In correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) workflows, identifying the same sub-cellular features in tissue by both light (LM) and electron microscopy (EM) remains a challenge. Furthermore, use of cryo-fixation for EM is desirable to capture rapid biological phenomena. Here, we describe a workflow that incorporates cryo-confocal laser scanning microscopy into the CLEM process, mapping cells in brain slices to re-image them with serial section scanning electron microscopy (ssSEM) array tomography. The addition of Airyscan detection increased the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), allowing individual spines in thick frozen tissue to be visualized at a sufficient spatial resolution, providing a new tool for a CLEM approach to capture biological dynamics.

In incompressible and periodic statistically stationary turbulence, exchanges of turbulent energy across scales and space are characterised by very intense and intermittent spatio-temporal fluctuations around zero of the time-derivative term, the spatial turbulent transport of fluctuating energy and the pressure–velocity term. These fluctuations are correlated with each other and with the intense intermittent fluctuations of the interscale energy transfer rate. These correlations are caused by the sweeping effect, the link between nonlinearity and non-locality, and also relate to geometrical alignments between the two-point fluctuating pressure force difference and the two-point fluctuating velocity difference in the case of the correlation between the interscale transfer rate and the pressure–velocity term. All these processes are absent from the spatio-temporal-average picture of the turbulence cascade in statistically stationary and homogeneous turbulence.

This paper describes an overview of our recent discovery – clear demonstration that LiF crystals can be efficiently used as a high-performance neutron imaging detector based on optically stimulated luminescence of color centers generated by neutron irradiation. It is shown that the neutron images we have obtained are almost free from granular noise, have a spatial resolution of ${\sim}5.4~{\rm\mu}\text{m}$ and a linear response with a dynamic range of at least $10^{3}$. The high contrast and good sensitivity of LiF crystals allow us to distinguish two holes with less than 2% transmittance difference. We propose to use such detectors in areas where high spatial resolution with high image gradation resolution is needed, including diagnostics of different plasma sources such as laser and z-pinch produced plasmas.

Background: Temporal Lobe Epilepsy is associated with bilateral gray (GM) and white matter (WM) loss. After surgical treatment progressive bilateral temporal and extra-temporal WM change occur, however, less is known regarding post-operative GM change. We set out to measure contralateral hippocampal volume (CHV) following TLS. Methods: 1.5T-3D-1mm-isotropic-MPRAGE scans in 26 TLE patients and 3 controls in two groups: longitudinal (n=10)(imaged POD1,2,3,6,60,120 and >360d) and single post-operative scan (n=16). Manual volumetry protocols. Results: We find significant CHV atrophy at delayed scan relative to baseline (mean atrophy 26.8%). In the longitudinal group there is significant and progressive atrophy from baseline to POD4-8 (72.6+/-6.5%), POD60-360 (69.7+/-12.3%) and >360 (58.5+/-10.6%). No significant atrophy in either the control group HV or contralateral CV over time. No significant difference in mean HV at the most delayed exam for surgery type (p=0.13) or side (p=0.24). Conclusions: We find a statistically significant CHV atrophy following surgery which is progressive over time. Our longitudinal within-subject design describes the time course and extent more fully than previous work. Caudate analysis indicates that early CHV atrophy is not due to global atrophy following brain surgery but rather may be due to deafferentation and deefferentation. Finally, we find no significant difference in atrophy when analyzed by surgical approach or surgical side.

We have investigated an influence of positive polarization charges generated at an interface between GaN barrier/p-AlGaN EB (Electron Blocking) layer in a blue-LED. Simulation results suggested that such polarization charges caused an electron overflow from QWs. The simulation results also indicated that sufficient acceptor doping at the interface could neutralize the positive polarization charges and suppress the electron overflow. We then demonstrated the electron overflow caused by the positive polarization charges and its suppression with sufficient Mg doping at the interface by monitoring emissions from an additional second QW inserted between the p-EB layer and the p-GaN layer. Finally we conclude that the contribution of the electron overflow is not significant for the efficiency droop in blue-LEDs.

The existence of Pt7Cu ordering phase (intermetallic compound) was investigated by ab initio calculations and high voltage electron microscopy (HVEM) focusing on irradiation-induced ordering. The Pt7Cu ordering phase (cF32, prototype Ca7Ge) was predicted at 0 K through density functional theory (DFT), and using cluster expansion (CE) method and grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation, the ordering temperature of fcc-based Pt7Cu ordering phase was estimated to be above room temperature. The formation of Pt7Cu ordering phase was confirmed by a short-time irradiation for 3.6×103 s at 600 K. MeV electron irradiation can reduce drastically the annealing time for the ordering in the Pt-Cu alloy system, indicating that the combination of the prediction by ab initio calculations and HVEM can offer the unique opportunity to investigate the existence of ordering phase in alloys.

