Synthesis and characterization of Ti–Ni shape memory alloy thin films by pulsed laser deposition

Shape-memory alloys are crucial in various industrial fields. However, a high-quality film synthesis method has not been established yet. Here we examine optimum conditions for synthesis of thin films by pulsed laser deposition of Ti–Ni alloy target in vacuum. We investigated surface morphologies and chemical compositions of the films which were obtained under various conditions. We found that the suitable Ti/Ni ratio was obtained by adjusting the distance between the target and the substrate in vacuum. In parallel, we analyzed plasma plume by optical emission spectroscopy and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. We discuss the basic behavior of ablated particles in vacuum.     

Study on transport of molecules in gel by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Cellulose - Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-based biosensors have recently been extensively developed because of their high sensitivity and nondestructive nature. Conventional SERS...     

Nonlocal magnetic field-tuned quantum criticality in cubic CeIn(3-x)Sn(x) (x = 0.25)

We show that antiferromagnetism in lightly (approximately 8%) Sn-doped CeIn3 terminates at a critical field mu0H(c) = 42 +/- 2 T. Electrical transport and thermodynamic measurements reveal the effective mass m* not to diverge, suggesting that cubic CeIn3 is representative of a critical spin-density wave (SDW) scenario, unlike the local quantum critical points reported in anisotropic systems such as CeCu(6-x)Au(x) and YbRh2Si(2-x)Ge(x). The existence of a maximum in m* at a lower field mu0H(x) = 30 +/- 1 T may be interpreted as a field-induced crossover from local moment to SDW behavior as the Néel temperature falls below the Fermi temperature.     

On the image of the Burau representation of the IA-automorphism group of a free group

In this paper we study the graded quotients of the lower central series of the image of the IA-automorphism group of a free group by the Burau representation. In particular, we determine their structures for degrees 1 and 2.     

Variable-priority queue and doughnut routing

This paper proposes a new data structure called a variable-priority queue. The queue supports, in addition to the ordinary queue operations, an operation MIN to find an item of minimum key and three operations to change keys of items. Any sequence of these m operations can be processed in O(m) time. Furthermore, as its application, this paper presents two efficient algorithms for network problems. The first finds multicommodity flows in cycles in linear time. The second, using the first, finds edge-disjoint paths connecting terminal pairs in a doughnut-shaped grid. The grid is bounded by two nested rectangles, and terminals are specified on the two rectangular boundaries outside the four corners. If there are k terminal pairs and all the terminals are ordered in clockwise order around rectangles, then the algorithm decides in O(k) time whether there are edge-disjoint paths connecting terminals in the grid, and actually finds edge-disjoint paths in O(k log k) time.     

Two-photon pumping of random lasers by picosecond and nanosecond lasers

We experimentally demonstrated two-photon pumping of random lasers using picosecond and nanosecond pump lasers. The picosecond laser pumping experiment was performed with 400 ps laser pulses at 770 nm, and the gain media was a Coumarin 480D dye solution doped with TiO₂ nanoparticles. Onset of laser action was observed at a pump laser pulse energy below 500 μJ. The nanosecond laser pumping experiment was performed with 7 ns laser pulses at 1064 nm, and the gain media was a Rhodamine 640 dye solution doped with TiO₂ nanoparticles. Onset of laser action was observed at a pump laser energy ∼18 mJ. Our results suggest that there exists an optimal pulse duration of the pumping laser in two-photon pumped random lasing that leads to minimum photodamage of the gain media and still keeps a high pumping efficiency. PACS 33.50.Dq; 42.55.Mv; 42.55.Zz     

Optimizing Charge Switching in Membrane Lytic Peptides for Endosomal Release of Biomacromolecules

Endocytic pathways are practical routes for the intracellular delivery of biomacromolecules. Along with this, effective strategies for endosomal cargo release into the cytosol are desired to achieve successful delivery. Focusing on compositional differences between the cell and endosomal membranes and the pH decrease within endosomes, we designed the lipid-sensitive and pH-responsive endosome-lytic peptide HAad. This peptide contains aminoadipic acid (Aad) residues, which serve as a safety catch for preferential permeabilization of endosomal membranes over cell membranes, and His-to-Ala substitutions enhance the endosomolytic activity. The ability of HAad to destabilize endosomal membranes was supported by model studies using large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) and by increased intracellular delivery of biomacromolecules (including antibodies) into live cells. Cerebral ventricle injection of Cre recombinase with HAad led to Cre/loxP recombination in a mouse model, thus demonstrating potential applicability of HAad in vivo.     

Relationship between apparent diffusion coefficient and signal intensity in endometrial and other pelvic cysts

We evaluated whether apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value is more useful than signal intensity for differentiating endometrial cysts from other pelvic cysts. In an in vitro study, signal intensity and diffusion coefficients were measured in whole blood phantoms in which blood oxidation was gradually increased and concentration subsequently diluted. Although both signal intensity and diffusion value were largely affected by blood concentration, diffusion value was almost independent of blood oxidation and red blood cell lysis-related diminution of magnetic nonhomogeneity, both factors greatly affecting signal intensity on T1- and T2-weighted images. In an in vivo study, differentiation between endometrial and other pelvic cysts was attempted by means of ADC values and signal ratios of cysts to muscles on T1- and T2-weighted images (T1- and T2-ratios). Endometrial cysts tended to show lower T2-ratios, higher T1-ratios, and lower ADC values than other pelvic cysts (p < 0.001). However, ADC values were not correlated with T1- and T2-ratios (p < /0.15/). The ability of ADC value to discriminate between these two groups (discriminant rate, 91.4%) was higher than that of T2-ratio (71.4%) or T1-ratio (88.6%). If combined, ADC and T1-ratio (or T2-ratio) showed higher discriminant rate (94.3%) than the combination of T1- and T2 ratios (88.6%). ADC value might be useful for evaluating the blood concentration of a cystic lesion, because diffusion value is more closely related to blood concentration and almost independent of blood oxidation and red blood cell lysis that largely affect signal intensity.