Field studies were conducted from 2005 to 2009 in Idaho and Oregon to 1) evaluate the competitive effect of volunteer potato on sugar beet yield (volunteer potato competition experiment), and 2) determine the optimum timing of volunteer potato removal from glyphosate-tolerant sugar beet fields using glyphosate (volunteer potato removal timing experiment). The volunteer potato competition experiment consisted of eight potato densities, including the untreated check: 0, 6,741, 10,092, 13,455, 16,818, 20,184, 26,910, and 40,365 tubers ha−1. The volunteer potato removal experiment consisted of 10 removal timings (including the untreated check) ranging from the 10-cm rosette stage to mid-tuber bulking. There was a linear decrease in sugar beet root and sucrose yield as volunteer potato density increased (P < 0.001) such that with every volunteer potato tuber per square meter, sugar beet root yield decreased by 15% and sucrose yield decreased by 14%. At the highest volunteer potato density (40,365 tubers ha−1), sugar beet root yield was 29,600 kg ha−1 (compared to 73,600 kg ha−1 for the untreated), representing a 60% reduction in sugar beet root yield. In the removal timing study, a one-time application of glyphosate at the 10-cm rosette, hooking, and tuber initiation stages provided 74% to 98% reduction in volunteer potato tuber biomass. Delaying volunteer potato removal beyond the tuber initiation stage reduced sugar beet root and sucrose yield (12% to 20%), resulting in an economic loss of $104 to $161 per hectare. The best potato removal timing that optimizes the trade-off between improved control and potential for sugar beet yield reductions is before or at the tuber initiation stage.

Field experiments were conducted in 2016 and 2017 to evaluate the effects of seeding rate and herbicide programs on weed control and pinto bean yield under irrigation. The experiments comprised a 5 × 5 factorial randomized complete block design with five replications. The weed control treatments comprised a nontreated control, hand-weeded control, EPTC + ethalfluralin PRE, EPTC + ethalfluralin PRE followed by (fb) dimethenamid-P POST at V1, and EPTC + ethalfluralin PRE fb bentazon/imazamox POST. There were five seeding rates ranging from 247,000 to 494,000 seeds ha–1 planted in 19-cm rows. Weed biomass was reduced by 6 kg ha–1 with every additional 1,000 seeds ha–1. EPTC plus ethalfluralin fb either dimethenamid-P or bentazon plus imazamox reduced weed biomass by at least 29% compared to the nontreated control. There was a significant effect of weed control treatment on pinto bean yield (P = 0.0004). However, there was no significant seeding rate (P = 0.42) or seeding rate–by–weed control interaction effect on pinto bean yield (P = 0.38). Pinto bean yield ranged from 3,080 kg ha–1 in the nontreated control to 4,740 kg ha–1 hand-weeded treatment. Increased seeding rate in narrow rows is a cultural practice that can improve weed control in pinto bean but may not necessarily increase yield.

We study star formation and metallicity enrichment histories of 24 massive galaxies at 1.6 < z < 2.5. Deep slitless spectroscopy + imaging data set collected from multiple HST surveys allows robust determination of their SEDs. Our new SED modeling with no functional assumptions on star formation histories revels that 1. most of the sample galaxies have already formed >50% of their extant masses ∼1.5 Gyr before the time of observed redshifts, with a trend where more massive galaxies form earlier, 2. most of our galaxies already have stellar metallicities compatible with those of local early-type galaxies, and 3. inferred metallicities are on average ∼ 0.25 dex higher than observed gas-phase metallicities of star forming galaxies at the time of their formation. Continuation of low-level star formation, rather than abrupt termination of star forming activity, may explain the observed gap of metallicities.

