Inorganic gel and allophane collected from basaltic saprolite on Maui, Hawaii, and studied by Patterson in 1964 were reexamined. The main constituent of the gel is imogolite, and gibbsite and allophane are the minor constituents. Electron and X-ray diffraction patterns, DTA curve, and an infrared spectrum of the gel are characteristic of imogolite. The allophane is virtually noncrystalline to X-rays but contains a small amount of imogolite in relatively short threads. High-resolution electron micrographs indicate differences in structural organization between allophane and imogolite and suggest crystallization of imogolite from allophane.

The occurrence of imogolite as a weathering product has been reported in many localities from pyroclastic materials but not from massive rocks. Probably the exceptionally high rainfall, excellent subsurface permeability of the weathered material, and the low pH and high organic content of the leaching solution provide favorable conditions for formation of imogolite from basalt on Maui.

The Bingham yield stress for suspensions of illite-iron oxide complexes is examined as a function of pH and iron oxide content. Addition of iron oxides to illite increased the yield stress over a pH range of 3 to 10. With increasing pH the yield stress decreased for the complexes with iron oxides of 2 and 5% while the complexes with iron oxides of 7, 10, and 20% exhibited the maximum yield stresses at pH values from 6 to 8. The iron oxides which are not associated with the illite enhanced the yield stress more than the iron oxides precipitated on the illite surfaces. The yield stress for the complexes was correlated with their zeta potential, and the higher yield stress is considered due to smaller interparticle repulsion.

Measurements in the infrared wavelength domain allow direct assessment of the physical state and energy balance of cool matter in space, enabling the detailed study of the processes that govern the formation and evolution of stars and planetary systems in galaxies over cosmic time. Previous infrared missions revealed a great deal about the obscured Universe, but were hampered by limited sensitivity.

SPICA takes the next step in infrared observational capability by combining a large 2.5-meter diameter telescope, cooled to below 8 K, with instruments employing ultra-sensitive detectors. A combination of passive cooling and mechanical coolers will be used to cool both the telescope and the instruments. With mechanical coolers the mission lifetime is not limited by the supply of cryogen. With the combination of low telescope background and instruments with state-of-the-art detectors SPICA provides a huge advance on the capabilities of previous missions.

SPICA instruments offer spectral resolving power ranging from R ~50 through 11 000 in the 17–230 μm domain and R ~28.000 spectroscopy between 12 and 18 μm. SPICA will provide efficient 30–37 μm broad band mapping, and small field spectroscopic and polarimetric imaging at 100, 200 and 350 μm. SPICA will provide infrared spectroscopy with an unprecedented sensitivity of ~5 × 10−20 W m−2 (5σ/1 h)—over two orders of magnitude improvement over what earlier missions. This exceptional performance leap, will open entirely new domains in infrared astronomy; galaxy evolution and metal production over cosmic time, dust formation and evolution from very early epochs onwards, the formation history of planetary systems.

In the collapsing phase of a molecular cloud, the molecular gas temperature is a key to understand the evolutionary process from a dense molecular cloud to stars. In order to know this, mapping observations in NH3 lines are required. Therefore, we made them based on the FUGIN (FOREST Unbiased Galactic plane Imaging survey with Nobeyama 45m telescope). The 6 maps were observed in NH3 (J,K) = (1,1), (2,2), (3,3) and H2O maser lines and obtained temperature maps; some show temperature gradient in a cloud. Additionally 72 cores were observed. These candidates were called as KAGONMA or KAG objects as abbreviation of KAgoshima Galactic Object survey with Nobeyama 45-M telescope in Ammonia lines. We show the results of two regions in W33 and discuss their astrophysical properties.

IR spectroscopy in the range 12–230 μm with the SPace IR telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA) will reveal the physical processes governing the formation and evolution of galaxies and black holes through cosmic time, bridging the gap between the James Webb Space Telescope and the upcoming Extremely Large Telescopes at shorter wavelengths and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array at longer wavelengths. The SPICA, with its 2.5-m telescope actively cooled to below 8 K, will obtain the first spectroscopic determination, in the mid-IR rest-frame, of both the star-formation rate and black hole accretion rate histories of galaxies, reaching lookback times of 12 Gyr, for large statistically significant samples. Densities, temperatures, radiation fields, and gas-phase metallicities will be measured in dust-obscured galaxies and active galactic nuclei, sampling a large range in mass and luminosity, from faint local dwarf galaxies to luminous quasars in the distant Universe. Active galactic nuclei and starburst feedback and feeding mechanisms in distant galaxies will be uncovered through detailed measurements of molecular and atomic line profiles. The SPICA’s large-area deep spectrophotometric surveys will provide mid-IR spectra and continuum fluxes for unbiased samples of tens of thousands of galaxies, out to redshifts of z ~ 6.

