On the spread of positively curved Alexandrov spaces

It was proved by F. Wilhelm that Gromov’s filling radius of closed positively curved manifolds with a uniform lower bound on sectional curvature attains the maximum with the round sphere. Recently the author proved that this is also the case for closed finite-dimensional Alexandrov spaces with a positive lower curvature bound. These were proved as a corollary of a comparison theorem for the invariant called spread of those spaces. In this paper, we extend the latter result to infinite-dimensional Alexandrov spaces.     

The effect of atmospheric plasma treatments on plastic scintillator for beta-ray measurement

A plastic scintillator (PS) can be used for beta-ray measurements using a liquid scintillation counter (LSC) without the necessity for a liquid scintillator when liquid samples of beta-emitters are placed on the PS. However, the measurement efficiency with the PS in this study was not high, especially in the case of tritium. With a sample of tritiated water, a long measurement time was necessary with a conventional LSC. However, the measurement efficiency was improved drastically by modifying the PS surface with atmospheric-pressure glow-plasma processing (the plasma method). A 2 Bq, 20 μL sample of tritiated water placed between two PS sheets was successfully measured within 2 min by an LSC. The measurement efficiency was same as that of using liquid scintillator: 48 ± 2 % for tritiated water. The measurement efficiency was initially increasing over time, and after almost 6 h, it plateaued and remained at a constant value for several weeks. Additionally, the measurement efficiency of the plasma-modified PS was identical when it was used soon after the treatment and after being properly stored for 1 week The results show that plasma-modified PS can be used stably after storage in a freezer or a deep freezer. The plasma method is advantageous because it produces little radioactive waste fluid. This paper presents these results and the results of an investigation of the surface of the plasma-modified PS under observation with an atomic force microscope, and the mechanism behind the high measurement efficiency is discussed.     

Line shape of the far-wing beyond the band head of the CO2ν3 band

Carbon dioxide is one of the most important trace gases in the terrestrial atmosphere. The spectral data required in remote sensing are the spectral parameter of each absorption line and a line shape model. This paper describes the absorption properties of CO₂ near 2400 cm⁻¹; these properties are of interest to those in the atmospheric temperature sounding field. The shape of the far-wing of N₂- and O₂-broadened CO₂ lines was investigated in the 2200-2500 cm⁻¹ spectral region in a temperature range of atmospheric interest (230-318 K). We focused on the higher rotational quantum number of the R-branch in the ν₃ band, where the effect of the far-wing is enhanced. The effect of the far-wing has been studied extensively by others, since the CO₂ν₃ band is known to exhibit sub-Lorentzian behavior. Here, we show the observed spectra along with calculated spectra for five temperatures. We used first-order line-mixing and the χ-factor, which accounts for the effect of the far-wing, to create the calculated spectra. Our results provide new knowledge of quantum interference of the spectral line in the ν₃ band of CO₂.     

Ice releasing block-copolymer coatings

Summary The ice releasing characteristics of a series of polydimethylsiloxane-polycarbonate block-copolymers films have been investigated. The abhesion is not only a function of the hydrophobic nature of the surface of the films but is also dpendent of the polysiloxane content, its block chain length and the glass temperature of the polymer, i. e. it is dependent on the rheological properties of the films telative to ice. Addition of some silicone oil to the films only improves the abhesion of the optimum block-copolymers which have a suitable polydimethylsiloxane composition. The oil acts as plasticizer and lubricant. Attenuated infrared reflectance measurements show that the polydimethylsiloxane blocks lie preferentially in the polymer/air interface, i. e. the methyl groups are located uppermost.

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Zusammenfassung Die eislösenden Eigenschaften einer Serie von Polydimethylsiloxanen-Polycarbonaten Block-Copolymer Filmen wurde studiert. Die Abhäsion ist nicht nur eine Funktion der hydrophobischen Eigenschaften der Filme sondern ist auch abhängig von dem Polysiloxan-Anteil, ihrer Block-Länge und Glas-Temperatur, das heißt sie hängt auch von den rheologischen Eigenschaften der Filme relativ zum Eise ab. Zugabe von etwas Silicon-Öl zu den Filmen verbessert nur die Abbäsion der optimalen Block-Copolymeren, die einen günstigen Polydimethylsiloxane-Gehalt haben. Das Öl wirkt als Plasticizer und Schmiermittel. Messungen der Infrarot-Reflektionen zeigen, daß das Polydimethylsiloxan hauptsächlich in der Polymer/Luft-Grenzfläche liegt und im besonderen, daß die Methyl-Gruppen zuoberst liegen.

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With 12 figures and 2 tables     

Flavour changing neutral processes in a composite model for quarks,leptons and technifermions

It is argued that flavour-changing neutral processes may be suppressed in a recently proposed composite model for quarks, leptons and technifermions, in which the technicolour dynamics are asymptotically non-free at the composite level and are assumed to have an ultraviolet fixed point.     

Fe2OCl6(2-) salt formed by electrochemical oxidation of ethylenedioxytetrathiafulvalenoquinone-1,3-dithiolemethide in the presence of FeCl4- ion with a silicon wafer electrode

Electrochemical oxidation of a bent donor molecule, ethylenedioxytetrathiafulvalenoquinone-1,3-dithiolmethide ( 2), in chlorobenzene (PhCl)/ethanol containing NBu 4FeCl 4 as a supporting electrolyte is performed using an undoped silicon wafer electrode. Black crystals of 2 6.Fe 2OCl 6.2PhCl are obtained that have a different molecular formula from that of 2 2.FeCl 4 crystals obtained previously using a platinum rod electrode. The new crystal has a structure composed of alternately stacked layers of 2 molecules and Fe 2OCl 6 (2-) ions, whose Fe-O-Fe bond is completely linear and for which the geometry around the Fe atom is almost tetrahedral. The electrical resistivity decreases with temperature until ca. 200 K, but below this temperature, it gently increases. The magnetic susceptibility (chi p) observed can be described by the sum of chi p obeying a Curie-Weiss law for the impurity spins and of chi p obeying a dimer model with a spin-exchange integral ( J approximately -180 K) in each Fe 2OCl 6 (2-) ion, which is also weakly coupled to neighboring Fe 2OCl 6 (2-) ions through an additional exchange interaction.     

Atomic beam-induced fluorination of polyimide and its application to site-selective Cu metallization

Metallization methods of polyimide by hyperthermal atomic oxygen and atomic fluorine beams were developed. An atomic fluorine beam with a translational energy of 6.2 eV modified the wettability of polyimide surfaces to provide an advancing water contact angle of 132 degrees. It was confirmed that in-air storage for 2 months did not alter the hydrophobic property created by the atomic fluorine beam. This stable beam-induced surface fluorination technique was then applied to site-selective electroless Cu plating on polyimide. It was demonstrated that changing the exposure sequence could create both positive- and negative-type plating processes.     

Geometric and electronic structures of NO dimer layers on Rh(111) studied with near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy: experiment and theory

Adsorption of NO on the Rh(111) surface has been studied in the monolayer, bilayer, and multilayer regimes with near edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. NO dimer layers are formed on a chemisorbed monomer layer. The polarization dependence in the NEXAFS spectra of the dimer components has contradicted the previous assignments. To determine the structure of the NO dimer layers from the polarization analysis of the NEXAFS spectra, ab initio configuration interaction calculations have been carried out for some low-lying core excited states of the weakly bound NO dimer with cis-ONNO planar geometry. It is revealed that the NO dimers in the multilayer are standing with the N-N bond perpendicular to the surface, while in the second layer they are rather lying on the first monomer layer.