Abstract: A lithium-ion secondary battery with excellent durability is provided using a two-phase coexisting compound as a positive electrode active material. This lithium-ion secondary battery is provided with an electrode body having a positive electrode containing a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode containing a negative electrode active material, and a non-aqueous electrolyte solution containing a lithium salt in an organic solvent. The positive electrode active material is mainly composed of a two-phase coexisting compound containing lithium, and also contains particles of a lithium-transition metal oxide with a layered structure. The particles of the layered oxide have an average particle diameter of 2 ?m or less, and the percentage content thereof in the positive electrode active material is 5 mass % or less.

Abstract: There is provided a workpiece separation apparatus permitting input of a mixture of workpieces and chips stably within a flow current and separating them accurately and efficiently. The workpiece separation apparatus includes an input cylinder inserted within a separating container, and a fluid supplying means arranged so as to supply fluid to the separating container from a part lower than a lower end of the input cylinder, and configured such that the fluid overflows and flows out of the upper end of the separating container due to a flow current generated within the separating container, and such that the level of the fluid rises up in the input cylinder and the fluid does not flow out of the upper end of the input cylinder, but is maintained substantially in a resting state and at a level above the level of the upper end of the separating container.

Abstract: There is provided a workpiece separation apparatus permitting input of a mixture of workpieces and chips stably within a flow current and separating them accurately and efficiently. The workpiece separation apparatus includes an input cylinder inserted within a separating container, and a fluid supplying means arranged so as to supply fluid to the separating container from a part lower than a lower end of the input cylinder, and configured such that the fluid overflows and flows out of the upper end of the separating container due to a flow current generated within the separating container, and such that the level of the fluid rises up in the input cylinder and the fluid does not flow out of the upper end of the input cylinder, but is maintained substantially in a resting state and at a level above the level of the upper end of the separating container.

Abstract: There is provided a workpiece separation apparatus permitting to input a mixture of workpieces and chips stably within a flow current and to separate them accurately and efficiently. The workpiece separation apparatus includes an input cylinder (120) inserted within a separating container (110) and a fluid supplying means (130) arranged so as to supply fluid to the separating container (110) from a part lower than a lower end of the input cylinder (120), and configured such that the fluid overflows and flows out of the upper end of the separating container (110) due to a flow current generated within the separating container (110) and such that a fluid level of the fluid rises up in the input cylinder (120) and the fluid does not flow out of the upper end of the input cylinder (120).

Abstract: The present invention provides a water based lithium secondary battery that can inhibit deteriorations in capacity owing to charge-and-discharge operations and maintain a high capacity even after it is charged and discharged repeatedly. The water based lithium secondary battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator 4 sandwiched between these, and an aqueous electrolyte solution obtained by dissolving an electrolyte made of a lithium salt in a water based solvent. As the water based solvent, a pH buffer solution is employed. The buffer solution is obtained by dissolving an acid and its conjugate base's salt, a base and its conjugate acid's salt, a salt made from a weak acid and a strong base, a salt made from a weak base and a strong acid, or a salt made from a weak acid and a weak base in water.

Abstract: A lithium-ion secondary battery with excellent durability is provided using a two-phase coexisting compound as a positive electrode active material. This lithium-ion secondary battery is provided with an electrode body having a positive electrode containing a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode containing a negative electrode active material, and a non-aqueous electrolyte solution containing a lithium salt in an organic solvent. The positive electrode active material is mainly composed of a two-phase coexisting compound containing lithium, and also contains particles of a lithium-transition metal oxide with a layered structure. The particles of the layered oxide have an average particle diameter of 2 ?m or less, and the percentage content thereof in the positive electrode active material is 5 mass % or less.

Abstract: The present invention provides a water based lithium secondary battery that can inhibit deteriorations in capacity owing to charge-and-discharge operations and maintain a high capacity even after it is charged and discharged repeatedly. The water based lithium secondary battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator sandwiched between these, and an aqueous electrolyte solution obtained by dissolving an electrolyte made of a lithium salt in a water based solvent. As the water based solvent, a pH buffer solution is employed. The buffer solution is obtained by dissolving an acid and its conjugate base's salt, a base and its conjugate acid's salt, a salt made from a weak acid and a strong base, a salt made from a weak base and a strong acid, or a salt made from a weak acid and a weak base in water.

Abstract: A carbon-containing lithium-iron composite phosphorus oxide for a lithium secondary battery positive electrode active material, includes particles being composed of a lithium-iron composite phosphorus oxide having an olivine structure whose basic composition is LiFePO4, and being composited with carbonaceous fine particles. A process for producing the same includes the steps of mixing a lithium compound making a lithium source, an iron compound making an iron source, a phosphorus-containing ammonium salt making a phosphorus source and carbonaceous fine particles, thereby preparing a mixture, and calcicing the mixture at a temperature of from 600° C. or more to 750° C. or less.

Abstract: In a ballpoint pen which is formed to have an ink-consumption value per unit area of 0.64 to 1.6 mg/cm2, the surface tension of the ink for the ball point pen is adjusted to a range of 16 to 32 mN/m so that blotting, line splitting and the like hardly occur, that the ink transferred onto the paper surface is ready to be dried and that fluctuation in the density and width of the written lines are less likely to occur due to a storage environment and to a writing condition.

