In the previous work, it is reported that the Spin-Seebeck effect (SSE), which refer to the generation of a spin current from a temperature gradient, can be enhanced by Fe interface treatment. Here, we investigated the Fe thickness (d Fe ) dependency of spin-Seebeck voltage (V SSE ) and mixing conductance (g r ) in Pt/Fe/Bi:YIG/SGGG system. As a result, magnitude of V SSE had a peak at d Fe ≓ 1 ML (monolayer , ≓ 0.3 mm), and also increase of g r was saturated at this point. It suggests that V SSE increase with increasing g r when d Fe is smaller than 1.0 ML. For the case in which d Fe is larger than 1.0ML, however, V SSE decreases due to a spin current decay in Fe layer with a constant g r . These experimental results are consistent with previous theoretical works.

Recently, the issue of sustainable resource management has been increasingly recognized. Economic growth of human activity is associated with a rapid rise in the use of resources in our economy, and society has a potential environmental impact. The UNEP International Resource Panel (IRP) pointed out the importance of decoupling resource use and negative environmental impacts from economic activity (UNEP IRP 2011). In order to optimize the material cycles and increase resource efficiency, material flow analysis (MFA) is a powerful tool to understand the resource consumption and material cycle in the national economy. In this study, we present the results of global material flow analysis of nickel, which is one of the important resources for reducing energy use and CO2 emission in our society, and discuss the importance and possibility of controlling its resource logistics. This study also introduces the challenge of identifying the land-use changes in nickel mining sites by a remote-sensing technique, and knowledge to increase the resource efficiency in metal recycling based on the metallurgical thermodynamic approach. The results indicated the importance of recovery of nickel in recycling policies for end-of-life (EoL) vehicles and constructions. Improvement in EoL sorting technologies and implementation of designs for recycling/disassembly at the manufacturing phase are needed. Possible solutions include development of sorting processes for steel scrap and introduction of easier methods for identifying the composition of secondary resources. Recovery of steel scrap with a high alloy content will reduce primary inputs of alloying elements and contribute to more efficient resource use.

We describe the current, 9-spacecraft Interplanetary Network (IPN). The IPN detects about 325 gamma-ray bursts per year, of which about 100 are not localized by any other missions. We give some examples of how the data, which are public, can be utilized.

This study determined the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella isolated from broiler flocks in Japan. Caecal dropping samples were collected from 288 broiler flocks between November 2007 and February 2010. Salmonella was prevalent in 248 (86·1%) broiler flocks. The top three serovars were S. Infantis, S. Manhattan and S. Schwarzengrund. S. Infantis was found in all regions tested in this study. However, S. Manhattan and S. Schwarzengrund were frequently found only in the western part of Japan. High antimicrobial resistance rates were observed against oxytetracycline (90·2%), dihydrostreptomycin (86·7%) and ampicillin (36·5%), and 258 (90·5%) of 285 isolates were resistant to two or more antimicrobial agents. Interestingly, 26·3% of isolates were resistant to ceftiofur, especially 38·1% of S. Infantis isolates, although its use in broilers has not been approved in Japan. This study showed that Salmonella is highly prevalent (86·1%) in Japanese broiler flocks, that 90·5% of Salmonella isolates were multidrug-resistant, and that S. Infantis frequently exhibited resistance to cephalosporin antimicrobial agents.

Using an ab initio density functional theory (DFT), we study thin film electronic properties of topological insulators (TIs) based on ternary compounds of Tl (thallium) and Bi (bismuth). We consider TlBiX2 (X=Se, Te) and Bi2X2Y (X, Y=Se, Te) compounds. Here we discuss the nature of surface states, their locations in the Brillouin Zone (BZ) and their interactions within the bulk region. Our calculations suggest a critical film thickness to maintain the Dirac cone which is smaller than that in binary Bi-based compounds. Atomic relaxations are found to affect the Dirac cone in some of these compounds. We discuss the penetration depth of surface states into the bulk region.

In this study, aluminized, boronized, chromized and siliconized gray cast iron plate specimens were prepared, and their microstructures and tribological properties were investigated. The surfaces of the aluminized, boronized, chromized and siliconized specimens mainly consisted of FeAl, Fe2B, (Cr, Fe)23C6 and FeSi phases, respectively. Also, the surface of the boronized specimen exhibited the highest microvickers hardness of all the specimens. The aluminized, boronized and chromized specimens exhibited friction coefficients as low as the non-coated specimens when sliding against AISI 52100 steel ball specimens in poly-alpha-olefin. In addition, the boronized and chromized specimens exhibited much higher wear resistance than the non-coated specimens.

