Lowest-order axial and ring mode lasing in confocal quasi-stadium laser diodes

We investigated the lasing modes of quasi-stadium laser diodes that have confocal cavity geometries, with stripe electrode contacts formed either along the cavity axis or a diamond-shaped trajectory. It was clearly demonstrated that by using narrow electrode contact patterns of 2 μm width, the lowest-order axial and ring modes were excited selectively. On the other hand, the second-lowest-order axial and ring modes were excited by using broad electrode patterns of 14 μm width. Experimentally obtained far-field patterns for lasers with broad and narrow electrode contact patterns agree very well with the simulation results obtained using an extended Fox-Li mode calculation method.     

Modelling of transition mechanisms from steady to oscillatory Marangoni flows in a liquid bridge configuration

In this paper, the transition mechanism from steady to oscillatory flow of Marangoni convection is investigated. Two-dimensional simulations for high Pr number fluids with several liquid bridge sizes were conducted in order to clarify the effect of temperature distribution on free surface upon the transition phenomena. The dependency of liquid bridge size on the onset of oscillatory flow was also evaluated. The results show that the formation of velocity distribution on the free surface is related to liquid bridge size and that it has a great influence on the onset of oscillation. From these results, a basic model for understanding the transition mechanism of Marangoni convection is proposed. In this transition model, the temperature distribution on the free surface was evaluated over a wide range of Pr numbers. A useful dimensionless parameter which indicates the onset of oscillation, the effective Marangoni number, is also proposed and evaluated.     

Improved Transport J c in MgB2 Tapes by Graphene Doping

Graphene is a special form of carbon which can effectively enhance the critical current density J _c of MgB₂. In this work, a systematic investigation on the impact of sintering conditions and doping level was carried out for graphene-doped MgB₂ tapes. It is found that an appropriate addition level, i.e., 8 at% in this work, is very critical to obtain a high J _c in graphene-doped samples. The critical field and pinning force are improved obviously due to the graphene doping. The magnetic J _c of samples sintered at 800 °C with 8 at% graphene doping reached 1.78 × 10⁴ A/cm², at 5 T, 20 K. At the same time, the transport J _c was up to 2.38 × 10⁴ A/cm² at 10 T, 4.2 K. The lattice distortion caused by C substitution and residual C at the grain boundaries were thought to be the major factors affecting the J _c of graphene-doped MgB₂ samples.     

Hydrogen sensing ability of Cu particles coated with ferromagnetic Pd–Co layer

A new hydrogen sensor utilizing a ferromagnetic hydrogen absorbing alloy was developed. An optimum sensing element, Cu particles coated with Pd–Co hydrogen absorbing alloy was prepared by the barrel sputtering technique. The surface of prepared Cu particle was covered uniformly by Pd–Co thin layer constituted of aggregated nanoparticles. The sensitivity of the sensing element to H₂ concentrations under flowing dry N₂ and dry air gases was examined. The element has a reasonable sensitivity to the H₂ concentration of the range from 3.8% to 0.2%, and the lower limit of detectable H₂ concentration was estimated to be less than 0.1%. In dry air, the water formation on the Pd–Co surface affected its sensing ability, because the temperature of the sensing element increased by the exothermic reaction. The effect of moisture on the H₂ sensing ability was also investigated. The moisture slightly degraded the output signal under flowing air. It could be ascribed to an additional consumption of hydrogen atoms by water molecules and oxygen atoms on the Pd–Co surface. This sensor takes advantage of magnetic susceptibility measurement, which requires no electrical wire between the sensing element and an electric circuit, leading to a safe evaluation system of H₂ concentration in air.     

Characterization of recrystallization of 12Cr and 15Cr ODS ferritic steels

The recrystallization behavior of 12Cr and 15Cr oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels, which are the promising candidate materials for long-life core materials of the advanced fast breeder reactors, was investigated in terms of an intermediate softening heat treatment. It was clarified that keeping recovery structure at the intermediate heat treatment is indispensable for producing recrystallized structure at the final heat treatment. Prevention of repeating recrystallization is owing to the stable {100} 〈110〉 texture formation with less stored strain energy by the cold-rolling of the recrystallized structure. The two-step softening process was proposed to suppress the recrystallization and obtain adequate hardness reduction at the intermediate heat treatment. This process is effective for producing a stable recrystallized structure at the final heat treatment of the manufacturing process of ODS ferritic steel cladding.     

