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The gram-negative rod bacteria Ignatzschineria inhabits the digestive tract of larvae and adult forms of flesh flies and mostly causes bloodstream infections in animals, but rarely in humans with chronic wounds. This is the second case report of sepsis due to Ignatzschineria ureiclastica worldwide and the first reported case of Ignatzschineria species in Germany. We present a case report of 57-year-old homeless male with chronic leg and foot ulcers with maggot infestation. Blood cultures revealed gram-negative rod bacteria, which later could be identified by 16S rRNA sequence analysis as Ignatzschineria ureiclastica. Intravenous antibiotic treatment with ampicillin/sulbactam and later oral ciprofloxacin as well as local wound management lead to complete wound healing. Blood cultures of patients with chronic wounds and maggot infestation should be analyzed with 16S rRNA sequence analysis when commercial-automated devices lead to indecisive results. Live and preserved samples of insect infestation should be acquired for further entomological characterization. Susceptibility testing of rare pathogens should be performed and published. Antibiotic treatment of bloodstream infections due to Ignatzschineria species with ampicillin/sulbactam showed good clinical outcome.

The BL28XU beamline, dedicated to rechargeable battery analysis, is described., The newly installed BL28XU beamline at SPring-8 is dedicated to in situ structural and electronic analysis of rechargeable batteries. It supports the time range (1 ms to 100 s) and spatial range (1 µm to 1 mm) needed for battery analysis. Electrochemical apparatus for battery charging and discharging are available in experimental hutches and in a preparation room. Battery analysis can be carried out efficiently and effectively using X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption fine-structure analysis and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Here, the design and performance of the beamline are described, and preliminary results are presented.

著者人数: 13名, 資料番号: SA1002759000

We have been developing an X-ray photoelectron tracking imager based on a glass capillary plate (CP) gas detector for cosmic X-ray polarimetry applications. The optical imaging system consists of a CP gas detector filled with a noble-gas mixture and a cooled CCD camera coupled to an optical lens system. The performance of the optical imaging CP gas detector as an X-ray polarimeter was investigated with highly polarized, well-monochromized, and well-collimated X-ray beams at the synchrotron radiation facilities in SPring-8 and KEK-PF. Owing to the fine imaging capability of the optical imaging CP gas detector, images of X-ray photoelectron tracks were clearly observed for the polarized X-rays. A modulation factor of 26% was obtained for a 15 keV polarized X-ray beam, for which the energy resolution was 13%. We report on the properties of the optical imaging CP gas detector as an X-ray polarimeter and describe the outlook on future developments on the basis of the measured characteristics and the results of Monte Carlo simulations.

The ternary intermetallic compound TbPdAl crystallizes in the hexagonal ZrNiAl-type and the orthorhombic TiNiSi-type structures. The former compound undergoes two successive antiferromagnetic transitions with the Neel temperatures of T N1 = 43 K and T N2 = 22 K. It is also characteristic that this compound exhibits an isostructural phase transition at around T = 100 K. In this work, to investigate the origin of this transition, we have carried out extended X-ray absorption fine structures (EXAFS) and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) measurements at the Tb L 3 - and Pd K-edge. It was found that Fourier transforms for k 3 -weighted Tb L 3 -edge EXAFS spectra changed below and above the transition temperature, which is consistent with the existence of the structural transition. In addition, slight temperature dependence was observed in the Pd K-edge XANES spectra, whereas the spectra at the Tb L 3 -edge showed no obvious change. This result suggests that the transition is caused mainly by the change of the electronic structure of Pd.

Childhood experiences of animals and current attitudes towards animals were assessed using a questionnaire, which was completed by 227 Japanese students and 174 British students. Pet ownership in childhood, as well as contact with other animals and negative experiences of pets, were used as the independent variables; current attitudes towards pets and other animals were the dependent variables. There were some differences between Japan and the UK: in childhood, the British students had had significantly more pets and more animal-related experiences, such as visiting animal shelters and livestock farms, than had the Japanese students. Their current attitudes were also more positive, and they showed a greater interest in animal welfare issues than did the Japanese students. In both countries there was a positive association between childhood pet-keeping and current favourable attitudes to pets, as measured by the Pet Attitude Scale. Open-ended responses also suggested that the roles of pets for children are perceived in similar ways in Japan and the UK. Adult attitudes to pets and interest in animal welfare seem to be greatly influenced in both countries by childhood experiences of animals, including pets, and may therefore be a general phenomenon.

