Visualization and Quantification of Vascular Structure of Fruit Using Magnetic Resonance Microimaging

Three-dimensional magnetic resonance (MR) images of four kinds of fruit (Japanese apricot, peach, Japanese pear, and apple) were acquired throughout their growing periods (from April to August) to visualize and quantify their vascular structures. The vascular structures were emphasized using T ₁-weighted spin-echo or gradient-echo pulse sequences, visualized using a maximum-intensity projection technique, and quantified using an image-segmentation program. As a result, we demonstrated that the vascular volume changed almost in proportion to the whole volume and that larger fruits generally had larger proportionality constants. We therefore concluded that MR microimaging is a powerful tool for studies of the vascular structure of fruit.     

Concepts for chemical state analysis at constant probing depth by lab-based XPS/HAXPES combining soft and hard X-ray sources

The greater information depth provided in hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) enables nondestructive analyses of the chemistry and electronic structure of buried interfaces. Moreover, for industrially relevant elements like Al, Si, and Ti, the combined access to the Al 1s, Si 1s, or Ti 1s photoelectron line and its associated Al KLL, Si KLL, or Ti KLL Auger transition, as required for local chemical state analysis on the basis of the Auger parameter, is only possible with hard X-rays. Until now, such photoemission studies were only possible at synchrotron facilities. Recently, however, the first commercial XPS/HAXPES systems, equipped with both soft and hard X-ray sources, have entered the market, providing unique opportunities for monitoring the local chemical state of all constituent ions in functional oxides at different probing depths, in a routine laboratory environment. Bulk-sensitive shallow core levels can be excited using either the hard or soft X-ray source, whereas more surface-sensitive deep core-level photoelectron lines and associated Auger transitions can be measured using the hard X-ray source. As demonstrated for thin Al₂O₃, SiO₂, and TiO₂ films, the local chemical state of the constituting ions in the oxide may even be probed at near-constant probing depth by careful selection of sets of photoelectron and Auger lines, as excited with the combined soft and hard X-ray sources. We highlight the potential of lab-based HAXPES for the research on functional oxides and also discuss relevant technical details regarding the calibration of the kinetic binding energy scale.     

Spatially selective modification of optical and magneto-optical properties in Fe- and Au-doped glasses irradiated with femtosecond-laser

The optical property and the magneto-optical response were space-selectively modified in transparent Fe³⁺- and Au³⁺-doped glasses by using infrared femtosecond- (fs-) laser irradiation and subsequent annealing. This irradiation process induces the precipitation of not only magnetic spinel-type Fe-oxide nanoparticles but also Au nanoparticles inside the glasses, which shows localized surface plasmon resonance absorption at the wavelengths larger than 500 nm. As the annealing time and the temperature increases, the position of the LSPR peaks exhibits red shifts, which is due to the growth of Au nanoparticles. Faraday rotation angles as a function of wavelength were measured, and the difference spectra exhibit distinct positive peaks, indicating that the coupling between the LSPR due to the Au nanoparticles and the diamagnetism of the matrix glass is effective. To decrease the coupling with the diamagnetic glass, a two-step annealing process (at 450 °C for 90 min and at 550 °C for 30 min) was carried out after irradiation with fs-laser. The preliminary annealing at the lower temperature contributes to the precipitation of ferrimagnetic magnetite nanoparticles. Au nanoparticles were subsequently grown by annealing at 550 °C. In this case, effective coupling between the LSPR and ferrimagnetic nanoparticles has significantly suppressed the intensity of the positive peak in the Faraday spectra compared with the single annealing process.     

Radiation effects in ionic solids

Current development of the research of radiation damage in ionic solids is reviewed. Emphasis is placed on the correlation between elementary radiation damage processes and the atomic and electronic structures of the materials. Both the radiation damage induced by electronic excitation and by elastic collision are treated. For the former two crucial processes, the self-trapping of excitons and the formation of stable Frenkel pairs from the self-trapped excitons in several materials, is discussed in terms of the structures of materials. Deficiency in the available data on the knock-on threshold energies are pointed out. Available information of Frenkel pairs produced by electronic and elastic encounters is surveyed. Possible models of defect clustering are summarized and existing information on clustering is discussed on their basis.     

