Abstract: A wakefulness-maintaining device capable of maintaining a driver's wakefulness by making the driver aware of changes in sound characteristics.

Abstract: An actuator is provided whose expansion in the radial direction can be efficiently translated into longitudinal movement when its length is contracted and extended by injecting a fluid into the tubular body. The fluid injection type actuator includes an actuator body, which is an expansion and contraction section of the actuator. The actuator body is constructed of a cylindrical rubber tube and annular fiber groups inserted and extending longitudinally therein. The annular fiber groups are each a group of fibers, such as glass roving fibers having a diameter of about 10 ?m, arranged in an annular array along the circumference of the rubber tube. The arrangement allows the rubber tube to be restrained over the entirety of the actuator body longitudinally when it is expanded radially.

Abstract: A novel hemoglobin-albumin complex which has high stability of the oxygenated form, has high biocompatibility, and is easily prepared (synthesized), and an artificial plasma expander and an artificial oxygen carrier containing the complex are provided. The hemoglobin-albumin complex of the invention is characterized by having hemoglobin as the core, and albumin as the shell bound via a crosslinker to the above hemoglobin. Also, the artificial oxygen carrier of the invention is characterized by containing the hemoglobin-albumin complex of the invention.

Abstract: A vehicle (1, 17) includes an electric drive motor (5, 19), an inverter (4) that provides a drive current to the electric motor (5, 19) and a controller (13) that controls the inverter (4). The controller (13) functions as a beat noise generation system that creates beat noise by generating a second operating noise containing a component an order of which is very close to a value representing an order of an operating noise generated in proportion to a rotation speed of the electric motor (5, 19) so as to create desirable traveling noise corresponding to an accelerating state while the vehicle accelerates.

Abstract: A solar power generation system includes a solar cell raft which floats on the sea while being equipped with a solar cell unit formed by connecting a plurality of solar cells in the shape of a sheet on a floating body; a solar cell raft mother vessel which is equipped with a seawater electrolysis device for converting electric energy generated by the solar cell unit into hydrogen and a liquid hydrogen tank for storing the hydrogen obtained by the conversion, and can convey or tow the solar cell raft; a recovery vessel which is equipped with a hydrogen recovery/storage means for recovering the hydrogen stored in the liquid hydrogen tank; a hydrogen recovery tank which recovers the hydrogen from the recovery vessel and stores the hydrogen; and a power plant which converts the hydrogen stored in the hydrogen recovery tank into electric energy.

Abstract: Provided are an organic electroluminescence device whose wavelength of light emission is short and which can emit blue light having a high color purity, and a metal complex compound for realizing the device. The metal complex compound is of a specific structure having a partial structure including two tridentate ligands. The organic electroluminescence device includes: a pair of electrodes; and an organic thin film layer which has one layer or a plurality of layers including at least a light emitting layer and is disposed between the pair of electrodes. In the organic electroluminescence device, at least one layer of the organic thin film layer contains the metal complex compound. The organic electroluminescence device emits light by applying a voltage between both the electrodes.

Abstract: A carbon dioxide-absorbing material containing lithium titanate, the lithium titanate comprising 70 mol % or more of Li4TiO4 and 30 mol % or less of Li2TiO3. Furthermore, the carbon dioxide-absorbing material is obtained by the method for producing a carbon dioxide-absorbing material described below. That is, the absorbing material is obtained by the production method which produces the same by mixing given raw materials such that the atomic ratio between lithium and titanium is from 3.5 to 5.0, and subjecting the resulting mixture to heat treatment. The method for absorbing carbon dioxide includes a carbon dioxide absorption step. The apparatus for absorbing carbon dioxide is provided with carbon dioxide absorption means that absorbs carbon dioxide in the carbon dioxide-absorbing material.

Abstract: An actuator is provided whose expansion in the radial direction can be efficiently translated into longitudinal movement when its length is contracted and extended by injecting a fluid into the tubular body. The fluid injection type actuator includes an actuator body, which is an expansion and contraction section of the actuator. The actuator body is constructed of a cylindrical rubber tube and annular fiber groups inserted and extending longitudinally therein. The annular fiber groups are each a group of fibers, such as glass roving fibers having a diameter of about 10 ?m, arranged in an annular array along the circumference of the rubber tube. The arrangement allows the rubber tube to be restrained over the entirety of the actuator body longitudinally when it is expanded radially.

Abstract: A metal-complex compound which comprises a tridentate chelate ligand having a specified partial structure. An organic electroluminescence device which comprises at least one organic thin film layer sandwiched between a pair of electrode consisting of an anode and a cathode, wherein the organic thin film layer comprises the metal-complex compound, which emits light by applying an electric voltage between the pair of electrode. The present invention provides an organic EL device which emits blue light with high purity and of short wavelength with an enhanced efficiency of light emission.

