Sensory information plays an important role to determine psycho-emotional behaviors of individuals. in this study, we have examined psycho-emotional behaviors of rats after disrupting the oral sensory relay to brain with bilateral transection of the chorda tympami and lingual nerve (LNX). LNX rats are expected to lose their sensory information from the anterior two thirds of the tongue. Two weeks after the nerve transections or sham operations, rats were subjected to behavioral sessions to examine anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, and the brain monoamine levels were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Initial weight loss after the surgery was bigger in LNX rats and this effect remained during the whole experimental period, although daily food intake per 100 g body weight became greater in LNX rats. Ambulatory activity was decreased, anxiety-related behaviors during the activity test increased, time spent in the open arms during elevated plus maze test decreased, and immobility duration during Porsolt swim test increased in LNX rats compared with sham rats. LNX rats showed anhedonia with decreased sucrose consumption compared to sham rats. Serotonin levels in the hippocampus were decreased in LNX rats compared with sham rats. Results suggest that disruption of oral sensory relay to brain may lead to the development of depression- and anxiety-related disorders, and decreased serotonergic activity in the hippocampus play a role in its underlying mechanism.

Supported by the NRF (2010-0003642) funded by MOEST

The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) Pathfinder for Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) consists of two telescopes. The UFFO Burst Alert & Trigger Telescope (UBAT) handles the detection and localization of GRBs, and the Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) conducts the measurement of the UV/optical afterglow. UBAT is equipped with an X-ray detector, analog and digital signal readout electronics that detects X-rays from GRBs and determines the location. SMT is equipped with a stepping motor and the associated electronics to rotate the slewing mirror targeting the GRBs identified by UBAT. First the slewing mirror points to a GRB, then SMT obtains the optical image of the GRB using the intensified CCD and its readout electronics. The UFFO Data Acquisition system (UDAQ) is responsible for the overall function and operation of the observatory and the communication with the satellite main processor. In this paper we present the design and implementation of the electronics of UBAT and SMT as well as the architecture and implementation of UDAQ.

One of the unexplored domains in the study of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is the early time phase of the optical light curve. We have proposed Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) to address this question through extraordinary opportunities presented by a series of small space missions. The UFFO is equipped with a fast-response Slewing Mirror Telescope that uses a rapidly moving mirror or mirror array to redirect the optical beam rather than slewing the entire spacecraft or telescope to aim the optical instrument at the GRB position. The UFFO will probe the early optical rise of GRBs with sub-second response, for the first time, opening a completely new frontier in GRB and transient studies. Its fast response measurements of the optical emission of dozens of GRB each year will provide unique probes of the burst mechanism and test the prospect of GRB as a new standard candle, potentially opening up the z > 10 universe. We describe the current limit in early photon measurements, the aspects of early photon physics, our soon-to-be-launched UFFO-pathfinder mission, and our next planned mission, the UFFO-100.

The Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) is the UV/optical telescope of UFFO-pathfinder. The SMT optical system is a Ritchey-Chrétien (RC) telescope of 100 mm diameter pointed by means of a gimbal-mounted flat mirror in front of the telescope. The RC telescope has a 17 × 17arcmin2 in Field of View and 4.3 arcsec resolution (full width half maximum of the point spread function) The beam-steering mirror enables the SMT to access a 35 × 35degree region and point and settle within 1 sec. All mirrors were fabricated to about 0.02 wavelengths RMS in wave front error (WFE) and 84.7% average reflectivity over 200 nm ~ 650 nm. The RC telescope was aligned to 0.05 wavelengths RMS in WFE (test wavelength 632.8 nm). In this paper, the technical details of the RC telescope and slewing mirror system assembly, integration, and testing are given shortly, and performance tests of the full SMT optical system are reported.

The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) aims to detect the earliest moment of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) which is not well known, resulting into the enhancement of GRB mechanism understanding. The pathfinder mission was proposed to be a scaled-down version of UFFO, and only contains the UFFO Burst Alert & Trigger Telescope (UBAT) measuring the X-ray/gamma-ray with the wide-field of view and the Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) with a rapid-response for the UV/optical photons. Once the UBAT detects a GRB candidate with the position accuracy of 10 arcmin, the SMT steers the UV/optical photons from the candidate to the telescope by the fast rotatable mirror and provides the early UV/optical photons measurements with 4 arcsec accuracy. The SMT has a modified Ritchey-Chrètien telescope with the aperture size of 10 cm diameter including the rotatable mirror and the image readout by the intensified charge-coupled device. There is a key board called the UFFO Data Acquisition system (UDAQ) that manages the communication of each telescope and also of the satellite and the UFFO overall operation. This pathfinder is designed and built within the limited size and weight of  ~20 kg and the low power consumption up to  ~30 W. We will discuss the design and performance of the UFFO-pathfinder, and its integration to the Lomonosov satellite.

