The composition includes two or more near infrared absorbing compounds having an absorption maximum in a wavelength range of 650 to 1000 nm and having a solubility of 0.1 mass % or lower in water at 23? C., in which the two or more near infrared absorbing compounds include a first near infrared absorbing compound having an absorption maximum in a wavelength range of 650 to 1000 nm, and a second near infrared absorbing compound having an absorption maximum in a wavelength range of 650 to 1000 nm which is shorter than the absorption maximum of the first near infrared absorbing compound, and a difference between the absorption maximum of the first near infrared absorbing compound and the absorption maximum of the second near infrared absorbing compound is 1 to 150 nm.

Provided are dyes and compositions which are useful in a number of applications, such as the detection and monitoring protein aggregation, kinetic studies of protein aggregation, neurofibrillary plaques analysis, evaluation of protein formulation stability, and analysis of molecular chaperone activity.

Provided are a photoelectric conversion element including an electrically conductive support, a photoconductor layer, a charge transfer layer, and a counter electrode, in which the photoconductor layer has semiconductor fine particles carrying a metal complex dye represented by Formula (1), and at least one of metal complex dyes represented by Formulae (2) and (3), a dye-sensitized solar cell, a dye composition, and an oxide semiconductor electrode.

##STR00001##

In the formulae, M represents a metal ion. Ar.sup.11 to Ar.sup.14 each represent an aryl group or the like. L.sup.1 and L.sup.2 each represent an ethenylene group or the like. R.sup.11 to R.sup.14 each represent an alkyl group or the like. n.sup.11 and n.sup.12 each represent an integer of 0 to 3, and n.sup.13 and n.sup.14 each represent an integer of 0 to 4. X represents NCS or SCN. M.sup.1 and M.sup.2 each represent a proton, a metal cation, or a non-metal cation.

According to the present teachings, compositions, kits, and methods for protein melt analysis are provided that utilizing one or more fluorophore dyes. In some embodiments, a method comprises preparing a sample by mixing at least one protein with two or more dyes, and applying a controlled heating, while recording the fluorescence emission of the sample. The methods can be used, for example, for screening conditions for optimized protein stability, screening for ligands that bind and enhance protein stability (e.g., protein-protein interactions), screening for mutations for enhanced stability, screening crystallization conditions for protein stability, screening storage conditions for protein stability, and screening conditions in which a protein will be used (e.g., production conditions, treatment conditions, etc.) for protein stability.

The present invention discloses the spiropyran compound of formula (I), process for preparation thereof and a composition comprising spiropyran compound of formula (I) on a support, wherein said support selected from polymers such as Poly (ethylene oxide), Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM).

The near infrared absorbing curable composition includes: a compound represented by Formula (1); and a compound having a crosslinking group. In Formula (1), X.sup.1 and X.sup.2 each independently represent O, S, or a dicyanomethylene group, and A and B each independently represent a group represented by Formula (2). In Formula (2), a wave line represents a binding site of Formula (1), Y.sub.S represents a group having active hydrogen, A1 represents an aromatic hydrocarbon ring or an aromatic heterocycle, R.sub.Z represents a substituent, m1 represents an integer of 0 to mA, mA represents an integer representing the maximum number of R.sub.Z's which may be substituted in A1, Y.sub.S may be bonded to A1 or R.sub.Z to form a ring, and R.sub.Z may be bonded to A1 to form a ring.

##STR00001##

Biosensor comprising an activatable acceptor fluorogen linked via a linker to a donor which transfers energy to the fluorogen on detecting an analyte wherein the fluorogen component reacts and a 100 fold increase in intensity results when the fluorogen interacts non-covalently with an activator e.g. fluorogen activator peptide.

Provided are dyes and compositions which are useful in a number of applications, such as the detection and monitoring protein aggregation, kinetic studies of protein aggregation, neurofibrillary plaques analysis, evaluation of protein formulation stability, and analysis of molecular chaperone activity.

To provide a photoelectric conversion element being excellent in photoelectric conversion efficiency and stability of photoelectric conversion function, a method for producing the photoelectric conversion element, and a solar cell using the photoelectric conversion element. A photoelectric conversion element having a substrate, a first electrode, a photoelectric conversion layer containing a semiconductor and a sensitizing pigment, a hole transport layer having a conductive polymer, and a second electrode, wherein the hole transport layer is formed by bringing the photoelectric conversion layer into contact with a solution containing a conductive polymer precursor and an oxidizer at a ratio of 0.1<[Ox]/[M] (wherein [Ox] is the molar concentration of the oxidizer; and [M] is the molar concentration of the conductive polymer precursor), and irradiating the photoelectric conversion layer with light.

A photoelectric conversion element, a photoelectric conversion element, a dye-sensitized solar cell and a dye solution, having an electrically conductive support, a photoconductor layer containing an electrolyte, a charge transfer layer containing an electrolyte, and a counter electrode, wherein the photoconductor layer contains semiconductor fine particles carrying a metal complex dye; and wherein the metal complex dye has at least a carboxyl group and a salt of the carboxyl group, the salt being selected from the group consisting of a potassium salt, a lithium salt, and a cesium salt, and the ratio of the number of the salt of the carboxyl group divided by the total number of the carboxyl group and the salt of the carboxyl group to be found in one molecule of the metal complex dye, lying in the range of 0.1 to 0.9.