Our current knowledge of star formation and accretion luminosity at high redshift (z > 3–4), as well as the possible connections between them, relies mostly on observations in the rest-frame ultraviolet, which are strongly affected by dust obscuration. Due to the lack of sensitivity of past and current infrared instrumentation, so far it has not been possible to get a glimpse into the early phases of the dust-obscured Universe. Among the next generation of infrared observatories, SPICA, observing in the 12–350 µm range, will be the only facility that can enable us to trace the evolution of the obscured star-formation rate and black-hole accretion rate densities over cosmic time, from the peak of their activity back to the reionisation epoch (i.e., 3 < z ≲ 6–7), where its predecessors had severe limitations. Here, we discuss the potential of photometric surveys performed with the SPICA mid-infrared instrument, enabled by the very low level of impact of dust obscuration in a band centred at 34 µm. These unique unbiased photometric surveys that SPICA will perform will fully characterise the evolution of AGNs and star-forming galaxies after reionisation.

The kinetics of Ge lateral overgrowth on SiO2 with line-shaped Si seeds is examined. The growth process is described by the difference between the growth rates of Ge on (100) planes (GR100) and <311> facets (GR311). The theoretical calculations well reproduce the growth kinetics. It is shown that narrowing the line-seeds helps Ge coalescence and flat film formation.

Europium nitride (EuN), which is potentially used as an activator for nitride luminescent materials, was prepared by direct nitridation at 600 °C in a NH3 atmosphere. X-ray powder diffraction and composition analysis of the nitrided sample were carefully conducted under an oxygen-free environment. The nitrided sample was found to be mononitride with NaCl structure. An appreciable amount of oxygen (∼0.06 a.u.) was detected, but no secondary oxide phase was found. The results suggest oxygen dissolution into the lattice of EuN.

The 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) is reported to decrease the incidence of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children. To determine the annual incidence of CAP before the introduction of PCV7, we counted the number of children hospitalized with CAP between 2008 and 2009 in Chiba City, Japan. We investigated serotype and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) for Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates in CAP cases. The annual incidence of hospitalized CAP in children aged <5 years was 17·6 episodes/1000 child-years. In 626 episodes, S. pneumoniae was dominant in 14·7% and 0·8% of sputum and blood samples, respectively. The most common serotypes were 6B, 23F and 19F. The coverage rates of PCV7 were 66·7% and 80% in sputum samples and blood samples, respectively. MLST analysis revealed 37 sequence types. Furthermore, 54·1% of the sputum isolates and 40% of the blood isolate were related to international multidrug-resistant clones.

To investigate two clusters of diarrhoea cases observed in our geriatric hospital wards, the faecal specimens were analysed. Reversed passive latex agglutination assay revealed that 63·2% and 41·7% of the faecal specimens from each cluster were positive for Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin. PCR assay revealed that 71·4% and 68·8% of C. perfringens isolates from each cluster were positive for the enterotoxin gene (cpe). These observations suggested that both the clusters were outbreaks caused by enterotoxigenic C. perfringens. Subsequent pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis revealed that the two outbreaks were caused by different C. perfringens isolates. However, these outbreak isolates as well as other sporadic diarrhoea isolates shared a 75-kb plasmid on which the cpe gene and the tcp locus were located. The 75-kb plasmid had horizontally spread to various C. perfringens isolates and had caused outbreaks and sporadic infections. However, the site and time of the plasmid transfer are unclear.

Deciduous oak dieback in Japan has been known since the 1930s, but in the last ten years epidemics have intensified and spread to the island’s western coastal areas. The symbiotic ambrosia fungus Raffaelea sp. is the causal agent of oak dieback, and is vectored by Platypus quercivorus (Murayama). This is the first example of an ambrosia beetle fungus that kills vigorous trees. Mortality of Quercus crispula was approximately 40% but much lower for associated species of Fagaceae, even though each species had a similar number of beetle attacks. It is likely that other oaks resistant to the fungus evolved under a stable relationship between the tree, fungus and beetle during a long evolutionary process. Quercus crispula was probably not part of this coevolution. This hypothesis was supported by the fact that P. quercivorus showed the least preference for Q. crispulayet exhibited highest reproductive success in this species. Therefore, P. quercivorus could spread more rapidly in stands with a high composition of Q. crispula. The present oak dieback epidemic in Japan probably resulted from the warmer climate that occurred from the late 1980s which made possible the fateful encounter of P. quercivorus with Q. cripsula by allowing the beetle to extend its distribution to more northerly latitudes and higher altitudes. Future global warming will possibly accelerate the overlapping of the distributions of P. quercivorus and Q. crispula with the result that oak dieback in Q. crispula will become more prevalent in Japan.

In most of numerical simulations of spiral galaxy formation,mass/spatial resolution is ~ 105-6 M๏ and kpc or sub-kpc,therefore inhomogeneous structure of the ISM in galaxies is notresolved. This is the most serious defect in simulating starformation and its feedback during galaxy formation/evolution. Here weshow an intrinsic structures of the ISM using 3-D high resolutionhydrodynamic simulations of galactic disks. We show that the PDFs inglobally stable, inhomogeneous ISM in galactic disks are well fittedby a single log-normal function over a wide density range. Thedispersion of the log-normal PDF (LN-PDF) is larger for more gas-richsystems. Using the LN-PDF, we give a generalized version ofSchmidt-Kennicutt law, i.e. SFR as a function of average gas density,a critical local density for star formation, and star formationefficiency. We also introduce our new project, “Project Milky Way”, in which weaim to resolve properly the cold, dense ISM, as found in abovesimulations, by ultra-high resolution during galaxy formation. We areplanning to construct a special cluster for simulating formation of“Milky Way” using the next generation GRAPE.

Polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) waveguides offer design flexibility and multilayered structures in Si-integrated photonic devices. However, as-deposited poly-Si surfaces are rough compared with single-crystalline Si, and a rough surface causes significant waveguide scattering loss at the surface. In this study, surface smoothing of poly-Si waveguides with a gas-cluster ion beam (GCIB) was demonstrated as a new smoothing technique. As the GCIB process is a directional ion-beam process, in principle it can be applied not only to plane surfaces but also to three-dimensional or non-flat structures, such as waveguide ridges.

The initial average roughness of as-deposited poly-Si films (625°C, 1 μm thick) ranged from 15 nm to 22 nm, and the grain sizes were distributed from 0.2 to 0.4μm. This rough surface was dramatically smoothed to a roughness of 1.5 nm by Ar cluster ion irradiation. From the relation between the sputtered depth and the surface roughness, the sputtered depth must be greater than the height difference of the roughness (peak-to-valley) to obtain smooth surfaces. Optical transmission losses at λ =1.54 μm were measured using cutback measurement from samples before and after the smoothing by GCIB. After surface smoothing with GCIB, the optical loss decreased from 85 dB/cm to 54 dB/cm.

The interface between a Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) and an underlying Mo layer was studied by X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The CIGS layer was deposited onto Mo coated soda-lime glass using the “3-stage” process. A MoSe2 layer found to form at the CIGS/Mo interface during the 2nd stage of the “3-stage” process. The thickness of the MoSe2 layer depended on the substrate temperature used for CIGS film deposition as well as the Na content of the CIGS and/or Mo layers. For higher substrate temperatures, thicker MoSe2 layers were observed. The Na in the CIGS and/or Mo layer is felt to assist in the formation of MoSe2. Current-Voltage measurements of the heterojunction formed by the CIGS/Mo interface were ohmic even at low temperature. The role of the MoSe2 layer in high efficiency CIGS solar cells is discussed.

Single crystals and powders of vermiculite are dehydrated and then intercalated with alkali metals (K and Rb) using a two-temperature-zone furnace. The samples, originally transparent, exhibit metallic silver color upon intercalation. Our x-ray diffraction experiments indicate that the c-axis lattice constant becomes smaller after the intercalation process. A SQUID magnetometer is used to measure the magnetization of the samples as functions of temperature and magnetic field. Evidence for Pauli paramagnetism and enhancement of ferromagnetism are found in the Rb- and K-intercalated compounds, in addition to Curie paramagnetism due to iron impurities in the original vermiculite.

Cu-rich Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (CIGS) films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (EDX) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The Cu-rich CIGS film were treated in KCN and NH3 solutions. In the as-deposited Cu-rich CIGS film, the cation ratio of Cu/(In+Ga) at the surface exceeded the bulk value. Cross-sectional TEM of the KCN-treated film suggested that Cu2-xSe existed both at the grain boundaries and on the grains near the surface of the Cu-rich CIGS film. The Cu2-xSe was completely removed by the treatment in the KCN solution and was removed only at the front surface by treatment in the NH3 solution.

A conceptual design of chemical heat pump system with reactive ceramics incorporated has been proposed and exemplified by several chemical reactions on activated metal oxides. It functions at temperatures of waste heat. The system involves the following endothermic reactions; (1) activation of metal oxide ceramics to activated ceramics using an oxygen-free inert gas, (2) H2O decomposition by the activated ceramics to form H2 gas at 300°C, (3) formation of CH4 from H2 and CO2 at 200–300°C, (4) CO2 decomposition to gaseous CO on activated oxide ceramics at 600–700°C. The working materials are typically magnetite, metal-bearing ferrites, transition metal-modified magnetite and other metal oxides. These basic reactions have been demonstrated to occur at temperatures of waste heat. The chemical heat pump will be effectively operated by incorporating their oxide membrane into the system. These findings have facilitated us to exploit a new field of research work. The above integrated chemical system may help the mitigation of CO2 in the global scale.

AlGaAs/GaAs double-heterostructure (DH) optical waveguides on Si substrates which is important in future opto-electric integrated circuits (OEICs) utilizing both Si and GaAs devices is analyzed by the effective index method and fabricated by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD).

The structures contain 0.8-μm-thick GaAs guiding layer sandwiched between two 1-μm-thick Al0.1Ga0.9 As cladding layers. All the layers were grown by MOCVD on (100) 2°-off Si substrates by two step method. A top cladding layer was etched leaving 2-μm wide mesa-stripes. The etched depth was changed from 0.65 to 0.90 μm. The field profiles were calculated and measured for 1.3 μm wavelength light. The measured and calculated profiles agree quite well with each other for all the. waveguides having different mesa height. This agreement makes us possible to design more complicated AlGaAs/GaAs waveguides and modulators on Si substrates.