Suzugamine Women's College

Marchantia formosana is newly reported from Yunnan, China. An updated key to the East Asian taxa of the family Marchantiaceae is also provided.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have demonstrated a very strong application potential. In order to realize it, the synthesis of stoichiometric 2D TMDCs on a large scale is crucial. Here, we consider a typical TMDC representative, MoS2, and present an approach for the fabrication of well-ordered crystalline films via the crystallization of a thin amorphous layer by annealing at 800 °C, which was investigated in terms of long-range and short-range orders. Strong preferential crystal growth of layered MoS2 along the ⟨002⟩ crystallographic plane from the as-deposited 3D amorphous phase is discussed together with the mechanism of the crystallization process disclosed by molecular dynamic simulations using the Vienna Ab initio Simulation Package. We believe that the obtained results may be generalized for other 2D materials. The proposed approach demonstrates a simple and efficient way to fabricate thin 2D TMDCs for applications in nano- and optoelectronic devices.

The broadband PLC in cargo ships is a long-awaited technology. However the characteristics of power-line channels in the cargo ships have not been studied yet. The most unique point of the channels is that power-line cables used in most Asian cargo ships are shielded. In order to characterize the channel and investigate a suitable PLC system to the cargo ships, some parameters were measured in three typical ships. The parameters were the transfer functions (LCTR, LTR and TTR), LCL and stationary noise spectrum. From these measurements, (1) the required dynamic range of receivers, (2) average attenuation at distribution boards, (3) phase coupling loss and (4) average LCL values were derived in this paper. Since the cables are shielded and the hull provides the good ground, the usage of the common-mode transmission in addition to the conventional differential-mode, which is referred to as a dual-mode transmission system, is also proposed. Therefore the measured parameters above were included the common-mode and mode-conversion properties. As the evidence to support our proposal, some results in which the LCTR values were superior to the TTR values are shown.

To examine aroma compounds responsible for “hineka ” in commercial sake, we carried out a quantitative analysis of aroma compounds and a sensory analysis for commercial sake in which “hineka” was pointed out in the national survey of commercial sake. We also analyzed commercial sake without “hineka” and commercial aged sake (stored for more than 3 years) for comparison. Volatile aldehydes, ethyl esters, polysulfides (DMDS and DMTS), furfural, and sotolon increased in the order of: commercial sake without “hineka”, commercial sake with “hineka”, and commercial aged sake. Results of a principal component analysis suggested that commercial sake with “hineka” was characterized by relatively high levels of polysulfides, while commercial aged sake stored for long periods was characterized by high levels of sotolon, volatile aldehydes, furfural, and diethyl succinate. A sensory analysis of the commercial sake showed that the logarithm of DMTS concentration correlated with the “hineka ” score, while that of sotolon did not. These results suggest that DMTS contributes greatly to “hineka ” in commercial sake.

The use of antiepileptic drugs during human gestation probably increases the risk of causing CNS disorders in later life. In brain, granule cells in the dentate gyrus (DG) and cerebellum are still developing in the last trimester of human gestation and a similar development is taking place during the mouse perinatal period. We treated newborn C57BL/6 mice orally with 35 mg/kg phenytoin (PHT) daily during postnatal days (PD) 5 to 14. Histopathological investigation revealed that the layer of mature granule cells in the DG that was immunoreactive to anti-calbindin D28k was thinner in PHT-treated mice. Purkinje cells in the treated group also had poor, immature arbors with an irregular arrangement. A number of TUNEL-positive cells were observed in the DG and cerebellum during the treatment. PHT-treated mice were impaired in the acquisition of a hidden platform task in the water maze and committed significantly more errors during the learning process in theradial arm maze. These findings demonstrate that neonatal administration of PHT interferes with the development of granule cells in the hippocampus and the cerebellum and causes spatial leaning deficits in later life. Cautious clinical use of this drug for pregnant patients is warranted, especially in the last trimester.