A polarizing film includes a hydrophobic polymer and a dichroic dye, wherein the hydrophobic polymer includes a polypropylene polymer including about 0.5 mol % or less of an ethylene content (mol %), and has a distribution of a molecular weight of about 1 to about 5.

The present invention provides a laminated film comprising a polyester film having a resin layer on at least one side thereof, wherein said resin layer contains at least metal oxide particles (A) having a number average particle diameter of 3 nm or more and 50 nm or less, and an acrylic resin (B), and a component (C.sub.1) derived from an oxazoline-based compound and/or a component (C.sub.2) derived from a melamine-based compound, and wherein said acrylic resin (B) contains a monomer unit (b.sub.1), a monomer unit (b.sub.2) and a monomer unit (b.sub.3). The present invention provides a laminated film which is excellent in transparency, suppression of interference pattern upon lamination of a high refractive index hard coat layer, adhesive property to a high refractive index hard coat layer, and adhesion under high temperature and high humidity conditions (adhesion under high temperature and high humidity conditions), at a low cost.

A compound represented by formula: is disclosed. R is hydrogen or alkyl; X is alkylene; Y is a bond, ether, thioether, amine, amide, ester, thioester, carbonate, thiocarbonate, carbamate, thiocarbamate, urea, thiourea, alkylene, arylalkylene, alkylarylene, or arylene, wherein alkylene, arylalkylene, alkylarylene, and arylene are optionally at least one of interrupted or terminated by at least one of an ether, thioether, amine, amide, ester, thioester, carbonate, thiocarbonate, carbamate, thiocarbamate, urea, or thiourea; and Z is an acrylate, a methacrylate, an acrylamide, a methacrylamide, a styrenyl, or a terminal alkenylene having at least three carbon atoms. A composition including the compound, and a method of determining the degree of cure of a curable polymeric resin are also disclosed. ##STR00001##

A fluororesin-metal oxide mixed dispersion (sol) with excellent operability and workability provided in a coating step is obtained by mixing aqueous dispersion of fluororesin particle, and particle sol of metal oxide with suitable pH value that is any one of titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, cerium oxide, or tin oxide. Both the fluororesin particle and the metal oxide particle float and disperse without coagulation precipitation, gelation and solidification, and/or phase separation. The floating and dispersion state is stably maintained under room temperature storage for three days or more. Water contact angle of a solid product obtained by evaporation and scattering of a solvent from the fluororesin-metal oxide mixed dispersion is 130 degrees or less, and surface resistivity is 2.0×10.sup.12Ω/□ (ohm/square) or less.

A conductive paste obtained by adding an organic solvent B to a vehicle containing a Ni powder, a binder resin component, and an organic solvent A. The Ni powder has an average primary particle size of 30 to 400 nm. The binder resin component is cellulose acetate butyrate. Organic solvent A is a solvent having a Δ δ value of 11.5 or less with the cellulose acetate butyrate. Organic solvent B is a solvent having a Δ δ value from 11.5 to 25.0 with the cellulose acetate butyrate. A ratio of the organic solvent B relative to a total of the organic solvent A and the organic solvent B is 5.0 to 40.0 wt %.

Provided are: a rubber composition for treads which contains a diene rubber in the rubber component and can simultaneously achieve blowing resistance during dry running, wet grip performance and abrasion resistance; and a pneumatic tire including a tread formed from the rubber composition for treads. The rubber composition contains: a diene rubber including styrene-butadiene rubber; zinc dithiophosphate; an inorganic filler including at least one selected from the group consisting of: a compound of the formula: mM.xSiO.sub.y.zH.sub.2O wherein M represents at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Al, Mg, Ti, Ca, and Zr, or an oxide or hydroxide of the metal, m represents an integer of 1-5, x represents an integer of 0-10, y represents an integer of 2-5, and z represents an integer of 0-10; magnesium sulfate; and silicon carbide, and having a BET value of 5-120 m.sup.2/g and a linseed oil absorption of 30-80 mL/100 g; and sulfur, wherein, per 100 parts by mass of the diene rubber, there are 0.2-15 parts by mass of the zinc dithiophosphate, 1-70 parts by mass of the inorganic filler, and less than 2.5 parts by mass of zinc oxide.

To provide a composition for an acoustic wave probe which can significantly improve the hardness and the mechanical strength (tensile strength at break, tensile elongation at break, tear strength, and abrasion resistance) of a silicone resin while maintaining a low acoustic attenuation, a silicone resin for an acoustic wave probe and the acoustic wave probe using the composition for an acoustic wave probe, an acoustic wave measurement apparatus, and an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus.

To provide an ultrasound probe in which cMUT is used as an ultrasonic diagnostic transducer, and the composition for an acoustic wave probe and the silicone resin for an acoustic wave probe which can improve the sensitivity of the photoacoustic wave measurement apparatus and the ultrasound endoscope.

Provided are a composition for an acoustic wave probe containing a polysiloxane mixture containing polysiloxane having a vinyl group, polysiloxane having two or more Si—H groups in a molecular chain, and one or more inorganic compound particles, in which the average primary particle diameter of the inorganic compound particles is less than 25 nm and the inorganic compound particles are selected from the group consisting of magnesium oxide, titanium oxide, iron oxide, zinc oxide, zirconium oxide, barium oxide, tin oxide, and ytterbium oxide; a silicone resin for an acoustic wave probe; an acoustic wave probe; an acoustic wave measurement apparatus; an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus; an ultrasound probe; a photoacoustic wave measurement apparatus; and an ultrasound endoscope.

A security device (100, 600, 700) includes one or more arrangements of image icons (100a, 110b, 615, 715), one or more arrangements of refractive image icon focusing elements (120, 605, 705), and a sealing layer (127, 600, 1005) which includes an organic resin and nanoparticles. Further, the one or more arrangements of refractive image icon focusing elements is disposed above the one or more arrangements of image icons such that a portion of the one or more arrangements of refractive image icon focusing elements forms a synthetic image of a portion of the one or more arrangements of image icons. Still further, the one or more arrangements of refractive image icon focusing elements contact the sealing layer along a non-planar boundary.

Compositions and methods for the synthesis of polymer foam materials, wherein the polymer foam materials include expandable polymers, which can be applied to many dental applications, such as for example but not limited to one or more of a filler, a sealer, a filling, and a root canal. The expandable polymers can include a cross linkable material that expands upon crosslinking.

An object of the present invention is to provide zirconium oxide nanoparticles that have excellent dispersibility in a polar solvent and are capable of increasing a core concentration in a dispersion liquid. Zirconium oxide nanoparticles according to the present invention are coated with at least one compound selected from the group consisting of R.sup.1—COOH, (R.sup.1O).sub.3-n—P(O)—(OH).sub.n, (R.sup.1).sub.3-n—P(O)—(OH).sub.n, (R.sup.1O)—S(O)(O)—(OH), R.sup.1—S(O)(O)—(OH), and (R.sup.1).sub.4-m—Si(R.sup.4).sub.m, wherein R.sup.1 represents a group comprising a carbon atom and at least one element selected from the group consisting of an oxygen atom, a nitrogen atom, and a sulfur atom, and having the total number of carbon atoms, oxygen atoms, nitrogen atoms, and sulfur atoms of 8 or less; R.sup.4 represents a halogen atom or —OR.sup.2, and R.sup.2 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; and n represents 1 or 2, and m represents an integer of 1 to 3.