Study of all-optical clock recovery performance by the primary and the secondary temporal Talbot effects in a second-order dispersive medium

We theoretically and experimentally study the all-optical clock recovery performance using the primary or the secondary temporal Talbot effects (PTTE or STTE, respectively) in a dispersive medium having the first-order dispersion together with the second-order dispersion (e.g., conventional single-mode fibers: SMFs). Our preliminary numerical simulations have indicated that the STTE-based all-optical clock recovery technique can improve double its performance as compared with the conventional PTTE-based technique when the second-order dispersion (dispersion slope) can be neglected. The following simulation results have revealed that the second-order dispersion, that the normal SMFs possess, limits the performance improvements in the STTE-based clock recovery, whereas the limited performance can be improved by appropriately compensating for the second-order dispersion. On the basis of our simulation results, experiments of the STTE-based clock recovery were conducted by compensating for the second-order dispersion of SMFs used as dispersive media. To be specific, SMFs’ second-order dispersion has been reduced to the one-sixteenth of its original value by combining with the reverse-dispersion fibers (RDFs) which can provide the second-order dispersion of the opposite sign to the SMFs. As a result, the performance improvements in the STTE-based clock recovery was demonstrated so that the 10-GHz clear optical clock pulses were successfully recovered from 10-Gbit/s return-to-zero (RZ) pseudo-random bit sequence (PRBS) optical signals.     

Corrosion characteristics of reduced activation ferritic steel, JLF-1 (8.92Cr–2W) in molten salts Flibe and Flinak

Static corrosion tests were performed in molten salts, LiF–BeF₂ (Flibe) and LiF–NaF–KF (Flinak), at 500 °C and 600 °C for 1000 h. The purpose is to investigate the corrosion characteristics of reduced activation ferritic steels, JLF-1 (8.92Cr–2W) in the fluids. The concentration of hydrogen fluoride (HF) in the fluids was measured by slurry pH titration method before and after the exposure. The HF concentration determined the fluoridation potential. The corrosion was mainly caused by dissolution of Fe and Cr into the fluids due to fluoridation and/or electrochemical corrosion. Carbon on the surface might be dissolved into the fluids due to the corrosion, and this resulted to the decrease of carbide on the surface. The corrosion depth of the JLF-1 specimen, which was obtained from the weight losses, was 0.637 μm in Flibe at 600 °C and 6.73 μm in Flinak at 600 °C.     

Determination of seventeen pesticide residues in agricultural products by LC/MS

Residues of 17 pesticides in agricultural products were determined by LC/MS with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) interface in both positive and negative ion modes. Pesticides were extracted with acetonitrile, and the extracts were cleaned-up with a primary and secondary amine (PSA) mini-column eluted with acetone-hexane (1:1). Rice, orange and potato were spiked with the 17 pesticides at 0.1 microgram/g and analyzed by the proposed method. The average recoveries of these pesticides usually ranged from 70 to 98% and the relative standard deviations were usually around 10%. These results suggested that LC/MS with APCI could be used to determine the residue levels of the 17 pesticides in these crops.     

Nanocrystalline structure formation in Al-Mg-Sc alloys during severe plastic deformation

The possibility of formation of a nanocrystalline structure (with a grain size smaller than 100 nm) in four Al-Mg-Sc alloys with 3.1–5.9% Mg during severe plastic deformation by torsion at a hydrostatic pressure of 6 GPa (high-pressure torsion (HPT)) has been studied. Room-temperature HPT of the alloys is shown to produce a nanocrystalline structure if the magnesium content is more than 4% (in the range 0.16–0.31% Sc). As the magnesium content increases, the grain size decreases and is minimal (40–50 nm) in a 01570 alloy with 5.9% Mg and 0.3% Sc. The structure of the HPT-processed 01570 alloy remains nanocrystalline upon heating to 200°C or at a deformation temperature as high as 200°C. Postdeformation heating is found to cause aging processes. The hardening of all the Al-Mg-Sc alloys is maximal after HPT at 20°C followed by aging at 300°C.     

