RIKEN Nishina Center＇s Response to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster： Radiation Screening at Fukushima, How We Dealt with the Electrical Power Shortage and Other Hardships

A large magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck northeast Japan on March 11, 2011. Thirty minutes later, a tsunami reached Tokyo Electric Power Corporation （TEPCO）＇s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, and the emergency diesel generators submerged under water. Three units of the reactor experienced meltdown, and hydrogen explosions occurred at reactor houses. The RIKEN Nishina Center （RNC） contributed to the radiation screening effort by providing human resources, instruments, and transportation. The RNC also carried out extraction work and sample tests for soil contamination. Last summer, RIKEN was legally required to save 15% （equivalent to 3.3 MW） of its allocated electricity in its contract, making it extremely difficult to conduct experiments using accelerators. Accelerator operation was thus reduced to a minimum during the first half of the year. The RNC has a gas-turbine-based co-generation system （CGS） with an electrical capacity of 6.5 MW. The CGS was operated non-stop until the end of the year. RIKEN is constructing two sets of CGSs, each with a capacity of 1.5 MW to be commissioned this autumn.

正交异性钢桥面板横梁切口裂纹的Lamb波监测分析

为探究钢桥面板横梁切口裂纹的Lamb波技术监测效果,设计了2个钢桥面板足尺模型,通过循环加载使其横梁切口处发生疲劳开裂,利用Lamb波监测裂纹扩展情况,进而从波信号中提取标准化特征,用于评估裂纹扩展.建立并验证了钢桥面板有限元模型,进行了裂纹长度、传感器位置等各种参数分析,以确定最佳传感器布置.试验结果表明:当裂纹扩展长度与波传播路径垂直时,标准化特征增大;当两者路径平行时,标准化特征减小.参数化分析结果确定了切口处裂纹监测的最佳传感器位置,建议在选定横梁切口区域,预先布置1个激励器和4个接收器,激励器位于距切口50 mm处,接收器位于距离切口50 mm处或距顶板50~100 mm处.

Edge enhanced depth perception with binocular meta-lens

The increasing popularity of the metaverse has led to a growing interest and market size in spatial computing from both academia and industry.Developing portable and accurate imaging and depth sensing systems is crucial for advancing next-generation virtual reality devices.This work demonstrates an intelligent,lightweight,and compact edge-enhanced depth perception system that utilizes a binocular meta-lens for spatial computing.The miniaturized system comprises a binocular meta-lens,a 532 nm filter,and a CMOS sensor.For disparity computation,we propose a stereo-matching neural network with a novel H-Module.The H-Module incorporates an attention mechanism into the Siamese network.The symmetric architecture,with cross-pixel interaction and cross-view interaction,enables a more comprehensive analysis of contextual information in stereo images.Based on spatial intensity discontinuity,the edge enhancement eliminates illposed regions in the image where ambiguous depth predictions may occur due to a lack of texture.With the assistance of deep learning,our edge-enhanced system provides prompt responses in less than 0.15 seconds.This edge-enhanced depth perception meta-lens imaging system will significantly contribute to accurate 3D scene modeling,machine vision,autonomous driving,and robotics development.

High performance micromachining of sapphire by laser induced plasma assisted ablation(LIPAA)using GHz burst mode femtosecond pulses

GHz burst-mode femtosecond(fs)laser,which emits a series of pulse trains with extremely short intervals of several hundred picoseconds,provides distinct characteristics in materials processing as compared with the conventional irradiation scheme of fs laser(single-pulse mode).In this paper,we take advantage of the moderate pulse interval of 205 ps(4.88 GHz)in the burst pulse for high-quality and high-efficiency micromachining of single crystalline sapphire by laser induced plasma assisted ablation(LIPAA).Specifically,the preceding pulses in the burst generate plasma by ablation of copper placed behind the sapphire substrate,which interacts with the subsequent pulses to induce ablation at the rear surface of sapphire substrates.As a result,not only the ablation quality but also the ablation efficiency and the fabrication resolution are greatly improved compared to the other schemes including single-pulse mode fs laser direct ablation,single-pulse mode fs-LIPAA,and nanosecond-LIPAA.

Construction and performance test of charged particle detector array for MATE

A charged particle array named MATE-PA,which serves as an auxiliary detector system for a Multi-purpose Active-target Time projection chamber used in nuclear astrophysical and exotic beam Experiments(MATE),was constructed.The array comprised of 20 single-sided strip-silicon detectors covering approximately 10%of the solid angle.The detectors facilitated the detection of reaction-induced charged particles that penetrate the active volume of the MATE.The performance of MATE-PA has been experimentally studied using an alpha source and a 36-MeV 14 N beam injected into the MATE chamber on the radioactive ion beam line in Lanzhou(RIBLL).The chamber was filled with a gas mixture of 95%4 He and 5%CO_(2) at a pressure of 500 mbar.The results indicated good separation of light-charged particles using the forward double-layer silicon detectors of MATE-PA.The energy resolution of the Si detectors was deduced to be approximately 1%(σ)for an energy loss of approximately 10 MeV caused by theαparticles.The inclusion of MATE-PA improves particle identification and increases the dynamic range of the kinetic energy of charged particles,particularly that of theαparticles,up to approximately 15 MeV.

