Application of thermoluminescence for detection of cascade shower 2: Detection of cosmic ray cascade shower at Mount Fuji

The results of a thermoluminescence (TL) chamber exposed at Mt. Fuji during Aug. '83 - Aug. '84 are reported. The TL signal induced by cosmic ray shower is detected and compared with the spot darkness of X-ray film exposed at the same time

Application of thermoluminescence for detection of cascade shower 1: Hardware and software of reader system

A reader system for the detection of cascade showers via luminescence induced by heating sensitive material (BaSO4:Eu) is developed. The reader system is composed of following six instruments: (1) heater, (2) light guide, (3) image intensifier, (4) CCD camera, (5) image processor, (6) microcomputer. The efficiency of these apparatuses and software application for image analysis is reported

Exploration of Finite 2D Square Grid by a Metamorphic Robotic System

We consider exploration of finite 2D square grid by a metamorphic robotic system consisting of anonymous oblivious modules. The number of possible shapes of a metamorphic robotic system grows as the number of modules increases. The shape of the system serves as its memory and shows its functionality. We consider the effect of global compass on the minimum number of modules necessary to explore a finite 2D square grid. We show that if the modules agree on the directions (north, south, east, and west), three modules are necessary and sufficient for exploration from an arbitrary initial configuration, otherwise five modules are necessary and sufficient for restricted initial configurations

Volume reduction of municipal solid wastes contaminated with radioactive cesium by ferrocyanide coprecipitation technique

Municipal solid wastes (MSW) with elevated concentrations of radioactive cesium (rad-Cs hereafter) have been generated in some areas of Japan in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (F1 hereafter) accident. Both recycling and final disposal of the contaminated MSW have become a difficult problem in the affected areas, resulting in accumulation of treated residues in the treatment facilities. The rad-Cs in MSW, especially fly ash, often showed a high leaching rate. Extraction of contaminated MSW with water or hot oxalic acid followed by selective removal of rad-Cs from the extract using ferrocyanide (Fer hereafter) coprecipitation technique could be an ultimate solution for waste volume reduction. The MSW extracts contain various metal components as well as chelating reagents like oxalic acid, and are often very saline. The composition of the extract varies widely depending on waste sources, applied treatment techniques, and rad-Cs extraction method etc. The applicability of the Fer coprecipitation technique had to be tested and validated before it could be applied for actual treatment. In this work, we applied the Fer technique and observed removal of cesium (Cs) from water and oxalic acid extracts (all spiked with rad-Cs tracer or stable Cs) of various MSW samples collected from uncontaminated areas. Finally, the Fer technique was applied on site for removal of rad-Cs in the extracts of contaminated MSW. By modifying coprecipitation conditions according to solution matrix, Cs removal rates of higher than 95 % could be obtained

Auxiliary-level-assisted operations with charge qubits in semiconductors

We present a new scheme for rotations of a charge qubit associated with a singly ionized pair of donor atoms in a semiconductor host. The logical states of such a qubit proposed recently by Hollenberg et al. are defined by the lowest two energy states of the remaining valence electron localized around one or another donor. We show that an electron located initially at one donor site can be transferred to another donor site via an auxiliary molecular level formed upon the hybridization of the excited states of two donors. The electron transfer is driven by a single resonant microwave pulse in the case that the energies of the lowest donor states coincide or two resonant pulses in the case that they differ from each other. Depending on the pulse parameters, various one-qubit operations, including the phase gate, the NOT gate, and the Hadamard gate, can be realized in short times. Decoherence of an electron due to the interaction with acoustic phonons is analyzed and shown to be weak enough for coherent qubit manipulation being possible, at least in the proof-of-principle experiments on one-qubit devices.Comment: Extended version of cond-mat/0411605 with detailed discussion of phonon-induced decoherence including dephasing and relaxation; to be published in JET

HIV-1 Inhibits Autophagy in Bystander Macrophage/Monocytic Cells through Src-Akt and STAT3

Autophagy is a homeostatic mechanism of lysosomal degradation. Defective autophagy has been linked to various disorders such as impaired control of pathogens and neurodegeneration. Autophagy is regulated by a complex array of signaling pathways that act upstream of autophagy proteins. Little is known about the role of altered regulatory signaling in disorders associated with defective autophagy. In particular, it is not known if pathogens inhibit autophagy by modulation of upstream regulatory pathways. Cells infected with HIV-1 blocked rapamycin-induced autophagy and CD40-induced autophagic killing of Toxoplasma gondii in bystander (non-HIV-1 infected) macrophage/monocytic cells. Blockade of autophagy was dependent on Src-Akt and STAT3 triggered by HIV-1 Tat and IL-10. Neutralization of the upstream receptors VEGFR, β-integrin or CXCR4, as well as of HIV-1 Tat or IL-10 restored autophagy in macrophage/monocytic cells exposed to HIV-1-infected cells. Defective autophagic killing of T. gondii was detected in monocyte-derived macrophages from a subset of HIV-1+ patients. This defect was also reverted by neutralization of Tat or IL-10. These studies revealed that a pathogen can impair autophagy in non-infected cells by activating counter-regulatory pathways. The fact that pharmacologic manipulation of cell signaling restored autophagy in cells exposed to HIV-1-infected cells raises the possibility of therapeutic manipulation of cell signaling to restore autophagy in HIV-1 infection

Using small molecules to facilitate exchange of bicarbonate and chloride anions across liposomal membranes

Bicarbonate is involved in a wide range of biological processes, which include respiration, regulation of intracellular pH and fertilization. In this study we use a combination of NMR spectroscopy and ion-selective electrode techniques to show that the natural product prodigiosin, a tripyrrolic molecule produced by microorganisms such as Streptomyces and Serratia, facilitates chloride/bicarbonate exchange (antiport) across liposomal membranes. Higher concentrations of simple synthetic molecules based on a 4,6-dihydroxyisophthalamide core are also shown to facilitate this antiport process. Although it is well known that proteins regulate Cl-/HCO3- exchange in cells, these results suggest that small molecules may also be able to regulate the concentration of these anions in biological systems

The Composition of Cosmic Rays at the Knee

The observation of a small change in spectral slope, or 'knee' in the fluxes of cosmic rays near energies 10^15 eV has caused much speculation since its discovery over 40 years ago. The origin of this feature remains unknown. A small workshop to review some modern experimental measurements of this region was held at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, USA in June 2000. This paper summarizes the results presented at this workshop and the discussion of their interpretation in the context of hadronic models of atmospheric airshowers.Comment: 36 pages, 10 figure