Abstract: Provided is an air conditioner including an indoor unit provided with a microphone element for receiving voice instructions, such that a voice instruction spoken by an operator is acquired with high quality and control based on the voice instruction spoken by the operator is likely to be ensured. The air conditioner includes an indoor unit, a transmission unit, and a reception unit. The indoor unit has a main body and a microphone element. The main body has formed therein a blow-out port through which air-conditioned air is blown out toward a space to be air-conditioned. The microphone element accepts a voice instruction captured from a voice capturing portion arranged at a position that deviates from a ventilation space through which the air blown out from the blow-out port flows, in such a manner as to face the space to be air-conditioned. The transmission unit transmits the voice instruction accepted by the microphone element to an outside as a signal.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for gently removing embedding media from biological samples at temperatures below the embedding medium melting point with liquid composition using batch methods or automated instruments prior to immunohistochemical (IHC), in situ hybridization (ISH) or other special staining or histochemical or cytochemical manipulations.

Abstract: An aerogel substrate useful for an electrically conductive substrate, a heat insulating substrate, an optical waveguide substrate, a substrate for a light emitting device or a light emitting device is provided. The aerogel substrate is characterized by comprising a functional layer and an aerogel layer, and an intermediate layer formed between the functional layer and the aerogel layer to allow the functional layer to be formed uniformly thereon. The intermediate layer is formed on at least one surface of the aerogel layer by a gas phase method, by the Langmuir-Blodgett method or by adsorption of an inorganic layered compound; or formed by a hydrophilicizing treatment of at least one surface of the aerogel layer followed by coating and drying an aqueous coating fluid, by an annealing treatment of at least one surface of the aerogel layer, or by a hydrophilicizing treatment of at least one surface of the aerogel layer.

Abstract: There is provided a process for producing an aerogel which comprises lowering a pH of a water glass solution to obtain a sol, gelling the sol to obtain a hydrogel, replacing water in the gel with an organic solvent, reacting the gel with a hydrophobilizing agent having hydrophobic groups as well as functional groups reactive with silanol groups in liquid phase, followed by supercritically drying; or hydrophobilizing and supercritically drying the resultant gel at the same time. Preferably, the hydrogel is prepared by ion exchanging alkali metals in the water glass solution using an ion exchange resin to obtain a sol which is subjected to suspension polymerization.

Abstract: A side-face illuminating optical fiber comprising a core 1 transmitting therethrough light entering from an incident end of the optical fiber, a cladding 2 made of silica aerogel which covers an outer peripheral surface of the core, a transparent coating layer 3 which covers an outer periphery of the cladding, and an illuminating portion formed at least in a part of an interface between the core and the cladding. The light transmitting though said core radiates through the illuminating portion to the cladding.

Abstract: An optical fiber comprises a core 1 extending in a longitudinal direction and a cladding 3 of silica aerogel preferably having a hydrophobic property to provide a high optical transmission efficiency. The silica aerogel of the cladding is prepared by polymerizing a hydrolyzed alkoxysilane before a supercritical drying treatment and is subjected to a hydrophobic treatment before or during the supercritical drying.