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Appropriate goal-oriented treatment strategies are important for optimal treatment outcomes and may prevent under-treatment. As treatment goals vary by patient, a study to examine treatment goals is more meaningful when patients and their physicians are paired. There has not been any study that examines alignment between paired psoriasis patients and physicians in real-world clinical practice using skin clearance as a treatment goal indicator. To evaluate treatment goal alignment between psoriasis patients and their paired physicians, and to quantitatively identify factors associated with goal misalignment. The study was a nationwide multicenter cross-sectional observational study. Subjects were physician-reported moderate to severe psoriasis patients with a history of systemic treatments, directly paired with their treating physicians. Subjects completed surveys independently. Treatment goals included seven categories and patient-physician pairs were grouped as "aligned" or "misaligned" when the answers were the same or different, respectively. A total of 425 pairs (mean response rate, 94.7%) of responses were collected from 54 sites (64.8% General Practitioners or clinics; 35.2% university or large hospitals). Treatment goal misalignment was found in 67.9% of the patient-physician pairs. The misalignment was mainly "patient predominant" (60.9%) indicating that patients had higher goals ("complete clearance") than physicians. In the multivariate logistic regression analyses, patients' treatment expectation for "complete clearance" (odds ratio [OR]: 1.927; 95% confidential interval [CI]: 1.232 to 3.016) and physician rating of "level of understanding on treatment options" being low (OR: 1.552, 95% CI; 1.082 to 2.227) were significant factors for treatment goal misalignment. The majority of treatment goal misalignment was found between paired psoriasis patients and their treating physicians in Japan. The most important contributing factors to misalignment were patients' treatment expectation for "complete clearance" and physicians' rating of their patients' "level of understanding on treatment options" being low. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The tritium release model to represent the release behavior of bred tritium from solid breeder materials has been developed by the blanket group of Kyushu University. It has been found that water is released to the purge gas from solid breeder materials and that this water affects the tritium release behavior. In this study, the amount of surface water released from Li4SiO4 is quantified by the experiment. In addition, the tritium release behavior from Li4SiO4 are estimated based on the tritium release model using parameters obtained in our studies under conditions of commercial reactor operation and ITER test blanket module operation. The effect of the surface water on tritium release behavior is discussed from the obtained results. Moreover, the tritium inventory of Li4SiO4 is discussed based on calculation under the unsteady state condition. Further, the effects of grain size and temperature on distribution of tritium inventory under the steady state condition are evaluated, and the optimal grain size is discussed from the view point of tritium release from Li4SiO4.

The present authors have developed the tritium release model to represent the tritium release behavior from solid breeder materials (Li2ZrO3, Li2TiO3, Li4SiO4, LiAlO2 and Li2O). It has been found that water is released from solid breeder materials into the purge gas due to desorption of physically and chemically adsorbed water and water generation reaction and that this water affects the tritium release behavior. In this study, the amount of adsorbed water and its desorption rate for Li2ZrO3 were quantified. It was found in this experiment that Li2ZrO3 has the largest adsorption amount among the solid breeder candidates. It was also observed that Li2ZrO3 has the largest water generation capacity among the solid breeder candidates. A unique reaction at around 550°C which made up approximately 80% of the capacity of water generation was also observed. It is considered that the phase change of ZrO2 at around 550°C supplies oxygen to promote water generation reaction. Tritium release behavior from Li2...

Heavy ion cancer therapy using energetic 12C ions has been carried out successfully at the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC), Japan. The method has advantages over traditional radiation therapy using an energetic photon beam in two respects: the dose concentration owing to the Bragg peak and high biological effects. The development of a cancer therapy using 11C ions is also currently underway at HIMAC, however, there remains the problem of beam attenuation due to nuclear fragmentation reactions in the body of the patient; this requires modification of the dose calculation for the therapy. To the best of our knowledge, no research on 11C-induced nuclear fragmentation reactions has yet been published. We propose a method of identifying the nuclear fragmentation reaction event induced by the carbon beams using a total-absorption-type target detector, that plays the role of a human phantom, and a system of plastic scintillation counters surrounding the phantom. We have carried out measurements for the carbon beams with the detector system. A portion of the beam energy is lost as escaping fragment particles from the phantom, leading to a decrease in beam intensity. We were able to successfully detect nuclear reaction events on an event-by-event basis