Spatial indexing of high-dimensional data based on relative approximation

We propose a novel index structure, the A-tree (approximation tree), for similarity searches in high-dimensional data. The basic idea of the A-tree is the introduction of virtual bounding rectangles (VBRs) which contain and approximate MBRs or data objects. VBRs can be represented quite compactly and thus affect the tree configuration both quantitatively and qualitatively. First, since tree nodes can contain a large number of VBR entries, fanout becomes large, which increases search speed. More importantly, we have a free hand in arranging MBRs and VBRs in the tree nodes. Each A-tree node contains an MBR and its children VBRs. Therefore, by fetching an A-tree node, we can obtain information on the exact position of a parent MBR and the approximate position of its children. We have performed experiments using both synthetic and real data sets. For the real data sets, the A-tree outperforms the SR-tree and the VA-file in all dimensionalities up to 64 dimensions, which is the highest dimension in our experiments. Additionally, we propose a cost model for the A-tree. We verify the validity of the cost model for synthetic and real data sets. Edited by T. Sellis. Received: December 8, 2000 / Accepted: March 20, 2002 Published online: September 25, 2002     

Determination of a sulfur-containing drug in human plasma by an improved method for sulfur chemiluminescence detection in combination with capillary gas chromatography

An improved method for sulfur chemiluminescence detection in combination with capillary gas chromatography was established. The method was applied to the analysis of a sulfur-containing antiasthma drug, S-1452, and its nine metabolities in human plasma. The high selectivity and sensitivity of the method allowed accurate quantitation of trace levels of these compounds in human plasma with no interferences from the biological components present. To enable stable measurements and maintain reproducibility over a long period, the performance characteristics of a commercially available instrument were investigated. The gas seal in the injection port was found to easily corrode through interaction of the sulfur analyte with the metal gas seal. To prevent this, a disk made from an alloy of platinum and gold (60:40) was mounted on the gas seal. The reproducibility of the measurement was improved remarkably by using the disk. The use of compressed air of high purity significantly lowered the signal-to-noise ratio. The optical filter was kept clean by using a nickel catalyst to trap ozone in place of copper manganese oxide (CuMn2O4). These improvements raised the sensitivity and selectivity with the lower quantitation limits of 0.5-1.0 ng/mL in human plasma.     

Self-assembly of nano-sized arrays on highly oriented thin films of poly(tetrafluoroethylene)

Self-assembly of nano-sized arrays by casting a dilute solution of a guest material on the friction-transferred poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (FT-PTFE) substrate was newly discovered. Long axis of the rod-like structures forming the arrays is aligned perpendicular to the chain direction of FT-PTFE, and accordingly, the arrays are highly anisotropic. This phenomenon was observed for aqueous or organic solutions of polymers or organic materials. Each rod-like structure forming the arrays is composed of small grains. The arrays in question are formed regardless to the crystallinity of the guest materials. The formation mechanism of the nano-sized arrays is still unclear. However, we guess that they are formed as a result of microscopic flow pattern at the edge of the solution film. The arrays in question may be a new type of dissipative structure.     

Surface activity of aqueous solutions of cellulose acetate with low degree of substitution

Surface activity of aqueous solutions of cellulose acetate (CA) with total degree of substitution (〈F〉) ranging from 0.58 to 0.80 was examined. Critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the aqueous CA solutions, determined from the polymer concentration dependence of surface tension (γ), is unequivocally determined by 〈F〉, and an increase in 〈F〉 of CA brings about a lowering of the CMC. From light scattering measurements on aqueous solutions of CA with 〈F〉 = 0.8 at 20°C, it was revealed that in the vicinity of the CMC the micelles in the solution consist of c. four CA molecules, which is very close to the value obtained by analysing the data obtained from the mass action model. The surface tension of aqueous solutions of CA (〈F〉 = 0.8) in the polymer concentration range above the CMC was c. 0.74 times that of pure water over the temperature range 0–80°C.     

Structures of new acylated oleanene-type triterpene oligoglycosides, theasaponins E1 and E2, from the seeds of tea plant, Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze

Friedreich's ataxia is the first known autosomal recessive disease caused by an unstable trinucleotide expansion mutation. The most frequent mutation is expansion of a GAA repeat in the first intron of gene X25. We studied transmission of the expanded GAA repeat in 37 Friedreich's ataxia pedigrees and analysed blood and sperm alleles in eight patients. We showed intergenerational instability in 84% of the alleles with an overall excess of contractions. Both contractions and expansions of the GAA repeat occurred in maternal transmission with a stronger tendency to expand for smaller repeats and to contract for longer repeats. Paternally transmitted alleles contracted only. Parental age and the intergenerational change in expansion size were directly correlated in maternal transmission and inversely in paternal transmission. The size of the GAA expansion was slightly lower in patients than heterozygous carriers. Sperm analysis confirmed the tendency to contract of paternal alleles, which was more marked with ageing. The degree of contraction of the GAA repeat in sperm was much higher than that found in intergenerational transmission and was directly related to the repeat size. A blood expanded allele reverted to normal size in the sperm of one patient. This study suggests the existence of different mutational mechanisms in Friedreich's ataxia alleles, which occur both pre- and post-zygotically.