A novel spherical carbon

We developed a novel spherical carbon material. The spherical carbon is composed of a high density of carbon nanotubes or nanofilaments, and includes an oxidized diamond particle as a core. Syntheses of this carbon in high volume with high selectivity may be possible. It is expected that this carbon will be useful as a catalyst material for fuel cells, electric double-layer capacitors, etc.     

Synthesis and Self-Organization of Fluorene-Conjugated Bisimidazolylporphyrin and Its Optical Properties

A conjugated-bisimidazolylporphyrin bridged by bis(ethynylfluorene) was synthesized and organized into linear polymer through self-coordination having mean molecular weights, M_w and M_n, of ~2.1 × 10⁵ Da and ~1.6 × 10⁵ Da, respectively. A large two-photon absorption cross section value of 3.4 × 10⁵ GM (per dimer unit) was observed. This value was comparable to that of the previously reported self-assembled linear polymer consisting of butadiyne-bridged imidazolylporphyrins. The two-photon absorption properties could be controlled by tuning the wavelength and absorption intensity of the one-photon absorption.     

Development of two-dimensional mapping technique by in-air-PIXE with metal capillary

We have developed the two-dimensional mapping technique with in-air-PIXE (2D-PIXE) using a metal capillary as a guide to extract ion beam to air. The metal capillary is the conventional injection needle with a 200 μm inside diameter. For the target which is the character made of the copper wires on aluminum basement, 2D-PIXE measurements were performed by irradiating 3 MeV proton beam. As a result, the character was tend to be restored clearly by this method. We discuss about the result of the two-dimensional map from a viewpoint of the signal-to-noise ratio and the resolution. This technique is expected to be applicable to various fields such as biology, nano-technology, archeology and so on.     

In-vivo human brain molecular imaging with a brain-dedicated PET/MRI system

Advances in the new-generation of ultra-high-resolution, brain-dedicated positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) systems have begun to provide many interesting insights into the molecular dynamics of the brain. First, the finely delineated structural information from ultra-high-field MRI can help us to identify accurate landmark structures, thereby making it easier to locate PET activation sites that are anatomically well-correlated with metabolic or ligand-specific organs in the neural structures in the brain. This synergistic potential of PET/MRI imaging is discussed in terms of neuroscience and neurological research from both translational and basic research perspectives. Experimental results from the hippocampus, thalamus, and brainstem obtained with ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose and ¹¹C-3-amino-4-(2-dimethylaminomethylphenylsulfanyl)benzonitrile are used to demonstrate the potential of this new brain PET/MRI system.     

Parity induced edge-current saturation and current distribution in zigzag-edged graphene nano-ribbon devices

We show computationally that the current-voltage characteristics of the zigzag-edged graphene nanoribbon (ZGNR) with the even width exhibit remarkable current saturation behavior in spite of the absence of the bandgap. Mechanism of such current-saturation behavior can be understood to be originated from the symmetries of the wavefunctions corresponding to the edge states in ZGNR. We further demonstrate that the current-voltage characteristics of ZGNR can be drastically changed even by the presence of a single lattice vacancy, with the strong dependence on the position of the vacancy. The origin of such properties is intuitively understood by analyzing the transmission probabilities through such systems.     

In vitro formation and thermal transition of novel hybrid fibrils from type I fish scale collagen and type I porcine collagen

Novel type I collagen hybrid fibrils were fabricated by neutralizing a mixture of type I fish scale collagen solution and type I porcine collagen solution with a phosphate buffer saline at 28 °C. Their structure was discussed in terms of the volume ratio of fish/porcine collagen solution. Scanning electron and atomic force micrographs showed that the diameter of collagen fibrils derived from the collagen mixture was larger than those derived from each collagen, and all resultant fibrils exhibited a typical D-periodic unit of ∼67 nm, irrespective of volume ratio of both collagens. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed only one endothermic peak for the fibrils derived from collagen mixture or from each collagen solution, indicating that the resultant collagen fibrils were hybrids of type I fish scale collagen and type I porcine collagen.     

Decision methodology of end-milling conditions using data-mining

The purpose of the present study is to apply data-mining methods to support the decision of reasonable cutting conditions. Although an enormous amount of information is listed in a catalog, it is not possible to know all of it. Seen from the viewpoint of the user, this enormous amount of information becomes a hindrance. For example, even if an expert worker does not look at a catalog, in end-mill processing, he can decide the appropriate processing condition efficiently from experience; however, this type of situation creates difficult problems for an unskilled worker or a skilled worker with little experience. The recommended cutting condition for every type of material is listed in a catalog together with the appropriate tool, but it takes much time and labor to search and examine the catalog to find the right tool, and this process is inefficient. The main subject of our research was to support the processing condition of the end-mill for each precision tool efficiently based on end-mill clusters. Our research applied the techniques of data mining, in particular, non-hierarchy clustering and hierarchy clustering, to catalog data. With these techniques, we applied multiple regression analysis and reached the following main conclusions. As a first step, we paid attention to the shape element of catalog data. In addition to using conventional mining processes, we grouped end-mills from the viewpoint of tool shape, which meant the ratio of dimensions, visually by applying the K-means method. We applied variable cluster analysis next to each cluster and extracted an predictor variable to represent each cluster, and we performed multiple regression analysis and derived a cutting condition decision formula. The cutting condition decision formula provided high accuracy. The accuracy was higher than the results achieved through mining of all data. A more highly precise processing condition decision formula was derived by doing mining again, excluding the peculiar data clusters such as small diameter end-mill. We understood what was effective for cutting condition decision to be factors related to blade length and the ratio of the full length, factors which have not been singled out through background knowledge or expert knowledge, but were noticed as an effect of catalog mining.     

Combustion characteristics of a hydroxylammonium nitrate based liquid propellant. Combustion mechanism and application to thrusters

A new composition of hydroxylammonium nitrate based solution containing ammonium nitrate, methanol, and water was developed for monopropellant in a reaction control system (RCS) as an alternative to conventional hydrazine. In comparison with hydrazine, this solution has a 20% higher specific impulse, 1.4 times higher density, and lower freezing point and toxicity. The linear burning rate of the solution is moderate at the operating pressures of RCS thrusters. It was found that the linear burning rate had some characteristics whose mechanisms had not been understood. The combustion mechanism of this solution was investigated. The burning behavior was observed using a medium speed camera, and a temperature profile for the combustion wave was measured with a 2.5 μm diameter thermocouple. From these results, the instability of the liquid-gas interface may trigger a sudden increase in the burning rate, and methanol was found to be effective in reducing the bubble growth rate in the solution. The reactivity of several catalysts was evaluated in an open-cup test, and the S405 catalyst for hydrazine showed the best performance among them. Thruster tests were conducted using the S405 catalyst with variation in the propellant mass flow rate, catalyst bed configuration, and length-to-diameter ratio of the combustor. As a result, parameters were determined that ensured long operating time. The model thruster operated stably for up to 100 sec with a specific impulse I _sp = 240 sec, which corresponds to a 90% efficiency. __________ Translated from Fizika Goreniya i Vzryva, Vol. 45, No. 4, pp. 109–120, July–August, 2009. An erratum to this article can be found at