At the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI an X-ray single photon counting pixel detector (PILATUS) based on the hybrid-pixel detector technology was developed in collaboration with SPring-8. The detection element is a 320 or 450 μm thick silicon sensor forming pixelated pn-diodes with a pitch of 172 μm×172 μm. An array of 2×8 custom CMOS readout chips are indium bump-bonded to the sensor, which leads to 33.5 mm×83.8 mm detective area. Each pixel contains a charge-sensitive amplifier, a single level discriminator and a 20 bit counter. This design realizes a high dynamic range, short readout time of less than 3 ms, a high framing rate of over 200 images per second and an excellent point-spread function. The maximum counting rate achieves more than 2×106 X-rays/s/pixel.

High-quality excitation-energy spectra of Λ 7 Li, Λ 9 Be, Λ 13 C and Λ 16 O as well as Λ 12 C have been obtained with 2 MeV (FWHM) resolution and good statistics through the (π + ,K+) reaction. The spectra of Λ 12 C, Λ 16 0 and Λ 13 C are discussed in relation to the ΛN spindependent interaction, and those of Λ 9 Be and Λ 7 Li within the framework of the cluster structure of Λ hypernuclei. It is emphasized that Λ hypernuclear spectroscopy provides us with valuable information on Λ hypernuclear structure and the ΛN interaction.

A tapered undulator beamline BL36XU was constructed at SPring-8 to conduct structural and electronic analysis of dynamic events on polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) cathode catalysts for the development of next-generation PEFCs. BL36XU provides various time and spatially resolved XAFS techniques in an energy range from 4.5 to 35 keV for investigating PEFCs under the operating conditions. In addition, we developed in-situ complementary measurement systems, such as in-situ time-resolved XAFS/XRD and ambient pressure HAXPES systems. This report describes the performance and present status of the BL36XU.

We have developed a quick-scanning x-ray absorption fine structure (QXAFS) system and installed it at the recently constructed synchrotron radiation beamline BL33XU at the SPring-8. Rapid acquisition of high-quality QXAFS data was realized by combining a servo-motor-driven Si channel-cut monochromator with a tapered undulator. Two tandemly aligned monochromators with channel-cut Si(111) and Si(220) crystals covered energy ranges of 4.0-28.2 keV and 6.6-46.0 keV, respectively. The system allows the users to adjust instantly the energy ranges of scans, the starting angles of oscillations, and the frequencies. The channel-cut crystals are cooled with liquid nitrogen to enable them to withstand the high heat load from the undulator radiation. Deformation of the reflecting planes is reduced by clamping each crystal with two cooling blocks. Performance tests at the Cu K-edge demonstrated sufficiently high data quality for x-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended x-ray absorption fine-structure analyses with temporal resolutions of up to 10 and 25 ms, respectively.

An X-ray Raman spectrometer for studies of local structures in minerals is discussed. Contrary to widely adopted back-scattering spectrometers using ≤10 keV X-rays, a spectrometer utilizing ~20 keV X-rays and a bent Laue analyzer is proposed. The 20 keV photons penetrate mineral samples much more deeply than 10 keV photons, so that high intensity is obtained owing to an enhancement of the scattering volume. Furthermore, a bent Laue analyzer provides a wide band-pass and a high reflectivity, leading to a much enhanced integrated intensity. A prototype spectrometer has been constructed and performance tests carried out. The oxygen K-edge in SiO(2) glass and crystal (α-quartz) has been measured with energy resolutions of 4 eV (EXAFS mode) and 1.3 eV (XANES mode). Unlike methods previously adopted, it is proposed to determine the pre-edge curve based on a theoretical Compton profile and a Monte Carlo multiple-scattering simulation before extracting EXAFS features. It is shown that the obtained EXAFS features are reproduced fairly well by a cluster model with a minimal set of fitting parameters. The spectrometer and the data processing proposed here are readily applicable to high-pressure studies.

An x‐ray microprobe system with total‐reflection mirror optics for trace element analysis has been developed at beamline 37XU of SPring‐8. To achieve sub‐microprobe, a spatial filter has been installed downstream of a monochromator. Focusing tests have been performed in the x‐ray energy range of 6–14 keV. A focused beam size of 0.83 μm(V)×1.35 μm(H) has been obtained at an x‐ray energy of 10 keV, and using a spatial filter in the horizontal direction, the beam size is down to 0.84 μm. Micro‐x‐ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy of submicrometer particles has been done by utilizing the total‐reflection mirror optics. It was clearly observed from the nickel K‐edge XAFS spectra that the oxidation state of nickel was a mixture of metal and oxide even in the single submicrometer particle.

