101 research outputs found
Empirical Abundance Scaling Laws and Implications for the Gamma-Process in Core-Collapse Supernovae
Analyzing the solar system abundances, we have found two empirical abundance
scaling laws concerning the p- and s-nuclei with the same atomic number. The
first scaling is s/p ratios are almost constant over a wide range of the atomic
number, where the p-nculei are lighter than the s-nuclei by two or four
neutrons. The second scaling is p/p ratios are almost constant, where the
second -nuclei are lighter than the first p-nucleus by two neutrons. These
scalings are a piece of evidence that most p-nuclei are dominantly synthesized
by the gamma-process in supernova explosions. The scalings lead to a novel
concept of "universality of gamma-process" that the s/p and p/p ratios of
nuclei produced by individual gamma-processes are almost constant,
respectively. We have calculated the ratios by gamma-process based on
core-collapse supernova explosion models under various astrophysical conditions
and found that the scalings hold for materials produced by individual
gamma-processes independent of the astrophysical conditions assumed. The
universality originates from three mechanisms: the shifts of the gamma-process
layers to keep their peak temperature, the weak s-process in pre-supernovae,
and the independence of the s/p ratios of the nuclear reactions. The results
further suggest an extended universality that the s/p ratios in the
gamma-process layers are not only constant but also centered on a specific
value of 3. With this specific value and the first scaling, we estimate that
the ratios of -process abundance contributions from the AGB stars to the
massive stars are almost 6.7 for the -nuclei of A > 90. We find that large
enhancements of s/p ratios for Ce, Er, and W are a piece of evidence that the
weak s-process actually occurred before SNe.Comment: 35 pages, 15 figure
Developing a data-sharing system for geospatial research: A case study on the Joint Research Assist System (JoRAS)
This study demonstrates a framework for joint research at a university research center that supports research in the geospatial information sciences. Here we examine the improvements in an Internet-based spatial data infrastructure and data-sharing system through its long-term operation. In the original system for this framework (the Spatial Data Infrastructure System or SDIS), the purpose was to make accessing spatial data easier for academic researchers. However, after ten years of service, it was still experiencing challenges, such as increased human costs and inconveniences from its operation, which were no longer negligible. In response, the system was rebuilt in 2010 as a new Joint Research Assist System (JoRAS) by reviewing and changing its design to address the challenges. Two years after the establishment of the JoRAS, its effectiveness and the emerging challenges demanded further improvements. This study summarizes the challenges of the former SDIS and the improvements made to transform it into the new JoRAS. The user statistics and its interpretations are then presented. This case study provides a guide to scientists and practitioners who are designing similar systems
Current-induced magnetization switching in MgO barrier magnetic tunnel junctions with CoFeB based synthetic ferrimagnetic free layers
We investigated the effect of using a synthetic ferrimagnetic (SyF) free
layer in MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) on current-induced
magnetization switching (CIMS), particularly for application to spin-transfer
torque random access memory (SPRAM). The employed SyF free layer had a
Co40Fe40B20/ Ru/ Co40Fe40B20 and Co20Fe60B20/Ru/Co20Fe60B20 structures, and the
MTJs(100x(150-300) nm^2) were annealed at 300oC. The use of SyF free layer
resulted in low intrinsic critical current density (Jc0) without degrading the
thermal-stability factor (E/kBT, where E, kB, and T are the energy potential,
the Boltzmann constant, and temperature,respectively). When the two CoFeB
layers of a strongly antiferromagnetically coupled SyF free layer had the same
thickness, Jc0 was reduced to 2-4x10^6 A/cm^2. This low Jc0 may be due to the
decreased effective volume under the large spin accumulation at the CoFeB/Ru.
