Abstract: Provided are: an aromatic sulfonium salt compound which exhibits low corrosion to a substrate and excellent photolithographic characteristics and is thus useful as a photoacid generator and as a cationic polymerization agent; and a photoacid generator, a resist composition, a cationic polymerization initiator and a cationically polymerizable agent composition, which include the aromatic sulfonium salt compound. The aromatic sulfonium salt compound is represented by the following Formula (I): (wherein, R1 to R10 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a nitro group, a cyano group, an alkyl group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms which is optionally substituted, or the like; R11 to R15 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkoxy group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms which is optionally substituted, or the like; at least one of R11 to R15 is not a hydrogen atom; and X1? represents a monovalent organic sulfonate anion).

Abstract: A polishing pad is provided with a compression elastic modulus of 0.17 MPa or more and 0.32 MPa or less produced by preparing a nonwoven fabric formed of bundles of ultrafine fibers with an average monofilament diameter of 3.0 ?m or more and 8.0 ?m or less, preparing a polishing pad base by impregnating the nonwoven fabric with a polyurethane based elastomer in an amount of 20 mass % or more and 50 mass % or less relative to the mass of the polishing pad base, and laminating the polishing pad base with a porous polyurethane layer containing wet-solidified polyurethane as primary component which has openings with an average opening diameter of 10 ?m or more and 90 ?m or less in its surface to serve as polishing surface layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides an artificial leather including an entangled fiber mass of ultrafine fibers having a monofilament fineness of 0.01 dtex or more and 0.50 dtex or less and a polymeric elastomer; wherein at least one surface is napped; the cross-sectional profile curve of the napped surface has an arithmetic mean height Pa of 26 ?m or more and 100 ?m or less; the arithmetic mean height Pa of the cross-sectional profile curve of the opposite surface is 20% or more and 80% or less of the cross-sectional roughness Pa of the napped side; the existence frequency of asperity peaks found in the cross-sectional profile curve of the napped surface is 1.8 or more and 20 or less per 1.0 mm; and a woven or knitted fabric lamination is present near the opposite surface at a depth position of 10% or more and 50% or less.

Abstract: A dyed artificial leather includes a fibrous base containing ultrafine fibers with a filament fineness of 2 decitex or less and a polymeric elastomer, and characterized in that the lightness difference ?L* between the ultrafine fibers and the polymeric elastomer represented by the following equation meet the requirement of ?16??L*?5: ?L*=(average lightness L* of ultrafine fibers)?(average lightness L* of polymeric elastomer). A production method for dyed artificial leather includes a first dying step in which artificial leather constituted mainly of a fibrous base containing ultrafine fibers with a filament fineness of 2 decitex or less and a polymeric elastomer is dyed using a dye and a subsequent second dyeing step performed at a dye concentration that is 0.1% to 30% of the dye concentration (owf) in the first dyeing step.

Abstract: An artificial leather is provided having a raised nap to give an elegant appearance, and further has a good pilling-resistance without affecting the spinning performance. The pilling-resistant artificial leather is a sheet-form object including a microfiber having a monofilament diameter of 0.3 to 10 ?m and a polymeric elastomer, and having a raised nap made of the microfiber. The microfiber includes inorganic particles in a proportion of 0.01 to 5% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the microfiber, and a silicone oil in a proportion of 0.001 to 1% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the microfiber. The microfiber contains a polyester microfiber in a proportion of 90% by mass or more thereof.

Abstract: Provided are: a compound which shows large absorption for light having a wavelength of 365 nm and has good acid generation rate; and a photoacid generator, cationic polymerization initiator, resist composition and cationically polymerizable composition that use the compound.

Abstract: Provided is an environmentally friendly process for producing a sheet-shaped material having both an elegant, napped appearance and a soft texture, which qualities have not been achieved concurrently, and also exhibiting good abrasion resistance. The process of the present invention for producing a sheet-shaped material includes the successive steps of (a) adding a polyvinyl alcohol having a degree of saponification of 98% or more and a degree of polymerization of 800 to 3,500 to a fibrous substrate in an amount of 0.1 to 50% by mass relative to the total mass of fibers in the fibrous substrate; (b) adding a waterborne polyurethane to the fibrous substrate with the added polyvinyl alcohol; and (c) removing the polyvinyl alcohol from the fibrous substrate with the added waterborne polyurethane.