To understand atomic structures of metallic glasses, advanced electron microscopy was employed to analyze local structures of some Fe-based and Zr-based metallic glasses. In the as-formed Fe 70 Nb 10 B 20 and Fe 73.5 Nb 3 Si 13.5 Cu 1 B 9 glasses, crystalline nano-clusters as small as 1 nm were observed using HREM (high resolution electron microscopy) under optimized defocus conditions. Nano-diffraction with a probe size of 1 nm revealed diffraction patterns of bcc-Fe and Fe-compound, suggesting the presence of nanoscale phase separation in these as-formed specimens. Atomic pair distribution function was calculated from analyzing electron diffraction intensity obtained from a large area in the samples using energy-filtering. For the Fe–Nb–B glass, an averaged atomic structural model with 2500 atoms was constructed using reverse Monte-Carlo calculation followed by Voronoi polyhedral analysis. The analysis revealed the presence of bcc-Fe-like, B-centered trigonal prism and highly coordinated Nb–Fe polyhedral structures, which was consistent with experimental results of HREM and nano-diffraction. A Zr 71 Cu 13 Ni 10 Ti 3 Al 3 bulk metallic glass was also studied using HREM and high angle annular dark-field (HAADF) techniques. Crystalline clusters with sizes of about 1–2 nm were detected in the as-cast Zr 71 Cu 13 Ni 10 Ti 3 Al 3 . In the HAADF image, bright contrasts extending as small as 2 nm were found to fluctuate locally, indicating a local compositional fluctuation caused by nanoscale phase separation.

We have investigated ZnO doped indium oxide (IZO) as a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) film with low resistivity and high tolerance to heat treatment deposited on a plastic substrate with high glass transition temperature (Tg), optical isotropy and dimensional stability. The resistivity of IZO with 7.5 wt % ZnO film [IZO(7.5)] is 2.9×10−4 Ω cm, which is 33% lower than that of tin doped indium oxide film (ITO) and remains unchanged even after annealing at 180 °C for 4 h. We establish by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope that the structure of annealed IZO(7.5) is amorphous and by DSC that the structure starts to transform to the crystalline phase at 350 °C. The etching rate of IZO(7.5) films is almost the same as, or quicker than, that of amorphous ITO films. The durability of IZO(7.5) against the alkali solution is also good for practical use.

Some K2O-Nb2O5-GeO2 glasses are prepared, and their crystallization behaviors are examined. 25K2O·25Nb2O5·50GeO2 glass with the glass transition temperature Tg= 622°3C and crystallization onset temperature Tx= 668°3C shows a prominent nanocrystallization. The crystalline phase is K3,8Nb5Ge3O20,4 with an orthorhombic structure. The sizes of crystals in the crystallized glasses heat-treated at 630° and 720°3C for 1 h are °10 and 20–30 nm, respectively, and the crystallized glasses obtained by heat treatments at 620°-850°3C for 1 h maintain good transparency. The density of crystallized glasses increases gradually with increasing heat-treatment temperature, and the volume fraction of crystals in the sample heat-treated at 630°3C for 1 h is estimated to be ∼35%. The usual Vickers hardness and Martens hardness (estimated by nanoindentation) of 25K2O·25Nb2O5·50GeO2 glass change steeply by heat treatment at Tg, i.e., at around 35% volume fraction of nanocrystals. The present study demonstrates that the composite of nanocrystals and the glassy phase has a strong resistance against deformation during Vickers indenter loading in crystallized glasses.

Transparent lead lanthanum scandium niobate (PLSN) ceramics were fabricated from fine powders using a two-stage atmospheric sintering technique. A method for preparing clear aqueous solutions with lead, lanthanum, scandium and peroxo–niobium complex ions has been developed by mixing a niobium precursor solution with the corresponding nitrates. The coprecipitation process of the solution produced chemically homogeneous powders. Biaxially pressed green pellets were sintered in an oxygen gas in an alumina setter containing an atmosphere powder at 1100 °C and were then reheated in air. Transparent ceramics with an average grain size of 0.54 μm was obtained.

