Shearing stability of lubricants

Shearing stabilities of lubricating oils containing a high mol. wt. polymer as a viscosity index improver were studied by use of ultrasound. The oils were degraded by cavitation and the degradation generally followed first order kinetics with the rate of degradation increasing with the intensity of the ultrasonic irradiation and the cumulative energy applied. The shear stability was mainly affected by the mol. wt. of the polymer additive and could be determined in a short time by mechanical shearing with ultrasound

Quantum Corrals, Eigenmodes and Quantum Mirages in s-wave Superconductors

We study the electronic structure of magnetic and non-magnetic quantum corrals embedded in s-wave superconductors. We demonstrate that a quantum mirage of an impurity bound state peak can be projected from the occupied into the empty focus of a non-magnetic quantum corral via the excitation of the corral's eigenmodes. We observe an enhanced coupling between magnetic impurities inside the corral, which can be varied through oscillations in the corral's impurity potential. Finally, we discuss the form of eigenmodes in magnetic quantum corrals.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Magnetic Excitations in the Quasi-1D Ising-like Antiferromagnet TlCoCl3_3

Neutron inelastic scattering measurements have been performed in order to investigate the magnetic excitations in the quasi-1D Ising-like antiferromagnet TlCoCl$_3$. We observed the magnetic excitation, which corresponds to the spin-wave excitation continuum corresponding to the domain-wall pair excitation in the 1D Ising-like antiferromagnet. According to the Ishimura-Shiba theory, we analyzed the observed spin-wave excitation, and the exchange constant $2J$ and the anistropy $\epsilon$ were estimated as 14.7 meV and 0.14 in TlCoCl$_3$, respectively.Comment: 2 pages, 3 figures, jpsj2.cls, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. Vol.75 (2006) No.

Suppressed Coherence due to Orbital Correlations in the Ferromagnetically Ordered Metallic Phase of Mn Compounds

Small Drude weight $D$ together with small specific heat coefficient $\gamma$ observed in the ferromagnetic phase of R$_{1-x}$A$_x$MnO$_3$ (R=La, Pr, Nd, Sm; A=Ca, Sr, Ba) are analyzed in terms of a proximity effect of the Mott insulator. The scaling theory for the metal-insulator transition with the critical enhancement of orbital correlations toward the staggered ordering of two $e_g$ orbitals such as $3x^2-r^2$ and $3y^2-r^2$ symmetries may lead to the critical exponents of $D \propto \delta^{u}$ and $\gamma \propto \delta^v$ with $u=3/2$ and $v=0$. The result agrees with the experimental indications.Comment: 4 pages LaTeX using jpsj.sty. To appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 67(1998)No.

Polarized Neutron Inelastic Scattering Study of the Anisotropic Magnetic Fluctuations in the Quasi-1D Ising-like Antiferromagnet TlCoCl3_3

Polarized neutron inelastic scattering experiments have been carried out in the quasi-1D Ising-like antiferromagnet TlCoCl$_3$. We observed the longitudinal magnetic fluctuation $S_{zz} (Q, \omega)$ for the spin-wave excitation continuum, which has not been observed in the unpolarized neutron inelastic scattering experiments of the quasi-1D Ising-like antiferromagnets CsCoCl$_3$ and TlCoCl$_3$ so far, together with the transverse magnetic fluctuation $S_{xx} (Q, \omega)$. We compared both obtained intensities of $S_{xx} (Q, \omega)$ and $S_{zz} (Q, \omega)$ with the perturbation theory from the pure Ising limit by Ishimura and Shiba, and a semi-quantitative agreement was found.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, jpsj2.cls, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. Vol. 75 (2006) No.