More than 20 X-ray mirror systems have been constructed in the SPring-8 beamlines since 1997. To simplify the design and reduce the construction, alignment, and maintenance time, the X-ray mirror systems have been standardized as far as possible. An overview of the design, alignment method, and performance of the standard X-ray mirror systems in SPring-8 is given here.

aJASRI, SPring-& Mikazuki, Sayo-gun, Hyougo 679-5198, Japan, bRIKEN, SPring-& Kamigori, Ako-gun, Hyougo 6795198, Japan, CjAERI Kansai, SPring-& Mikazuki, Sayogun, Hyougo 679-5143, Japan, dlnstitute of Scientific and Industrial Reseach, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka 5670047, Japan, eFaculty of Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700, Japan, tDepartment of Molecular Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-5801, Japan, gFaculty of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560, Japan, "Fundamental Research Laboratry, NEC, Tsukuba, Ibaragi 305, Japan. Emaihurugat@springS.or.jp

A time‐resolved quick x‐ray absorption fine structure (QXAFS) system was designed and constructed using high flux but low power quasimonochromatic undulator radiation at a helical undulator beamline, BL40XU at SPring‐8. At 12 keV, a flux of 1013 – 1014 photons/sec/0.1 % bw. was generated over an energy range of 1 keV with a total power of 7 – 15 W. A compact Si(111) channel cut monochromator having no active cooling was utilized. The monochromator was mounted on a galvano‐scanner stage within an experimental hutch. The stage could be oscillated at frequencies up to 100 Hz over a 1.4‐degree range. The Pt L3‐edge(11.6 keV) EXAFS spectra of Pt foil was measured in transmission and fluorescence modes up to k = 15 A−1 in a period of 50 ms/scan. In this report, the design of the QXAFS system and some preliminary experimental results are presented.

Optical burst switching (OBS) has been proposed for an effective optical switching technology of WDM networks in broadband Internets. OBS has the advantages, i.e. 1) the high usage rate of the bandwidth and 2) no necessity of optical buffer. However, OBS has the burst-contention problem in control packet phase, and faces to the reduction of the network performance. Recently, slotted OBS has been proposed. The basic performance of slotted OBS is superior to the original OBS. However, slotted OBS itself cannot overcome the burst-contention problem, either. In this paper, we will adapt BECN/CRN typed deflection routing to slotted OBS to obtain the large improvement of the optical network performance. We also present two new schemes for slotted OBS to improve the burst contention problem, i.e. a) enforced waiting control and b) scheduling.

In order to elucidate the cause for the leaching of iodine in a flooded paddy field, we investigated the transformation of an iodine species affected by the water management of the paddy field. The increased concentration of iodide (I(-)) in soil solution of a flooded paddy field suggested that I(-) was leached from the soil under anaerobic conditions. The post-edge feature of X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) for iodate (IO(3)(-)) spiked to soil totally disappeared after anaerobic incubation of the soils, and I(-) was dissolved in the solution. On the other hand, I(-) in contact with the soil was not likely to be oxidized to IO(3)(-) under aerobic incubation. Iodine was leached out in soil solution as I(-) under anaerobic conditions, whereas part of the iodine species was retained by soil as I(2) or organoiodine both under anaerobic and aerobic conditions.

In recent years, WDM networks have received much attention as the Internet backbone networks because of the explosive growth of the Internet IP-based traffic. The optical burst switching (OBS) has been proposed as an effective optical switching technology in the WDM networks (C. Qiao and M. Yoo, 1999). OBS has the advantages in 1) the high usage rate of the bandwidth, and 2) no necessity of optical buffer. However OBS has the burst-contention problem in the networks. The deflection routing is proposed as one of means to solve this problem. In this paper, we propose a new routing method of using deflection routing. In addition, we propose a QoS/CoS control method using a new routing algorithm. Finally, we show the variety of the proposed methods by computer simulations.