Advanced techniques of electron microscopy were employed for analyzing a local structure of an as-formed Fe70Nb10B20 metallic glass. From nano-diffraction with an electron probe size of 1 nm, diffraction patterns of bcc-Fe and Fe-boride were observed which indicated an occurrence of nano scale phase separation in the glass. Atomic pair distribution function (PDF) analysis of the glass was also performed by means of precise electron diffraction intensity analysis taking advantage of energy-filter and imaging plate techniques. An atomic structure model was constructed using reverse Monte-Carlo calculation followed by Voronoi polyhedral analysis in order to know local atomic arrangements in the glass structure. The Voronoi analysis revealed atomic arrangements with bcc-Fe-like and B-centered trigonal prism polyhedral structures in this glass, which is consistent with the local structural study by nano-diffraction.

We have developed artificial photosynthetic systems in which porphyrins and fullerenes are self-assembled as building blocks into nanostructured molecular light-harvesting materials and photovoltaic devices. Multistep electron transfer strategy has been combined with our finding that porphyrin and fullerene systems have small reorganization energies, which are suitable for the construction of light energy conversion systems as well as artificial photosynthetic models. Highly efficient photosynthetic electron transfer reactions have been realized at ITO electrodes modified with self-assembled monolayers of porphyrin oligomers as well as porphyrin–fullerene linked systems. Porphyrin-modified gold nanoclusters have been found to have potential as artificial photosynthetic materials. These results provide basic information for the development of nanostructured artificial photosynthetic systems.

Three-dimensional porphyrin-monolayer-protected gold clusters with different chain lengths (MPCs) have been prepared to examine the structure and photophysical properties, in comparison with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of the porphyrins on a flat gold surface. The three-dimensional porphyrin MPCs exhibit electrochemical and photophysical properties that are much closer to those of a porphyrin reference compound in solution than those of two-dimensional porphyrin SAMs on the flat gold surface. The three-dimensional architectures of porphyrin MPCs with large surface area have improved the light-harvesting efficiency relative to the corresponding porphyrin SAM on the two-dimensional flat gold surface. Time-resolved single photon counting fluorescence and transient absorption spectroscopic studies have demonstrated that undesirable quenching of the porphyrin excited singlet state via energy transfer to the gold surface of the three-dimensional MPCs is much suppressed, as compared to the quenching of the porphyrin SAMs on the two-dimensional flat gold surface. Both the quenching rate constants of the porphyrin excited singlet state by the surfaces of bulk gold and gold nanoclusters reveal weak chain length dependence of the energy transfer quenching.

A difference of amorphous structures of magnetic Nd4.5Fe77B18.5 alloys formed under two different cooling rates was investigated by means of electron microscopy, electron diffraction and X-ray diffraction techniques. In spite of no appreciable difference in the high resolution electron microscope images, an atomic structural difference especially in the B-centered polyhedral structures was found in these specimens in their as-formed states. The effect of the initial local structure difference on the process of primary crystallization in these alloys on annealing was discussed.

Three-dimensional (3D) porphyrin monolayer protected metal nanoclusters (MPCs) have been prepared to examine the effects of metal (Au, Ag, Au–Ag alloy, Pd and Pt) and size (1–3 nm) on the structures and photophysical properties. The quenching rate constants of the porphyrin excited singlet state by the surfaces of mono-metal nanoclusters and gold nanoclusters with different diameters are virtually the same. In contrast, the quenching rate constant of the gold–silver alloy nanocluster is half that of the corresponding mono-metal clusters (i.e. Au or Ag). This reveals that interaction between the surface of the gold–silver alloy and the porphyrin excited singlet state is attenuated as compared wtih the mono-metal systems. Thus, porphyrin metal alloy nanoclusters are potential candidates as a new type of artificial photosynthetic materials and photocatalysts.

