Abstract: The invention provides a process for producing a modified conjugated diene based polymer which attains favorable interaction between a rubber component and carbon black and/or silica, thereby improving dispersibility of the fillers, and which exhibits excellent properties such as heat-buildup-suppressing performance, fracture characteristics, and wear resistance; a modified conjugated diene based polymer produced through the process; a rubber composition containing the diene polymer; and a tire produced from the rubber composition and exhibiting the above properties.

Abstract: A process for producing a modified polymer that exhibits low rolling resistance, excellent mechanical properties (e.g., tensile strength), high wet-skid resistance, and excellent wear resistance when vulcanized, a modified polymer obtained by the process, and a rubber composition containing the same. The process includes subjecting an alkali metal active end of a conjugated diene polymer to a modification reaction with an alkoxysilane compound, the conjugated diene polymer being produced by subjecting a diene monomer or a diene monomer and a monomer other than the diene monomer to anionic polymerization in a hydrocarbon solvent using an alkali metal initiator, and subjecting the resulting product to a condensation reaction in the presence of a condensation accelerator that includes a compound of at least one element among the elements of the groups 4A (excluding Ti), 2B, 3B, and 5B of the periodic table.

Abstract: To provide an axially asymmetric optically active biaryl ester compound that can easily produced without the step of optical resolution which was almost indispensable in conventional methods. There is provided a method for producing an axially asymmetric ester compound, comprising a cycloaddition of a compound having a triple bond with the use of a catalyst containing rhodium metal and an optically active bisphosphine.

Abstract: The present invention is intended to provide a catalyst material that supports active species densely, thereby having higher catalytic performance and serviceability as, for example, an electrode for fuel cells. To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a process for preparing a catalyst material, including: an electrochemical polymerization step of electrochemically polymerizing a heteromonocyclic compound so that the surface of a conductive material is coated with polynuclear complex molecules derived from the heteromonocyclic compound; and a metallation step of coordinating a catalytic metal to the coating layer of the polynuclear complex molecules, characterized in that the potential applied in the electrochemical polymerization is 0.8 to 1.5 V.

Abstract: Problem to be Solved: To provide an axially asymmetric optically active biarylphosphorus compound that can easily produced without the step of optical resolution which was almost indispensable in conventional methods. Solution: A method for producing an axially asymmetric phosphorus compound represented by the general formula (1), comprising a cycloaddition reaction of a compound having a triple bond with the use of a catalyst containing rhodium metal and an optically active bisphosphine. (In the formula, J is an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom or BH3; R1 and R2 independently are an alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkoxy and aryloxy group; a1 and a2 independently are 0 or 1; R3 to R10 independently are an alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkoxy and aryloxy group; two among R3 to R10 may form a ring; and * is axial asymmetry.

Abstract: A zoom lens including a varifocal lens unit having a plurality of movable lens groups, and a prism disposed on an image side of the varifocal lens unit. The prism has an incident plane on which a light flux from the varifocal lens unit enters, and an exit plane from which the light flux is emitted toward an image plane, and is configured such that the incident plane or the exit plane or both planes can be inclined with respect to an optical axis, whereby a field of view is shifted by a predetermined amount by inclining the plane.

Abstract: A novel method of forming a resist pattern in which thickness loss from the resist pattern is reduced, and a negative resist composition that can be used in this method of forming a resist pattern. The method of forming a resist pattern includes: forming a first resist film by applying a first resist composition to a support, forming a first resist pattern by selectively exposing the first resist film through a first mask pattern and then developing the first resist film, forming a second resist film by applying a negative resist composition containing an ether-based organic solvent (S?) having no hydroxyl groups onto the support having the first resist pattern formed thereon, and forming a resist pattern by selectively exposing the second resist film through a second mask pattern and then developing the second resist film.

Abstract: An aspect of an antenna apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a conductor plate, radiating elements disposed to face the conductor plate and partially short-circuited to the conductor plate, a feeding terminal provided on the conductor plate, and a feeding path connecting the feeding terminal and a feeding portion of the radiating elements to each other.

Abstract: A positive resist composition for a thin-film implantation process of the present invention includes: a resin component (A) with an acid-dissociable dissolution inhibiting group, whose alkali solubility increases by the action of an acid; an acid generator component (B) which generates an acid by irradiation with radiation; and a compound (C) having a radiation absorbing ability, wherein said resin component (A) comprises a structural unit (a1) derived from a hydroxystyrene and a structural unit (a2) obtained by substituting the hydrogen atom in a hydroxyl group of said structural unit (a1) with an acid-dissociable dissolution inhibiting group, and said acid-dissociable dissolution inhibiting group contains an acid-dissociable dissolution inhibiting group (II) represented by the following general formula (II) as a main component.

Abstract: There is provided a lens barrel including an imaging optical system, and an image blur correction unit moving a shift lens forming the imaging optical system in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the imaging optical system. The image blur correction unit includes a second movable body holding the shift lens and provided to be movable in two directions perpendicular to each other on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. A fixed lens holding frame holding a fixed lens forming the imaging optical system is placed in front of the second movable body. A movement control structure is provided in a region ranging from the second movable body to the fixed lens holding frame to allow movement of the second movable body in the two directions and control a range of movement of the second movable body.

