Dominant aerosol processes during high-pollution episodes over Greater Tokyo

This paper studies two high-pollution episodes over Greater Tokyo: 9 and 10 December 1999, and 31 July and 1 August 2001. Results obtained with the chemistry-transport model (CTM) Polair3D are compared to measurements of inorganic PM2.5. To understand to which extent the aerosol processes modeled in Polair3D impact simulated inorganic PM2.5, Polair3D is run with different options in the aerosol module, e.g. with/without heterogeneous reactions. To quantify the impact of processes outside the aerosol module, simulations are also done with another CTM (CMAQ). In the winter episode, sulfate is mostly impacted by condensation, coagulation, long-range transport, and deposition to a lesser extent. In the summer episode, the effect of long-range transport largely dominates. The impact of condensation/evaporation is dominant for ammonium, nitrate and chloride in both episodes. However, the impact of the thermodynamic equilibrium assumption is limited. The impact of heterogeneous reactions is large for nitrate and ammonium, and taking heterogeneous reactions into account appears to be crucial in predicting the peaks of nitrate and ammonium. The impact of deposition is the same for all inorganic PM2.5. It is small compared to the impact of other processes although it is not negligible. The impact of nucleation is negligible in the summer episode, and small in the winter episode. The impact of coagulation is larger in the winter episode than in the summer episode, because the number of small particles is higher in the winter episode as a consequence of nucleation.Comment: Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres (15/05/2007) in pres

The performance of thin NaI(Tl) scintillator plate for dark matter search

A thin (0.05cm) and wide area (5cmX5cm) NaI(Tl) scintillator was developed. The performance of the thin NaI(Tl) plate, energy resolution, single photoelectron energy and position sensitivity were tested. An excellent energy resolution of 20% (FWHM) at 60keV was obtained. The single photoelectron energy was calculated to be approximately 0.42 0.02keV. Position information in the 5cmx5cm area of the detector was also obtained by analyzing the ratio of the number of photons collected at opposite ends of the detector. The position resolution was obtained to be 1cm (FWHM) in the 5cmx5cm area.Comment: 10 pages. Accepted to Journal of Physical Society of Japa

Programmable spin-state switching in a mixed-valence spin-crossover iron grid

Photo-switchable systems, such as discrete spin-crossover complexes and bulk iron–cobalt Prussian blue analogues, exhibit, at a given temperature, a bistability between low- and high-spin states, allowing the storage of binary data. Grouping different bistable chromophores in a molecular framework was postulated to generate a complex that could be site-selectively excited to access multiple electronic states under identical conditions. Here we report the synthesis and the thermal and light-induced phase transitions of a tetranucleariron(II) grid-like complex and its two-electron oxidized equivalent. The heterovalent grid is thermally inactive but the spin states of its constituent metal ions are selectively switched using different laser stimuli, allowing the molecule to exist in three discrete phases. Site-selective photo-excitation, herein enabling one molecule to process ternary data, may have major ramifications in the development of future molecular memory storage technologies

WIMPs search by means of the highly segmented scintillator

The highly sensitive method to search for WIMPs dark matter particles is proposed. An array of thin NaI(Tl) plate has the great selectivity for distinguishing the WIMPs events and background ones. The principle of signal selection for WIMPs is described. The high sensitivity for SD (spin-dependent) type WIMPs is expected by applying multi-layer system of NaI(Tl) detector.Comment: 11 pages, added some sentences to make the arguments clea

The Non-linear Dynamics of Meaning-Processing in Social Systems

Social order cannot be considered as a stable phenomenon because it contains an order of reproduced expectations. When the expectations operate upon one another, they generate a non-linear dynamics that processes meaning. Specific meaning can be stabilized, for example, in social institutions, but all meaning arises from a horizon of possible meanings. Using Luhmann's (1984) social systems theory and Rosen's (1985) theory of anticipatory systems, I submit equations for modeling the processing of meaning in inter-human communication. First, a self-referential system can use a model of itself for the anticipation. Under the condition of functional differentiation, the social system can be expected to entertain a set of models; each model can also contain a model of the other models. Two anticipatory mechanisms are then possible: one transversal between the models, and a longitudinal one providing the modeled systems with meaning from the perspective of hindsight. A system containing two anticipatory mechanisms can become hyper-incursive. Without making decisions, however, a hyper-incursive system would be overloaded with uncertainty. Under this pressure, informed decisions tend to replace the "natural preferences" of agents and an order of cultural expectations can increasingly be shaped

Spiral spin-liquid and the emergence of a vortex-like state in MnSc2_2S4_4

Spirals and helices are common motifs of long-range order in magnetic solids, and they may also be organized into more complex emergent structures such as magnetic skyrmions and vortices. A new type of spiral state, the spiral spin-liquid, in which spins fluctuate collectively as spirals, has recently been predicted to exist. Here, using neutron scattering techniques, we experimentally prove the existence of a spiral spin-liquid in MnSc$_2$S$_4$ by directly observing the 'spiral surface' - a continuous surface of spiral propagation vectors in reciprocal space. We elucidate the multi-step ordering behavior of the spiral spin-liquid, and discover a vortex-like triple-q phase on application of a magnetic field. Our results prove the effectiveness of the $J_1$-$J_2$ Hamiltonian on the diamond lattice as a model for the spiral spin-liquid state in MnSc$_2$S$_4$, and also demonstrate a new way to realize a magnetic vortex lattice.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figure

Surface and Image-Potential States on the MgB_2(0001) Surfaces

We present a self-consistent pseudopotential calculation of surface and image-potential states on $MgB_2(0001)$ for both $B$-terminated ($B-t$) and $Mg$-terminated ($Mg-t$) surfaces. We find a variety of very clear surface and subsurface states as well as resonance image-potential states n=1,2 on both surfaces. The surface layer DOS at $E_F$ is increased by 55% at $B-t$ and by 90% at the $Mg-t$ surface compared to DOS in the corresponding bulk layers.Comment: 3 pages, 6 figure

"Open Innovation" and "Triple Helix" Models of Innovation: Can Synergy in Innovation Systems Be Measured?

The model of "Open Innovations" (OI) can be compared with the "Triple Helix of University-Industry-Government Relations" (TH) as attempts to find surplus value in bringing industrial innovation closer to public R&D. Whereas the firm is central in the model of OI, the TH adds multi-centeredness: in addition to firms, universities and (e.g., regional) governments can take leading roles in innovation eco-systems. In addition to the (transversal) technology transfer at each moment of time, one can focus on the dynamics in the feedback loops. Under specifiable conditions, feedback loops can be turned into feedforward ones that drive innovation eco-systems towards self-organization and the auto-catalytic generation of new options. The generation of options can be more important than historical realizations ("best practices") for the longer-term viability of knowledge-based innovation systems. A system without sufficient options, for example, is locked-in. The generation of redundancy -- the Triple Helix indicator -- can be used as a measure of unrealized but technologically feasible options given a historical configuration. Different coordination mechanisms (markets, policies, knowledge) provide different perspectives on the same information and thus generate redundancy. Increased redundancy not only stimulates innovation in an eco-system by reducing the prevailing uncertainty; it also enhances the synergy in and innovativeness of an innovation system.Comment: Journal of Open Innovations: Technology, Market and Complexity, 2(1) (2016) 1-12; doi:10.1186/s40852-016-0039-