A discharge-emission spectrometer and a cavity ringdown spectrometer have been developed to aid in the solution to the diffuse interstellar band (DIB) problem. A hollow cathode was used to generate molecular ions in a discharge because it has been suggested that molecular ions are probable DIB candidates. The discharge was produced by a pulsed voltage of 1300–1500 V. A wide wavelength range of optical emission from the discharge was examined by a HORIBA Jobin Yvon iHR320 monochromator. The dispersed discharge emission was detected by a photomultiplier and was recorded via a lock-in amplifier. The 2B3u–X2B2g electronic transition of the butatriene cation H2CCCCH2+ was observed in the discharge emission of 2-butyne H3CCCCH3. The frequency of the electronic transition was measured to be 20381 cm−1, and a comparison study was made with known DIB spectra.

The resolution of the discharge-emission spectrometer is insufficient to make precise comparisons between laboratory frequencies and astronomically observed DIB spectra. We therefore developed the cavity ringdown spectrometer using the same hollow cathode. The high sensitivity of this spectrometer was confirmed by the observation of the forbidden band of O2.

Solar flares are thought to be caused by reconnection of magnetic fields and their associated electric currents in the solar corona. The currents have to be there to provide available energy over and above the current-free minimum energy state, but what generates them has been little discussed. This paper investigates the idea that twisting motions in the turbulent convection zone below may provide a natural source for the currents and explain some of their properties. The twists generate upward-propagating Alfvén waves with a Poynting flux of the right order of magnitude to power a flare. Depending on the depth it takes place, the twisting event that initiates a particular flare may occur hours, days or even months before the flare itself.

Radiocarbon analysis of the carbonaceous aerosol allows an apportionment of fossil and non-fossil sources of airborne particulate matter (PM). A chemical separation of total carbon (TC) into its subtractions organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) refines this powerful technique, as OC and EC originate from different sources and undergo different processes in the atmosphere. Although 14C analysis of TC, EC, and OC has recently gained increasing attention, interlaboratory quality assurance measures have largely been missing, especially for the isolation of EC and OC. In this work, we present results from an intercomparison of 9 laboratories for 14C analysis of carbonaceous aerosol samples on quartz fiber filters. Two ambient PM samples and 1 reference material (RM 8785) were provided with representative filter blanks. All laboratories performed 14C determinations of TC and a subset of isolated EC and OC for isotopic measurement. In general, 14C measurements of TC and OC agreed acceptably well between the laboratories, i.e. for TC within 0.015–0.025 F14C for the ambient filters and within 0.041 F14C for RM 8785. Due to inhomogeneous filter loading, RM 8785 demonstrated only limited applicability as a reference material for 14C analysis of carbonaceous aerosols. 14C analysis of EC revealed a large deviation between the laboratories of 28–79% as a consequence of different separation techniques. This result indicates a need for further discussion on optimal methods of EC isolation for 14C analysis and a second stage of this intercomparison.

We observed significant reduction of thermal conductivity in semiconducting composite films of Si and molybdenum (Mo)-silicide nanocrystals (NCs). These films were synthesized by phase separation due to annealing at 700 -1000°C from sputtered amorphous Mo–Si alloy. Transmission electron microscope images showed that the NCs were grown to diameters of∼10 nm in the films by annealing at 800°C. Raman scattering spectra showed lower shift of peak positions of Si transverse optical (TO) phonon due to the confinement effect and the tensile stress. The electrical resistivity of the films was 0.17- 9 Ωm at room temperature and showed a semiconducting temperature dependence at 20-400 K. Thermal conductivity of the film was reduced to 4.4 W/mK by enhancement of phonon scattering at NC interfaces, suggesting that the composite film is promising as a high-efficiency Si-based thermoelectric material.

For appropriate safety assessment of TRU waste disposal, the dominant chemical species of 14C-gas was studied. [1,2-14C] sodium acetate was added to flooded paddy soil samples, and the content of 14C in the soil, solution, and the emitted CO2 gas during incubation period was determined. Recovery ratios of the total 14C activity to the initial 14C activity were 97.9% at day 1, 86.4% at day 3, and 83.5% at day 7 of incubation. The result of the day 1 means that the emitted 14C-gas was almost 14CO2. At day 7 of incubation, about 16.5% of 14C was failed to recover. Even if the unknown 14C was gases other than 14CO2, the dominant chemical species of the emitted 14C-gas will be 14CO2, because the recovery ratio of the 14CO2 was 48.9% (¿16.5%). Sodium 2-bromoethane-sulfonate was used to ensure the emission of CH4, but there was no effect of the regent to the recovery ratio of 14CO2. Methane emission may be little under our experimental conditions. These results suggest that the dominant chemical species of the emitted 14C-gas from the flooded paddy soil samples was 14CO2.

We synthesized amorphous semiconductor films composed of Mo-encapsulating Si clusters (MoSin : n∼10) on solid substrates. The MoSi10 films had Si networks similar to hydrogenated amorphous Si and an optical gap of 1.5 eV. Electron spin resonance signals were not observed in the films indicating that dangling bonds of Si were terminated by Mo atoms. We fabricated thin-film-transistors using the MoSi10 film as a channel material. The electric field effect of the film was clearly observed. This suggests that the density of mid-gap states in the film is low enough for the field effect to occur.