We have investigated the effect of upper barrier layer growth on self-assembled CdSe quantum dots (QDs) by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). The AFM image of CdSe surfaces reveals a lot of isolated CdSe dots and non-uniform two-dimensional CdSe islands. The alloying layer is observed by cross-sectional TEM image. This alloying is explained by the diffusion of CdSe when ZnSe cap layer is grown on CdSe surfaces. Photoluminescence excitation spectra of self-assembled CdSe QDs reveal the existence of a non-uniform CdZnSe quantum well and CdSe QDs with CdZnSe alloy region. This result is in good agreement with the results of TEM and AFM observations.

Summary form only given. Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices have the potential to reduce energy losses in high power applications. However SiC devices have yet to achieve ideal performance levels. The SiC diodes and MOSFETs with advanced trench structures succeeded in improving performance by reduction of the internal electric field. In addition, transfer mold type power modules using SiC devices demonstrated high temperature operation and high power density.

Among all out-patients seen at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of Osaka University Hospital, 1034 cases of probable perceptive deafness were selected for our statistical observation.This disorder was found to be considerably wide in its age distribution, , though its highest incidence was Seen among the twentiesi. Males were more affected than women.In the majorty of cases, the exact cause was unknown. In these cases, the type of hearing loss was either slowly-descending toward high-pitch sound, horizontal or steep-falling on high-pitch sound.Bilateral hearing loss of perceptive type was frequently encountered in Meniere's disease and sudden-deafness.Acoustic trauma was predominantly common among males.

A method is proposed for the local atomic distribution function analysis of amorphous materials. This method is based on local halo-electron diffraction intensity analysis with nano-sized electron probes as small as 25 to approximately 3 nm, taking advantage of the intensity recording with imaging plate. Nanodiffraction and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns from an amorphous SiNx (x approximately 4/3) thin film were taken using a conventional transmission electron microscope operated at 200 kV and recorded on imaging plates. An intensity correction to omit inelastic intensity was made using electron energy-loss spectroscopy. When a beam-convergence angle is larger than 1 x 10(-3) rad, the Wiener-filter deconvolution method becomes helpful in producing atomic pair distribution functions (PDFs) from the nano-diffraction intensity profiles that are more similar to the PDF from the SAED intensity. This technique was applied to the analysis of local amorphous structures of SiO2 layers formed by an oxygen-ion implantation into single crystal SiC.

Crystal structures of two kinds of optically active semiconductors ${(\mathrm{G}\mathrm{a}}_{0.60}{\mathrm{In}}_{0.40}{)}_{2}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$ and ${(\mathrm{G}\mathrm{a}}_{0.40}{\mathrm{In}}_{0.60}{)}_{2}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3},$ both of which are defect wurtzite structures but show different reduced ${c}_{w}{/a}_{w}$ ratios, have been studied using powder X-ray diffraction and Rietveld analysis. The final reliability factors are as follows: ${R}_{\mathrm{wp}}=10.00%,$ $S=2.4234,$ ${R}_{F}=4.19%$ for ${(\mathrm{G}\mathrm{a}}_{0.60}{\mathrm{In}}_{0.40}{)}_{2}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$ and ${R}_{\mathrm{wp}}=10.48%,$ $S=2.4324,$ ${R}_{F}=2.78%$ for ${(\mathrm{G}\mathrm{a}}_{0.40}{\mathrm{In}}_{0.60}{)}_{2}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}.$ The structure of ${(\mathrm{G}\mathrm{a}}_{0.60}{\mathrm{In}}_{0.40}{)}_{2}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$ with ${c}_{w}{/a}_{w}=1.633$ is called the ideal defect wurtzite structure; the bond lengths are nearly the same and the bond angles are almost to be the ideal bond angle of tetrahedral bonding 109.47\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. Meanwhile, the structure of ${(\mathrm{G}\mathrm{a}}_{0.40}{\mathrm{In}}_{0.60}{)}_{2}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$ with ${c}_{w}{/a}_{w}=1.565$ is called the layered defect wurtzite structure; the nearest ${(001)}_{\mathrm{group}\mathrm{}\mathrm{III}}$ and ${(001)}_{\mathrm{Se}}$ layers are waved and very close to each other as if they merged into one atomic layer. The average bond length along the c axis is 5.89% longer than that between the atoms in the merged ${(001)}_{\mathrm{group}\mathrm{}\mathrm{III}}$ and ${(001)}_{\mathrm{Se}}$ layers; the average bond angle whose one side is the bond along the c axis is 13.11% smaller than 109.47\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. Based on these structural results, the anomalous dependence of the optical band gap on composition is discussed from the view of bonding nature. The additional ionic bonding between the merged (001) layers in the layered defect wurtzite structure makes the c parameter smaller but the band gap larger than those of the ideal defect wurtzite structure although the ionic bonding nature is dominant for the both defect wurtzite structures.

