Precise instrumental calibration is of crucial importance to 21-cm cosmology experiments. The Murchison Widefield Array’s (MWA) Phase II compact configuration offers us opportunities for both redundant calibration and sky-based calibration algorithms; using the two in tandem is a potential approach to mitigate calibration errors caused by inaccurate sky models. The MWA Epoch of Reionization (EoR) experiment targets three patches of the sky (dubbed EoR0, EoR1, and EoR2) with deep observations. Previous work in Li et al. (2018) and (2019) studied the effect of tandem calibration on the EoR0 field and found that it yielded no significant improvement in the power spectrum (PS) over sky-based calibration alone. In this work, we apply similar techniques to the EoR1 field and find a distinct result: the improvements in the PS from tandem calibration are significant. To understand this result, we analyse both the calibration solutions themselves and the effects on the PS over three nights of EoR1 observations. We conclude that the presence of the bright radio galaxy Fornax A in EoR1 degrades the performance of sky-based calibration, which in turn enables redundant calibration to have a larger impact. These results suggest that redundant calibration can indeed mitigate some level of model incompleteness error.

The cross power spectrum of the 21 cm signal and Lyman-α emitters (LAEs) is a probe of the Epoch of Reionization. Astrophysical foregrounds do not correlate with the LAE distribution, though the foregrounds contribute to the error. To study the impact of foregrounds on the measurement, we assume realistic observation by the Murchison Widefield Array using a catalogue of radio galaxies, a LAE survey by the Subaru Hyper Supreme-Cam and the redshift of LAEs is determined by the Prime Focus Spectrograph. The HI distribution is estimated from a radiative transfer simulation with models based on results of radiation hydrodynamics simulation. Using these models, we found that the error of cross power spectrum is dominated by foreground terms. Furthermore, we estimate the effects of foreground removal, and find 99% of the foreground removal is required to detect the 21 cm-LAE signal at k ∼ 0.4 h Mpc−1.

Protein malnutrition promotes hepatic steatosis, decreases insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I production and retards growth. To identify new molecules involved in such changes, we conducted DNA microarray analysis on liver samples from rats fed an isoenergetic low-protein diet for 8 h. We identified the fibroblast growth factor 21 gene (Fgf21) as one of the most strongly up-regulated genes under conditions of acute protein malnutrition (P<0·05, false-discovery rate<0·001). In addition, amino acid deprivation increased Fgf21 mRNA levels in rat liver-derived RL-34 cells (P<0·01). These results suggested that amino acid limitation directly increases Fgf21 expression. FGF21 is a polypeptide hormone that regulates glucose and lipid metabolism. FGF21 also promotes a growth hormone-resistance state and suppresses IGF-I in transgenic mice. Therefore, to determine further whether Fgf21 up-regulation causes hepatic steatosis and growth retardation after IGF-I decrease in protein malnutrition, we fed an isoenergetic low-protein diet to Fgf21-knockout (KO) mice. Fgf21-KO did not rescue growth retardation and reduced plasma IGF-I concentration in these mice. Fgf21-KO mice showed greater epididymal white adipose tissue weight and increased hepatic TAG and cholesterol levels under protein malnutrition conditions (P<0·05). Overall, the results showed that protein deprivation directly increased Fgf21 expression. However, growth retardation and decreased IGF-I were not mediated by increased FGF21 expression in protein malnutrition. Furthermore, FGF21 up-regulation rather appears to have a protective effect against obesity and hepatic steatosis in protein-malnourished animals.

To control an input energy for a load, an impedance control with a gap distance of an electron beam diode was studied using an intense pulsed-power generator. The output current of the pulsed-power generator as a function of the gap distance of electron beam diode was measured. It indicated that the behaviors of the experimentally obtained peak current and the theoretically obtained space-charge limited current were found to decrease with an increase in the gap distance. The input energy for the load was estimated from the output current, which decreased with an increase in the gap distance. It also revealed the space-charge limited current suppresses the input energy for the load with a decade.

Formation of interfacial dislocations (IDs) and dislocation half-loop arrays (HLAs) and their appearance in 4H-SiC epi-wafers are investigated by X-ray topography and KOH etching analysis. Synchrotron reflection X-ray topography demonstrates the ability to image IDs and HLAs simultaneously and reveal their densities as well as spatial distributions in the epi-wafers. The vertical location of IDs in the epi-wafer is also examined by this technique. The influence of wafer warp, in-situ H2 etching prior to epitaxial growth, substrate off-angle as well as the growth face (Si-face and C-face) on the densities and spatial distributions of IDs and HLAs are discussed.

TEX101, a glycoprotein we recently identified, is primarily characterized as a unique germ-cell-specific marker protein that shows sexually dimorphic expression during mouse gonad development. Based on data obtained from molecular biological as well as immuno-morphological studies, we believe this molecule may play a role in the process underlying germ cell formation. However, many points remain unclear as the molecular characteristics and its physiological functions are far from being completely understood. To clarify the molecular basis of TEX101, we herein report a further biochemical characterization of the molecule using testicular Triton X-100 extracts from mice. Deglycosylation studies using endoglycohydrolases that delete N-linked oligosaccharides (OS) from the molecule show that TEX101 is highly (approximately 47%) N-glycosylated. All potential N-glycosylation sites within TEX101 are glycosylated and most of these sites are occupied by endoglycosidase F2-sensitive biantennary complex type OS units. In addition, an extremely low population among TEX101 possesses only endoglycosidase H-sensitive hybrid type OS units. In studies using phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C against native testicular cells or TEX101 transfectant, the enzyme treatment caused major reduction of the TEX101 expression on the cell, suggesting that TEX101, at least in part, is expressed as a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein. Taken together, these findings will help elucidate the molecular nature of TEX101, a marker molecule that appeared on germ cells during gametogenesis.

