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A unified canonical operator formalism for quantum stochastic differential equations, including the quantum stochastic Liouville equation and the quantum Langevin equation both of the Itoˆ and the Stratonovich types, is presented within the framework of non-equilibrium thermo field dynamics (NETFD). It is performed by introducing an appropriate martingale operator in the Schro¨dinger and the Heisenberg representations with fermionic and bosonic Brownian motions. In order to decide the double tilde conjugation rule and the thermal state conditions for fermions, a generalization of the system consisting of a vector field and Faddeev–Popov ghosts to dissipative open situations is carried out within NETFD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Small black spots have been noticed on the cephalothorax of Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, since January, 2001. To study the nature of the black spots, the krill were sampled in the winter of 2003, 2006, and 2007 in the South Georgia region, the Antarctic Ocean. Histological observations revealed that the black spots were melanized nodules that were composed of hemocytes surrounding either bacteria or amorphous material. In the 2007 samples, 42% of the krill had melanized nodules. Most of the nodules had an opening on the body surface of the krill. A single melanized nodule often contained more than one type of morphologically distinct bacterial cell. Three bacteria were isolated from these black spots, and classified into either Psychrobacter or Pseudoalteromonas based on the sequences of 16S rRNA genes. More than three bacterial species or strains were also confirmed by in situ hybridization for 16S rRNA. The melanized nodules were almost always accompanied by a mass of atypical, large heteromorphic cells, which were not observed in apparently healthy krill. Unidentified parasites were observed in some of the krill that had melanized nodules. These parasites were directly surrounded by the large heteromorphic cells. Histological observations suggested that these heteromorphic cells were attacking the parasites. These results suggest the possibility that the krill had been initially affected by parasite infections, and the parasitized spots were secondary infected by environmental bacteria after the parasites had escaped from the host body. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A perovskite-type BaCu1/3Nb2/3O3 was prepared by high temperature reaction using BaCO3, CuO and Nb2O5. The X-ray powder diffraction pattern of this compound was indexed with the tetragonal cell with the lattice parameters of a=4.0464(4) and c=4.1807(4)Å (c/a=1.033). This compound had the tetragonal perovskite-type structure in which the B site was occupied statistically by Nb and Cu atoms. From high temperature X-ray powder diffraction patterns this compound had a phase transition from the tetragonal to cubic symmetry in the temperature range of 500–600°C. The P–E and S–E hysteresis loops occurred at room temperature and the apparent maximum in the temperature dependence of the dielectric constant was observed at 520°C. The temperature dependence of the inverse of magnetic susceptibility exhibited paramagnetic behavior. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]