Because inorganic nanosheets, such as clay minerals, are anisotropic, the manipulation of nanosheet orientation is an important challenge in order to realize future functional materials. In the present study, a novel methodology for nanosheet manipulation using laser radiation pressure is proposed. When a linearly polarized laser beam was used to irradiate a niobate (Nb6O174-) nanosheet colloid, the nanosheet was trapped at the focal point so that the in-plane direction of the nanosheet was oriented parallel to the propagation direction of the incident laser beam so as to minimize the scattering force. In addition, the trapped nanosheet was aligned along the polarization direction of the linearly polarized laser beam.

We aim at developing a systematic method of separating omniscience principles by constructing Kripke models for intuitionistic predicate logic $\mathbf {IQC}$ and first-order arithmetic $\mathbf {HA}$ from a Kripke model for intuitionistic propositional logic $\mathbf {IPC}$. To this end, we introduce the notion of an extended frame, and show that each IPC-Kripke model generates an extended frame. By using the extended frame generated by an IPC-Kripke model, we give a separation theorem of a schema from a set of schemata in $\mathbf {IQC}$ and a separation theorem of a sentence from a set of schemata in $\mathbf {HA}$. We see several examples which give us separations among omniscience principles.

The linear stability of a periodic array of vortices in stratified fluid is studied by modal stability analysis. Two base flows are considered: the two-dimensional Taylor–Green vortices and the Stuart vortices. In the case of the two-dimensional Taylor–Green vortices, four types of instability are identified: the elliptic instability, the pure hyperbolic instability, the strato-hyperbolic instability and the mixed hyperbolic instability, which is a mixture of the pure hyperbolic and the strato-hyperbolic instabilities. Although the pure hyperbolic instability is most unstable for the non-stratified case, it is surpassed by the strato-hyperbolic instability and the mixed hyperbolic instability for the stratified case. The strato-hyperbolic instability is dominant at large wavenumbers. Its growth rate tends to a constant along each branch in the large-wavenumber and inviscid limit, implying that the strato-hyperbolic instability is not stabilized by strong stratification. Good agreement between the structure of the strato-hyperbolic instability mode and the corresponding local solution is observed. In the case of the Stuart vortices, the unstable modes are classified into three types: the pure hyperbolic instability, the elliptic instability and the mixed-type instability, which is a mixture of the pure hyperbolic and the elliptic instabilities. Stratification decreases the growth rate of the elliptic instability, which is expected to be stabilized by stronger stratification, although it is not completely stabilized within the range of Froude numbers considered. The present results imply that both the pure hyperbolic instability and the strato-hyperbolic instability are important in stably stratified flows of geophysical or planetary scale.

Effect of Ni:Al blending ratio on porous structure of porous nickel aluminides fabricated through reactive synthesis with space holder particles were investigated. Fabricated porous nickel aluminides had large pores derived from NaCl space holder particles and small pores derived from reactions between Ni and Al. Porosity and size of the small pores increased with increasing Al content in the raw powder mixture. Compressive property of porous NiAl are also investigated. porous NiAl exhibited good energy-absorption properties with relatively high plateau stress, high plateau end strain, and relatively flat plateau stress. This study suggests the possibility of intermetallic-based porous materials as high-performance energy absorber.

We have examined tensile properties of a novel heat-resistant aluminium (Al)-based alloy (with a composition of Al-5Mg-3.5Zn (at%)) strengthened by the T-Al6Mg11Zn11 (cubic) intermetallic phase at various temperatures. The tested specimens of the present alloy were solution-treated at 450°C for 24 h and subsequently aged at 200 or 300 oC for 1 h. The granular precipitates of the T phase were dispersed rather homogenously in the grain interior in the specimen aged at 300°C. In the specimen aged at 200°C, numerous fine precipitates with a mean size of ∼20 nm were observed in the α-Al matrix. The specimen pre-aged at 200°C for 1 h exhibited a superior strength to the conventional Al alloys at elevated temperatures ranging from 150 to 200°C (corresponding to service temperatures for compressor impellers in turbochargers).