Clay minerals are one of the most important components in soil for radiocesium sorption. There are many types of clay minerals in soil, and their capacities for cesium (Cs) sorption differ. However, the effects of differing clay mineral amounts and compositions on Cs sorption behavior have not been clarified yet. In this study, therefore, we studied Cs sorption on illite, kaolinite, and illite–kaolinite mixtures, carrying out batch sorption test and sequential extractions to investigate Cs sorption mechanisms. The amount of sorbed Cs in the mixtures did not depend on the illite content, but the amount of exchangeable Cs decreased as the illite content increased. Conversely, the amount of fixed Cs in the mixtures increased with increasing illite content. These results suggest that the distribution of Cs sorption between ion exchange sites and fixed sites may be dependent on the illite/kaolinite ratio. In addition, we can estimate the amount of sorbed Cs in an illite-kaolinite mixture from the amounts of sorbed Cs in illite and in kaolinite, and the abundance ratio of each clay mineral in the clay mixture. This is basic knowledge needed for long-term assessment of Cs mobility in soil.

For appropriate safety assessment of TRU waste disposal, gasification ratios and distribution coefficients (Kd) of 14C labeled [1, 2-14C] sodium acetate were determined by batch experiments for a Japanese paddy soil sample. Approximately 60% of the total added C-14 was released from the flooded paddy soil into the air as gas forms during 7 days shake-incubation periods. In the present study, the paddy soil was contacted with deionized water and well water, and the lower gasification ratio was found for the well water sample. The similar result was observed for the Kd values. Values of Kd varied from 51 to 138 mL g-1. The lower values were observed when the soil was contacted with well water. When the microorganisms in the samples were killed by glutaraldehyde, both gasification ratios and Kd values were nearly zero. These results suggested that microorganisms responsible for the behavior of C-14 in biosphere. In addition, water characteristics such as dissolved ions, pH and electrical conductivity would affect the gasification ratio and the Kd values.

Unmanned magnetometer stations (UMS) have been developed and were installed at remote location near Syowa station, Antarctica (69°S, 40°E) to perform field tests in the harsh Antarctic environment. The UMS was powered by a thermo-electric generator fuelled by kerosene (LTEG) which supplies 87 Watts continuously to the load. The LTEG and instrumentation (flux gate magnetometer, data logger, chronometer) were installed in a thermally insulated shelter (0.9 m by 1.8 m by 1.9 m). The shelter and an 800 l fuel tank were mounted on a sled, and were towed by snow tractor. The UMS were installed at Kizahasi beach, Skarvsnes (50 km south-west of Syowa) and at H-100 of the Mizuho route (100 km south of Syowa) in the early spring of 1988 and operated until the end of the year. The data obtained will be used for a study of the spatial phase and amplitude structure of the ionospheric current systems and a response of the local induction currents to them.

We investigated the epidemic pattern of chickenpox incidence among 47 prefectures in Japan. There were two peaks in chickenpox incidence in all prefectures. The first peaks appear at almost the same time in a year, while the second peaks occur at different times with relatively different types of size and shape. The feature of the second peak might characterize the epidemic pattern of chickenpox. We first introduced the second peak index, that is, the ratio of the difference between the incidence at the point of the second peak and the minimum incidence between the first and second peaks to the difference between the incidence at the point of the second peak and the minimum incidence in the year. There was a close correlation between the second peak index and the magnitude of variation in temperature within a year corresponding to the difference between the maximum and the minimum of the monthly mean of the highest daily temperature. This is the first article focusing on the close relationship between the second peak of epidemic pattern of chickenpox incidence and the variation of temperature within a year.

Corrosion of silicon nitride was studied in boiling nitric acid to examine its feasibility as a drying pan material in the reprocessing of nuclear fuel. Unlike stainless steel (a conventional drying pan material), the weight loss and strength degradation were negligible in the concentration of nitric acid. The corrosion increased with decreasing concentration of nitric acid. At the concentration of 1-6N, the maximum losses of weight and strength were 0.8% and over 40%, respectively, in 200 h. Ionic species dissolved in nitric acid were determined by ICP analysis and were found to be accurately correlated to the weight loss and thickness of the corrosion layer determined by micrography. In the corrosion layer, grain boundary glassy phase was selectively dissolved. Strength loss was correlated to the weight loss and was ascribed to the reduced load bearing area due to corrosion.

We have examined effect of foreign gas and its pressure upon etch rate, surface morphology, and surface chemical composition. Etch rate is suppressed by adding inert gases such as argon and helium. On the contrary, oxygen enhances the rate by increasing its pressure, indicating that oxygen molecules react with ablated polymer surface. From the results of XPS analyses, active surface of ablated polymer reacts also with ammonia and hexamethyldisilane. It is considered that laser ablation has a high potentiality of simultaneous microfabrication and photochemical surface modification of polymer.