ALICE is a general-purpose heavy-ion experiment designed to study the physics of strongly interacting matter and the quark-gluon plasma in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the LHC. It currently includes more than 900 physicists and senior engineers, from both nuclear and high-energy physics, from about 80 institutions in 28 countries. The experimentwas approved in February 1997. The detailed design of the different detector systems has been laid down in a number of Technical Design Reports issued between mid-1998 and the end of 2001 and construction has started for most detectors. Since the last comprehensive information on detector and physics performance was published in the ALICE Technical Proposal in 1996, the detector as well as simulation, reconstruction and analysis software have undergone significant development. The Physics Performance Report (PPR) will give an updated and comprehensive summary of the current status and performance of the various ALICE subsystems, including updates to the Technical Design Reports, where appropriate, as well as a description of systems which have not been published in a Technical Design Report. The PPR will be published in two volumes. The currentVolume I contains: 1. a short theoretical overview and an extensive reference list concerning the physics topics of interest to ALICE, 2. relevant experimental conditions at the LHC, 3. a short summary and update of the subsystem designs, and 4. a description of the offline framework and Monte Carlo generators. Volume II, which will be published separately, will contain detailed simulations of combined detector performance, event reconstruction, and analysis of a representative sample of relevant physics observables from global event characteristics to hard processes. © 2004 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Structure, magnetism and transport properties have been investigated for the perovskite La2NiRuO6. The crystal structure can be refined to monoclinic P21/n where Ru4+ and Ni2+ are settled with ordered arrangement. An electrical resistivity measurement shows that this compound is insulating below room temperature. Magnetization measurements show a magnetic transition at around 20 K. From AC magnetic susceptibility measurements, it is assumed that this transition is brought about by antiferromagnetic order.

Seven experiments were conducted on four miniature pigs to determine: (1) whether the pigs can discriminate between people wearing the same coloured clothing; (2) what cues they rely on if they could discriminate. For 2 weeks before the experiments began, the pigs were conditioned in a Y-maze to receive raisins from the rewarder wearing dark blue coveralls. They were then given the opportunity to choose the rewarder or non-rewarder in these experiments. Each session consisted of 20 trials. Successful discrimination was that the pig chose the rewarder at least 15 times in 20 trials (P0.05: by chi(2)-test). In Experiment 1, both rewarder and non-rewarder wore dark blue coveralls. By 20 sessions, all pigs successfully identified the rewarder. In Experiment 2: (1) both wore coveralls of the same new colours or (2) one of them wore coveralls of new colours. They significantly preferred the rewarder even though the rewarder and/or non-rewarder wore coveralls of new colours. In Experiment 3, both wore dark blue coveralls but olfactory cues were obscured and auditory cues were not given. The pigs were able to identify the rewarder successfully irrespective of changing auditory and olfactory cues. In Experiment 4, both wore dark blue coveralls but covered part of their face and body in different ways. The correct response rate decreased when a part of the face and the whole body of the rewarder and non-rewarder were covered. In Experiment 5, both wore dark blue coveralls and changed their apparent body size by shifting sitting position. The correct response rate increased as the difference in body size between the experimenters increased. In Experiment 6, the distance between the experimenters and the pig was increased by 30cm increments. The correct response rate of each pig decreased as the experimenters receded from the pig, but performance varied among the pigs. In Experiment 7, the light intensity of the experimental room was reduced from 550 to 80lx and then to 20lx. The correct response rate of each pig decreased with the reduction in light intensity, but all the pigs discriminated the rewarder from the non-rewarder significantly even at 20lx.In conclusion, the pigs were able to discriminate between people wearing coveralls of the same colour after sufficient reinforcement. These results indicate that pigs are capable of using visual cues to discriminate between people.

The first experiment on Lambda– hypernuclear spectroscopy using high precision CW electron beam was successfully carried out at Jlab. As expected, the experiment E89– 009 (or HNSS) reached sub-MeV resolution (< 800 keV). The HNSS technique and its preliminary results featured by the 12B-Lambda system with proton– hole states were presented. The experiment provided valuable feasibility test of electroproduction and the associated technique. The future extension program is expected to reach much higher yield and even better resolution.

In situ two-dimensional (2D) micro-imaging X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements were performed in transmission mode using a charge coupled device (CCD) detector, phosphor screen, and magnifying lens. This method makes it possible to display a 2D image with a spatial resolution of around 2 μm at each energy point in a XAFS spectrum. The method was applied to in situ transmission micro-imaging XAFS measurement with a quick scanning technique.

We are currently constructing a new X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) beamline BL36XU at SPring-8 dedicated for the structural and electronic analysis of the dynamic events on polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) cathode catalysts for the development of next-generation PEFCs. To investigate the cathode catalyst nanoparticles in PEFCs under the operating conditions, the beamline is designed to provide time- and spatially resolved XAFS techniques having a time resolution of 100 μs, spatial resolution of 200 nm, and depth resolution of 1 μm. We report the outline and design of the new beamline.