Abstract: A polishing pad is provided with a compression elastic modulus of 0.17 MPa or more and 0.32 MPa or less produced by preparing a nonwoven fabric formed of bundles of ultrafine fibers with an average monofilament diameter of 3.0 ?m or more and 8.0 ?m or less, preparing a polishing pad base by impregnating the nonwoven fabric with a polyurethane based elastomer in an amount of 20 mass % or more and 50 mass % or less relative to the mass of the polishing pad base, and laminating the polishing pad base with a porous polyurethane layer containing wet-solidified polyurethane as primary component which has openings with an average opening diameter of 10 ?m or more and 90 ?m or less in its surface to serve as polishing surface layer.

Abstract: A polymerizable optically-active imide compound represented by the following general formula (I). Preferable among the polymerizable optically-active imide compound are compounds wherein X3 and X4 in general formula (I) are both —CO—, compounds wherein the rings A2 and A3 in general formula (I) are both naphthalene rings, compounds wherein the rings A1, A2, A3, and A4 are all benzene rings, compounds wherein M1 and M2 in general formula (I) are both hydrogen atoms, or compounds wherein rings A1 and A4, as well as rings A2 and A3, in general formula (I) are the same ring, the groups M1 and M2, X1 and X6, X2 and X5, as well as X3 and X6 are the same group in each pair, and n and m are the same number.

Abstract: Compounds of the class of organic salts based on monomethine cyanine cation and azomethine complex cation are useful to promote light sensitivity and light resistance in laser writable and readable recording material. The compounds of Formula (I) and (IV) are exemplified in Formula (I) with X being oxygen, sulfur, or selenium; R1 and R2 are each C1-C20 alkyl, C7-C30 arylalkyl; R3 to R6 are each hydrogen, C1-C20 alkyl, etc.; R4 and R5 may be taken together to form a 6-membered ring; Y1 and Y2 are each C1-C20 alkyl; R7 to R10 are each hydrogen, C1-C20 alkyl, etc.; and adjacent two of R7 to R10 may be taken together to form a 5- or 6-membered ring. In Formula (IV) M? is Fe, Co, Ni, Cr or Mn; and R11 to R26 are each hydrogen, nitro, —NRR? (R and R? are each C1-C4 alkyl).

Abstract: A high performance polishing cloth having a densified surface state with ultrafine fiber bundles uniformly dispersed therein and having excellent smoothness is provided. The polishing cloth comprises a nonwoven fabric formed by entangling the ultrafine fiber bundles formed by bundling ultrafine fibers with an average single fiber diameter of 0.05 to 2.0 ?m and a polymeric elastic material, wherein the average size of the surface fiber-napped portions constituted by the aforementioned ultrafine fiber bundles of the aforementioned nonwoven fabric in the width direction of the ultrafine fiber bundles is 50 to 180 ?M.

Abstract: A cyanine compound is represented by formula (I): A1: benzene or naphthalene ring. A3: 5- or 6-membered ring. R1, R2: hydrogen atom and the like. R7: an alkyl group and the like. R12: a substituent by formula (II) or (II?). R20: a hydrogen atom and the like. Anq-: a q-valent anion. q: 1 or 2; p: a coefficient for neutral charge. In formula (II): bond between L and T is a double, conjugated double, or triple bond. L: carbon atom. T: carbon, oxygen, sulfur, or nitrogen atom. x, y, z: 0 or 1. s: 0-4. R13: hydrogen atom and the like. R14, R15, and R16: hydrogen atom and the like. In formula (II?), the bond between L? and T? is a double or conjugated double bond. L?: carbon atom. T?: carbon, oxygen, nitrogen atom. s?: 0-4. Ring containing L? and T?: 5-membered ring, may contain a heteroatom.

