Magnetic ordering in PrNi2

A peak has been observed in the magnetic susceptibility of the singlet ground state system PrNi₂, indicating a magnetic ordering. The transition is believed to be of a mixed nuclear-electronic type.     

Effect of layer charge density on orientation and aggregation of a cationic laser dye incorporated in the interlayer space of montmorillonites

Effect of layer charge density of clay on the orientation and aggregation state of a laser dye, oxazine 4, in dye/clay complexes was investigated using a series of layer-charge-controlled montmorillonites as host materials. By the combination of polarized UV-vis spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction methods, it was revealed that the higher layer charge caused the formation of higher-order H-aggregates with the molecular axis nearly perpendicular to the silicate layer, and that the basal spacing was mostly governed by the degree of dye aggregation.     

Room-temperature grating-based morphological hole burning in Sm2+-doped glass powders

We have observed grating-based morphological hole burning in Sm2+-doped glass powders at room temperature. When photobleaching on the 4f(6)-4f(5)5d transition of Sm2+ is combined with multiple light scattering, holes are produced in frequency and wave-vector domains. The hole profile depends on the amount of light absorption of Sm2+; it sharpens as the absorption decreases. The variation of the hole shape is explained theoretically based on a diffusion approximation.     

Phase Manipulation between c(4 x 2) and p(2 x 2) on the Si(100) surface at 4.2 K

Phase manipulation between c(4x2) and p(2x2) on the Si(100) surface has been demonstrated at 4.2 K for the first time using a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope. We have discovered that it is possible to change the c(4x2) surface into the p(2x2) surface, artificially, through a flip-flop motion of the buckling dimers by using a sample bias voltage control. Also, scanning at a negative bias voltage or applying a pulse voltage can restore the c(4x2) surface. The STM images as a function of bias voltage and tunneling current reveal the interesting dynamics of the buckling dimers on the long debated surface. Our results will show that energetic tunneling electrons are most likely responsible for the observed phase transition from c(4x2) to p(2x2).     

Pressure-induced superconductor-insulator transition in the spinel compound CuRh2S4

We performed resistivity measurements in CuRh2S4 under quasihydrostatic pressure of up to 8.0 GPa, and found a pressure-induced superconductor-insulator transition. Initially, with increasing pressure, the superconducting transition temperature T(c) increases from 4.7 K at ambient pressure to 6.4 K at 4.0 GPa, but decreases at higher pressures. With further compression, superconductivity in CuRh2S4 disappears abruptly at a critical pressure P(SI) between 5.0 and 5.6 GPa, when it becomes an insulator.     

MRI-negative rotator cuff tears

We report two cases of rotator cuff tear in which the T(2)-weighted MRI signal was negative at the first examination, but positive by the second examination without any changes in symptoms. Many authors have reported on correlations between the MRI and operative findings of rotator cuff tears. However, MRI findings, history of symptoms and operative findings in our patients suggest that there was a discrepancy between symptoms and MRI findings dependent on the period from the injury. Operative findings also indicate that intratendinous tears might have occurred first in these patients then progressed to partial or full thickness tears over time. We concluded that physicians should keep rotator cuff pathology in mind even in patients whose MRI findings are negative but symptoms of rotator cuff tear persist.     

Combinatorial enumeration of nonrigid isomers with given ligand symmetries on the basis of promolecules with a subsymmetry of D infinity h

To enumerate nonrigid isomers with given ligand symmetries on the basis of a D infinity h skeleton, the concept of extended partial cycle indices (extended PCIs) proposed newly has been combined with the concept of promolecules proposed previously. The infinite nature of the D infinity h-group is concealed by adopting the factor group of finite order, D infinity h/C infinity (= K). Thus, the partial cycle indices with chirality fittingness (PCI-CFs) for the factor group K are calculated and combined with the PCIs for ligand symmetries so as to give the extended PCIs for various itemized enumurations. This method has been successfully applied to the enumeration of ethane derivatives, where the full enumeration based on K has been compared with partial enumerations based on K as well as with those based on the factor group C infinity h/C infinity (= K3 [symbol: see text] K). Each term of the resulting generating functions has been factorized into a pair of factors to represent ligand constitutions. Thereby, the depiction of resulting molecules can be conducted systematically so as to provide the maps of ethane derivatives corresponding to all of the substitution types.     

Characteristic monomials with chirality fittingness for combinatorial enumeration of isomers with chiral and achiral ligands

A new method of combinatorial enumeration based on characteristic monomials with chirality fittingness (CM-CFs) has been proposed in order to enumerate isomers with chiral ligands as well as with achiral ones. The CM-CFs have been defined as monomials that consist of three kinds of dummy variables in light of the subduction of the Q-conjugacy representations for chiral and achiral cyclic groups. A procedure of calculating CM-CFs for cyclic groups and finite groups has been discribed so as to tabulate them as CM-CF tables. Then the CM-CF method has been applied to the enumeration of isomers with achiral ligands as well as chiral ones.     

The formation of large scale reconstructed images through the use of holograms

We propose and demonstrate a method which constructs large size multicolor images using a holographic technique in limited spaces, i.e., tunnels. A traffic sign image of the same size and color as an actual traffic sign board is displayed using many comparative small holograms. Each hologram is composed of a single computer generated hologram (CGH). Though it was necessary to make many CGHs, we have shortened the hologram production time by putting a reconstructed image on long distance, and using many reconstruction sources. Moreover, though cross-talk images are caused in a color reconstruction, by adjusting the optical system it is possible to make sure that drivers see only the appropriate image. Many holograms function as one big hologram, and it has been confirmed that a large reconstructed image can be displayed in a limited space.