Preparation of a sigma-CrFe single-phase specimen was achieved by arc melting of pure Fe and Cr, cold rolling, and subsequent annealing at 973 K or 1073 K in vacuum. Cold rolling before annealing is effective for the annealing-induced formation of sigma-CrFe from the bcc solid-solution phase. The phase stability and the structural change from sigma-CrFe to a bcc solid-solution phase under fast electron irradiation were investigated by in situ transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation in the temperature range between 22 K and 473 K by using an ultra-high voltage electron microscope (UHVEM). The phase transition of sigma-CrFe by fast electron irradiation was found to occur at a particular temperature.

We investigated MOVPE growth conditions for AlInN layers with high growth rates and obtained 0.5µm/h with smooth surfaces. We found that short gas mixing time, relatively high growth temperature, and very low In/Al supply ratio were key growth parameters in order to obtain the AlInN layers with high growth rate and smooth surface simultaneously. AlInN/GaN DBRs grown under such growth conditions showed smooth surfaces and a reflectivity of over 99%.

Results are presented of a study of {113}-defect formation in Si nanowires with diameters ranging from 50 to 500 nm. The Si nanowires, used for the processing of tunnel-FET's, are etched into a moderately doped epitaxial Si layer on a heavily doped n-type Si substrate. {113}- defects are created in situ by 2 MeV e-irradiation at temperatures between room temperature and 375 °C in an ultra high voltage electron microscope. The observations are discussed in the frame of intrinsic point defect out-diffusion and interaction with dopant atoms.

To examine the prevalence of human pathogens carried by rats in urban areas in Hanoi and Hai Phong, Vietnam, we live-trapped 100 rats in January 2011 and screened them for a panel of bacteria and viruses. Antibodies against Leptospira interrogans (22·0%), Seoul virus (14·0%) and rat hepatitis E virus (23·0%) were detected in rats, but antibodies against Yersinia pestis were not detected. Antibodies against L. interrogans and Seoul virus were found only in adult rats. In contrast, antibodies to rat hepatitis E virus were also found in juvenile and sub-adult rats, indicating that the transmission mode of rat hepatitis E virus is different from that of L. interrogans and Seoul virus. Moreover, phylogenetic analyses of the S and M segments of Seoul viruses found in Rattus norvegicus showed that Seoul viruses from Hai Phong and Hanoi formed different clades. Human exposure to these pathogens has become a significant public health concern.

We review observational results of PAH emission in harsh interstellar environments, which are mostly based on recent works by Spitzer and AKARI. The harsh environments include shock regions in our Galaxy, the ionized superwinds and haloes of external galaxies, and the hot plasmas of elliptical galaxies. Owing to the unprecedented high sensitivity for PAH emission with Spitzer and AKARI, it is found that an appreciable amount of PAHs are present in some cases with such hostile conditions. Some of them exhibit unusual PAH interband strength ratios, reflecting either evolution of PAHs or physical conditions of the ISM. The distribution of the PAH emission, as compared to that of dust emission, is shown to discuss their ways of evolution and survival.

This paper summarizes research activities in National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) for evaluation of the radiation effects on selected terrestrial and aquatic organisms as well as the ecosystems. Seven organisms, conifers, fungi, earthworms, springtails, algae, daphnia and Medaka are presently selected to study. For the estimation of possible radiation dose, transfers of radionuclides and related elements from medium to organisms are evaluated. Dose-effect relationships of acute gamma radiation on the survival, growth, and reproduction of selected organisms have been studied. Studies on the effect of chronic gamma radiation at low dose rate were also started. In order to understand the mechanism of radiation effects and to find possible indicators of the effects, information of genome- and metagenome-wide gene expression has been collected. Evaluation of ecological effects of radiation is more challenging task. Study methods by using three-species microcosm were established, and an index for the holistic evaluation of effects on various ecological parameters was proposed. The microcosm has been simulated as a computer simulation code. Developments of more complicated and practical model ecosystems have been started. The Denaturant Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) has been applied on soil bacterial community in order to evaluate the radiation effects on soil ecosystems.