YbFe2Al10-type CeRu2Al10 exhibits a mysterious phase transition at 27 K. The isostructural CeFe2Al10 is a Kondo semiconductor, whose macroscopic properties are very similar to those of CeRu2Al10 at a pressure of ~4 GPa. In order to clarify the relationship between the physical and chemical pressure effect on CeRu2Al10, we have performed measurements of the electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and specific heat on pseudo-ternary Ce(Ru1−xFex)2Al10 single crystals. These results suggest that Ce(Ru1−xFex)2Al10 gives almost the same information as CeRu2Al10 under pressure, and furthermore the primary origin of the phase transition is not simple magnetic one.

Dodecanethiol capped Ag nanoparticles (NPs) have been independently synthesized by the well-known Brust method under the same physical-chemical conditions. The obtained NP present similar sizes ( ∼ 2 nm) but different magnetic behaviors. The extended x-ray absorption fine structure analyses at the K-edge of Ag did not reveal any noticeable structural nor topological differences among the samples. In clear contrast with the structure provided for thiol capped ferromagnetic Au NPs, the analysis also brings out the existence of Ag–S bonds in a diffuse region surrounding a reduced Ag core where the magnetism of the Ag NPs would be located. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down.

Positive muon (μ+) diffusion was observed in cubic f-electron compounds PrPb3 and SmAg2In by means of the μ+ spin rotation (μ+SR) method in high transverse field applied along the [001] direction. The applied field splits one crystallographic site into two magnetically inequivalent sites. The μ+ diffusion between these magnetically different sites drastically influences the μ+SR frequencies, so that two lines are gradually merged into one line at increasing temperature due to the motional narrowing effect. The μ+ hopping rate Ω derived from the μ+SR line shape follows the Arrhenius law, namely, Ω = Ω0 exp(−U/kBT) in both cases. The preexponential factor Ω0 suggests that the dominant mechanism of μ+ diffusion is classical over-the-barrier hopping in PrPb3 for 140

Beamline BL01B1 was constructed for conventional XAFS measurements using a bending magnet light source at SPring-8 in 1997 [1]. BL01B1 covers a wide energy range from 3.8 to 113 keV using an adjustable inclined double-crystal monochromator and a double mirror system. Here, we describe a newly developed apparatus and the current status of the BL01B1. A time-efficient QEXAFS method was developed to measure high quality spectra up to high-k regions in the shortest possible time. The method involves sweeping the monochromator continuously at a variable angular speed depending on the k-region using a VME stepping motor controller. During scanning, a pair of crystals of the monochromator rotates without translation motion like a channel-cut crystal. This QEXAFS method was applied to the fluorescence mode using a 19-element Ge detector combined with a digital X-ray processor system. A new conversion electron yield detector having a rotational sample stage was developed for single crystalline samples. Angular oscillations of 4 degrees in the sample rotation stage around the axis normal to the sample surface successfully remove diffraction noise in the XAFS spectra.

We have carried out the synchrotron powder diffraction and x-ray absorption experiments of a valence-fluctuated heavy fermion compound SmOs4Sb12. The size of the Sb cage which includes a Sm atom shows significant temperature dependence. This correlates with the temperature dependence of the Sm valence. However, the cage size shrinks with decrease of temperature although the averaged ionic radius becomes large. This anomalous temperature dependence suggests the correlation between the cage size and the hybridization of the 4f electron with the conduction electrons in SmOs4Sb12.

In the Japanese newspaper industry, since the late 1970s, computerization has been started in large scale. The system, called Computerized Typesetting System (CTS), has been introduced. With this system, all information in the newspaper is input into a computer, called up on a cathode ray display (CRT) to edit, and then output to film or printing plates by CTS. Thus, the work of newspaper production has undergone a major transformation from industrial work to clerical work. It was reported that newspaper production staff working with VDTs complained more than staff working with the older key system about visual and physical problems which affected their job and their daily life. The complaint rates were highest for editors, who used VDT constantly throughout the day. This study was performed to clarify the health impact of VDT use and to prevent health disorders caused by the introduction of CTS. It is concluded that 5 m corrected vision and sphere refraction of CTS workers who used CTS over 2 or 4 hr daily, significantly became worse in a year after the introduction. Therefore, it is indicated that the control of CTS work time is important to prevent the visual disorder.