Amorphous aluminum oxide films were prepared by rf-sputtering at various values of the pressure of sputtering atmosphere, and their density, refractive index, Young's modulus and internal stress were measured. The physical properties of the present films depended on the pressure of sputtering atmosphere. The density, refractive index, and Young's modulus decreased with the pressure below about 6.5 Pa, beyond which they increased. The compressive stress and tensile stress were induced in the films depending upon the pressure of sputtering atmosphere, and the tensile stress reached a maximum at the pressure of 6.5 Pa and then decreased as the pressure increased. From the results of the energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), it was found that the pressure of sputtering atmosphere gave a large influence to the chemical composition (the atomic ratio, O/Al) of the film. The pressure dependence of the physical properties was successful to be explained by the change of chemical compositions of the films. The presence of OH group in the films was verified by using FT-IR, and their microstructure was investigated by SEM study.

In order to understand the relationship between the molecular orientation and optical properties of oligophenylenevinylene film, oriented thin films of 1,4-di(p-methoxystyryl)benzene (DSB-1) and 1,4-di(p-methoxystyryl)-2,5-dimethoxybenzene (DSB-2) were fabricated on a potassium bromide (KBr) (001) surface by the vacuum-evaporation method. The structures and optical properties of DSB films have been investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and polarized photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, respectively. DSB-1 molecules orient obliquely and/or parallel to the substrate surface depending on the substrate temperature. On the other hand, DSB-2 molecules tend to grow epitaxially with the molecular plane parallel to the substrate surface. The anisotropic molecular orientations represent the polarized PL. The epitaxial growth and molecular orientations observed by TEM and AFM at the local and microscopic scale are confirmed by polarized PL measurement on a macroscopic scale. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(99)01523-6].

New segmented polyurethanes (SPUs) grafted phospholipid analogous vinyl monomers and polyfunctional monomers were synthesized. The soft segments used in this study were poly(butadiene). The hard segments of these polyurethanes were 4,4'-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate and 1,4-butanediol. The blood compatibilities of the new polymers were evaluated by platelet rich plasma (PRP) contact studies and viewed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using medical grade BioSpan and non-phospholipid polyurethane as a reference. The clotting times of the materials in contact with platelet poor plasma (PPP) were also measured. These results of two evaluations suggest that these grafted polymers may be regarded as hopeful biomaterials.

Si doped amorphous silica films were prepared by rf magnetron sputtering technique. As-deposited films which had relatively low Si dopant were annealed in inert atmosphere, and spectroscopic analyses were performed for as-deposited and all the annealed samples by infrared (IR) absorption, X-ray fluorescence analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and 29Si magic angle sample spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (29Si MAS-NMR). When the sample was annealed at 800°C, the IR absorption peak located at 1080 cm−1 shifted to slightly higher wave number. On the other hand, the decrease of Si clusters or Si–Si bonds in as-deposited film was deduced from X-ray fluorescence and XPS spectra for the sample annealed at 800°C. These annealing characteristics of the films prepared in this study were discussed based on the random bonding model of SiOx film, and the spectral variations with thermal annealing were interpreted by the rearrangement of Si and O atoms in as-deposited films, rather than the simple clustering of excess Si atoms.