Abstract: There is provided a lens barrel including: a rear barrel to which an imaging device is attachable, an imaging optical system leading a subject image to the imaging device, and an image blur correcting unit moving a shift lens forming the imaging optical system in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the imaging optical system. The image blur correcting unit includes a base supporting the shift lens in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the imaging optical system. The lens barrel includes a support mechanism supporting the base to be movable relative to the rear barrel along a plane perpendicular to the optical axis; and a fixing device fixing the base to the rear barrel.

Abstract: This invention provides a catalyst material comprising a conductive material coated with a polynuclear complex molecule derived from at least two types of heteromonocyclic compounds and a catalyst metal coordinated to the coating layer of the polynuclear complex molecule, and a catalyst material comprising a conductive material coated with a polynuclear complex molecule derived from a heteromonocyclic compound and a catalyst metal, which is a composite of a noble metal and a transition metal, coordinated to the coating layer of the polynuclear complex molecule. Such catalyst material of the invention has excellent catalytic performance and serviceability as, for example, an electrode of fuel cells.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes a lens barrel, a lens holding frame made movable in an optical axis direction inside the lens barrel, a movable lens held in the lens holding frame, a yoke inserted into the lens barrel and attached to the lens barrel, a magnet attached to the yoke, and a driving coil that is attached to the lens holding frame and located to be opposed to the magnet and gives propulsion to the lens holding frame. A pair of first fitting sections is provided in the lens barrel. A pair of second fitting sections is provided in the lens barrel. An interval between the first fitting sections is set larger than an interval between the second fitting sections. A distance from the optical axis to the respective first fitting sections is set larger than a distance from the optical axis to the respective second fitting sections.

Abstract: A zoom lens includes a varifocal lens unit including a plurality of movable lens groups, and a prism disposed on an image side of the varifocal lens unit. The prism has an incident plane into which a light flux from the varifocal lens unit enters, and an exit plane from which the light flux is emitted toward an image plane, the exit plane capable of being inclined with respect to an optical axis, the exit plane inclined in accordance with a following conditional expression “?=?f×?/[Bf(n?1)]”, where ?: an angle formed by a normal of the exit plane and the optical axis, f: a focus distance of a whole lens system, ?: a turning angle of a lens system, Bf: a distance from the exit plane of the prism to the image plane along the optical axis, and n: a refraction index of the prism.

Abstract: The invention provides a novel optically active biaryl phosphorus compound that can be produced easily without the step of optical resolution, which is almost indispensable step in a conventional method.

Abstract: The invention provides a process for producing a modified conjugated diene based polymer which attains favorable interaction between a rubber component and carbon black and/or silica, thereby improving dispersibility of the fillers, and which exhibits excellent properties such as heat-buildup-suppressing performance, fracture characteristics, and wear resistance; a modified conjugated diene based polymer produced through the process; a rubber composition containing the diene polymer; and a tire produced from the rubber composition and exhibiting the above properties.

Abstract: A zoom lens includes: a front group including a plurality of movable lens groups; and a rear group that is provided on an image side of the front group and that includes a negative lens and a positive lens. The positive lens has a flat lens surface on its image side, and is tiltable about a spherical center of its object side lens surface that is convex on the object side. When a lens system is inclined, the positive lens is tilted in relation to the optical axis of the lens system based on: a focal length of the overall lens system; an angle of the optical axis of the lens system after being inclined in relation to the optical axis before being inclined; a distance between the image side lens surface of the positive lens and the image plane; and a refractive index of the positive lens.

Abstract: A zoom lens including a varifocal lens unit having a plurality of movable lens groups, and a prism disposed on an image side of the varifocal lens unit. The prism has an incident plane on which a light flux from the varifocal lens unit enters, and an exit plane from which the light flux is emitted toward an image plane, and is configured such that the incident plane or the exit plane or both planes can be inclined with respect to an optical axis, whereby a field of view is shifted by a predetermined amount by inclining the plane.

Abstract: A zoom lens includes a varifocal lens unit including a plurality of movable lens groups, and a prism disposed on an image side of the varifocal lens unit. The prism has an incident plane into which a light flux from the varifocal lens unit enters, and an exit plane from which the light flux is emitted toward an image plane, the exit plane capable of being inclined with respect to an optical axis, the exit plane inclined in accordance with a following conditional expression “?=?f×?/[Bf(n?1)]”, where ?: an angle formed by a normal of the exit plane and the optical axis, f: a focus distance of a whole lens system, ?: a turning angle of a lens system, Bf: a distance from the exit plane of the prism to the image plane along the optical axis, and n: a refraction index of the prism.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes a lens barrel, a lens holding frame made movable in an optical axis direction inside the lens barrel, a movable lens held in the lens holding frame, a yoke inserted into the lens barrel and attached to the lens barrel, a magnet attached to the yoke, and a driving coil that is attached to the lens holding frame and located to be opposed to the magnet and gives propulsion to the lens holding frame. A pair of first fitting sections is provided in the lens barrel. A pair of second fitting sections is provided in the lens barrel. An interval between the first fitting sections is set larger than an interval between the second fitting sections. A distance from the optical axis to the respective first fitting sections is set larger than a distance from the optical axis to the respective second fitting sections.