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The propagation of a shock wave in solids can stress them to ultra-high pressures of millions of atmospheres. Understanding the behavior of matter at these extreme pressures is essential to describe a wide range of physical phenomena, including the formation of planets, young stars and cores of super-Earths, as well as the behavior of advanced ceramic materials subjected to such stresses. Under megabar (Mbar) pressure, even a solid with high strength exhibits plastic properties, causing the shock wave to split in two. This phenomenon is described by theoretical models, but without direct experimental measurements to confirm them, their validity is still in doubt. Here, we present the results of an experiment in which the evolution of the coupled elastic-plastic wave structure in diamond was directly observed and studied with submicron spatial resolution, using the unique capabilities of the X-ray free-electron laser. The direct measurements allowed, for the first time, the fitting and validation of a strength model for diamond in the range of several Mbar by performing continuum mechanics simulations in 2D geometry. The presented experimental approach to the study of shock waves in solids opens up new possibilities for the direct verification and construction of the equations of state of matter in the ultra-high pressure range, which are relevant for the solution of a variety of problems in high energy density physics., Comment: 14 pages, 15 figures, submitted to Nature

Controlled/living radical polymerization was examined with the use of magnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) prepared through various processes, including hydrothermal synthesis, a bioinspired process, and magnetotactic bacteria. Prior to the use of various types of Fe3O4, commercially available Fe3O4 was employed as a heterogeneous catalyst for styrene polymerization in conjunction with an alkyl halide as an initiator. Under appropriately optimized conditions, with the addition of Ph3P in a solvent mixture of toluene and DMF, the polymerization proceeded in a well-controlled manner. In addition, solid Fe3O4 was recovered using a magnetic approach and was reused for a polymerization reaction. The effects of stirring on the polymerization rate suggest that the surface of Fe3O4 is responsible for the catalysis in polymerization. Fe3O4 samples prepared through various processes were then used for styrene polymerization and showed different activities depending on the preparation process. In particular, Fe3O4 prepared through hydrothermal synthesis exhibited a much higher activity compared with commercial Fe3O4.

Summary Two substrains derived from an uncloned 71st embryo (E7)) passage and a cloned 71st embryo‐10th chick embryo kidney cell (E71CEK10) passage of the Beaudette strain of avian infectious bronchitis virus were back‐passaged through organ cultures of chick embryo trachea. The organ culture‐passaged viruses had altered biological properties such as absence of or delayed lethality for chick embryos and lack or diminution of plaque‐forming ability in chick embryo kidney monolayers but they showed no clear change of pathogenicity for 3‐week‐old chickens. These viruses regained their lethality for chick embryos, their cytopathic effects, and their plaque‐forming ability in chick embryo kidney cells after they had been back‐passaged through chick embryos, depending on the passage number. The results of cross neutralisation tests using the constant serum‐variable virus method in chick embryos indicated little antigenic difference between the original virus and various host‐passaged derivative strains.

Simple assay systems for infectivity titrations of avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) in chicken embryo trachea organ cultures (OC) were developed using plastic multiplate wells with one tracheal ring per well; these assays appeared to be much more satisfactory than the conventional rolled-tube method. The medium, 0.05 M HEPES (N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid)-buffered Eagle minimal essential medium was not changed during observation. A medium containing 0.4% bovine serum albumin did not influence the virus yield, but did stabilize virus viability during storage. Reproducibility of results obtained in the OC system was confirmed by performing replicate titrations of the Beaudette strain with three different passage histories. The mean virus titers in the OC were lower than those in chicken embryos, depending on the IBV passage histories. The time required for ciliostasis was related not only to the concentration of virus, but also to the IBV passage history. Application of OC techniques for the constant serum-variable virus neutralization test gave low neutralization indexes with excellent reproducibility as compared with those obtained in the chicken embryo assay system. Also, the slopes of neutralization curves obtained by assays in OC were less steep than those seen in the chicken embryo system.

Three substrains were cloned from chick kidney cell monolayers infected with the Ishii strain of lentogenic Newcastle disease virus isolated in Japan. These substrains, which differed in plaque morphology, were distinguished as having no +24R+ and -24R- patterns in the hemagglutination (HA)-elution test.

Raster scanning irradiation has been carried out at a HIMAC new treatment facility in NIRS. In order to reduce the difference between prescribed and delivered dose distribution, the accurate beam-intensity control with a low ripple and the fast beam-on/off switching are strongly required. For this purpose, we have developed a new beam-intensity control system using the RFknockout slow extraction. To keep the beam rate constant, this system controls the transverse RF voltage with the feedback proportional-integral control. As a result of the experimental tests, it was verified that this system can modulate the beam-intensity with a low ripple and can switch the beam-on/off with quick responses.

The carbon-ion radiotherapy (RT) with HIMAC has been conducted since 1994, and the accumulated treatment number exceeded 9,000 in May 2014. During the last two decades, NIRS has developed both the accelerator and beam-delivery technologies related to the carbon-ion RT, which has brought several carbon-ion RT facilities in Japan. At present, NIRS has developed a carbon-ion rotating gantry with the superconducting technology to be operated from 2016. As the future plan, NIRS has developed a direct acceleration system of positron-emission beams for verification on an irradiation field, and NIRS also just starts a design study of a superconducting synchrotron ring for carbon-ion RT.

The effects of incubation temperature on virus growth and mortality patterns were studied in antibody-free chicken eggs inoculated with the B1 strain of Newcastle disease virus. Embryo mortality patterns did not differ much between 37, 39, and 41 C of incubation, although virus growth curves were higher at 39 C and 41 C than at 37 C. Below 35 C, embryo mortality was delayed, although from 48 hours after incubation the virus growth curves were similar to those at 37 C. In eggs with and without maternal antibody, virus titers were maximum 48 hours after incubation, although slightly higher in antibody-free eggs than in eggs with antibody whether the eggs were alive or dead. Eggs with maternal antibody had delayed mortality patterns.

Three Beaudette strains of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) [two chicken-embryo trachea-culture-adapted (E71CET10 and E71CEK10CET30) and one embryo-adapted (E72)] were propagated in 10-day-old embryonated chicken eggs (CE) to investigate growth and lethality patterns. The E72 and E71CEK10CET30 viruses were similar in growth pattern as to logarithmic phase and maximum virus production, but 95% of the CE mortality with E72 virus occurred between 20 and 32 hours whereas with E71CEK10CET30 60% mortality occurred between 36 and 84 hours. The yield of the E71CET10 virus was minimum, with little lethality.