Compositional and temperature dependences of optical and fluorescence properties of Dy 3+ -doped borate glasses were investigated in the composition (95 − x )B 2 O 3 – x Na 2 O–5CaO. Among three Judd–Ofelt parameters the Ω 2 increased and the Ω 6 decreased with increasing Na 2 O content. Owing to the dependence of the Ω t parameters, the branching ratio of blue/yellow emissions from the 4 F 9/2 level changed largely with compositions. The total spontaneous emission probability from the 4 F 9/2 level increased and its lifetime decreased with Na 2 O content. In addition, with increasing temperature the lifetime of the 4 F 9/2 level increased and the branching ratio also changed. These optical properties and their anomalous temperature variations are discussed combined with the change of radiative decay rate of Dy 3+ ions in the borate glasses.

We describe a modification of the Elmslie-Trillat operation which includes a lateral retinacular release and medial realignment of the tibial tuberosity, but omits medial capsulorraphy. Seventy-five patients were reviewed with a follow up longer than 2 years and the results compared with the conventional Elmslie-Trillat procedure, which consists of lateral release, medial realignment of the tuberosity and medial capsulorraphy. The simpler operation can work as well and the period of rehabilitation is shorter. The incidence of injury to the saphenous nerve is reduced and the cosmetic appearance is more satisfactory. We conclude that medial capsulorraphy is usually unnecessary in this type of procedure.

Under atmospheric pressure, methanol was produced from CO2−H2 over Pd/ZnO and from CO−H2 over Pd/MgO catalyst. Similar support effects were observed over Cu catalysts.

Tm3+-Er3+ codoped tellurite glasses were pumped at 650 nm and the up-conversion characteristics of Tm3+ and Er3+ luminescences were investigated. By Er3+ codoping, the Tm3+-460 nm up-conversion luminescence due to the 1D2→3F4 transition was quenched and the Tm3+-480 nm up-conversion luminescence due to the 1G4→3H6 transition was selectively sensitized, due to which the intensity became more than 20 times larger than in the absence of Er3+. Both Tm3+-480 nm and Er3+-550 nm up-conversion luminescence intensities have a maximum in the range where the ratio of Er3+- to Tm3+-content is about two. The result was discussed in the context of the energy transfer efficiency calculated from the lifetime of the Er3+:4I 13 2 level, the competition between the excited state absorption efficiency of Tm3+:1G4←3F4 and the ground state absorption of Er3+:4F 9 2 ←4I 15 2 estimated from the Judd-Ofelt analyses, and the concentration quenching of the Er3+:4S 3 2 level, mainly due to the cross relaxation. It is concluded that the small optimum ratio of the donor- to acceptor-content (≅2) should be ascribed to the specific mechanisms in the present sensitized up-conversion.

Fixture preparation and NC data generation are unavoidable operations for effective implementation of flexible manufacturing systems in high product mix and low-volume prismatic components. By developing new technologies for automatic fixture preparation and NC data generation, using flexible manufacturing systems should lead to high-efficiency manufacturing for small batches. Fixture-free machining, especially for block-like and plate-like components, was considered, and new machining centers were developed. The machining centers require CAD/CAM systems to automatically generate NC programs. By combining the machining centers and CAD/CAM systems, fully automated manufacturing can be performed for block-like and plate-like prismatic components. Research on fixture CAD/CAM systems to support the design of fixtures for complex prismatic workpieces, such as welded, forged, and cast materials, is also discussed.

The cost of designing and manufacturing fixtures constitutes a major factor in the FMS-type unattended operation of machining centers. The efficiency of operation of an FMS can be enhanced greatly by the developing of a fixture-free machining center. The concept of such a “fixture-free” machining center for the machining of block-like components has been developed and is presented in this paper. This machining center, supported by an automated CAM capability, feeds bar-form material automatically and positions it for unattended machining of all of the six faces of block-like components.