One of the key aspects of the upcoming Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) pathfinder for Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) identification is the UFFO Burst Alert & Trigger Telescope (UBAT). The scientific propose of UBAT is to detect and locate as fast as possible the GRBs in the sky. This is achieved by using a coded mask aperture camera scheme with a wide field of view (FOV) and selecting a X-ray detector of high quantum efficiency and large detection area. This X-ray detector of high quantum efficiency and large detection area is called the UBAT detector. The UBAT detector consists of 48 × 48 Yttrium Oxyorthosilicate (YSO) scintillator crystal arrays and Multi Anode Photomultiplier Tubes (MAPMTs), analog electronics equipped with ASIC chips, digital electronics equipped with Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chips, and a mechanical structure that supports all components of the UBAT detector. The total number of the pixels in the UBAT detector is 2304, and the total effective detection area is 191 cm2. We will present the design and construction, and performance of the UBAT detector including the responses of the UBAT detector to X-ray sources.

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images of annealed ZnO thin films showed the domain boundaries of a (0) plane with a transition zone and a (1) plane without a transition zone. The 30° in-plane rotation domain boundaries were formed in the ZnO thin films because the angle of the c-axis was tilted 3.5° in comparison with that of neighboring 30° in-plane rotation domains to reduce the misfit strain energy. The atomic arrangement variations of 30° in-plane rotation domain boundaries in ZnO thin films grown on Si substrates due to thermal annealing are described.

An overview on current trends in stimulated Brillouin scattering and optical phase conjugation is given. This report is based on the results of the “Second International Workshop on stimulated Brillouin scattering and phase conjugation” held in Potsdam/Germany in September 2007. The properties of stimulated Brillouin scattering are presented for the compensation of phase distortions in combination with novel laser technology like ceramics materials but also for e.g., phase stabilization, beam combination, and slow light. Photorefractive nonlinear mirrors and resonant refractive index gratings are addressed as phase conjugating mirrors in addition.

A new concept of laser fusion driver is proposed, which uses a beam combination technique with stimulated Brillouin scattering phase conjugate mirror (SBS-PCM). It is constructed systematically with a cross-type amplifier as a basic unit. In the first part of this paper, we introduce the cross-type laser amplifier using SBS-PCM, with several advantages by experimental results. These advantages are the ideal properties for practical laser fusion driver, such as the perfect isolation of leak beam, the compensation of thermally induced birefringence through the amplifiers, the easy maintenance and alignment insensitiveness, and the freely-scale-up energy. Next, some successful results for the phase control of SBS-PCM are presented, which is one of the main problems in the current beam combination laser using SBS-PCM. Particularly, a new technique for controlling the phase of SBS-PCM, “self-density modulation,” is introduced, which is the simplest ever among those reported. With the advantages of the cross-type amplifier using SBS-PCM and the novel method for controlling the phase of SBS-PCM, the proposed beam combination laser system is presented as the most promising one, which can contribute to the realization of high energy laser that can operate with high repetition rate over 10 Hz, even in the case of huge output energy over MJ.

Void formation in lead-free solder joints, away from the joint interface, has been observed after solid-state aging. These voids are attached to intermetallic precipitates in the solder matrix, especially to those that are adjacent to the layered intermetallic at the joint interface. Two potential void formation mechanisms are discussed. The mechanism proposed to describe void formation is that a flux of vacancies is created due to volume contraction during solid-state reaction. The ripening process among the intermetallics also assists this process. Using the suggested mechanisms, the void size was estimated. This phenomenon differs from the classical Kirkendall void formation because it is a nonequilibrium state of void formation and stress generation.

A highly deformable Zr–Al–Cu–Ni–Sn alloy system without any catastrophic failure has been developed and the underling mechanism for exceptional plasticity has been investigated in terms of structural characteristics and atomic movement kinetics. The as-cast Zr61.7Al8Ni13Cu17Sn0.3 bulk metallic glass has many local nanoscale ordering features. They can play a critical role in nucleating abundant shear bands that sufficiently accommodate global plasticity. During deformation at room temperature, the ordered regions do not grow, providing a structural stability, possibly from the sluggish atomic movement kinetics. Thermal activation energy for crystallization of the Zr61.7Al8Ni13Cu17Sn0.3 alloy is estimated as 3.96 eV, which is about 2.8 times higher than that of the Z41.2Ti13.8Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 alloy [Vitreloy 1 (Vit1)] and the dynamic mass flow rate is around 10 times slower than that of Vit1. A thermomechanical estimation of compressive strain rates under constant stress shows a sluggish atomic movement upon the addition of Sn.