Coexisting Ba-rich (Cn56–59Or40–42Ab2An0–1) and Ba-poor (Cn7–15Or83–92Ab1–3An0–1) feldspars were found in a jadeitite collected from the Itoigawa-Ohmi district in the Renge high-P/T-type metamorphic belt, Japan. There is an apparent compositional gap in these barian feldspars at Cn15–56 in the ternary system BaAl2Si2O8–KAlSi3O8–NaAlSi3O8. Barian feldspars occur as interstitial phases between subhedral to euhedral jadeite and prehnite, and sometimes cut a jadeite crystal. The occurrence of barian feldspars combined with the texture and mineral assemblages of the host jadeitite suggest that barian feldspars were formed from residual fluids after the formation of jadeite and prehnite from primary aqueous fluids at low-T conditions (<350°C) and pressure of ~0.6 GPa. The Ba content in the residual fluids would increase locally during the formation of jadeite because Ba is incompatible with clinopyroxene. This study supports the suggestion that Ba-rich minerals are not uncommon in jadeitites and albitites/metasomatized rocks that occur as tectonic blocks in serpentinite-matrix mélanges. Barium is an important minor element in metasomatizing fluids related to the formation of jadeitites and might have been derived from subducted oceanic crust at the beginning of the subduction.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, USA, July 26 – July 30, 2009

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, USA, July 26 – July 30, 2009

In March 1989 a large outbreak of acute gastroenteritis occurred simultaneously among schoolchildren and teachers at nine elementary schools in Toyota City, Japan. Illness was observed in 3236 (41·5%) of 7801 schoolchildren and 117 (39·4%) of 297 teachers. The main clinical symptoms were diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea and abdominal pain. Gastroenteritis was significantly associated with the consumption of school lunch served by one particular lunch preparation centre. One food handler at the centre suffered from gastroenteritis during the outbreak.Small round structured virus (SRSV) was detected in 4 of 8 stool specimens from sick persons. The school lunch contaminated by the infected food handler is the most probable source of this outbreak due to SRSV.

Sera from 27 children and eight older persons, which had been collected in 1998 and 1999 and showed haemagglutination–inhibition (HI) activity against influenza A/Sydney/5/97 (H3N2) strain, were characterized with a binding assay using chimeric haemagglutinin (HA) proteins between A/Aichi/2/68 (A/AI/68) and A/Sydney/5/97 (A/SD/97) strains. Sera from the young children had a tendency to recognize only the antigenic site B1 of the HA1 region. On the other hand, sera of the older individuals were fully reactive to all antigenic sites of HA1 except antigenic site D. Recent epidemic strains, A/Panama/2007/99 (A/PM/99)-like viruses have differences in amino acids in antigenic sites A, C, and B2 but not B1. However, human antisera obtained even from young children had HI activity to Panama-like viruses. The limited epidemic of A/PM/99-like viruses may have been due to the existence of antibody against B1, which had been produced in response to infection by the A/SD/97-like viruses.

c-Axis-oriented (Hg0.9Re0.1)Ba2CaCu2Oy thin films were grown on the (100) plane of SrTiO3 substrates by a so-called two-step process. Transmission electron microscopic observation revealed that, in the film annealed under a higher temperature, some steplike regions appeared at the top layer of SrTiO3 substrate. High-resolution transmission electron microscopic images showed that the lattice parameters in these regions are about 4.05–4.15 Å, being longer than the lattice parameter of SrTiO3. It is supposed that a chemical reaction occurred in these regions, and a phase of (Bax,Sr1−x)(Cuy,Ti1−y)O3δs was formed by partially substituted Ba for Sr and Cu for Ti.

In order to conduct a survey of influenza viruses entering Japan via travellers arriving by airplanes, gargle solutions were collected from passengers who reported to the quarantine station of Nagoya International Airport complaining of respiratory symptoms. From 504 samples collected between August 1996 and March 1999, 30 influenza virus strains were isolated. Twenty-eight of the isolates were influenza A (H3N2) viruses and two were influenza B viruses. No H1N1 virus was isolated. Among 28 isolates of H3N2 virus, 3 strains were obtained outside the influenza season. Nucleotide sequences of the haemagglutinin (HA) genes of these isolates along with those from domestic patients were analysed in order to determine the influence of imported influenza viruses by travellers on epidemics in Japan. From the phylogenetic and chronological aspects, the possibility was suggested in one case in 1997/8 and two in the 1998/9 season that imported virus by travellers may have influenced the domestic influenza epidemics.