Electrical and Optical Properties of Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals and Influence of Applied Pressure

Much larger dielectric constants and spontaneous polarizations are evaluated in the smectic-C phase of p-alkoxybenzylidene-p'-amino-2-chloropropyl-cinnamate (HOBACPC, OOBACPC and DOBACPC) which have dipole moments at the chiral part compared with those of p-alkoxybenzylidene-p'-amino-2-methylbutyl-cinnamate. In the mixture of D-DOBAMBC and L-DOBACPC with inverse chirality, the pitch of the helical structure is longer compared with those of original compounds. On the other hand, the dielectric constant and the spontaneous polarization of the compounds are nearly linearly dependent on the concentration of L-DOBACPC.

The phase transition temperature from smectic-A to chiral smectic-C phases in DOBAMBC decreases remarkably with the mixing of organic molecules (PAA, eicosane, etc.) but increases with applied pressure.

The threshold field of electro-optical effects (transmission increase, colour switching, memory effects) in DOBACPC and HOBACPC etc. is lower than that in DOBAMBC etc. in accordance with the increase of the spontaneous polarization in the former.     

DIELECTRIC AND PHASE TRANSITION STUDIES OF 1MC1EPOPB FERROELECTRIC LIQUID CRYSTAL

Abstract

An experimental study for R — 4′-(1 methoxycarbonyl – 1 – ethoxy) phenyl 4 – (4 – octyloxyphenyl) benzoate (1MC1EPOPB) ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) using impedance analyzer and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) technique is reported. The measurements have been done for permittivity, dielectric loss at different frequencies and temperatures. The data have been analyzed for distribution parameters involved in Havriliak-Negami's equation. The relaxation time measured for different relaxation processes is listed. The measurements for static dielectric constants in the parallel(ε_∥) and perpendicular(ε_?) directions at different temperatures have also been taken. The transition temperatures are identified for cooling and heating conditions using DSC technique as well as dielectric measurements. The interesting results have been found and some unknown phases have been monitored, the reason for which needs theoretical interpretation.     

Growth of crystalline quartz films with AT-cut plane by means of catalyst-enhanced vapor-phase epitaxy under atmospheric pressure

Crystalline quartz films with an AT-cut plane have been grown by catalyst-enhanced vapor-phase epitaxy, at atmospheric pressure, using two quartz buffer layers on a sapphire (110) substrate. In this method, the first quartz buffer layer was deposited on the sapphire (110) substrate at 773 K. After annealing at 823 K, the second buffer layer was deposited at 723 K. The crystal quartz epitaxial layer was then grown at 843 K. The X-ray full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) value of the crystalline quartz film obtained was smaller than that of crystalline quartz prepared using a hydrothermal process. The crystalline quality of the quartz films was dependent on the thickness of the buffer layers. Furthermore, it was found that angle control of the cut plane depended on the film thickness of the second buffer layer. The quartz films grown by vapor phase epitaxy show good oscillation characteristics at room temperature.     

Photo-response assisted enantiomer separations on an azobenzene-modified gamma-cyclodextrin stationary phase in micro-HPLC.

The photo-responses of the retention and enantioseparation of several optical isomers were evaluated using an azobenzene-modified gamma-cyclodextrin stationary phase (Az gamma-CDSP) in micro-HPLC. UV light irradiation induced a decrease in the retention and the chiral selectivity for N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)-1-phenylethylamine (DNBPEA) and N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)-1-(1-naphtylethyl)amine (DNBNEA), while an increase was induced for dansylphenylalanine (DnsPhe) using a mixture of methanol and aqueous phosphate buffer as the mobile phase. No changes in the retention and the enantiomer separation of benzoin were observed with UV light irradiation. The retention behaviors were recovered by visible-light irradiation. It was speculated that the main factor of the change in the retention behavior was a change in the pi-pi interaction due to the azobenzene moiety of the stationary phase with photo-irradiation. Comparing the retention behavior before and after UV light irradiation, a suitable condition for obtaining a better resolution and enantiomer separation would be chosen using Az gamma-CDSP.