The Photonic Technologies Impact on the Next Generation Network

This paper describes the possible impact of photonic technologies on the next-generation network. With the explosion of the Internet (IP), the capacity demand is increasing exponentially, which exceeds Moor's law. The next-generation IP network should sustain this increase. This paper shows the possible node processing bottleneck even the transmission capacity can be supported by the use of WDM technology. Based on this analysis, the paper proposes a virtual router network as a solution, which applies a logical full-mesh connection based on salient features of photonic network technology. Development of the WDM technology sets the target at 1000 wavelengths on a fiber so that a dynamic wavelength routing function is becoming available. The increase in wavelengths, transparency among wavelengths, and the wavelength routing function can provide an optical path, which forms the base of a logical full-mesh structure and also provides an easy migration scenario from the current network to the next-generation IP network. The possibility is examined by calculation using a bi-directionalloop network as an example. As the foundation of the proposal, the current statusof photonic network technologies is described with future projection.     

Manganese doped gallium oxynitride prepared by nitridation of citrate precursor

Manganese doping of gallium oxynitride was investigated to obtain a magnetic semiconductor by nitriding a precursor in ammonia flow. The precursor was obtained by prefiring a mixed gel made of Mn²⁺ and Ga³⁺ nitrates and citric acid in aqueous solution. The products were isostructural with hexagonal GaN. The doping limit was 10 and 5 at% in the samples nitrided at 750 and 850 °C, respectively. Chemical analysis of the products suggested that they were manganese doped gallium oxynitrides. Oxide and nitride ions were randomly distributed in the anion sites in the latter product. Manganese oxide cluster might be formed in the former. The product nitrided at 850 °C showed an antiferromagnetic interaction with a Weiss temperature θ = −38 K, while the product nitrided at 750 °C was paramagnetic.     

Comparison of miscibility in poly(N-vinylcarbazole)/polystyrene and polyoxyethylene blends by excimer fluorescence

Summary It is for the first time found that poly(N-vinylcarbazole)(PVCz)/polystyrene (PS) blends have lower miscibility on molecular level than that of PVCz/polyoxyethylene (PEO) blends. This is obtained from excimer fluorescence properties of PVCz in PVCz (9.1–100%)/PS and PVCz (9.6–100%)/PEO blends. Schematic diagrams of phase-separated structure of the PVCz blends are proposed consistent with emission properties and phase-contrast microscopic images. Received: 8 February 2000/Revised version: 21 March 2000/Accepted: 27 March 2000     

Investigation of deactivation of mold conidia by infrared heating in a model-based approach

Concerns over chemical residue from chemical processing of fresh agricultural produces encourage the rise of alternative chemical-free methods. Infrared heating is a postharvest technique employed to reduce microbial load adhering on the surface of fresh fruits. The main purpose is to heat the produce surface to certain degree to achieve commercial sterilization while preventing quality degradation from overheating of internal tissue. In this study, we developed a microbial deactivation model combined with time-temperature profile of infrared heating with consideration of evaporation effect to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment and assess resulting surface temperature. Heating intensity controlled by heating distances was also investigated. As the result, the proposed model predicted the surface temperature profiles of potato dextrose agar (PDA) well at all points within a mean error of ±2.0 °C. The model will be able to apply for the surface decontamination of fruit and help to minimize microbial threats without heat damage to the quality.     

Toxicity of puffer fish fins

Puffer fish is prized as a Japanese traditional food and its fin is also used in the cuisine. However, whether the fin is edible or not is determined for convenience from the toxicity of skin, since little information is available about the toxicity of puffer fish fins. In the present study, we examined the toxicity of fins and skin of three toxic species, Takifugu vermicularis, T. snyderi, and T. porphyreus. The toxicity of T. vermicularis fins (< 5-52.4 MU/g) was significantly lower than that of skin (<5-1200 MU/g). HPLC analysis showed that tetrodotoxin was a major toxic principle irrespective of the toxicity value in each tissue of T. vermicularis. In the case of T. snyderi and T. porphyreus, the toxicity of fins was at almost the same level as that of the skin. The toxicity (< 10-12 MU/g) of caudal fins of T. porphyreus was apparently increased to 16.5-22.0 MU/g by drying. However, the toxin amounts in the dried fins were slightly decreased as compared with those of the non-dried fins. These results demonstrate that puffer fish with toxic skin also have toxic fins.     

Low temperature CO pulse adsorption for the determination of Pt particle size in a Pt/cerium-based oxide catalyst

Unexpectedly large amounts of CO adsorption have resulted from a pulse adsorption experiment at 323 K, giving about 300% Pt dispersion in a Pt/cerium-based oxide catalyst. An in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopic investigation on a Pt/cerium-based oxide during CO adsorption has revealed that carbonate species on the cerium oxide surface are responsible for the unrealistically large CO adsorption at 323 K, as a result of CO spillover. Lowering the temperature to 195 K considerably diminished the amount of CO adsorption. The size of the Pt particles in the Pt/cerium-based oxide catalyst was determined by CO pulse adsorption at 195 K and showed good agreement with the particle size determined by X-ray diffraction and low energy ion scattering. This indicates that CO pulse adsorption at 195 K is a useful technique to reliably estimate the Pt particle size in a Pt/cerium-based oxide catalyst.     

Phylogeny of Epidermophyton floccosum and other dermatophytes

Eleven strains of Epidermophyton floccosum were compared with 5 Microsporum and 5 Trichophyton species with respect to the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the mitochondrial DNA to reveal their phylogenetic relationships. The phylogeny of 11 species showed that the three dermatophyte genera could not be separated from each other and could be considered to be congeneric. This result is not inconsistent with the results from ribosomal RNA sequences.