Abstract: In a ball pen which is formed to have an ink-consumption value per unit area of 0.64 to 1.6 mg/cm2, the water content is adjusted in the range from 30.0 to 80.0 wt %, the content of a volatilization-inhibiting substance in the range from 0.1 to 10.0 wt % and the content of a hardly-volatile water-soluble liquid medium in the range from 1.0 to 40.0 wt % in the ink for a ball pen in order to achieve both the quick-drying property of the ink transferred onto the paper surface and the non-drying property of the point of the pen-tip and further a good writing feeling.

Abstract: In a ballpoint pen which is formed to have an ink-consumption value per unit area of 0.64 to 1.6 mg/cm2, the surface tension of the ink for the ball point pen is adjusted to a range of 16 to 32 mN/m so that blotting, line splitting and the like hardly occur, that the ink transferred onto the paper surface is ready to be dried and that fluctuation in the density and width of the written lines are less likely to occur due to a storage environment and to a writing condition.

Abstract: In a ball pen which is formed to have an ink-consumption value per unit area of 0.64 to 1.6 mg/cm2, the water content is adjusted in the range from 30.0 to 80.0 wt %, the content of a volatilization-inhibiting substance in the range from 0.1 to 10.0 wt % and the content of a hardly-volatile water-soluble liquid medium in the range from 1.0 to 40.0 wt % in the ink for a ball pen in order to achieve both the quick-drying property of the ink transferred onto the paper surface and the non-drying property of the point of the pen-tip and further a good writing feeling.

Abstract: A carbon-containing lithium-iron composite phosphorus oxide for a lithium secondary battery positive electrode active material, includes particles being composed of a lithium-iron composite phosphorus oxide having an olivine structure whose basic composition is LiFePO4, and being composited with carbonaceous fine particles. A process for producing the same includes the steps of mixing a lithium compound making a lithium source, an iron compound making an iron source, a phosphorus-containing ammonium salt making a phosphorus source and carbonaceous fine particles, thereby preparing a mixture, and calcicing the mixture at a temperature of from 600° C. or more to 750° C. or less.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for producing a plant with enhanced resistance to a pathogenic fungus, comprising transforming a plant with an expression vector comprising a DNA encoding a glucan elicitor receptor operably linked to a heterologous promoter, selecting a plant which has said DNA incorporated into a chromosome of said plant and which expresses said DNA, and recovering the selected plant. This invention also relates to a method for producing a progeny plant with resistance to a pathogenic fungus from said plant.

Abstract: Dispersibility of thickener is constant for every lot and viscosity difference is little. Fine bubbles existing in the thicker in ink follower are removed. A step of homogenizing the thickener at any temperature within a range of 40° C. to 130° C. is included. Preferably, a step of homogenizing the thickener at any temperature within a range of 100° C. to 130° C. is included.

Abstract: This invention relates to ink follower for a water-base ballpoint pen with its bubbles removed, time-dependent stability, less oil separation, and greatly reduced lot-to-lot viscosity difference and associated performance difference, and a method for manufacturing the same. After addition of thickener, the follower is made depressurized preferably at 0.2 atm or lower. Simultaneous heating and stirring are preferable. When the ink follower is solely debubbled in advance, fine bubbles contained in particulate silica, clay thickener, etc. can be very highly removed even if the centrifugal debubbling is not so strong and there is no bad affection to the writing property of the pen. It is also possible that, after adding the thickener, a centrifugal force greater than or equal to 200-fold of the gravitational acceleration is applied to debubble.

Abstract: Lot-to-lot or time-dependent instability in quality of the known ink follower for water-base ballpoint pens is overcome. Particulate silica, or organic-treated clay is kneaded as thickener with base oil to prepare gel matter. The gel matter is pressurized to eliminate fine bubbles to yield ink follower for water-base ballpoint pens. The pressurization is preferably performed at 2 atm or higher. The elimination of the bubbles is more effective when the ink follower is, under pressurization, stirred and/or heated.

Abstract: A thin-film EL element having as a laminated luminescent composite a configuration comprising at least a first layer and a second layer wherein(1) the first layer comprises a compound having a lattice constant, before lamination, larger than that of a compound constituting the second layer, and contains manganese as a luminescent center impurity,(2) the difference between the lattice constant, before lamination, of the compound of the first layer and the compound constituting the second layer is 5% or more, and(3) the peak value of the emission spectrum of the laminated luminescent composite rests on 590 nm or more, whereby the thin-film EL element can provide red light having high color purity.

Abstract: A numerical control machine comprises a headstock rotatably supporting a spindle for a workpiece and a tool rest assembly in front of the headstock. The tool rest assembly includes a first pair of tool rests which are disposed on both sides of the longitudinal axis of the headstock spindle and are simultaneously movable in a first direction perpendicular to the spindle axis, and a second tool rest which is movable in both second and third directions perpendicular to the spindle axis. Either the headstock or the tool rest assembly is movable in a fourth direction along the spindle axis. The movement of the first pair of tool rests in the first direction, the movement of the second tool rest in the second and third directions, and the movement of either the headstock or the tool rest assembly in the fourth direction are carried out under the control of a numerical control unit.