Effect of metal ion location in reaction medium on formation process and structure of PtCu–CuO nanoparticles supported on carbon and γ-Fe2O3

The process of nanoparticle formation by radiochemical synthesis in a heterogeneous system has been investigated considering the effects of the metal ion location in the reaction medium. PtCu nanoparticles supported on carbon and γ-Fe₂O₃ were synthesized using a high-energy electron beam. The metal ions in the precursor were categorized as those dissolved in solution, adsorbed on support, and precipitated. The ratio of metal ions in the solution was varied prior to the electron beam irradiation and its effects on the synthesized particle structures were examined. The nanoparticles were characterized by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. A PtCu alloy and CuO were immobilized on the support in all the samples. The PtCu alloy nanoparticle composition depended on the Cu ion content in the solution. The nanoparticle formation mechanism could be explained using the obtained results. Metal ions present in the solution resulted in formation of the alloy. The adsorbed ions also contributed to the alloy formation by desorbing from the support when irradiated. On the other hand, alloy formation with Pt from the precipitated Cu ions was found to be difficult.     

Effective cell separation utilizing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-grafted polypropylene membrane containing adsorbed antibody

We previously developed a cell separation method using a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-grafted polypropylene (PNIPAAm-g-PP) membrane containing an adsorbed monoclonal antibody (mAb). The purpose of this study is to elucidate the cell separation mechanism in detail and to design an optimal method. As the grafting yield of PNIPAAm increased, the level of the adsorption of IgG(1) and cell adhesion to the membrane decreased. After BSA was adsorbed to a PNIPAAm-g-PP membrane at 6 degrees C, where PNIPAAm was hydrophilic, a small amount of IgG(1) was adsorbed to the membrane at 37 degrees C, where PNIPAAm was hydrophobic. The desorption of the adsorbed IgG(1) was not enhanced even though temperature was reduced to 10 degrees C, where PNIPAAm was hydrophilic. These results indicate that the antibody adsorbed to the intact PP surface of the membrane predominantly contributes to the capture of target cells through the antigen-antibody reaction and that a thermoresponsive transition of PNIPAAm contributes to the detachment of the captured cells. The total number of cells recovered from a PNIPAAm-g-PP membrane containing the adsorbed mAb decreased as the grafting yield increased. A PNIPAAm-g-PP membrane with a 1.7% grafting yield containing adsorbed anti-human CD34 mAb enriched CD34-positive KG-1a cells to 85% from a 1:1 cell suspension of KG-1a cells and CD34-negative Jurkat cells.     

Physicochemical Properties of Sweetpotato Starches with Different Gelatinization Temperatures

Physicochemical properties of five sweetpotato starches differing in gelatinization temperature were examined. The gelatinization temperature of Koganesengan starch, an ordinary cultivar of sweetpotato in Japan, was 73.6°C, whereas those of the other starches were measured to be 71.6°C for Kyukei 96162–1, 65.8°C for Kyushu No.127, 63.9°C for Kyukei 240, and 54.9°C for Quick Sweet. Some relationships of the primary structural properties with the gelatinization temperature have been found. As the gelatinization temperature decreased: i) the content of phosphate groups attached to the glucosyl residues decreased, ii) the amylose content, which was determined as difference in long chains of debranched original starch and of its amylopectin, decreased, iii) the proportion of unit chains with DP > 100 in the amylopectin fraction increased, iv) the proportion of unit chains with DP 6 to 10 in the amylopectin fraction increased, whereas that of unit chains with DP 12 to 24 decreased, v) the B‐type crystallinity of the starch granules was enhanced, and vi) the proportion of longer chains constituting each Nägeli amylodextrin increased. Moreover, it was found that thin pastes of the low temperature‐gelatinizing starches retrograded slower during cold storage than the ordinary starch. Among the starches, Quick Sweet starch granules, having the lowest gelatinization temperature, were digested rapidly by pancreatin.     

Measuring the effects of lighting on the readability of electronic devices

The aim of this study was to understand to what extent people can read e‐paper devices under various conditions of ambient illuminance that can occur indoors. In this study, 110 young to elderly subjects participated in an experiment to evaluate the effects of 14 different levels of ambient lighting on their reading from three different electronic devises and paper text. The participants were asked to undergo a timed read task and then to evaluate the readability of two eReader devices (a regular electronic display and one with a front light) in comparison with a backlit liquid crystal device and conventional paper text. The results indicated that backlit and front lit devices are easier to read at less than 200 lx and the reflective device is easier to read at levels above 500 lx.