Si KB X-ray emission spectra of SiO2—CaO binary glasses simulated with the DV-X α molecular orbital calculation were compared with ones measured by EPMA. The composition of the glass has been incorporated in the calculation of the Si 3p partial density of states (PDOS). The Si 3p PDOS, as a function of the CaO content, agreed well with the measured Si Kβ X-ray emission spectra of the 62.4mol%SiO2 – 37.6mol%CaO and 43.3mol%SiO2 – 56.7mol%CaO binary glasses. The present method was found to provide a very useful means of clarifying the change in the ionic configuration of the glass with the metal oxide content.

Two phenotypes of human influenza A(H1N1) virus are currently circulating in Japan. One (group 1) agglutinates both chicken and goose red blood cells (CRBC and GRBC), the other (group 2) agglutinates GRBC but not CRBC. In the 1995/6 season, group 2 viruses accounted for 70% of the H1N1 viruses isolated in MDCK cells. The 1995/6 viruses were located on two branches of the genetic tree. One branch contained both group 1 and group 2 viruses and the other branch contained only group 2 viruses. Group 2 viruses had aspartic acid at residue 225 in the haemagglutinin (HA) protein, the key amino acid residue for group 2 phenotype. The HA protein of group 1 viruses had a change from aspartic acid to asparagine at residue 225 and the expressed HA protein of these viruses adsorbed CRBC. Serial passage of group 2 viruses in MDCK cells or embryonated chicken eggs caused these viruses to gain the ability to agglutinate CRBC. MDCK-adapted viruses had the same amino acid sequences of HA polypeptide as the original ones, but egg-adapted viruses had changed amino acid sequences. The expressed HA protein from one egg-adapted virus that originally belonged to group 2 adsorbed CRBC.

Method of electromagnetic acoustic resonance (EMAR) was applied to the noncontact measurement of the shear wave attenuation during the creep test of 2.25Cr-1Mo steels. Two electromagnetic acoustic transducers were manufactured for this purpose, which generate the polarized shear waves through the magnetostriction effect. The attenuation coefficient increased with the creep deformation. The evolution range of the attenuation was beyond 0.1 μs−1 before the failure, which was much larger than the attenuation variation among the samples.

Highly in-plane aligned α-axis YBa2Cu3O7−x thin films deposited on (100) LaSrGaO4 substrates by a self-template method were studied by high-resolution electron microscopy along three orthogonal 〈100〉 axes of the substrate. Plan-view images confirm that the majority of the film preferentially aligns across the entire substrate except for very few misaligned domains with average size 10 nm2. Cross-sectional images along the [100] orientation of YBa2Cu3O7−x reveal that in-plane aligned α-axis YBa2Cu3O7−x is grown on a template layer dominated by c-axis oriented film. This strongly suggests that the in-plane alignment of α-axis YBa2Cu3O7−x thin films on (100) LaSrGaO4 substrates is governed by the different stresses along the b and c axes of the substrate. Cross-sectional images along [001] of the YBa2Cu3O7—x thin film reveal that the 90° domains easily nucleate in the region between α-axis YBa2Cu3O7—x and the YBa4Cu3Ox phase. Cracks along the (001) plane of YBa2Cu3O7−x are found to be due to the large mismatch between the c parameters of the thin film and substrate.

Time of flight (TOF) spectroscopic measurements are used to diagnose the laser-generated plume of ceramic NdBa2Cu3Ox targets. We have been able to directly correlate the laser-deposited films' properties such as superconductivity, crystallinity, and orientation with plasma properties. Study of the TOF spectra shows that at laser fluences greater than 3 J/cm2 the plume become Nd-rich, and this leads to a low Tc in the deposited film. We have also shown the effect of target density on the energy of the plume species, and through energy considerations we have explained the observed change in the crystalline orientation of films from c- to a-orientation with increasing the target density. Finally, we have examined the oxidation mechanism of NdBa2Cu3Ox thin films, and have shown that highly energetic atomic oxygens have a prevailing role in oxidizing our laser-deposited thin films.