Abstract: A color correction material contains at least one type of cyanine compound composed of a cyanine cation represented by general formula (I) below (wherein the symbols are as defined in the description) and a q-valent anion represented by pAnq? (wherein the symbols are as defined in the description), and at least one type of layered clay mineral; or a color correction material containing a clay mineral composite obtained by intercalating a cyanine cation represented by general formula (I) below, or preferably the cyanine cation and an organic cation, into a layered clay mineral. Also described is a film-forming composition containing the color correction material and an optical filter having a layer composed of the film-forming composition. Ring A represents a benzene ring or a naphthalene ring; X represents CR3R4, NR5, an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, or a selenium atom.

Abstract: An artificial leather is provided having a raised nap to give an elegant appearance, and further has a good pilling-resistance without affecting the spinning performance. The pilling-resistant artificial leather is a sheet-form object including a microfiber having a monofilament diameter of 0.3 to 10 ?m and a polymeric elastomer, and having a raised nap made of the microfiber. The microfiber includes inorganic particles in a proportion of 0.01 to 5% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the microfiber, and a silicone oil in a proportion of 0.001 to 1% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the microfiber. The microfiber contains a polyester microfiber in a proportion of 90% by mass or more thereof.

Abstract: An optical recording medium having a substrate and an optical recording layer on the substrate. The optical recording layer is formed of an optical recording material containing at least one heterocyclic compound represented by general formula (I): wherein Z1 represents oxygen, sulfur, —CR5R6—, etc. (R5 and R6 are each a substituent, e.g., an alkyl group or an aralkyl group, or are taken together to form a ring); R1 and R2 each represent hydrogen, etc.; R3 and R4 each represent an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms or are taken together to form a heterocyclic ring having no multiple bond; Y1 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, a metallocene substituent, etc.; Anq? represents a q-valent anion; q represents 1 or 2; p represents a number necessary to neutralize an electric charge; and n represents a number of 1 to 4.

Abstract: An organic salt compound, which comprises a monomethine cyanine cation represented by general formula (I) and an azomethine complex anion represented by general formula (IV), having high sensitivity and good light resistance and being appropriate, in particular, for optical elements to be used optical recording materials for recording and reproducing information using laser beams. In general formula (I), X represents an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom or a selenium atom; R1 and R2 represent a C1-20 alkyl group, a C7-30 arylalkyl group, or the like; R3 to R6 represent a hydrogen atom, a C1-20 alkyl group, or the like, provided that R4 and R5 may be bonded together to form a 6-membered ring; Y1 and Y2 represent a C1-20 alkyl groups, or the like; and R7 to R10 represent a hydrogen atom, a C1-20 alkyl group, or the like, provided that adjacent groups among R7 to R10 may be bonded together to form a 5- or 6-membered ring.

Abstract: A cyanine compound is represented by: wherein, R11 and R12 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a halogen atom, a nitro group, a cyano group, an organic group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms, or a group represented by the following general formula (II), (II?), or (III); R13 and R14 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an organic group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms, or a substituent represented by the following general formula (III); R11 and R12 may be connected together to form a ring structure; R19 represents a hydrogen atom or an organic group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms; R13 and R14 may be connected together to form a heterocycle; N—R13 may be connected together with a methylene group in a polymethine chain to form a heterocycle; Z00 is an organic group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms; m is 0 or 1; s is 2 to 8; Anq? represents an anion having a valence of q; q is 1 or 2; and p represents a coefficient for maintaining charge neutrality.

Abstract: A trifunctional (meth)acrylate compound of general formula (I) is provided The compound is capable of retaining a liquid crystal phase at or below 30 ° C. Polymerizable compositions containing a compound of formula (I) are also provided.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, a first semiconductor region of a second conductivity type, a second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type, a third semiconductor region of the first conductivity type, a fourth semiconductor region of the second conductivity type, and a control electrode. The first semiconductor region is provided selectively on a first major surface of the first semiconductor layer. The second semiconductor region is provided selectively on the first major surface in contact with the first semiconductor region. The third semiconductor region is provided selectively on a surface of the first semiconductor region. The fourth semiconductor region is provided to face a projecting surface between a side surface and a bottom surface of the first semiconductor region with the second semiconductor region interposed.