical systems includes a synchronous detection optical system that determines a timing to start scanning the scanning surfaces with the light beams. When a time from the end of an effective scanning area in the second scanning optical system to synchronous detection in the first scanning optical system is Ta, and a time from the end of an effective scanning area in the first scanning optical system to synchronous detection in the second scanning optical system is Tb, Ta>Tb.

Abstract: A composite membrane comprising: a) a porous support; b) a gutter layer, a portion of which is present within the support and a portion of which is outside of the support; and c) a discriminating layer on the gutter layer; wherein: (i) the portion of the gutter layer outside of the support has an average thickness (GLe) of 10 nm to 900 nm; and (ii) the portion of the gutter layer present within the support has an average thickness (GLi) of 10% to 350% of GLe.

Abstract: An object detector and a sensing apparatus are provided. The object detector includes a light source, a light deflector configured to deflect light emitted from the light source, and a photodetector configured to detect the light that is deflected by the light deflector and then is reflected at an object, where the light deflector includes a plurality of reflection planes that rotate on a rotation axis, the reflection planes are oblique to the rotation axis and are rotationally symmetrical about the rotation axis, and the light that is emitted from the light source enters the light deflector in a direction parallel to the rotation axis. The sensing apparatus includes the object detector, and a monitoring controller configured to determine whether an object is present, and obtain movement information of the object including at least one of moving direction and moving speed of the object.

Abstract: An optical deflector including a rotary member supported by a bearing shaft and rotatively driven by a motor for deflecting a plurality of laser beams separated from each other in a rotational axis direction of the rotary member is disclosed. The optical deflector includes a polygon mirror having four sides arranged about the rotational axis direction. Each of the four sides is a continuous plane having a plurality of effective reflection areas separated from each other in the rotational axis direction.

Abstract: A composite membrane comprising: (a) a porous support; (b) a gutter layer; (c) a discriminating layer having an average thickness of at most 90 nm; and (d) a protective layer having an average thickness 150 nm to 600 nm comprising dialkylsiloxane groups.

Abstract: A drawing device for drawing a drawable material, the drawing device comprising at least a pair of tapered rollers each having a taper ratio in a range of 0.035 to 0.50, wherein the taper ratio is represented by (???)/2L, where ? denotes a maximum diameter of the roller, ? denotes a minimum diameter of the roller, and L denotes a length of a tapered portion of the roller.

Abstract: To provide a urinal apparatus, including: a water supplying device configured to supply water to a bowl section of a urinal; a trap section provided in a lower part of the bowl section and configured so that urine and water flow into the trap section; and a water sprinkling device configured to sprinkle water droplets to a region inside the bowl section, the region being located between the trap section and position of a nose of a user facing the bowl section, timing of sprinkling the water droplets by the water sprinkling device being different from timing of supplying water by the water supplying device.

Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric device capable of improving measurement precision of a temperature of a piezoelectric element. A piezoelectric device (1) includes a package (2) including a housing member (4) having a thermistor substrate (3) and a frame (7) provided to project from a first main surface (3a) of the thermistor substrate (3) and in which a housing part (6) is formed by the first main surface (3a) and the frame (7) and a lid (9) provided on the frame (7) to cover a space (5) of the housing part (6), and a piezoelectric vibration element (5) provided on the first main surface (3a) of the thermistor substrate (3) in the housing part (6), wherein the thermistor substrate (3) is a multilayer negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor.

Abstract: An optical scanning unit includes a rotatable multi-faceted mirror having a plurality of faces reflecting light flux emitted from a light source to scan a scanning area in a main scanning direction. A width of the light flux striking the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is smaller than a length of a face of the rotatable multi-faceted mirror. The entire of light flux striking the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is reflected at a first face when the light flux reflected by the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is directed to the center portion of the scanning area. A part of the light flux striking the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is reflected at the first face while the remaining of the light flux is reflected at a second face when the light flux reflected by the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is directed to a least one of the two end portions of the scanning area.

Abstract: An element body has first and second faces opposed to each other. A first conductor has one end exposed in a first face and the other end located in the element body. The second conductor has one end exposed in a second face and the other end located in the element body. The element body has a first element body section having the nonlinear voltage-current characteristics and a second element body section in which an electric current is more likely to flow than in the first element body section. The first element body section is located at least in part between the first conductor and the second conductor, in a direction in which the first conductor and the second conductor are separated from each other. The other end of the first conductor and the other end of the second conductor are located in the second element body section.

Abstract: A friction material contains: at least one kind of a titanate compound having a shape having a plurality of convex portions; and a bio-soluble inorganic fiber. In the titanate compound, a three-dimensional shape of a particle thereof has a plurality of convex portions.