$^{151}\mathrm{Eu}$ M\"ossbauer effect measurements were carried out for various silicate and phosphate laser glasses doped with ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}$ ions instead of ${\mathrm{Nd}}^{3+}$, for which Judd-Ofelt ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{\mathit{t}}$ parameters are known. The isomer shift (IS) for the silicate glasses decreased with an increase in the electronegativity of the network-modifying alkali and alkaline-earth metal ions, indicating a decreased 6s electron density of the rare-earth ${\mathit{R}}^{3+}$ ions, i.e., covalency of the R-O chemical bond. On the other hand, in phosphate glasses the IS increased with increased electronegativity. Among three ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{\mathit{t}}$ parameters of ${\mathrm{Nd}}^{3+}$, ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{6}$, which dominates the radiative transition probability and branching ratio of the 1.3 and 1.06 \ensuremath{\mu}m emissions, showed a good correlation with the IS of ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}$ ions in the corresponding glasses, independent of compositions. The results were explained by the more sensitive dependence of the \ensuremath{\Xi}(s,t) terms in ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{6}$ on the overlap integrals of 4f and 5d orbitals of rare-earth ions, compared with that in ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{2}$, which is sensitive to the odd-parity terms of the crystal field, ${\mathit{A}}_{\mathrm{sp}}$.

The Ωt intensity parameters (t=2,4,6) of Er3+ ions in several oxide glasses and the isomer shift (IS) of 151Eu Mossbauer spectra in glasses of the same composition were determined. Among these Ωt’s, the Ω6 parameter was found to have a good relation with IS; Ω6 decreases with an increase of IS which reflects the 6s electron density of rare‐earth ions. From the theoretical expression of Ωt, Ω6 is considered to be more affected by the overlap integrals of the 4f and 5d orbitals than Ω2 and Ω4, and to increase with an increase of these overlap integrals. These overlap integrals are supposed to decrease when the 6s electron density is larger, since the 6s electron density shields the 5d electron orbital.

Amorphous films in the systems AlPO 4  RO ( R ≡ Mg or Ca ) were prepared by r.f.-sputtering, and their densities, IR absorption spectra, and aluminum K-band X-ray emission spectra were determined to investigate the network structure. Furthermore, amorphous films of SiO 2 CaO were prepared in order to contrast the AlPO 4 -RO and SiO 2 RO systems. The density of the amorphous AlPO 4 RO and SiO 2 RO films increased monotonically with increasing RO content. The dependence on composition of the molar volume of AlPO 4 MgO films was very similar to that of SiO 2 MgO films. In contrast, in AlPO 4 CaO films the volume change was different from that in the SiO 2 CaO films. The results of the IR spectra and X-ray emission spectra indicate that the network structure of the amorphous AlPO 4 MgO films is composed of AlO 4 PO 4 connecting tetrahedral dimers, which are the structural units of amorphous AlPO 4 film. In the AlPO 4 CaO films, the AlO 4 PO 4 dimers are decomposed into types of AlO 4 tetrahedra different from those in the dimers, and the end PO 3 groups.

Amorphous Al2O3TiO2 films were prepared by rf-sputtering, and their density, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, bulk modulus and shear modulus were determined. A minimum was observed in the density at about 50 mol% TiO2. In the Young's modulus, a minimum and a maximum were observed at about 50 mol% TiO2 and 80 mol% TiO2, respectively. Poisson's ratio increased monotonicly with increasing TiO2. Bulk modulus and the shear modulus showed compositional dependence similar to Young's modulus. The compositional dependence on these properties could be explained by the change of the coordination of cations. The amorphous 16Al2O3·84TiO2 film has Young's modulus of 175 GPa which is higher than any oxide glass known.

The Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters, ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{\mathit{t}}$ (t=2,4,6) for f-f transitions of ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}$ ions doped in ${\mathrm{B}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$-${\mathit{R}}_{2}$O (R=Na,K) glasses were determined from optical-absorption measurements, and their compositional dependence was investigated systematically. The values of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{2}$ exhibited a maximum around 25 mol % ${\mathit{R}}_{2}$O, while those of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{4}$ and ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{6}$ decreased monotonically with an increase in ${\mathit{R}}_{2}$O content. The compositional dependences of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{4,6}$ were consistent with those of the isomer shift in $^{151}\mathrm{Eu}$ M\"ossbauer spectroscopy, which gives information about the 6s-electron density of ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}$ ions. The variation of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{2}$ against ${\mathit{R}}_{2}$O content was related to the change in asymmetry of the rare-earth ligand due to the structural mixing of borate groups, while those of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{4,6}$ were related to the local basicity of rare-earth sites in the glass.