Decreasing the circuit dimensions is driving the need for low-k materials with a lower dielectric constant to reduce RC delay, crosstalk, and power consumption. In case of spin-on organosilicate low-k films, the incorporation of a porogen is regarded as the only foreseeable route to decrease dielectric constant of 2.2 or below by changing a packing density. In this study, MTMS-BTMSE copolymers that had superior mechanical properties than MSSQ were blended with decomposable polymers as pore generators. While adding up to 40 wt % porogen into MTMS:BTMSE=100:50 matrix, optical, electrical, and mechanical properties were measured and the pore structure was also characterized by PALS. The result confirmed that there existed a tradeoff in attaining the low dielectric constant and desirable mechanical strength, and no more pores than necessary to achieve the dielectric objective should be incorporated. When the dielectric constant was fixed to approximately 2.3 by controlling BTMSE and porogen contents simultaneously, the thermo-mechanical properties of the porous films were also investigated for the comparison purpose. Under the same dielectric constant, the increase in BTMSE and porogen contents led to improvement in modulus measured by the nanoindentation technique but deterioration of adhesion strength obtained by the modified edge lift-off test.

We present new photometric results of the Algol-type semidetached eclipsing binary AB Per which was recently discovered to have a Delta Scuti pulsating component.

We describe the next set of experiments proposed in the U.S. Heavy Ion Fusion Virtual National Laboratory, the so-called Integrated Beam Experiment (IBX). The purpose of IBX is to investigate in an integrated manner the processes and manipulations necessary for a heavy ion fusion induction accelerator. The IBX experiment will demonstrate injection, acceleration, compression, bending, and final focus of a heavy ion beam at significant line charge density. Preliminary conceptual designs are presented and issues and trade-offs are discussed. Plans are also described for the step after IBX, the Integrated Research Experiment (IRE), which will carry out significant target experiments.

Significant experimental and theoretical progress has been made in the U.S. heavy ion fusion program on high-current sources, transport, and focusing. Currents over 200 mA have been transported through a matching section and 10 half-lattice periods with electric quadrupoles. An experiment shows control of high-beam current with an aperture, while avoiding secondary electrons. New theory and simulations of the neutralization of intense beam space charge with plasma in various focusing chamber configurations predict that near-emittance-limited beam focal spot sizes can be obtained even with beam perveance (ratio of beam space potential to ion energy) >10× higher than in earlier HIF focusing experiments. Progress in a new focusing experiment with plasma neutralization up to 10−3 perveance, and designs for a next-step experiment to study beam brightness evolution from source to target are described.

RZ Cas is an Algol-type eclipsing binary system where the primary component was recently discovered as a δ Set pulsator. A three-continent multisite photometric campaign was carried out during 1999. Preliminary results are reported here indicating a semi-detached system where the secondary fills its Roche lobe. The light curves also suggest a hot spot on the surface of the primary component as a consequence of the impact of the mass stream from the secondary. The pulsational behaviour can be well described with only one frequency.

Substrate preparation of GaN, both in-situ and ex-situ, and the growth of gadolinium oxide, Gd2O3, by Gas source molecular beam epitaxy (GSMBE) have been investigated. Ex-situ cleaning techniques included wet chemical etching and UV-ozone treatments to remove surface contaminants and the native oxide. In-situ cleaning consisted of thermal treatment with and without exposure to an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) oxygen plasma. A GaN (1x3) streaky RHEED pattern was the final product of this surface treatment study. Various growth initiation techniques were explored to produce Gd2O3 films with different microstructures as evidenced by RHEED, TEM, and XRD. Gd2O3 films planarized the initial GaN surface and stoichiometry was maintained over a range of substrate temperatures (300° to 650°C). Single crystal gadolinium oxide films were grown at substrate temperatures of 600-650°C. These films exhibited a breakdown field strength (EBD) of ∼1MV/cm, and showed high leakage current at high forward bias due to defects within the oxide. Single crystal oxide films were found to be thermally stable at annealing temperatures up to 1000°C. Quasi-amorphous films were grown at a substrate temperature of 100°C. These films exhibited a higher E BD of ∼3MV/cm and an interface state density of 3 × 1011 cm−2eV−1. However, the quasi-amorphous films were not thermally stable at 1000°C, showing evidence of re-crystallization in x-ray diffraction (XRD) scans.