Development of a compact on-beam SEOP neutron spin filter

We have designed and demonstrated a prototype on-beam spin-exchange optical pumping (SEOP) ³He neutron spin filter (NSF). It is designed as the incident neutron polarizer for spallation neutron sources, where the installation space is limited due to thick radiation shielding. The size of the NSF is roughly 50 cm×50 cm×25 cm including the diode-laser optics with a frequency narrowing external cavity, and a cylindrical ³He cell as large as a diameter of 5 cm and a length of 10 cm can fit. A neutron beam test was performed at the NOP beamline of JRR-3 to see the performance of the NSF.     

Time-dependent non-linear size change of C<Subscript>60</Subscript>-ethylenediamine adduct particles in formation process

Addition reaction between C₆₀ and ethylenediamine occurred at room temperature in an ambient condition. C₆₀-ethylenediamine adduct particles were prepared by mixing toluene solutions of C₆₀ and ethyelenediamine. Average diameter of the C₆₀-ethylenediamine adduct particles was changed non-linearly according to the reaction time, which were observed using transmission electron microscopy. Early stage of the reaction, the diameter of the adduct particles was changed from about 250 to about 430 nm. Then, the size of the adduct particles was converged to about 300 nm. During this addition reaction, the crystalline sizes of adduct particles were constant about 2–3 nm, regardless of the sizes of the adduct particles, which were determined by X-ray diffraction measurement.

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X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies on initial oxidation of iron and manganese mono-silicides

Initial oxidation of iron and manganese mono-silicides (FeSi and MnSi) surfaces was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Clean surfaces of these silicides were prepared by fracturing in an ultra high vacuum, and then the fractured surfaces were oxidized by exposing to high-purity oxygen at pressures up to 1.3 Pa. For the clean FeSi surface, positive chemical shifts of the Fe 2p_3/2 and Si 2p peaks from elemental Fe and Si were 0.5 eV and 0.1 eV, respectively. For the clean MnSi surface, a negative chemical shift of the Si 2p peak from elemental Si was 0.1 eV. Iron on the FeSi surface was oxidized at an oxygen pressure of 1.3 Pa, whereas the silicon was oxidized under the pressure of 1.3 × 10⁻⁶ Pa, indicating that oxidation of silicon occurred prior to that of iron. Manganese and silicon on the MnSi were simultaneously oxidized in the range from 1.3 × 10⁻⁶ Pa to 1.3 × 10⁻³ Pa; however, over the pressure of 1.3 Pa, the oxidation of manganese occurs prior to that of silicon. These oxidation behaviors at low oxygen pressures were similar to those of the FeSi and MnSi fractured in air.     

Syringin: A Phenylpropanoid Glycoside Compound in Cirsium brevicaule A. GRAY Root Modulates Adipogenesis

Cirsium brevicaule A. GRAY is a wild perennial herb, and its roots (CbR) have traditionally been used as both food and medicine on the Japanese islands of Okinawa and Amami. The present study evaluated the antiadipogenic effect of CbR using mouse embryonic fibroblast cell line 3T3-L1 from JCRB cell bank. Dried CbR powder was serially extracted with solvents of various polarities, and these crude extracts were tested for antiadipogenic activity. Treatment with the methanol extract of CbR showed a significant suppression of lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells. Methanol extract of CbR was then fractionated and subjected to further activity analyses. The phenylpropanoid glycosidic molecule syringin was identified as an active compound. Syringin dose dependently suppressed lipid accumulation of 3T3-L1 cells without cytotoxicity, and significantly reduced the expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, the master regulator of adipogenesis, and other differentiation markers. It was demonstrated that syringin effectively enhanced the phosphorylation of the AMP-activated protein kinase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase. These results indicate that syringin attenuates adipocyte differentiation, adipogenesis, and promotes lipid metabolism; thus, syringin may potentially serve as a therapeutic candidate for treatment of obesity.     

Introducing CdS into two- and three-dimensional photonic crystals

SiO₂/air three-dimensional (3D) periodic structures were fabricated by removing Si layers partially from Si/SiO₂ 3D photonic crystals (PhCs) formed by using autocloning. CdS/SiO₂ 3D periodic structures were formed by introducing CdS into the SiO₂/air structures by the TEA method and photoluminescence (PL) was observed from the introduced CdS. TiO₂/air/CdS two-dimensional (2D) PhCs were also fabricated by introducing CdS into the voids of TiO₂/air 2D periodic structures, in which SiO₂ layers were partially etched out from TiO₂/SiO₂ 2D PhCs fabricated by using autocloning. PL radiating normal to the surface was measured and large polarization dependence was observed.     

Photoelectron spectral intensities of some first transition series elements in metal cyanides containing inequivalent atoms

Photoelectron spectral intensities of some first transition series elements were studied for metal cyanides containing inequivalent atoms. The spectra of low-spin ions coordinated via carbon to the cyanide ion, and of high-spin ions coordinated through nitrogen were separately obtained from manganese, iron, and cobalt cyanides. Metal 2p spectra obtained as sums of the appropriate spectra of low- and high-spin ions were nearly coincident with the spectra of the compounds containing inequivalent atoms. These results show that the intensity of the 2p electron for each atom must include the main peak and perhaps multiplet splitting effects, shake-up effects, and the inelastic scattering tail, and verify the non-interaction nature of the inequivalent atoms in these compounds.     

Determination of the oxidation states of bismuth and copper in superconductor Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O by oxidation-reduction titration

Summary The oxidation state of the superconductor Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O was determined by two procedures. One was ferrous-chromate titration after dissolution of the sample in manganous nitrate solution. The other was the titration after dissolution in ferrous ion solution. The former procedure gives the concentration of a state like pentavalent bismuth and the latter gives the sum of concentrations of a state like pentavalent bismuth and a state like trivalent copper or peroxide. The result of the titration shows that the superconductor oxide has the state like pentavalent bismuth but not like that of trivalent copper. This is a striking contrast to YBa₂Cu₃O_7–y having a high concentration of the latter state. Although the result was compared with X-ray photoelectron spectra, a clear relationship between them was not obtained.

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Bestimmung der Oxidationsstufen von Bismut und Kupfer im Supraleiter Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O durch Redoxtitration

     

THE PHOTOCONVERSION OF CHENOPODIUM CHLOROPHYLL PROTEIN

Abstract— Changes in the UV absorption spectrum with the photoconversion of Chenopodium chlorophyll protein, CP668 ⇆ CP743, and with the pH change of the CP668 and CP743 solutions, were measured. The change in the absorption spectrum of the apoprotein caused by the pH change was reversible, whereas that caused by the photoconversion was irreversible. The apoprotein may undergo a proton dissociation or association of the phenolic group in tyrosine residues upon pH change. A photooxidation in CP668 (loss of electron) caused by irradiation of CP668 solution may induce a change in the ionization state of some amino acid residues. The isoelectric points of CP668 and CP743 were determined to be 9.3 and 7.2, respectively.