The stability of stably stratified vortices is studied by local stability analysis. Three base flows that possess hyperbolic stagnation points are considered: the two-dimensional (2-D) Taylor–Green vortices, the Stuart vortices and the Lamb–Chaplygin dipole. It is shown that the elliptic instability is stabilized by stratification; it is completely stabilized for the 2-D Taylor–Green vortices, while it remains and merges into hyperbolic instability near the boundary or the heteroclinic streamlines connecting the hyperbolic stagnation points for the Stuart vortices and the Lamb–Chaplygin dipole. More importantly, a new instability caused by hyperbolic instability near the hyperbolic stagnation points and phase shift by the internal gravity waves is found; it is named the strato-hyperbolic instability; the underlying mechanism is parametric resonance as unstable band structures appear in contours of the growth rate. A simplified model explains the mechanism and the resonance curves. The growth rate of the strato-hyperbolic instability is comparable to that of the elliptic instability for the 2-D Taylor–Green vortices, while it is smaller for the Stuart vortices and the Lamb–Chaplygin dipole. For the Lamb–Chaplygin dipole, the tripolar instability is found to merge with the strato-hyperbolic instability as stratification becomes strong. The modal stability analysis is also performed for the 2-D Taylor–Green vortices. It is shown that global modes of the strato-hyperbolic instability exist; the structure of an unstable eigenmode is in good agreement with the results obtained by local stability analysis. The strato-hyperbolic mode becomes dominant depending on the parameter values.

To determine annual layers for reconstructing the past environment at annual resolution from ice cores, we employed snow-stake data back to 1972, tritium content, solid electrical conductivity measurements (ECM) and stratigraphic properties for the 73m ice core at the H72 site, east Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. the average annual surface mass balance at H72 is 307 mma–1w.e. during the last 27 years from continuous accumulation data, 317 mma–1 w.e. according to the densification model and 311 mma–1 w.e. according to the average surface mass balance for 167 years based on annual-layer counting. the ECM age is closely coincident with tritium age, and corresponds with the snow-stake record back to AD 1972 from the surface to 15 m depth. the H72 ice core is dated as AD 1831by ECMat 73.16 mdepth.The time series of yearly surface mass balance at H72 shows an almost constant 311 mm a–1 w.e. for the last 167 years. the oxygen-isotope records indicate a significant trend to lower values, with negative gradient of 1.7% (100 years)–1.

This note demonstrates analytically that a persistent catastrophic shock on endowment growth, even if moderate, yields negative equity premiums when a representative agent is relatively prudent. In particular, it derives the minimum persistence necessary to have zero equity premiums.

Visualization of neurotransmission components in living small animals using positron emission tomography (PET) has the potential of contributing to the preclinical development of neuroactive drugs, although it is yet to be examined whether quantitative animal PET data on candidate compounds can be extrapolated to humans. Here, we investigated the comparability of the occupancies of serotonin transporter (5-HTT) by therapeutic agents in rat PET studies with our predetermined data from ex- vivo animal experiments and clinical PET scans. Rats were treated with varying doses of fluvoxamine and a newly developed compound, (2S)-1-[4-(3,4-dichlorophenyl) piperidin-1-yl]-3-[2-(5-methyl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)benzo[b]furan-4-yloxy]propan-2-ol monohydrochloride (Wf-516), and underwent PET scans with [11C]3-amino-4-(2-dimethylaminomethyl-phenylsulfanyl)-benzonitrile ([11C]DASB), a selective radioligand for in-vivo quantification of 5-HTT. PET images indicated a reduction of [11C]DASB binding to 5-HTT as a function of the doses and/or plasma concentrations of fluvoxamine and Wf-516. The doses of these drugs at half-maximal effect (15.2 mg/kg and 3.1 mg/kg, respectively), determined that using binding potentials for [11C]DASB, were comparable to those estimated by our previous ex-vivo measurements in rats (4.5 mg/kg and 1.1 mg/kg, respectively), as there was only a 3-fold difference between these results. Moreover, the plasma concentration of fluvoxamine needed for 50% occupancy of central 5-HTT (6.1 ng/ml) was almost equivalent to the value determined in human PET studies (4.6 ng/ml). These findings support the view that the conjunctive use of small-animal PET and [11C]DASB facilitates a quantitative comparison of in-development drugs targeting 5-HTT with established inhibitors and a predictive estimation of their plasma concentrations exerting therapeutic effects in humans.