Microstructures of a-axis oriented YBa2Cu3O7−x films made by newly developed de 100 MHz hybrid plasma sputtering were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The films deposited on (110) NdGaO3 and (100) SrTiO3 substrates were found to grow in a perfect epitaxial fashion and with clear interface. The plan view of the TEM image showed that both films were comprised of two kinds of grains having the c axis aligning along two perpendicular directions in the plane with equal probability. The structures of the grain boundary, however, were found to be very different for the two films from the plan views. The film on NdGaO3 showed a lot of twist boundaries, while the film on SrTiO3 consisted of many symmetrical tilt boundaries and basal-plane-faced tilt boundaries. The type of grain boundary is determined by the anisotropic growth rates of the film between c direction and a-b direction.

Total Reflection Angle X-Ray Spectroscopy with Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED-TRAXS) is a highly sensitive method for surface analysis. Yba2Cu3O7-x films of less than 1 unit cell average coverage can be detected by its characteristic x-rays. We grew YBCO films on MgO substrates by laser-ablation with two different kinds of surface morphology; one had few particles on a flat surface and the other had many long and narrow islands on the surface which we call linear islands. We measured the take-off angle dependence of TRAXS on these films. For the YBCO films with linear islands the intensities of YLα, BaLα and CuKα x-ray lines have shoulders at the critical angles given by a theoretical formula. For the YBCO films with smooth surfaces, only the BαLa intensity had a sharp peak at the critical angle. The result suggests that a BaO layer terminates YBCO films, or that a chemical reaction occurs at the surface and Ba compounds is produced.

We performed molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the process of defect production in pure vanadium. The interaction of atoms was described by the EAM interatomic potential modified at short range to merge smoothly with the universal potential for description of the high energy recoils in cascades. The melting point of this EAM model of vanadium was found to be consistent with the experimental melting temperature. The threshold energies of displacement events in the model system are also consistent with experimental minimum threshold in vanadium, and its average was found to be 44 eV. We evaluated the efficiencies of defect production in the displacement events initiated by recoils with kinetic energy up to 5 keV, and found that the probability of cluster formation is smaller than that of simulated events in fee metals reported in the literature.

The a-axis oriented YBa2Cu3Ox (YBCO) films were epitaxially grown on (100) SrTiO3 substrate by dc-100 MHz hybrid plasma sputtering. The films prepared at different temperatures with and without in situ annealing had different superconductivity, which was improved with the degradation of the crystallinity of the films. The Raman spectra for the films were very similar to each other and to that expected for YBa2Cu3O7, in spite of the different superconductivity. This indicates the importance of the symmetry of the Cu–O chains rather than the oxygen content for the superconductivity. In Rutherford backscattering measurements using a 3.05 MeV He2+ ion beam, an increase of dechanneling due to the barium atoms along the film depth was clearly observed only for the most improved superconducting film. This result suggests that the relief of the strain contained in the film is also important for improving the superconductivity in the case of a-axis oriented YBCO films.

Optical emission spectroscopic studies of dc-94.92 MHz hybrid plasma generated in the newly developed magnetron sputtering system were performed during the growth of YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) thin films. All the detectable species showed uniform spatial distribution along the radial direction of the target more than 8 mm above the target surface. High cathode current conditions in the hybrid plasma were found to make the plasma with high ion density. The high ionizing efficiency was concluded to be essential in obtaining an excellent crystalline film. This result is explained by the ion acceleration mechanism through the ion sheath formed near the substrate surface. Oxygen gas introduced into the growing chamber during deposition was found to be responsible for the oxidation of the target surface.