Vortex molecules in coherently coupled two-component Bose-Einstein condensates

A vortex molecule is predicted in rotating two-component Bose-Einstein condensates whose internal hyperfine states are coupled coherently by an external field. A vortex in one component and one in the other are connected by a domain wall of the relative phase, constituting a "vortex molecule," which features a nonaxisymmetric (pseudo)spin texture with a pair of merons. The binding mechanism of the vortex molecule is discussed based on a generalized nonlinear sigma model and a variational ansatz. The anisotropy of vortex molecules is caused by the difference in the scattering lengths, yielding a distorted vortex-molecule lattice in fast rotating condensates.     

Nondestructive analysis of silver in gold foil using synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence spectrometry.

Small particles of gold foil detached from an indoor decoration might be important evidence to associate a suspect with a crime scene. We have investigated the application of elemental analysis using synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to discriminate small particles of gold foil. Eight kinds of gold foil samples collected in Japan were used in the experiments. As a result of synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, only two elements, gold and silver, were detected from all gold foil samples. The intensity ratios of AgKalpha/AuLalpha showed good correlation with the content ratios of Ag/Au. The variation of intensity ratio within a same sample was sufficiently small compared with those of different samples. Therefore the comparison of this intensity ratio can be an effective method to discriminate small particles originating from different types of gold foil.     

Forensic discrimination of sheet glass by a refractive-index measurement and elemental analysis with synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence spectrometry.

Measurements of the refractive index (RI) and elemental analysis using synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (SR-XRF) were applied to the forensic discrimination of sheet-glass samples from different origins. The refractive index was calculated from the matching temperature at which the glass fragments became invisible in silicone oil. Fragments smaller than 1 mm in maximum diameter were taken from each of 11 sheet glasses and subjected to analysis by SR-XRF. The XRF spectrum of these samples indicated that a comparison of 6 elements (Ca, Fe, Sr, Zr, Ba and Ce) was useful for the discrimination of sheet glasses. Cluster analysis was performed using 33 sets of SR-XRF data obtained by triplicate measurements for the 11 glasses. Comparing 528 pairs among 33 samples, 515 pairs could be correctly discriminated. The number of indistinguishable pairs could be reduced from 36 to 4 by comparing the SR-XRF data. Elemental analysis by SR-XRF could provide small glass fragments with a more evidential value than the solely measurement of only RI, through a significant improvement of the discrimination capability.     

Solvent extraction of Mo(V) and Mo(VI) from hydrochloric acid into Aliquat 336 chloroform solution

Solvent extraction of macro amounts of Mo(V) and Mo(VI) from HCl using Aliquat 336 in chloroform was performed for the electrochemistry of Sg. The extraction reaction attained equilibrium with a shaking time of 10 s in higher than 8 M HCl. The D values of Mo(V) obtained by the electrochemical reduction of Mo(VI) were in good agreement with those obtained by the extraction of MoCl₅, and the D values of Mo(V) were higher than those of Mo(VI). These results suggested that the reduction behavior of Sg might be studied by electrochemical reduction combined with the present solvent extraction.     

Expansion of repertoire of modified DNAs prepared by PCR using KOD Dash DNA polymerase

Thymidine analogues bearing a variety of functional groups at the C5-position via an amino-linker arm were prepared and the substrate activity for PCR using thermophilic KOD Dash DNA polymerase was examined. The enzyme accepted the thymidine analogues bearing pyridine, imidazole, biotin, a cationic-charged guanidinium, a cationic-charged amino, mercaptopyridyl and phenanthrolne groups at the C5-position, forming the corresponding PCR product. However, a thymidine analogue bearing a carboxyl group at the C5-position was a poor substrate and the corresponding PCR products could not be obtained. The thymidine analogue bearing a mercapto group was also a poor substrate for the enzyme, because it dimerized by disulfide linkage under PCR conditions. The enzyme hardly accepts the thymidine analogues with a negatively-charged carboxyl group or a bulky group as a substrate. KOD Dash DNA polymerase, having a broader substrate specificity than any other DNA polymerase, will expand the variety of modified DNAs that can be prepared by PCR.     

Dynamic control of mode field diameter and effective area by germanium doping of hexagonal photonic crystal fibers

We demonstrate dynamic control of the effective area (A _eff) of photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) in the range of 18.1–8.22 μm² and the mode field diameter in the range of 4.78–3.42 μm. This control was realized by altering their structural properties and varying the germanium (Ge) doping rate, which changed the refractive index difference (Δn _Ge) between 1.0 and 3.0% relative to the refractive index of the silica cladding. This was achieved by adjusting the Ge doping rate in the core and changing the radius (d _core) of the doped region, i.e., by changing the equivalent refractive index, using numerical calculations. Numerical results were verified by comparison with experimental results for a fabricated Gedoped PCF obtained by far-field scanning based on the ITU-T Petermann II definition. The proposed approach will simultaneously decrease A_eff and achieves high light confinement and high nonlinearity in PCFs. It enables architectonics/controllability of highly nonlinear PCFs with passive optical devices in photonic networks and life science applications.     

Preparation and characterization of diphenylboron cation in solution

The electrophilic abstraction of chloride ion by SbCl₅ from diphenylchloroborane in CD₃NO₂ resulted in a transient species of which ¹¹B NMR chemical shift appeared at 20 ppm. This was indicative of diphenylboron cation, stabilized with electron donor O-atom of two nitromethane molecules. The experimental ¹¹B chemical shift for the solvated diphenylboron cation is in good agreement with that calculated by GIAO-HF/6-311+G(2d,p)//B3LYP/6-31+G(d).     

Detection of heterogeneity and estimation of population characteristics from the field survey data: 1987/88 Japanese feasibility study of the southern hemisphere Minke whales

To get reliable information of the age structure of whale population, Japan conducted a feasibility study of scientific research in the Antarctic in 1987/88. Though the sample was not large enough, it was the first data free from the problem of selectivity and whaling ground bias. From the analysis, it was found that the biological characteristics are highly heterogeneous spatially or other ways. Considering this, we recognize that the survey should be designed to collect the sample from the whole research area uniformly to obtain unbiased estimates of population characteristics. However, in an actual biological field survey, it is difficult to keep the sampling fractions thecisely the same for each sampling units. Therefore, it is important to detect the heterogeneity in the sample, and poststratify the data corresponding to the heterogeneity. The methodology of the estimation and model evaluation presented here will be useful for the development of biological field survey in general.