The nodal SDW order parameter on a cylindrical Fermi surface is thought to create the Dirac cone in the metallic ground state of iron pnictides and iron chalcogenides. Confirming appearance of the Dirac cone in DFT-GGA solutions of FeSe, we discuss origin of the bulk SDW order parameter in the stacked two-dimensional electronic system. In a layered system with vanishingly small inter-layer single-particle hopping processes, the exchange channels derived for the inter-plane magnetic interaction is the super-exchange counterpart of the two-particle Coulomb scattering for the pair-hopping channel in the layered superconductivity. The fluctuation reference method of the multi-reference density functional theory concludes existence of the inter-layer super-exchange interaction by the Coulomb off-diagonal elements among orbitals in the semi-metallic band structure. Thus a proof of 2D nature of the third generation Dirac cone in iron pnictides induced by SDW also promotes understanding of the high-temperature superconductivity.

Human salmonellosis cases, particularly those caused by Salmonella Enteritidis, have been closely linked to egg consumption. This epidemiological survey was conducted to determine the baseline Salmonella prevalence and identify the risk factors for Salmonella prevalence in laying-hen farms in Japan. Caecal excrement samples and dust samples were obtained from 400 flocks in 338 laying-hen farms. Salmonella was identified in 20·7% of the farms and 19·5% of the flocks. The prevalence of Salmonella was significantly higher in flocks reared in windowless houses than in those reared in open houses. In addition, the risk of Salmonella presence was significantly higher when the windowless house farms implemented induced moulting or in-line egg processing. Efforts to reduce human salmonellosis in Japan should continue to focus on the establishment of control measures in laying-hen farms, especially those with windowless houses implementing induced moulting and equipped with in-line egg processing.

Electroabsorption spectroscopy of well-identified index-defined semiconducting carbon nanotubes is reported. The measurement of high definition electroabsorption spectra allows direct indexation with unique nanotube chirality. Results show that at least for a limited range of diameters, electroabsorption is directly proportional to the exciton binding energy of nanotubes. Electroabsorption is a powerful technique which directly probes into carbon nanotube excitonic states, and may become a useful tool for in situ study of excitons in future nanotube-based photonic devices such as electroabsorption modulators.

Resonant elastic X-ray scattering (RXS) at the erbium absorption edge was investigated in the orbital-ordered compound ErVO3. An RXS signal resonating near the Er L3-edge was clearly observed at (1 0 0). Using this signal, we studied the relation between the anisotropy of the Er 5d orbital and the V 3d orbital ordering because the covalency between the Er 5d and V 3d orbitals is expected to stabilize the C-type orbital ordering of the V 3d electrons.

The orbital ordering in perovskite-type vanadium oxides, RVO3 (R: rare earth), has been investigated by resonant X-ray scattering (RXS) near the V K-edge energy. The G-type orbital order, C-type orbital order and orbital disorder phases are elucidated on the basis of the azimuthal-angle and polarization dependence of the RXS signal reflecting the orbital ordering.

The effect of non-uniformities on the flow of electric current in weakly ionized plasmas is investigated by taking into account the ion slip as well as the Hall current. An Ohm's law for a non-uniform plasma is derived, from which the formula previously obtained by Numano, i.e. an extension of Rosa's equation, is obtainable as a special case. Making use of this new Ohm's law, the effective electrical conductivity and the effective Hall parameter are determined for isotropically turbulent plasmas. It is found that when the ion-slip effect is absent they are in good agreement with the results obtained previously.

In this study, we fabricated and examined a series of multiphase type composites constructed of Nb-doped SrTiO3 / TiO2 fine particles. The composition of the composites and the sintering temperatures were selected in a two-phase region where a perovskite SrTiO3 and a rutile TiO2 phases coexist. The composites obtained here were found to commonly have a mosaic type texture constructed of TiO2 and SrTiO3 fine particles with a typical size of about 500 nm. In some samples we also found additive phases such as Sr6Ti7Nb9O42. The thermal conductivity values measured for the most samples with different contents are ranged between 2 and 5 Wm-1K-1. The values are apparently lower than the value for single crystal SrTiO3 samples presented in literature. A sample with rather low relative density of about 80% showed a quite low thermal conductivity, about 1 Wm-1K-1. Taking account the other TE data, e.g. Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity, we calculated dimensionless figure of merit, ZT, to be at maximum 0.24 at 600°C.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2008 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, August 3 – August 7, 2008

We report the results of mid- to far-infrared spectroscopic observations of Galactic star-forming regions with ISO, Spitzer, and AKARI. Owing to the high sensitivity of the IRS onboard Spitzer, we detected [Si II] 35 μm, [Fe II] 26 μm, and [Fe III] 23 μm lines widely in low-density star-forming regions, and derived gas-phase Si and Fe abundances as 3–100% and <22%, respectively. With the FTS onboard AKARI, we obtained the spatial distribution of the [O III]  88 μm emission in two star-forming regions.