Correspondance entre Michel Murat et Akira Mizubayashi

Dimanche 7 août 2011, Saint-Quay-Portrieux. Cher Akira Mizubayashi, Permettez-moi de m’adresser à vous en usant de votre patronyme et de cet adjectif qui signifie, de manière un peu emphatique, que notre relation est amorcée et que je marque de l’intérêt pour vous : accordons-lui, si vous voulez bien, une valeur propitiatoire. Je viens de refermer votre livre, Une langue venue d’ailleurs, qui est tout ce que je connais de vous. Mais c’est dire aussi que je connais beaucoup de vous, et que no..

Anelasticity Study on Motions of Atoms in the Grain Boundary Regions in Nanocrystalline Gold

High-density nanocrystalline (n-) Au was prepared by the gas deposition method. Various anelastic and plastic creep processes associated with the grain boundary (GB) regions were observed. The vibrating reed measurements at 102 Hz with strain amplitude of 10−6 show a very broad internal friction peak near 95 K, Qp,95 K−1, and a steep increase in the anelastic strain above 200 K, εa-I,>200 K. The tensile tests show a steep increase in the anelastic strain above 200 K, εa-II,>200 K, for the stress beyond a few MPa and a linear plastic creep strain above 200 K, εpc-1, for stress range between 30 MPa and 150 MPa. The activation parameters, 1⁄τ0 of 3×1011 s−1 and E of 0.16 eV, are found for Qp,95 K−1, where τ0 and E are a pre-exponential factor and an activation energy of the relaxation time τ. We surmise that simple relaxation processes are responsible for Qp,95 K−1. The values of 1⁄τ0 and E found for εa-I,>200 K and εa-II,>200 K decrease with increasing the applied stress or the temperature, indicating that their atomic processes are the same feather. Further, E found for εpc-1 is similar to or slightly smaller than that of εa-II,>200 K. These observations indicate that the atomic motions in the GB regions of n-Au develop in scale in the order of the underlying processes for εa-I,>200 K, εa-II,>200 K and εpc-1, and are so different from those in the conventional polycrystalline Au

Microwave characterization of tantalum superconducting resonators on silicon substrate with niobium buffer layer

Tantalum thin films sputtered on unheated silicon substrates are characterized with microwaves at around 10 GHz in a 10 mK environment. We show that the phase of tantalum with a body-centered cubic lattice ($\alpha$-Ta) can be grown selectively by depositing a niobium buffer layer prior to a tantalum film. The physical properties of the films, such as superconducting transition temperature and crystallinity, change markedly with the addition of the buffer layer. Coplanar waveguide resonators based on the composite film exhibit significantly enhanced internal quality factors compared with a film without the buffer layer. The internal quality factor approaches $2\times 10^7$ at a large-photon-number limit. While the quality factor decreases at the single-photon level owing to two-level system (TLS) loss, we have identified the primary cause of TLS loss to be the amorphous silicon layer at the film-substrate interface, which originates from the substrate cleaning before the film deposition rather than the film itself. The temperature dependence of the internal quality factors shows a marked rise below 200 mK, suggesting the presence of TLS-TLS interactions. The present low-loss tantalum films can be deposited without substrate heating and thus have various potential applications in superconducting quantum electronics.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures + Supplementary Material (7 pages, 5 figures

Crystallization of Ti33Cu67 metallic glass under high-current density electrical pulses

We have studied the phase and structure evolution of the Ti33Cu67 amorphous alloy subjected to electrical pulses of high current density. By varying the pulse parameters, different stages of crystallization could be observed in the samples. Partial polymorphic nanocrystallization resulting in the formation of 5- to 8-nm crystallites of the TiCu2 intermetallic in the residual amorphous matrix occurred when the maximum current density reached 9.7·108 A m-2 and the pulse duration was 140 μs, though the calculated temperature increase due to Joule heating was not enough to reach the crystallization temperature of the alloy. Samples subjected to higher current densities and higher values of the evolved Joule heat per unit mass fully crystallized and contained the Ti2Cu3 and TiCu3 phases. A common feature of the crystallized ribbons was their non-uniform microstructure with regions that experienced local melting and rapid solidification

Electropulse-induced microstructural evolution in a ferritic–pearlitic 0.14% C steel

The present work reports the experimental observation of electropulse-induced microstructural evolution in a ferritic–pearlitic steel at ambient temperature. Electropulsing initially causes the fragmentation of lamellar structure. Further treatment leads to the formation of new cementite plates aligned with the current direction. This is attributed to the reduction of the system free energy. The hardness of the material decreased with an increase in the number of electric current pulses. Electrical resistivity is thought to be responsible for the observed phenomenon

Development of Genome-wide Simple Sequence Repeat Markers Using Whole-genome Shotgun Sequences of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench)

Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers with a high degree of polymorphism contribute to the molecular dissection of agriculturally important traits in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench). We designed 5599 non-redundant SSR markers, including regions flanking the SSRs, in whole-genome shotgun sequences of sorghum line ATx623. (AT/TA)n repeats constituted 26.1% of all SSRs, followed by (AG/TC)n at 20.5%, (AC/TG)n at 13.7% and (CG/GC)n at 11.8%. The chromosomal locations of 5012 SSR markers were determined by comparing the locations identified by means of electronic PCR with the predicted positions of 34 008 gene loci. Most SSR markers had a similar distribution to the gene loci. Among 970 markers validated by fragment analysis, 67.8% (658 of 970) markers successfully provided PCR amplification in sorghum line BTx623, with a mean polymorphism rate of 45.1% (297 of 658) for all SSR loci in combinations of 11 sorghum lines and one sudangrass (Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf) line. The product of 5012 and 0.678 suggests that ∼3400 SSR markers could be used to detect SSR polymorphisms and that more than 1500 (45.1% of 3400) markers could reveal SSR polymorphisms in combinations of Sorghum lines