Hydrophobic-hydrophilic patterns were formed on indium tin oxide substrates, and thick films of poly(phenylsilsesquioxane) (PhSiO3/2) particles, prepared by the sol-gel process, were selectively deposited onto hydrophilic areas of the substrates by electrophoresis. The films composed of PhSiO3/2 particles became transparent with morphological changes from aggregates of particles to a continuous phase after a heat treatment. After heat treatment at 200 °C, convex-shaped PhSiO3/2 micropatterns were formed on the hydrophilic region of the pattern. Moreover, the height of micropatterns was controlled by the deposition time. This patterning technique has a wide variety of applications such as fabrication of micro-optical components.

c-axis-oriented epitaxial SrBi2Ta2O9 ultra-thin films were grown by pulse-gas-introduced metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (pulsed-MOCVD) on (100)SrTiO3 single crystal substrates with atomic scale step structure and their growth behavior was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Minimum growth unit was found to be “ghalf-unit-cell” of SrBi2Ta2O9. Height of steps and width of terraces observed at SrBi2Ta2O9 film surface were in good agreement with those at SrTiO3 substrate surface. This shape transfer was induced by lattice displacement of SrBi2Ta2O9 along c-direction formed at atomic step on SrTiO3 substrate. In-plane growth of half-unit-cell SrBi2Ta2O9 2D-islands striding across the step walls was observed. It was considered to be a special phenomenon for c-axis-oriented films of layer-structured compounds due to their large crystal anisotropy and/or several times larger half-unit-cell height than single step one of SrTiO3.

Temperature dependency of the dielectric property of c-axis-oriented SrBi4Ti4O15 films was investigated in a temperature range from 80 to 400 K. c-axis-oriented epitaxial films with the film thickness of 30 and 140 nm were grown on (100)cSrRuO3//(100)SrTiO3 substrates by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Increasing lattice distortions along the a- and c-axes with decreasing film thickness was ascertained by XRD reciprocal space mapping. However, capacitance change normalized by the capacitance data at 300 K for with temperature was independent of the film thickness; it increased from 80 to 230 K and contrary decreased with increasing the temperature. Especially, the temperature coefficient of capacitance from 230 to 330 K was almost the same. It indicates that dielectric characteristics of these films for the temperature are independent of the film thickness in the actual use. Moreover, the same mesurement for the 120 nm-thick fiber-textured c-axis-oriented SrBi4Ti4O15 film deposited on the (100)cLaNiO3/(111)Pt/TiO2/SiO2/(100)Si substrate was also investigated. Resultant capacitance change with the temperature was basically the same with that of the epitaxial one, even though the temperature at maximum capacitance value was slightly shifted to lower temperature of 200 K. These data suggest that of capacitance change with the temperature was almost independent of the film thickness and the in-plane orientation.

Hafnium oxide films were deposited on silicon substrates at deposition temperatures ranging from 190 to 500 °C by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition using an amide precursor, Hf[N(C2H5)2]4, and O2 as source materials. The effect of deposition temperature on the deposition characteristics and electrical properties of the resultant films were investigated. Reaction-limited deposition of hafnium oxide films occurred at deposition temperatures under 380 °C. Concentration of residues, such as carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen, monotonously decreased with increasing deposition temperature, with nitrogen being the most thermally susceptible. However, surface roughness reached a minimum value at 400 °C. Amorphous films were obtained for deposition temperatures up to 450 °C, but obviously became crystallized at 500 °C. Accumulation capacitance increased with increasing deposition temperature but saturated above 400 °C. Moreover, postdeposition annealing at 800 °C caused no obvious degradation in the electrical properties of the film deposited at 400 °C.

La-Ni-O films were deposited at deposition temperature ranging from 250 to 540°C by rf magnetron sputter deposition. The effects of deposition temperature and the following heat-treatment condition on the constituent phases and characteristics of LaNiO3 films were investigated. LaNiO3 phase was obtained at the deposition temperature of 250 and 360°C, while La-rich phase of La2NiO4 was appeared above 540°C. Crystalline phases of resultant films after the following heat-treatment strongly depended on the partial pressure of oxygen gas in ambience, i.e., in case of the heat-treatment at 800°C, diffraction peaks originated from LaNiO3 phase disappeared on XRD patterns in pure nitrogen gas ambience, while impurity peaks of NiO appeared in oxygen-excess (>50%) ambience. As a result, LaNiO3 films with high crystallinity and the same lattice parameter as the bulk one were obtained in the deposition at 360°C followed by the heat-treatment at 700°C in air.

Martensitic transformation behavior of Ti50Ni40Pt10 (TiNiPt) melt-spun ribbons were investigated where the heat treatment temperature was systematically changed from 473K to 773K. A hot-forged bulk TiNiPt material with the similar chemical composition was also tested as a comparison. θ-2θ X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy observation revealed that the as-spun ribbons were fully crystallized. The apparent phases of as-spun ribbons at room temperature are both B19 martensite and B2 parent phase instead of B2 single phase for the hot-forged bulk material. No precipitates were found in as-spun and heat-treated ribbons. It was revealed by differential scanning calorimetry that all the specimens exhibit one-step transformation. The martensitic transformation temperatures of the TiNiPt as-spun ribbons are 100K higher than those of the hot-forged bulk material, and the martensitic transformation temperature decreases with increasing heat treatment temperature.