Abstract: A polymer electrolyte which comprises an ionic liquid (A) and a block copolymer (B) as essential ingredients, which block copolymer (B) comprises one or more of polymer block(s) (P) being compatible with (A) and one or more of polymer block(s) (Q) being incompatible with (A). (A) and (P) mutually dissolve each other to form one phase (X), and (Q) forms a phase (Y) being incompatible with phase (X), and phase (X) and phase (Y) are mutually micro phase separated. The polymer electrolyte of the present invention shows practical ion conductivity, is excellent in retention of ionic liquid, and moreover, is also excellent in heat resistance and mechanical strength.

Abstract: This invention relates to an electrochemical device which comprises a molding containing as a main ingredient a copolymer (Z) and at least two mutually insulated electrodes in joint with the molding, wherein the copolymer (Z) comprises a polymer block (A) having as a main unit an aromatic vinyl compound unit and a polymer block (B) being incompatible with the polymer block (A), and has ion-conducting groups on the polymer block (A). The electrochemical device of the invention can be used particularly as an actuator device.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a dielectric material for polymeric actuator, which has a high dielectric constant, low Young's modulus and excellent operation performance, which can be simply formed, and which has high production efficiency. It is also intended to provide a polymeric actuator which comprises the dielectric material and has excellent operation performance. The dielectric material for a polymeric actuator comprised of a moveable part of the polymeric actuator driven by an electric field comprising; a block copolymer (A) having a microphase-separated structure including a polymer block (B1) and a polymer block (B2) both of which are immiscible with each other, wherein a main compositional unit in both of the polymer block (B1) and the polymer block (B2) is a (meth)acrylic ester unit, the polymer block (B1) has an alpha-dispersion temperature of 70° C. or more, and the polymer block (B2) has an alpha-dispersion temperature of 25° C. or less.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for white-matter-enhancement processing, and a method and a program for white-matter-enhancement processing that makes it possible to analyze distinguishing characteristics of the brain of a living body, such as degree of growth and development, left/right brain dominance, areas of strength and weakness, and personality traits.

Abstract: Disclosed is a low-cost deformation sensor which is light-weighted and flexible. The deformation sensor stably operates with high responsivity in the air. Specifically disclosed is a deformation sensor (6) which is a sheet composed of a nonaqueous polymer solid electrolyte (10) and at least a pair of electrodes (7, 8) sandwiching the nonaqueous polymer solid electrolyte (10). The nonaqueous polymer solid electrolyte (10) contains a polymer component which is selected from at least either of a polymer containing a monomer unit having a heteroatom and a block copolymer containing a block of the polymer, and an ionic liquid. The sensor generates an electromotive force when deformed, and is able to sense the position of deformation and the pressure distribution.

Abstract: A polymer electrolyte which comprises an ionic liquid (A) and a block copolymer (B) as essential ingredients, which block copolymer (B) comprises one or more of polymer block(s) (P) being compatible with (A) and one or more of polymer block(s) (Q) being incompatible with (A). (A) and (P) mutually dissolve each other to form one phase (X), and (Q) forms a phase (Y) being incompatible with phase (X), and phase (X) and phase (Y) are mutually micro phase separated. The polymer electrolyte of the present invention shows practical ion conductivity, is excellent in retention of ionic liquid, and moreover, is also excellent in heat resistance and mechanical strength.

Abstract: The apparatus for evaluating biological function of the present invention has living body probes 1, a behavioral information measuring part 2 and an apparatus body 3, and it utilizes near-infrared spectroscopy to evaluate biological function; apparatus body 3 has a controller 8 for calculating (based on light information from living body probes 1) a variety of parameters derived from two-dimensional diagrams showing relationships between changes in oxyhemoglobin and changes in deoxyhemoglobin and two-dimensional diagrams showing relationships between absolute amounts of oxyhemoglobin and absolute amounts of deoxyhemoglobin, a behavioral information input part for entering behavioral information measured by means of behavioral information measuring part 12, and a display part 10 for performing various types of image displays based on various parameters calculated by means of controller 8 and/or behavioral information entered in the behavioral information input part.

Abstract: This invention relates to an electrochemical device which comprises a molding containing as a main ingredient a copolymer (Z) and at least two mutually insulated electrodes in joint with the molding, wherein the copolymer (Z) comprises a polymer block (A) having as a main unit an aromatic vinyl compound unit and a polymer block (B) being incompatible with the polymer block (A), and has ion-conducting groups on the polymer block (A). The electrochemical device of the invention can be used particularly as an actuator device. The electrochemical device or actuator device of the invention can be actuated swiftly; is excellent in industrial economical efficiency; has only a low influence on the environment; holds self-standing properties; and is excellent in mechanical strength.

Abstract: An organolithium compound represented by the following general formula (i): (i) [wherein A represents a heteroatom selected among oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus; Ar represents optionally substituted aryl; R1 represents C1-10 alkyl; R2 represents C1-10 alkylene; R3 represents C1-10 alkyl or a protective group for the functional group -A-H (A is the heteroatom); and when the heteroatom A is oxygen or sulfur, then m and n each is 0 or 1, provided that the sum of m and n is 1, and when the heteroatom A is nitrogen or phosphorus, then m and n each is 0, 1, or 2, provided that the sum of m and n is 2], which has not hitherto been used in anionic polymerization, is used as an anionic polymerization initiator to easily and smoothly produce a polymer having a functional group at an end.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for evaluating biological function that, in differentiating as far as possible information from the capillaries, which reflects tissue metabolism, from information from outside the tissue (for example, the arteries and veins), has high speed and accuracy enabling it to compensate for the low spatial resolution of conventional near infrared spectroscopy methods, and that furthermore does not merely monitor changes in oxygen concentration and the like, but makes it possible to easily and conveniently distinguish between capillary reactions, metabolic reactions and the like; its configuration is characterized in that it provides a light irradiation means for irradiating light to a specified site of a living body, a light detection means for detecting light exiting from the living body, a calculation means for determining the respective changes in concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin by performing calculations in near infrared spectroscopy

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for evaluating biological function that, in differentiating as far as possible information from the capillaries, which reflects tissue metabolism, from information from outside the tissue (for example, the arteries and veins), has high speed and accuracy enabling it to compensate for the low spatial resolution of conventional near infrared spectroscopy methods, and that furthermore does not merely monitor changes in oxygen concentration and the like, but makes it possible to easily and conveniently distinguish between capillary reactions, metabolic reactions and the like; its configuration is characterized in that it provides a light irradiation means for irradiating light to a specified site of a living body, a light detection means for detecting light exiting from the living body, a calculation means for determining the respective changes in concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin by performing calculations in near infrared spectroscopy