Abstract: A carbon dioxide-absorbing material that can greatly improve an absorption amount of carbon dioxide up to near the theoretical value, a method for producing the carbon dioxide-absorbing material, a method of absorbing carbon dioxide using the carbon dioxide-absorbing material, and an apparatus for absorbing carbon dioxide are provided. The carbon dioxide-absorbing-material of the present invention contains lithium titanate, the lithium titanate comprising 70 mol % or more of Li4TiO4 and 30 mol % or less of Li2TiO3. Furthermore, the carbon dioxide-absorbing material of the invention is obtained by the method for producing a carbon dioxide-absorbing material of the invention described below. That is, the absorbing material is obtained by the production method of the invention which produces the same by mixing given raw materials such that the atomic ratio between lithium and titanium is from 3.5 to 5.0, and subjecting the resulting mixture to heat treatment.

Abstract: Provided are an organic electroluminescence device which: can emit blue light having a short wavelength and a high color purity; and can be combined with any other light emitting compound to emit white light and a metal complex compound for realizing the device. The metal complex compound is of a specific structure having a tridentate chelate ligand and an electron withdrawing group. The organic electroluminescence device has an organic thin film layer formed of one or more layers including at least a light emitting layer, the organic thin film layer being interposed between a pair of electrodes. In the organic electroluminescence device, at least one layer of the organic thin film layer contains the metal complex compound, and emits light by applying a voltage between both the electrodes.

Abstract: Provided are an organic electroluminescence device which: can emit blue light having a short wavelength and a high color purity; and can be combined with any other light emitting compound to emit white light and a metal complex compound for realizing the device, and a material for an organic electroluminescence device. The metal complex is of a specific structure having a tridentate chelate ligand and an electron withdrawing group. The material for an organic electroluminescence device is formed of the metal complex compound. The organic electroluminescence device has an organic thin film layer formed of one or more layers including at least a light emitting layer, the organic thin film layer being interposed between a pair of electrodes. In the organic electroluminescence device, at least one layer of the organic thin film layer contains the metal complex compound, and emits light by applying a voltage between both the electrodes.

Abstract: A metal-complex compound which comprises a tridentate chelate ligand having a specified partial structure. An organic electroluminescence device which comprises one or more organic thin film layers having at least one light emitting layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes, wherein the organic thin film layer comprises the metal-complex compound, which emits light by applying an electric voltage between the pair of electrodes. The present invention provides an organic EL device which emits blue light of high purity and of short wavelength together with a metal-complex compound realizing the organic EL device.

Abstract: Provided are an organic electroluminescence device whose wavelength of light emission is short and which can emit blue light having a high color purity, and a metal complex compound for realizing the device. The metal complex compound is of a specific structure having a partial structure including two tridentate ligands. The organic electroluminescence device includes: a pair of electrodes; and an organic thin film layer which has one layer or a plurality of layers including at least a light emitting layer and is disposed between the pair of electrodes. In the organic electroluminescence device, at least one layer of the organic thin film layer contains the metal complex compound. The organic electroluminescence device emits light by applying a voltage between both the electrodes.

Abstract: A metal-complex compound which comprises a tridentate chelate ligand having a specified partial structure. An organic electroluminescence device which comprises at least one organic thin film layer sandwiched between a pair of electrode consisting of an anode and a cathode, wherein the organic thin film layer comprises the metal-complex compound, which emits light by applying an electric voltage between the pair of electrode. The present invention provides an organic EL device which emits blue light with high purity and of short wavelength with an enhanced efficiency of light emission.

Abstract: Disclosed is a position error evaluating method of a moving device, which includes the following steps. Specifically, in a moving device which moves a movable body in two axial directions or in three axial directions orthogonal to each other, a straightness error curve indicating a state of change in a position error of the movable body along a uniaxial direction out of predetermined two axial directions is obtained by a sequential two-point method, the position error being related to a direction orthogonal to the predetermined two axial directions out of the biaxial or three axial directions. Then, the above step is repeated for the other uniaxial direction out of the two axial directions.

Abstract: The invention discloses a method for analyzing nonlinear restoring force characteristic with hysteresis of a machine structure system, capable of easily and high-accurately performing analysis of nonlinear vibration characteristic of the machine structure system having a displacement strain characteristic dependent on a past history. When analysis is performed for the nonlinear restoring force characteristic of the machine structure system, having force-displacement hysteresis, approximate mode analysis is carried out by representing the nonlinear restoring force characteristic having the history by an equivalent linear characteristic.