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.

We have started a VLBI monitoring program for Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars at 22 and 43 GHz as part of a project of the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA) for precisely obtaining the period-luminosity (PL) relation of Galactic Mira variables. Using accurate distances measured with VERA, we reveal PL relation in the Galaxy based on the absolute magnitudes of the sources. We selected the sources for VLBI monitoring so that they have a good coverage of various pulsation periods. Photometry in the infrared J, H, and K bands for over 600 AGB stars has also started since 2003 with the 1m telescope of Kagoshima University to obtain the pulsation periods and magnitudes. Current analysis of the phase referencing VLBI observations of S Crt shows that the parallax of 2.3±0.2 milliarcsec (mas) corresponds to a distance of 435+41−35 pc. From the infrared monitoring data, pulsation periods and magnitudes in K band for 248 sources were obtained.

The internal friction of a silicon nitride with a sintering aid of yttrium oxide was measured from room temperature to 1400 °C. A mechanical loss peak was typically observed at 1000 °C on heating the as-sintered specimen; however, it disappeared on cooling. Also, the peak was not observed upon heating a specimen that had been heated above 1400 °C. When we carried out thermal cycling, raising terminal temperatures from 1050 to 1400 °C, the integrated intensity of the peak gradually decreased due to the progressive crystallization of a grain-boundary amorphous phase.

We have investigated the flat-band voltage (VFB) shifts of tantalum nitride gate MOS capacitors prepared by two methods. One is CVD-tantalum nitride (CVD-TaN) deposited by the chemical vapor deposition technique using Ta[NC(CH3)2C2H5][N(CH3)2]3 as a precursor, and the other one is sputtered tantalum nitride (sp-TaN) electrodes deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering. In the case of the CVD-TaN electrodes, the effective work function estimated from the relationship between VFB and the equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) of the MOS capacitors was about 4.4eV after post metallization annealing (PMA) at 400°C, and shifted to the mid-gap after PMA at 950°C. Moreover, the VFB values of MOS capacitors with sp-TaN electrodes also showed the same behavior after PMA. This shift is mainly dependent on the PMA temperature, regardless of the deposition method used. Similar VFB shifts induced by PMA were also observed in sp-TaN/ Al2O3/ SiO2/ p-Si and sp-TaN/ TaOx/ SiO2/ p-Si capacitors. However, in the case of the sp-TaN/ TaOx/ SiO2/ p-Si capacitors, the VFB shift was also observed when the PDA temperature after the TaOx deposition was 800°C and the PMA temperature after the TaN deposition was only 400°C. These results strongly suggest that this VFB shift caused by the PMA originates from a thin interfacial oxide layer between the TaN gate electrode and the dielectrics. Therefore, the maximum processing temperature after gate electrode deposition is important in order to control the threshold voltage of tantalum nitride gate MOSFETs.

The structure of the human gene for deoxyribonuclease II (DNase II; EC 3.1.22.1) was determined using several specific primers based on the human DNase II cDNA sequence [Yasuda et al. (1998). J. Biol. Chem.273, 2610–2616] in a polymerase chain reaction-based strategy. The gene spanned about 6 kb and consisted of 6 exons. No canonical TATA or CAAT boxes could be identified within the 1341 nucleotides upstream of the putative transcription start site, although the 5′-flanking region contained a CpG island and several putative binding motifs for transcription factors Sp1 and ETF. These properties indicate that the DNase II gene is a housekeeping gene and this is compatible with its ubiquitous expression in human tissues. Three different cleavage/polyadenylation sites were identified in the 3′-flanking region, leading to the production of multiple DNase II mRNA species. However, a comparison of the entire translated sequences of the gene from a pair of subjects with homozygous DNase II phenotypes H and L revealed no differences in the nucleotide sequences.

We investigate nucleation densities in UHV-CVD of Si on ultrathin SiO2 layers (0.2-2 nm) which were prepared by three different oxidation methods: thermal, UV-ozone, and plasma oxidation. The experiments changing the Si2H6 pressure in UHV-CVD indicate that these oxide surfaces have preferred sites for nucleation. Among the three oxidation methods, the nucleation density, Ns, on the thermal oxide is the lowest, while the plasma oxide shows the highest Ns. These results suggest that strained bonds and ion-induced damages in the oxide layers assist nucleation. For UV-ozone and plasma oxides Ns is independent of orientation, reconstruction, and morphology of the initial Si surface.