Abstract: A piezoelectric device has: a ceramic substrate having a first principal surface and a second principal surface opposed to each other; a piezoelectric element arranged on the first principal surface; a frame having a first face and a second face opposed to each other and arranged on the ceramic substrate so as to surround the piezoelectric element; a metal layer arranged on the second face of the frame; and a metal lid arranged on the metal layer so as to close a space surrounded by the frame. The first face of the frame is in contact with the first principal surface of the ceramic substrate. The metal layer and the metal lid are joined to each other by resistance welding. The frame has a composite portion containing a metal and a metal oxide and the composite portion includes the second face and is in contact with the metal layer.

Abstract: An optical deflector including a rotary member supported by a bearing shaft and rotatively driven by a motor for deflecting a plurality of laser beams separated from each other in a rotational axis direction of the rotary member is disclosed. The optical deflector includes a polygon mirror having four sides arranged about the rotational axis direction. Each of the four sides is a continuous plane having a plurality of effective reflection areas separated from each other in the rotational axis direction.

Abstract: Provided is an optical scanning device including: a plurality of light sources; an optical deflector that includes reflection surfaces that deflect different light beams toward opposite sides of the optical deflector; and a light-shielding member provided in an area between incident light beams emitted from the plurality of light sources. The light-shielding member is positioned such that a portion of the light-shielding member is in a light-shield area surrounded by a circumscribed circle of the optical deflector, a line tangent to the circumscribed circle and orthogonal to a Y direction, and the incident light beam, the Y direction being a direction parallel to a main scanning direction and passing through a rotation center of the optical deflector, the main scanning direction being a direction, in which surfaces of image carriers are scanned.

Abstract: A hot rolled steel sheet consisting of, in mass %, C: 0.05% to 0.15%, Si: 0% to 0.2%, Al: 0.5% to 3.0%, Mn: 1.2% to 2.5%, P: 0.1% or less, S: 0.01% or less, N: 0.007% or less, Ti: 0.03% to 0.10%, Nb: 0.008% to 0.06%, V: 0% to 0.12%, one or more of Cr, Cu, Ni, and Mo: 0% to 2.0% in total, B: 0% to 0.005%, one or more of Ca, Mg, La, and Ce: 0% to 0.01% in total, total amount of Si and Al: 0.8×(Mn?1)% or more, total amount of Ti and Nb: 0.04% to 0.14%, and the balance: Fe and impurities. In a structure of steel, a total area ratio of martensite and retained austenite is 3% to 20%, an area ratio of ferrite is 50% to 96%, and an area ratio of pearlite is 3% or less. In a superficial layer part, the thickness in a sheet thickness direction of a region in which a network-like oxide is present is less than 0.5 ?m, and a maximum tensile strength is 720 MPa or more.

Abstract: A process for preparing a composite membrane comprising the steps: a)applying a radiation-curable composition to a porous support; b)irradiating the composition and thereby forming a gutter layer of cured polymer; and c)forming a discriminating layer on the gutter layer; wherein the radiation-curable composition comprises a partially crosslinked, radiation-curable polymer comprising epoxy groups and siloxane groups, a photoinitiator and is substantially free from mono-epoxy compounds. Composite membranes and gas separation cartridges are also claimed.

Abstract: A voltage nonlinear resistor ceramic composition comprises zinc oxide, with respect to 100 mol of said zinc oxide, 0.30 to 10 mol of Co oxide in terms of Co, 0.10 to 10 mol of R oxide (note that R is at least one selected from a group consisting of Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu) in terms of R, 0.10 to 5 mol of Cr oxide in terms of Cr, 0.10 to 5 mol of oxide of at least one selected from Ca and Sr respectively in terms of Ca or Sr, 0.0005 to 5 mol of oxide of at least one selected from Al, Ga and In respectively in terms of Al, Ga or In, and 0.10 to 5 mol of barium titanate in terms of BaTiO3.

Abstract: The present invention provides a titanium sheet covered with a protective film superior in high temperature oxidation resistance and high temperature salt damage resistance and a method of production of the same and an automobile exhaust system using the same. The titanium sheet covered with a protective film is formed on its surface with a protective film of a thickness of 1 to 100 ?m where flake-shaped metal Al with an average thickness of 0.1 to 5 ?m and average width or average length of 1 to 50 ?m or grain-shaped metal Al with an average size of 0.1 to 30 ?m is dispersed in 20 to 60 mass % silicone resin or silicone grease and comprised of Si: 15 to 55 mass % and C: 10 to 45 mass % and having a balance of unavoidable impurities. Preferably the titanium sheet of the substrate contains one or both of 0.5 to 2.1 mass % of Cu and 0.4 to 2.5 mass % of Al.

Abstract: An optical scanning unit includes a rotatable multi-faceted mirror having a plurality of faces reflecting light flux emitted from a light source to scan a scanning area in a main scanning direction. A width of the light flux striking the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is smaller than a length of a face of the rotatable multi-faceted mirror. The entire of light flux striking the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is reflected at a first face when the light flux reflected by the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is directed to the center portion of the scanning area. A part of the light flux striking the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is reflected at the first face while the remaining of the light flux is reflected at a second face when the light flux reflected by the rotatable multi-faceted mirror is directed to a least one of the two end portions of the scanning area.