Engineering research and development of magnetically levitated high-temperature superconducting coil system for mini-RT project

A magnetically levitated superconducting coil system is being developed using high temperature superconductors for examining a new magnetic confinement of high-beta plasmas. A miniature double-pancake coil was fabricated with a Bi-2223 Ag-sheathed tape for the purpose of developing a floating control using laser displacement gauges. The coil was inductively excited with liquid nitrogen cooling and successfully levitated in the air. A persistent current switch is also being developed with a Bi-2223 Ag-0.3wt%Mn-sheathed tape, and a prototype model was successfully tested

Prediction of Boron Concentrations in Blood from Patients on Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

Background: In boron neutron capture therapy, blood boron concentration is the key factor to calculate radiation dose, however, blood sampling is difficult during neutron irradiation. Materials and Methods: The prediction of blood boron concentrations for BNCT treatment planning has been prospectively investigated using patient data obtained at first craniotomy after the infusion of a low dose of sodium undecahydroclosododecaborate. Results: The boron biodistribution data showed a biexponential pharmacokinetic profile. If the final boron concentration at 6 or 9 hours after the end of the infusion is within the 95% confidence interval of the prediction, direct prediction from biexponential fit will reduce the error of blood boron concentrations during irradiation to around 6%. Conclusion: Actual boron concentrations during BNCT were reasonably and accurately predictable from the test data

New class development to cancel a life experience and the gap with the scientific definition

理科の授業では，物理量の定義を起点として学びの展開を構成する場合が多い（定義起点展開法）。一方，日常生活では，「目的地までの所用時間の短さ」と「速さ」を連動させて思考することが多い（生活起点展開法）。そのため，科学的定義に基づく扱いとのギャップに生徒が戸惑い，理科の学習内容を日常生活へ関連させて理解するときの障壁になっている可能性がある。中学校２・３年生679名を対象とした事前調査では，速さについて「生活起点」で考えている生徒が615名（90.6％），「定義起点展開法」で考えている生徒が51名（7.5％）であった。また，生徒の「速さ」の捉え方に対する回答反応時間の分析結果からも，「定義起点展開法」の正解者の反応時間の平均が22.0秒に比べ「生活起点展開法」の平均は18.4秒であり，「目的地までの所用時間の短さ」と「速さ」を連動して思考する「生活起点展開法」の考え方が多いと推測される

Survey of Period Variations of Superhumps in SU UMa-Type Dwarf Novae. II: The Second Year (2009-2010)

As an extension of the project in Kato et al. (2009, arXiv:0905.1757), we collected times of superhump maxima for 61 SU UMa-type dwarf novae mainly observed during the 2009-2010 season. The newly obtained data confirmed the basic findings reported in Kato et al. (2009): the presence of stages A-C, as well as the predominance of positive period derivatives during stage B in systems with superhump periods shorter than 0.07 d. There was a systematic difference in period derivatives for systems with superhump periods longer than 0.075 d between this study and Kato et al. (2009). We suggest that this difference is possibly caused by the relative lack of frequently outbursting SU UMa-type dwarf novae in this period regime in the present study. We recorded a strong beat phenomenon during the 2009 superoutburst of IY UMa. The close correlation between the beat period and superhump period suggests that the changing angular velocity of the apsidal motion of the elliptical disk is responsible for the variation of superhump periods. We also described three new WZ Sge-type objects with established early superhumps and one with likely early superhumps. We also suggest that two systems, VX For and EL UMa, are WZ Sge-type dwarf novae with multiple rebrightenings. The O-C variation in OT J213806.6+261957 suggests that the frequent absence of rebrightenings in very short-Porb objects can be a result of sustained superoutburst plateau at the epoch when usual SU UMa-type dwarf novae return to quiescence preceding a rebrightening. We also present a formulation for a variety of Bayesian extension to traditional period analyses.Comment: 63 pages, 77 figures, 1 appendix, Accepted for publication in PASJ, data correctio

Engineering Design of the Mini-RT Device

"The plasma experiment apparatus S-RT (Superconducting Ring Trap) is planned for the purpose of high beta plasma confinement research in the University of Tokyo. As a preceding step, Mini-RT, which is the size reduction version of S-RT, has been constructed as a joint research of NIFS, the University of Tokyo, and Kyushu University. In this experiment a magnetic-levitation coil (floating coil) operated in persistent current mode has to levitate for 8 hours in the plasma vacuum vessel. The HTS floating coil wound with a Bi-2223 tape has a diameter of 300 mm and an electromotive force of 50 kA. Since any refrigerant cannot be fed to the coil during the plasma experiment, the coil is designed so that the temperature rise after 8 hours of levitation is less than 40 K with the specific heat of the coil and radiation shield. At the end of the daily plasma experiment, the coil will be drawn down to the maintenance location at the bottom of the plasma vacuum vessel, and it will be re-cooled to 20 K.