Theory of spin Hall magnetoresistance

We present a theory of the spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) in multilayers made from an insulating ferromagnet F, such as yttrium iron garnet (YIG), and a normal metal N with spin-orbit interactions, such as platinum (Pt). The SMR is induced by the simultaneous action of spin Hall and inverse spin Hall effects and therefore a non-equilibrium proximity phenomenon. We compute the SMR in F$|$N and F$|$N$|$F layered systems, treating N by spin-diffusion theory with quantum mechanical boundary conditions at the interfaces in terms of the spin-mixing conductance. Our results explain the experimentally observed spin Hall magnetoresistance in N$|$F bilayers. For F$|$N$|$F spin valves we predict an enhanced SMR amplitude when magnetizations are collinear. The SMR and the spin-transfer torques in these trilayers can be controlled by the magnetic configuration

Split-Paper Testing: A Novel Approach to Evaluate Programming Performance

There is a great need to evaluate and/or test programming performance. For this purpose, two schemes have been used. Constructed response (CR) tests let the examinee write programs on a blank sheet (or with a computer keyboard). This scheme can evaluate the programming performance. However, it is difficult to apply in a large volume because skilled human graders are required (automatic evaluation is attempted but not widely used yet). Multiple choice (MC) tests let the examinee choose the correct answer from a list (often corresponding to the “hidden” portion of a complete program). This scheme can be used in a large volume with computer-based testing or mark-sense cards. However, many teachers and researchers are suspicious in that a good score does not necessarily mean the ability to write programs from scratch. We propose a third method, split-paper (SP) testing. Our scheme splits a correct program into each of its lines, shuffles the lines, adds “wrong answer” lines, and prepends them with choice symbols. The examinee answers by using a list of choice symbols corresponding to the correct program, which can be easily graded automatically by using computers. In particular, we propose the use of edit distance (Levenshtein distance) in the scoring scheme, which seems to have affinity with the SP scheme. The research question is whether SP tests scored by using an edit-distance-based scoring scheme measure programming performance as do CR tests. Therefore, we conducted an experiment by using college programming classes with 60 students to compare SP tests against CR tests. As a result, SP and CR test scores are correlated for multiple settings, and the results were statistically significant. Therefore, we might conclude that SP tests with automatic scoring using edit distance are useful tools for evaluating the programming performance

PICO-LON Project for WIMPs search

Highly segmented inorganic crystal has been shown to have good performance for dark matter search. The energy resolution of ultra thin and large area NaI(Tl) scintillator has been developed. The estimated sensitivity for spin-dependent excitation of 127I was discussed. The recent status of low background measurement at Oto Cosmo Observatory is reportedComment: 3 pages, 1 figure, Proceedings of TAUP200

A case of primary small cell carcinoma of the liver that was treated with chemotherapy

Primary small cell carcinoma (SSC) of the liver is very rare in Japan and only ten cases have been reported worldwide. We report herein the case of a 77-year-old man with primary SCC of the liver. He had a tumor over 10 cm in diameter which was localized in the right lobe of the liver and had invaded the right diaphragm. In laboratory tests, high serum levels of lactate dehydrase and neuron-specific enolase were observed. A biopsy specimen showed that the tumor cells were similar in cytology to a pulmonary SCC. The patient was first treated with carboplatin and etoposide according to the therapy protocol for pulmonary SCC and then with a regimen using etoposid and cisplatinum, resulting in an unfavorable outcome. We discuss the clinical course and therapy of extra-pulmonary SCC and review the literature of the cases previously reported

Efficacy of 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine in preventing pneumonia and improving survival in nursing home residents: double blind, randomised and placebo controlled trial

Objective To determine the efficacy of a 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in people at high risk of pneumococcal pneumonia

Current Situation of Teachers of Informatics at High Schools in Japan

In March 2018, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology revised the curriculum guidelines for high school, which will be applied in 2022. The subject of Informatics has been drastically changed; ‘Informatics I’ and ‘Informatics II’ have a predominantly scientifc approach. This could be problematic given that a lot of ‘temporary teachers’ and ‘teachers without a proper license’ teach Informatics, and more than half of the teachers that teach Informatics are in charge of multiple subjects. So, it may be diffcult to implement new curriculum in the dozens of prefectures that have few teachers who specialize in Informatics. We report on the problems our investigation revealed