Aldose reductase inhibition ameliorates pupillary light reflex and F-wave latency in patients with mild diabetic neuropathy

WSTĘP. Zbadanie wpływu inhibitora reduktazy aldozy, epalrestatu, na wczesną fazę neuropatii autonomicznej i somatycznej u chorych na cukrzycę typu 2 przez ocenę odruchu źrenicznego na światło oraz minimalnej latencji fali F. MATERIAŁ I METODY. Badanie objęło 30 chorych na cukrzycę z podkliniczną lub łagodną neuropatią cukrzycową, których losowo przydzielono do grupy kontrolnej (n = 15) lub do grupy leczonej epalrestatem (150 mg/d., n = 15). Po 24 tygodniach przeprowadzono badanie odruchu źrenicznego na światło, testy włókien autonomicznych układu sercowo-naczyniowego oraz badanie przewodzenia nerwowego. WYNIKI. Korzystny wpływ epalrestatu na odruch źreniczny na światło zaobserwowano w odniesieniu do minimalnej średnicy po bodźcu świetlnym (p = 0,044), wskaźnika zwężenia (p = 0,014) oraz maksymalnej szybkości zwężania (p = 0,008). Spośród testów autonomicznych układu sercowo-naczyniowego leczenie epalrestatem spowodowało poprawę wskaźnika najdłuższego odstępu RR podczas wydechu do najkrótszego odstępu RR w czasie wdechu obserwowanego podczas testu głębokiego oddychania (p = 0,037). Minimalna latencja fali F nerwów pośrodkowego oraz piszczelowego uległa istotnemu skróceniu w grupie chorych leczonych epalrestatem (odpowiednio p = 0,002 oraz p = 0,001); nie stwierdzono jednak istotnego wpływu na prędkość przewodzenia nerwowego w nerwach czuciowych oraz ruchowych. WNIOSKI. Powyższe obserwacje sugerują, że epalrestat może korzystnie działać we wczesnej fazie neuropatii cukrzycowej oraz że odruch źreniczny na światło i minimalna latencja fali F mogą stanowić przydatne wskaźniki neuropatii cukrzycowej.INTRODUCTION. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of an aldose reductase inhibitor, epalrestat, on autonomic and somatic neuropathy at an early stage in type 2 diabetic patients by assessing the pupillary light reflex and minimum latency of the F-wave. MATERIAL AND METHODS. A total of 30 diabetic patients with subclinical or mild diabetic neuropathy were randomly allocated to a control group (n = 15) and epalrestat (150 mg/day) group (n = 15). After 24 weeks, the pupillary light reflex test, cardiovascular autonomic function tests, and nerve conduction study were performed. RESULTS. The beneficial effect of epalrestat on the pupillary light reflex was observed in the minimum diameter after light stimuli (P = 0.044), constriction ratio (P = 0.014), and maximum velocity of constriction (P = 0.008). Among cardiovascular autonomic nerve functions, the ratio of the longest expiratory R-R interval to the shortest inspiratory R-R interval during deep breathing was significantly improved by epalrestat (P = 0.037). Minimum latencies of F-wave of median and tibial motor nerves were significantly shortened by epalrestat (P = 0.002 and P = 0.001, respectively); however, no significant effects were observed in motor or sensory nerve conduction velocity. CONCLUSIONS. These observations suggest that epalrestat may have therapeutic value at the early stage of diabetic neuropathy and that the pupillary light reflex and minimum latency of F-wave may be useful indicators of diabetic neuropathy

Joule-heating Effects In the Amorphous Fe40ni40b20 Alloy

The effects of Joule heating on the amorphous Fe40Ni40B20 alloy are investigated by measuring the time behavior of the electrical resistance of ribbon strips during such a treatment. The structural transformations occurring in subsequent stages of the process are studied by means of x-ray-diffraction, differential-scanning-calorimetry, and magnetic-permeability measurements. A continuous evolution from a fully amorphous to a fully crystalline structure may be followed. The crystallization mechanisms observed in Joule-heated samples differ from the ones occurring under conventional heating conditions. The electrical resistance displays a bump in the course of Joule heating. A quantitative model relating such a bump to the extra heat released to the sample by fast crystallization is proposed and discussed

Uncovering of major genetic factors generating naturally occurring variation in heading date among Asian rice cultivars

To dissect the genetic factors controlling naturally occurring variation of heading date in Asian rice cultivars, we performed QTL analyses using F2 populations derived from crosses between a japonica cultivar, Koshihikari, and each of 12 cultivars originating from various regions in Asia. These 12 diverse cultivars varied in heading date under natural field conditions in Tsukuba, Japan. Transgressive segregation was observed in 10 F2 combinations. QTL analyses using multiple crosses revealed a comprehensive series of loci involved in natural variation in flowering time. One to four QTLs were detected in each cross combination, and some QTLs were shared among combinations. The chromosomal locations of these QTLs corresponded well with those detected in other studies. The allelic effects of the QTLs varied among the cross combinations. Sequence analysis of several previously cloned genes controlling heading date, including Hd1, Hd3a, Hd6, RFT1, and Ghd7, identified several functional polymorphisms, indicating that allelic variation at these loci probably contributes to variation in heading date. Taken together, the QTL and sequencing results indicate that a large portion of the phenotypic variation in heading date in Asian rice cultivars could be generated by combinations of different alleles (possibly both loss- and gain-of-function) of the QTLs detected in this study