High pressure study on the superconducting transition temperature and Hall coefficient of Ba1−xKxBiO3 up to 8 GPa

The superconducting transition temperature (T_c) of Ba_0.62K_0.38Bio₃ (T_c=30 K) has been measured under high pressure up to 8 GPa. It is observed that T_c increases initially with pressure, as reported by Uwe et al., Shirber et al. and Huang et al., but decreases above 4 GPa. The Hall coefficient of Ba_0.62K_0.38BiO₃ has been measured up to 1.2 GPa. The absolute value of the Hall coefficient decreases with pressure by 10% GPa, the value of which is almost the same as that obtained in most CuO-based high-temperature superconductors.     

Formation and characterization of high-density Fe cluster-assembled films with soft magnetic behaviors

High-density, magnetically soft Fe cluster-assembled films were obtained at room temperature by an energetic cluster deposition. Size-monodispersed Fe clusters with the mean cluster size d = 9, 13 and 16 nm were produced using a plasma-gas-condensation technique. Ionized clusters in cluster beam were accelerated electrically and deposited onto the substrate together with neutral clusters from the same cluster source. The morphology, microstructure and magnetic properties of the cluster-assembled films have been studied by an atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer. By increasing the impact energy of the ionized clusters up to 0.6 eV/atom, the Fe cluster-assembled film has a packing fraction of 0.86±0.03, and reveals a soft magnetic behavior. In addition, it is found that oxidization of the cluster-assembled films is remarkably suppressed with the increase in the density of the films.     

Muon spin relaxation studies of magnetic-field-induced effects in high-Tc superconductors

Muon spin relaxation measurements in high transverse magnetic fields [FORMULA: SEE TEXT] revealed strong field-induced quasistatic magnetism in the underdoped and Eu-doped (La,Sr)2CuO4 and La1.875Ba0.125CuO4, existing well above Tc and TN. The susceptibility counterpart of Cu spin polarization, derived from the muon spin relaxation rate, exhibits a divergent behavior towards T approximately 25 K. No field-induced magnetism was detected in overdoped La1.81Sr0.19CuO4, optimally doped Bi2212, and Zn-doped YBa2Cu3O7.     

Effect of disorder outside the CuO2 planes on Tc of copper oxide superconductors

The effect of disorder on the superconducting transition temperature T(c) of cuprate superconductors is examined. Disorder is introduced into the cation sites in the plane adjacent to the CuO2 planes of two single-layer systems, Bi(2.0)Sr(1.6)Ln(0.4)CuO(6+delta) and La(1.85-y)Nd(y)Sr0.15CuO4. Disorder is controlled by changing rare earth (Ln) ions with a different ionic radius in the former, and by varying the Nd content in the latter with the doped carrier density kept constant. We show that this type of disorder works as weak scatterers in contrast to the in-plane disorder produced by Zn, but remarkably reduces T(c), suggesting novel effects of disorder on high-T(c) superconductivity.     

Isotopic dependence of the giant monopole resonance in the even-A 112-124Sn isotopes and the asymmetry term in nuclear incompressibility

The strength distributions of the giant monopole resonance (GMR) have been measured in the even-A Sn isotopes (A=112-124) with inelastic scattering of 400-MeV alpha particles in the angular range 0 degrees -8.5 degrees . We find that the experimentally observed GMR energies of the Sn isotopes are lower than the values predicted by theoretical calculations that reproduce the GMR energies in 208Pb and 90Zr very well. From the GMR data, a value of Ktau = -550 +/- 100 MeV is obtained for the asymmetry term in the nuclear incompressibility.     

Doppler-shifted cyclotron absorption of electron Bernstein waves via N( parallel)-upshift in a Tokamak plasma

Extraordinary (X) waves are perpendicularly injected for electron Bernstein (B) wave heating into an Ohmically heated plasma from the inboard side in the WT-3 tokamak. Measurements show that absorption does not take place at the electron cyclotron resonance layer nor the upper hybrid resonance layer, but does happen midway between them. This is consistent with the ray tracing prediction, i.e., the poloidal field and poloidal inhomogeneity of toroidal field lead the B waves to have a large parallel refractive index N( parallel) (>1), and the B waves are damped away via the Doppler-shifted cyclotron resonance.     

Apparent diffusion coefficient of line scan diffusion image in normal prostate and prostate cancer—comparison with single-shot echo planner image

Purpose

This retrospective study was designed to evaluate the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of line scan diffusion images (LSDI) in normal prostate and prostate cancer. Single-shot echo planner images (SS-EPI) were used for comparison.

Materials and Methods

Twenty prostate tumors were examined by conventional MRI in 14 patients prior to radical prostatectomy. All patients were examined with a 1.5-T MR imager (Signa CV/i ver. 9.1 GE Medical System Milwaukee, WI, USA). Diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) using LSDI was performed with a pelvic phased-array coil, with b values of 5 and 800 s/mm². DWI using SS-EPI was performed with a body coil, with b values of 0 and 800 s/mm². The ADCs of each sequence for 14 normal prostate and 20 prostate cancers were histopathologically assessed. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on DWI was estimated and compared for each sequence.

Results

The mean ADCs (±S.D.) of normal peripheral zones (PZ), transition zones (TZ) and cancer (in 10⁻³ mm²/s) that used LSDI were 1.42±0.12, 1.23±0.10 and 0.79±0.19, respectively. Those that used SS-EPI were 1.76±0.26, 1.38±0.20 and 1.05±0.27, respectively. Using unpaired t test (P<.05), we found a significant difference in each sequence between normal tissue (both PZ and TZ) and the cancer. Paired t test (P<.05) also registered a significant difference between LSDI and SS-EPI. Mean SNR for DWI using LSDI was 16.49±5.03, while the DWI using SS-EPI was 18.85±9.26. The difference between the SNR of each sequence was not statistically significant by paired t test.

Conclusion

We found that ADCs using LSDI and SS-EPI showed similar tendencies in the same patients. However, in all regions, LSDI ADCs had smaller standard deviations than SS-EPI ADCs.     

Pressure loading of detonation waves through 90-degree bend in high pressure H2–O2–N2 mixtures

Detonation experiments are conducted to investigate the detonation wave behavior in steam pipelines of boiling water reactors. Accumulated gases in BWRs are stoichiometric hydrogen/oxygen mixtures diluted with steam at 7 MPa. In the experiment, flammable gas mixture diluted with nitrogen at room temperature and up to 5 MPa is used to achieve equivalent detonation condition. Two test pieces are used, one is straight tube and the other is 90-degree bend. No initial pressure dependency in detonation wave behavior is observed in the experiments. However, in the straight tube tests, detonation velocities higher than theoretical values are measured when the initial pressures are greater than 2.3 MPa. This result is considered as attribution of real gas effect. In the 90-degree bend experiments, pressure time histories reveal pressure loads greater than the straight tube portion at two locations. One is a high pressure peak at the extrados of the bend and the other is a double pressure peak just downstream of the bend outlet. Second pressure peak just downstream of the bend outlet is due to transverse wave propagation. Additionally, the largest impulse is observed not at the extrados of the bend but at the intrados of bend outlet. These results show the importance of more investigations on transverse wave behaviors in failure potential evaluation.