Extremely low vertical-emittance beam in the accelerator test facility at KEK

Electron beams with the lowest, normalized transverse emittance recorded so far were produced and confirmed in single-bunch-mode operation of the Accelerator Test Facility at KEK. We established a tuning method of the damping ring which achieves a small vertical dispersion and small x-y orbit coupling. The vertical emittance was less than 1% of the horizontal emittance. At the zero-intensity limit, the vertical normalized emittance was less than 2.8 x 10(-8) rad m at beam energy 1.3 GeV. At high intensity, strong effects of intrabeam scattering were observed, which had been expected in view of the extremely high particle density due to the small transverse emittance.     

The Change of Grip Strength in a Patient with Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy Over a 4-year Period

Myotonic dystrophy (MyD) is a neuromuscular disease that is autosomal dominant and the most common form of muscular dystrophy affecting adults. The clinical features of MyD include a multisystemic disorder characterized by myotonia, progressive muscle weakness and wasting, cataracts, premature balding and mental retardation. The most severe type of MyD is classified as congenital MyD (CMyD). The muscle weakness in CMyD is very severe, but muscle development can be observed in the period of growth. However, no clinical case of this type has been reported yet. Therefore, we report on a girl with CMyD who had an increase in muscle strength over a four-year period. The girl with CMyD participated in this study from the age of 9 to the age of 12. The measurement of muscle strength was recorded as the maximum score of grip strength with the use of dynamometers. Grip strength was assessed once a year by the same two physical therapists. Grip strength of CMyD for each year was markedly weak when compared with the normal controls, but muscle strength changed within some specific growth areas. The muscle weakness in CMyD was remarkable, but the result showed that specific muscle strength of CMyD in childhood was actually increased.     

Application of capillary electrophoresis to the analysis of inorganic ions in environmental samples

A comprehensive review is presented of the state-of-the-art of capillary electrophoresis for application to the analysis of inorganic species, mainly ions, in environmental samples. This brief review covers the developments principally in sensitivity and matrix interference for the determination of inorganic ions in the following samples: drinking, mineral, surface, and ground waters, rainwater, snow, seawater, brine and waste waters, aerosol, and others. References published mainly from 1995 to 1997 were summarized in this review.     

Surface properties of styrene–ethylene oxide block copolymers

Hydrophobic–hydrophilic block copolymers were prepared by “living” anionic polymerization. They consist of polystyrene and poly(ethylene oxide) blocks, and are soluble in water. Their interfacial properties were investigated, employing aqueous solutions. The block copolymers lowered the surface tension of water in analogy with the low molecular weight surfactants such as sodium lauryl sulfate and heptaethylene oxide n-dodecyl ether. Their aqueous solutions exhibited solubilization properties differing from those of polyethylene glycol. Therefore, it is thought that the polystyrene blocks produce solubilization phenomena. In samples of the same styrene content, the precipitation temperature of a high molecular weight copolymer in water was lower than that of a low molecular weight copolymer at the same concentration in the same solvent. The surface tension and precipitation temperature of aqueous solutions seem to be influenced by molecular weight and composition.     

A novel cyclodimerization of 3-methyl-3-butenenitrile. An efficient synthesis of 4-cyanoisophorone

Dimerization of 3-methyl-3-butenenitrile (1) by lithium dialkylamide gave selectively 3,5,5-trimethyl-1-amino-4-cyanocyclohexa-1,3-diene (2), which was easily hydrolyzed by aqueous acid to afford 4-cyanoisophorone (3,5,5-trimethyl-4-cyano-cyclohex-2-enone) (3) quantitatively.     

Photoelectric pulse interval distribution of gaussian-lorentzian light

The time interval distribution of two successive photoelectric pulses depends not only upon the spectral linewidth but also on the correlation factor. The distribution is derived in the case of gaussian-lorentzian light under the condition of a markovian process and is also applied to the analysis of the counting loss of a circuit with dead time, from which information on the spectral linewidth is obtained. The theoretical counting loss is compared with the experimental one.     

A novel type secoiridoid glucoside,hydrangenoside a from Hydrangea macrophylla

Hydrangenoside A, isolated along with its three congeners from Hydrangea macrophylla, was proved to have a novel type of structure which is thought to be biosynthesized through an aldol-type condensation of secologanin with a unit formed by the shikimate-malonate route followed by decarboxylation.