We present a high-current reliability study of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) for interconnect applications. In situ scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) reveals structural damage to CNFs after current stress. The effect of heat dissipation on the current capacity is also discussed by using different experimental configurations. Long-time reliability tests are performed with a vertical via interconnect structure, showing promising high reliability of CNF interconnects for future electronic devices.

Recent studies in nanostructural characterization for on-chip interconnect applications using carbon nanofibers (CNFs) are presented. In this paper, we propose a novel technique, for the purpose of characterizing interfacial structures of vertically aligned CNFs for cross-sectional imaging with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). In this technique, vertically aligned CNFs are selectively grown, by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), on a substrate comprising a narrow strip (width ~100nm) fabricated by focused ion beam (FIB). Using high-resolution STEM, we show that CNFs with diameters ranging from 10 -100 nm exhibit very similar graphitic layer morphologies at the base contact interface.

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for imaging the interface between carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and the underlying substrate is presented. By irradiating the electron beam perpendicular to the substrate, bright contrast is observed at the region where a small gap exists between the CNF and substrate. The energy-diameter diagram for the observation of the bright contrast is derived, which can be understood by using the theory of electron penetration into solid. Monte Carlo simulation is performed to reproduce the experimental observation based on our model, and the contrast sensitivity to the gap height is discussed.

We studied the crystallization mechanism of ultra-fast phase change optical disks with recording layers made of GaSb material for digital versatile disk (DVD) systems. The results of a static recording test and an amorphous mark formation simulation suggest that GaSb maintains a high crystal growth rate even at temperatures 150 degrees lower than the material's melting point. Disks with recording layers made of this material have a write speed margin ranging from DVD 3× to 8× or more.

A novel preparation method of thin films has been successfully developed by high-density ablation plasma produced by pulsed ion-beam evaporation method. The preparation is available with extremely high deposition rate (with cm/s), without heating the substrate, in a vacuum, with good stoichiometry. As an example, the preparation of phosphoresecent SrAl2O4:Eu, Dy thin films will be shown. Furthermore, a new method has been developed of the synthesis of ultrafine nanosize powders by use of microexplosion of pulsed wire discharge. As an example, the synthesis of NiFe2O4 powders will be shown, where two wires of nickel and iron were exploded by pulsed current. In addition, we have succeeded in the preparation of tungsten thin films within via holes in LSI by use of pulsed ion beam-evaporation method. In addition to the huge power per shot, a new machine has been developed of highly repetitive, pulsed power machine for the industrial applications.

Chromium aluminum oxynitride (Cr-Al-N-O) thin films have been successfully prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Experiments were carried out by changing surface area ratio of the targets (SR = SAlN / (S +SAlN)) from 0 to 100 %. The composition of the thin film prepared at SR = 75 % was determined to be Cr0.11Al0.39N0.25O0.25 by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS). The hardness of the Cr-Al-N-O thin film was found to be above HV 4000 when the aluminum content in cations (x) was 25 at. %. The high hardness can be explained by solid solution hardening and/or increasing bulk modulus. The oxidation of the Cr-Al-N-O thin film occurred above 900°C. From the result of grazing angle X-ray diffractometry (GXRD), the oxidation resistance of the Cr-Al-N-O thin film was found to be improved due to the fact that Cr2O3 and -Al2O3 grains are formed at the outermost surface of the thin film.