The E/kBT was over 60, resulting in a retention time of over ten years and
suppression of the write current dispersion for SPRAM. The use of the SyF free
layer also resulted in a bistable (parallel/antiparallel) magnetization
configuration at zero field, enabling the realization of CIMS without the need
to apply external fields to compensate for the offset field.Comment: 6 page
High-Throughput Cryopreservation of Plant Cell Cultures for Functional Genomics
Suspension-cultured cell lines from plant species are useful for genetic engineering. However, maintenance of these lines is laborious, involves routine subculturing and hampers wider use of transgenic lines, especially when many lines are required for a high-throughput functional genomics application. Cryopreservation of these lines may reduce the need for subculturing. Here, we established a simple protocol for cryopreservation of cell lines from five commonly used plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana, Daucus carota, Lotus japonicus, Nicotiana tabacum and Oryza sativa. The LSP solution (2 M glycerol, 0.4 M sucrose and 86.9 mM proline) protected cells from damage during freezing and was only mildly toxic to cells kept at room temperature for at least 2 h. More than 100 samples were processed for freezing simultaneously. Initially, we determined the conditions for cryopreservation using a programmable freezer; we then developed a modified simple protocol that did not require a programmable freezer. In the simple protocol, a thick expanded polystyrene (EPS) container containing the vials with the cell–LSP solution mixtures was kept at −30°C for 6 h to cool the cells slowly (pre-freezing); samples from the EPS containers were then plunged into liquid nitrogen before long-term storage. Transgenic Arabidopsis cells were subjected to cryopreservation, thawed and then re-grown in culture; transcriptome and metabolome analyses indicated that there was no significant difference in gene expression or metabolism between cryopreserved cells and control cells. The simplicity of the protocol will accelerate the pace of research in functional plant genomics
Results of the search for inspiraling compact star binaries from TAMA300's observation in 2000-2004
We analyze the data of TAMA300 detector to search for gravitational waves
from inspiraling compact star binaries with masses of the component stars in
the range 1-3Msolar. In this analysis, 2705 hours of data, taken during the
years 2000-2004, are used for the event search. We combine the results of
different observation runs, and obtained a single upper limit on the rate of
the coalescence of compact binaries in our Galaxy of 20 per year at a 90%
confidence level. In this upper limit, the effect of various systematic errors
such like the uncertainty of the background estimation and the calibration of
the detector's sensitivity are included.Comment: 8 pages, 4 Postscript figures, uses revtex4.sty The author list was
correcte
Non-clinical studies for oncology drug development
Non-clinical studies are necessary at each stage of the development of oncology drugs. Many experimental cancer models have been developed to investigate carcinogenesis, cancer progression, metastasis, and other aspects in cancer biology and these models turned out to be useful in the efficacy evaluation and the safety prediction of oncology drugs. While the diversity and the degree of engagement in genetic changes in the initiation of cancer cell growth and progression are widely accepted, it has become increasingly clear that the roles of host cells, tissue microenvironment, and the immune system also play important roles in cancer. Therefore, the methods used to develop oncology drugs should continuously be revised based on the advances in our understanding of cancer. In this review, we extensively summarize the effective use of those models, their advantages and disadvantages, ranges to be evaluated and limitations of the models currently used for the development and for the evaluation of oncology drugs
Observation results by the TAMA300 detector on gravitational wave bursts from stellar-core collapses
We present data-analysis schemes and results of observations with the TAMA300
gravitational-wave detector, targeting burst signals from stellar-core collapse
events. In analyses for burst gravitational waves, the detection and
fake-reduction schemes are different from well-investigated ones for a
chirp-wave analysis, because precise waveform templates are not available. We
used an excess-power filter for the extraction of gravitational-wave
candidates, and developed two methods for the reduction of fake events caused
by non-stationary noises of the detector. These analysis schemes were applied
to real data from the TAMA300 interferometric gravitational wave detector. As a
result, fake events were reduced by a factor of about 1000 in the best cases.
The resultant event candidates were interpreted from an astronomical viewpoint.
We set an upper limit of 2.2x10^3 events/sec on the burst gravitational-wave
event rate in our Galaxy with a confidence level of 90%. This work sets a
milestone and prospects on the search for burst gravitational waves, by
establishing an analysis scheme for the observation data from an
interferometric gravitational wave detector
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