Erbium-doped glasses showing the widest 1.5 μm emission band are reported in a novel oxide system Bi2O3–B2O3–SiO2 and their optical properties such as absorption, emission spectra, cross sections, the Judd–Ofelt parameters and fluorescence lifetime were investigated. The broad and flat 4 I 13/2 − 4 I 15/2 emission of Er3+ ions around 1.5–1.6 μm can be used as an excellent optical amplifier for the wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) network system. Among three Judd–Ofelt intensity parameters of Er3+ ions, the Ω 6 showed very large value in these glasses compared with other oxide and fluoride glasses ever reported. The cross section of the 1.5 μm transition was quite large due to a large refractive index of the host. With increasing B2O3 content in the glass composition, the bandwidth increased, while the lifetime of the 4 I 13/2 level decreased. A strong correlation was found between the bandwidth, spontaneous emission probability and the value of the Ω 6 parameter. These optical characteristics were discussed combined with local environment of Er3+ ions in these novel glasses.

Contamination deposition on a specimen during the irradiation of the electron beam in a TEM column interferes accurate elemental analysis and high-resolution imaging. Such specimen contaminations are mainly caused by the interactions of an electron beam with hydrocarbons existing in a high-vacuum TEM chamber introduced by high-vacuum pumping system, specimen damage, and leaks. Therefore, an effective process for the cleaning and removal of the contaminants in a TEM column has been desired

Oxynitride amorphous films in the system of Al 2 O 3 AlN were prepared by rf sputtering in the range 0–79 mol% AlN, and their density, refractive index, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio and dynamic hardness were measured. The atomic ratio of oxygen to nitrogen in the films increased linearly with the partial pressure ratio of oxygen to nitrogen during sputtering. The density and Poisson's ratio decreased monotonicly with AlN content, while the refractive index increased. Young's modulus and dynamic hardness decreased with AlN content below about 50 mol% AlN, beyond which they increased. The compositional dependence was explained by the change of the coordination state of aluminum ions with the nitrogen content, and was confirmed by IR spectra and the molar refractivity.

Local atomic structures of rapidly quenched amorphous ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{100\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{B}}_{x}$ $(x=14,17,20)$ alloys have been investigated comprehensively by means of high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM), nanobeam electron diffraction (NBED), and electron diffraction atomic pair distribution function (PDF) analysis. In HREM images, crystalline cluster regions with a $\mathrm{bcc}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{Fe}$ structure extending as small as $1\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$ were observed locally as lattice images, while NBED with a probe size as small as $1\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$ revealed an existence of local clusters with structures of $\mathrm{bcc}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{Fe}$ and also of Fe-boride in all the as-formed alloys. Atomic PDF analyses were performed for these alloys by precise measurements of halo-electron diffraction intensities using imaging-plate and energy-filtering techniques. From the interference functions, atomic structure models were constructed for the $\mathrm{Fe}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{B}$ amorphous structures with the help of reverse Monte Carlo calculation. From Voronoi polyhedral analysis applied to these structure models, it was confirmed that atomic polyhedral arrangements with bcc and icosahedral clusters of Fe, and trigonal prisms of Fe and B, are formed in these amorphous structures, and the fraction of $\mathrm{bcc}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{Fe}$ clusters increases with the Fe content, while the fraction of trigonal prisms increases with the B content. The direct observation of local cluster structures of $\mathrm{bcc}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{Fe}$ and Fe-boride by HREM and NBED is an indication of ``nanoscale phase separation'' driven in the course of amorphous formation of these alloys, and the constructed structures based on the experimental PDFs with different B contents are inconsistent with a local structure scheme expected from the ``nanoscale phase separation'' model. The present study demonstrates that the structure model of nanoscale phase separation stands for the amorphous alloy structures where the phase separation fatally occurs in the crystallization stage.