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Multilayer diffraction gratings are designed to improve the detection limit and sensitivity of soft x-ray flat-field spectrographs in the region of 300–1000 eV, placing emphasis on Fe-L (705 eV), Cu-L (930 eV), and Zn-L (1012 eV) emissions. For this purpose, spectral flux was used as the performance index, which is proportional to the amount of optical flux incident into a detector and correlated with detection sensitivity. A super-mirror-type W/B4C multilayer coating [Koike et al., Rev.Sci. Instrum. 94, 045109 (2023)] was employed to improve diffraction efficiency in a wide energy region. The unique feature of the multilayer structure is that the average refractive index and the period length of W/B4C layer pairs are increased from the bottom to top layers. In addition, the incidence angle was reduced to 86.03° from 88.65° and the nominal groove density was increased to 3200 lines/mm from 2400 lines/mm of our previous design, to improve spectral flux while maintaining dispersion and spectral resolution. A holographic varied-line-spacing spherical grating and a soft x-ray flat-field spectrograph were designed, using the aspherical-wavefront-recording method, assuming the nominal grating constant and incident angle described above. The numerical simulation results showed that the spectrograph employing the newly designed grating with the W/B4C multilayer indicated 3.2–8.2 times higher spectral flux compared with those using the previously designed grating while keeping the same spectral resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laminar-type spherical diffraction gratings overcoated with carbon-based materials were designed, fabricated, and evaluated for the purpose of enhancing the analytical sensitivity of the flat-field spectrograph in a vacuum ultraviolet region of 35–110 eV. As the design benchmark for numerical calculations, diffraction efficiency (DE) and spectral flux, which are defined by the product of the DE and numerical aperture and correlate with the analytical sensitivity of the spectrograph, were used. To simplify the feasibility study on the overcoating effects, we assumed a laminar-type grating having a grating constant of 1/1000 mm and coated with a Au layer of 30.0 nm thickness and an incidence angle of 84.0°. The optimized groove depth and duty ratio were 30.0 nm and 0.3, respectively. In addition, the optimum thicknesses of the overcoating layer were 44, 46, 24, and 30 nm for B4C, C, diamond-like-carbon, and SiC, respectively. Based on these results, we have fabricated a varied-line-spacing holographic grating overcoated with B4C with a thickness of 47 nm. For the experimental evaluation, we used the light source of Mg-L and Al-L emissions excited by the electron beam generated from an electron microscope, an objective flat-field spectrograph, and a CCD imaging detector. The experimental results showed that the spectrograph employing a new grating overcoated with the B4C layer indicated almost the same spectral resolution and 2.9–4.2 times higher analytical sensitivity compared with those obtained with a previously designed Au-coated grating having a grating constant of 1/1200 mm and used at an incidence of 86.0°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulk Fe/Ag multilayers with layer thickness of approximately 10 nm were successfully fabricated through repeated press-rolling directly from a macroscopic stack of metal sheets. The press-rolled multilayers showed giant magnetoresistance of 13% in the current perpendicular to the plane geometry and 4% in the current in the plane geometry at 5 K.

Polycrystalline CuInSe2 thin film is fabricated by correcting homojunction. Ion implementation of nitrogen, with the energy and the dose of 50keV and 1 times 10 to the power 15 cm to the power -2, followed by the short annealing in nitrogen atmosphere at 450 degrees centigrade results in the p-n junction diode. The Raman scattering spectroscopy in used to study the properties of the near surface region in the films implanted. The junction properties have been characterized by measuring the secondary ion mass spectroscopy depth profile of the nitrogen in the CuInSe2 film and the capacitive voltage characteristics of the rectifying diode. Efficiency of 0. 35% is seen in the photovoltaic characteristics in AM 1.0, 100 mW/cm square.

Objective: This cross-sectional study investigated chilliness, which is the most prevalent sexual-vasomotor symptom in middle-aged Japanese women.Methods: First-visit records of 475 Japanese women (age 40-65 years) enrolled in the health and nutrition education program at a menopause clinic were analyzed. Chilliness was estimated based on responses to the Menopausal Symptom Scale. Effects of age, menopausal status, body composition, cardiovascular parameters, resting energy expenditure, physical fitness, menopausal symptoms, lifestyle, and estimated daily intake of nutrients were assessed using a multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results: Severe chilliness was found in 28.4% of women. It was not related to age, menopausal status, body mass index, or body fat percentage. The anxiety subscale score of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was the sole background characteristic independently associated with severe chilliness (adjusted odds ratio, 1.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.15 per point). Daily intakes of vitamin D and n-3 fatty acids were significantly lower in women with severe chilliness. Daily intake of n-3 fatty acids was negatively associated with severe chilliness after adjustment (odds ratio, 0.54; 95% confidence interval, 0.29-0.95 per g/1000 kcal intake).Conclusions: Chilliness is associated with anxiety and low intake of n-3 fatty acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study investigated the links between the severity of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) and the dietary consumption of a variety of nutrients. Method: A cross-sectional analysis of the first-visit records of 262 women aged 40-65 years was conducted. The severity of their hot flushes (HF) and night sweats (NS) and their dietary consumption of nutrients were evaluated using the Menopausal Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire and the brief-type self-administered Diet History Questionnaire, respectively. The relationships between severity of HF/NS and dietary intake were analyzed separately for 43 major nutrients. We then evaluated different food items as sources of the nutrients. Results: After adjustment for age, body mass index, menopausal status, and background factors significantly related to VMS, only vitamin B6 (VB6) was significantly related to severity of HF (adjusted odds ratio per 10 μg/MJ in VB6 intake, 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.86-0.97). Moreover, a significant inverse relationship was found between the consumption of oily fish as a source of VB6 and the severity of HF. Conclusions: VB6 and oily fish intake is inversely associated with the severity of HF in middle-aged women. Therefore, increased intake of VB6 could help attenuate HF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and EXAFS spectroscopy are used to study the composition and structure of SiCxNy:Fe films obtained by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) in the Fe-Si-C-N-H system from a mixture of hydrogen, ferrocene (C5H5)2Fe, and organosilicon compound 1,1,3,3,5,5-hexamethylcyclotrisilazane (HMCTS) C6H21N3Si3. The films are deposited under low pressures (LPCVD) at 1123-1273 K, and their phase composition at 300-1300 K is predicted using thermodynamic modeling. The obtained films are nanocomposites with amorphous matrices containing α-Fe crystallites and carbon clusters with a size of 5-10 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]