External Synchronization of 160-GHz Optical Beat Signal by Optical Phase-Locked Loop Technique

We have synchronized a 160-GHz optical beat signal with a 40-GHz reference optical pulse train by using an optical phase-locked loop (OPLL). The OPLL consists of an optical beat signal source, comprising a pair of three-electrode distributed feedback laser diodes that works as a voltage controlled oscillator, and an all-optical phase detector based on the two-photon absorption in a silicon avalanche photodiode. Phase-locking operation is confirmed through phase-error measurement and cross-correlation trace measurement. The residual timing jitter of the 160-GHz optical beat signal relative to the reference pulse train, in the bandwidth of 80 MHz, is measured to be as small as 126 fs     

Automated camerawork for capturing desktop presentations

A novel automated camera control method for capturing desktop presentations is introduced. Typical features and the camerawork of shots that appear frequently in TV programs are discussed. To realise those features in this automated video capturing system, the purpose of camerawork is classified from two points of view: target and aspect-of-target. Then, the correspondence between the classification and typical shots and camerawork is considered. A virtual-frame control algorithm based on this idea is proposed, and its implementation in a video production system. Results are shown that verify this method through two kinds of experiments, virtual video capturing using CG animations and real video capturing of real presentations.     

20 Gbit/s soliton transmission using alternating dispersionarrangement in standard fibre systems

An alternating dispersion arrangement is proposed for soliton systems with dispersion compensation to improve soliton stabilisation. A transmission experiment at 20 Gbit/s over 2600 km long singlemode fibre was successfully demonstrated by employing this novel dispersion arrangement     

Osteoclastic features of multinucleated giant cells responding to synthetic hydroxyapatite implanted in rat jaw bone.

Multinucleated giant cells (MGCs) that responded to synthetic hydroxyapatite (HAP) implanted in rat mandibles were studied with electron microscopy. HAP used in this study sintered at 200 degrees C (HAP200) and at 125 degrees C (HAP1250) after the synthesis by a wet method. One to three weeks after the intraosseous implantation of HAP, MGCs responding to HAP200 had not only well-developed ruffled border and the clear zone but well-developed perinuclear Golgi complex, many mitochondria and vesicles in their cytoplasms. MGCs responding to HAP1250 had the clear zone, but not the ruffled border although they showed similar cytoplasmic features to those of MGCs responding to HAP200. They merely extended short slender cytoplasmic processes to HAP1250. These results suggest that although osteoclast-like MGCs respond to HAP implanted in the bone, the development of the ruffled border-clear zone system depends on physicochemical properties of HAP.     

Selective chemical vapor deposition synthesis of double-wall carbon nanotubes on mesoporous silica

Double-wall carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) have been selectively synthesized over Fe/Co loaded mesoporous silica by catalytic chemical vapor deposition of alcohol. Several silica materials with desired pore diameter and morphology have been investigated for the DWNT growth. The diameter distribution and selectivity of the DWNT are found to depend on the reaction temperature, pore size, and thermal stability of the support material. A high-yield synthesis of DWNTs has been achieved at 900 degrees C over high-temperature stable mesoporous silica. The outer diameter of DWNTs is found to be in the range of 1.5-5.4 nm with a "d" spacing of 0.38 +/- 0.02 nm between inner and outer layers, which is much larger than those of multiwall carbon nanotubes.     

Role of the special pair in the charge-separating event in photosynthesis

We synthesized special-pair/electron-acceptor systems consisting of a complementary slipped cofacial dimer of imidazolyl-substituted zinc porphyrin, bearing pyromellitdiimide as the electron acceptor. In the case of the dimer, the first and second oxidation potentials were split into a total of four peaks in the differential pulse voltammetry measurement. Furthermore, the shift values of the first oxidation potentials obtained by changing the solvent polarity for the dimer were almost half of those observed for the monomer. These results indicate that the radical cation is delocalized over the whole pi system of the dimer. Time-resolved transient absorption measurements revealed that, relative to the corresponding monomer, the dimer accelerated the charge separation rate, but decelerated the charge recombination rate. The smaller reorganization energy of the slipped cofacial dimer relative to that of the monomeric system demonstrates the significance of the special-pair arrangement for efficient charge separation in photosynthesis.     

Highly edge-connected factors using given lists on degrees

Let G be a 2k-edge-connected graph with and let for every . A spanning subgraph F of G is called an L-factor, if for every . In this article, we show that if for every , then G has a k-edge-connected L-factor. We also show that if and for every , then G has a k-edge-connected L-factor.     

The sphere-rod transition of micelles of dodecyldimethylammonium bromide in aqueous NaBr solutions,and the effects of counterion binding on the micelle size,shape and structure

Micelle size and shape of dodecyldimethylammonium bromide have been determined by measurement of light scattering from its aqueous NaBr solutions. In water and in the presence of NaBr up to 0.07 M, the Debye plots give straight lines with positive slopes, and spherical micelles having molecular weight less than 30 000 are formed. At higher NaBr concentrations, the Debye plots decrease with increasing micelle concentration, indicating the aggregation of the primary spherical micelles into larger secondary micelles. The molecular weight and the radius of gyration of the secondary micelles increase with increasing NaBr concentration, and the relation between molecular weight and radius of gyration suggests that they are rodlike and flexible. Linear logarithmic relations between micelle molecular weight and ionic strength hold for spherical and rodlike micelles, respectively, and the threshold concentration of NaBr for the sphere-rod transition is located at 0.07 M. The spherical micelle of dodecyldimethylammonium ions has a size more than 20 surfactant ions larger in NaBr solutions than in NaCl solutions, and their rodlike micelle has a shorter length in NaBr solutions than in NaCl solutions, when compared at an identical aggregation number, indicating 2 more surfactant ions in its cross-section.     

Stimulated Raman scattering microscopy for live-cell imaging with high contrast and high sensitivity

We describe the principle and experiment of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy, which has various advantages such as high-contrast and high sensitivity. To discuss how these advantages are realized in SRS microscopy, we introduce an intuitive picture of SRS, where the SRS process is viewed as homodyne detection of a nonlinear-optical signal by the excitation pulse.