Ultrafast Photoinduced Formation of Metallic State in a Perovskite-type Manganite with Short Range Charge and Orbital Order

Femtosecond reflection spectroscopy was performed on a perovskite-type manganite, Gd0.55Sr0.45MnO3, with the short-range charge and orbital order (CO/OO). Immediately after the photoirradiation, a large increase of the reflectivity was detected in the mid-infrared region. The optical conductivity spectrum under photoirradiation obtained from the Kramers-Kronig analyses of the reflectivity changes demonstrates a formation of a metallic state. This suggests that ferromagnetic spin arrangements occur within the time resolution (ca. 200 fs) through the double exchange interaction, resulting in an ultrafast CO/OO to FM switching.Comment: 4 figure

Half-magnetization plateaux in Cr spinels

Magnetization plateaux, visible as anomalies in magnetic susceptibility at low temperatures, are one of the hallmarks of frustrated magnetism. An extremely robust half-magnetization plateau is observed in the spinel oxides CdCr2O4 and HgCr2O4, where it is accompanied by a substantial lattice distortion. We give an overview of the present state experiment for CdCr2O4 and HgCr2O4, and show how such a half-magnetization plateau arises quite naturally in a simple model of these systems, once coupling to the lattice is taken into account.Comment: 8 pages latex using IOP macros, from review talk given at RHMF 2006 (Sendai

Josephson current in unconventional superconductors through an Anderson impurity

Josephson current for a system consisting of an Anderson impurity weakly coupled to two unconventional superconductors is studied and shown to be driven by a surface zero energy (mid-gap) bound-state. The repulsive Coulomb interaction in the dot can turn a $\pi$ junction into a 0-junction. This effect is more pronounced in p-wave superconductors while in high-temperature superconductors with $d_{x^2-y^2}$ symmetry it can exit for rather large artificial centers at which tunneling occurs within a finite region.Comment: 4 pages 3.eps figure

The Development of Low Activation Ferritic Steels for Fusion Application

The development of low-activation ferritic/martensitic steels is a key to the achievement of nuclear fusion as a safe, environmentally attractive and economically competitive energy source. The Japanese and the European Fusion Materials programs have put low-activation ferritic and martensitic steels R & D at the highest priority for a demonstration reactor (DEMO) and the beyond. An international collaborative test program on low-activation ferritic/martensitic steels for fusion is in progress as an activity of the International Energy Agency (IEA) fusion materials working group to verify the feasibility of using ferritic/martensitic steels for fusion by an extensive test program covering the most relevant technical issues for the qualification of a material for a nuclear application. The development of a comprehensive data base on the representative industrially processed reduced-activation steels of type 8-9Cr-2WVTa is underway for providing designers a preliminary set of material data for the mechanical design of components, e.g. for DEMO relevant blanket modules. The current design status of FFHR and SSTR utilizing low-activation ferritic steels is reviewed and future prospects are defined

The calpastatin-derived calpain inhibitor CP1B reduces mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and-9 and invasion by leukemic THP-1 cells

The ubiquitous proteases μ- and m-calpain are Ca2+-dependent cysteine endopeptidases. Besides involvement in a variety of physio(patho)logical processes, recent studies suggest a pivotal role of calpains in differentiation of hematopoietic cells and tumor cell invasion. However, the precise actions of calpains and their endogenous inhibitor, calpastatin, in these processes are only partially understood. Here we have studied the role of the calpain/calpastatin system in the invasion of leukemic cells under basal and differentiationstimulating conditions. To further differentiate the human leukaemic cell line THP-1 (monocytic), the cells were treated for 24 hours with the differentiationstimulating reagents phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Macrophage and granulocytelike differentiation was confirmed by induction of vimentin expression as well as by microscopic and fluorescence assisted cytometric analysis. Extracellular matrix (ECM) invasion of both the basal and differentiation stimulated cells in a Matrigel assay was inhibited by preincubation of the cells with the specific calpain inhibitor CP1B for 24 hours. Inhibition of invasiveness correlated with decreased mRNA expression and secretion of the matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2 and MMP-9. In contrast, addition of CP1B only during the invasion process did neither influence transmigration nor MMP release. This is the first report showing that the calpain/calpastatin system mediates MMPmRNA expression of the leukemic THP-1 cells and as a consequence their invasiveness