Nattokinase as a functional food ingredient:therapeutic applications and mechanisms in age-related diseases

Consumption of natto,a traditional eastern Asian food made of fermented soybeans by Bacillus subtilis,has long been linked to healthy aging and longer human lifespan.As the key thrombolytic ingredient of natto,the serine protease nattokinase(NK)has been developed into a widely-used dietary supplement.NK has shown excellent anti-thrombus,thrombolytic,and anti-inflammation activities that potentially delay aging and provide therapeutic effects on aging-related diseases.In this review,we critically overview the experimental and clinical evidence in the past 20 years that support the beneficial function of NK in the prevention and treatment of aging-related diseases,including cardiovascular diseases,Alzheimer’s disease,other abnormalities and cancer.We focus on the underlying molecular mechanisms and recent advances in application methods that are aimed at further development of NK for healthier aging of modern society.The challenges and unsolved issues in this area are also discussed.

Opportunities for production and property research of neutron-rich nuclei around N=126 at HIAF

The study of nuclide production and its properties in the N=126 neutron-rich region is prevalent in nuclear physics and astrophysics research.The upcoming High-energy FRagment Separator(HFRS)at the High-Intensity heavy-ion Accelerator Facility(HIAF),an in-flight separator at relativistic energies,is characterized by high beam intensity,large ion-optical acceptance,high magnetic rigidity,and high momentum resolution power.This provides an opportunity to study the production and properties of neutron-rich nuclei around N=126.In this paper,an experimental scheme is proposed to produce neutron-rich nuclei around N=126 and simultaneously measure their mass and lifetime based on the HFRS separator;the feasibility of this scheme is evaluated through simulations.The results show that under the high-resolution optical mode,many new neutron-rich nuclei approaching the r-process abundance peak around A=195 can be produced for the first time,and many nuclei with unknown masses and lifetimes can be produced with high statistics.Using the time-of-flight corrected by the measured dispersive position and energy loss information,the cocktails produced from 208 Pb fragmentation can be unambiguously identified.Moreover,the masses of some neutron-rich nuclei near N=126 can be measured with high precision using the time-of-flight magnetic rigidity technique.This indicates that the HIAF-HFRS facility has the potential for the production and property research of neutron-rich nuclei around N=126,which is of great significance for expanding the chart of nuclides,developing nuclear theories,and understanding the origin of heavy elements in the universe.

Rational design of natural leather-based water evaporator for electricity generation and functional applications

In recent years,water evaporation-induced electricity has attracted a great deal of attention as an emerging green and renewable energy harvesting technology.Although abundant materials have been developed to fabricate hydrovoltaic devices,the limitations of high costs,inconvenient storage and transport,low environmental benefits,and unadaptable shape have restricted their wide applications.Here,an electricity generator driven by water evaporation has been engineered based on natural biomass leather with inherent properties of good moisture permeability,excellent wettability,physicochemical stability,flexibility,and biocompatibility.Including numerous nano/microchannels together with rich oxygen-bearing functional groups,the natural leather-based water evaporator,Leather_(Emblic-NPs-SA/CB),could continuously produce electricity even staying outside,achieving a maximum output voltage of∼3 V with six-series connection.Furthermore,the leather-based water evaporator has enormous potential for use as a flexible self-powered electronic floor and seawater demineralizer due to its sensitive pressure sensing ability as well as its excellent photothermal conversion efficiency(96.3%)and thus fast water evaporation rate(2.65 kg m^(−2)h^(−1)).This work offers a new and functional material for the construction of hydrovoltaic devices to harvest the sustained green energy from water evaporation in arbitrary ambient environments,which shows great promise in their widespread applications.

Design of Magnet System for RIKEN Superconducting ECR Ion Source

Superconducting magnet system for a 28GHz ECR ion source has been designed.The maximum axial magnetic fields are 4T at the rf injection side and 2T at the beam extraction side,respectively.The hexapole magnetic field is about 2T on the inner surface of the plasma chamber.The superconducting coils consist of six solenoids and six racetrack windings for a hexapole field.Two kinds of coil arrangements were investigated:one is an arrangement in which the hexpole coil is located in the bore of the solenoids,and another is the reverse of it.The coils use NbTi-Copper conductor and are bath-cooled in liquid helium.The six solenoids are excited with individual power supplies to search for the optimal axial field distribution.The current leads use high Tc material and the cryogenic system is operated in LHe re-condensation mode using small refrigerators.The thermal insulated supports of the cold mass have also been designed based on the calculated results of the magnetic force.The heat loads to 70K and LHe stages were estimated from the design of the supports,the current leads and so on.

Magnetic Field Configuration Effect and New ECRISs for RIKEN RIBF Project

We measured the main plasma parameters(density of electron,temperature of electron and ion confinement time)and beam intensity of various heavy ions as a function of B_(min).The B_(min) strongly affects the field gradient at the resonance zone,consequently the plasma parameters and beam intensity are changed. Based on these experimental results,we started to construct new 18GHz ECRIS and make a detailed design of the 28GHz SC-ECRIS for RIKEN RI beam factory project.

Metal Ion Production with RIKEN 18GHz-ECRIS

At RIKEN,three ECR ion sources(10GHz ECRIS,18GHz ECRIS and liquid He-free SC-ECRIS) are operated as external ion sources of heavy ion accelerators.In the last year,multi-charged uranium ion beam was produced from 18GHz ECRIS by using UF_6 and the ^(238)U ion was successfully accelerated by the accelerator complex which consists of the RFQ linear accelerator,RIKEN heavy ion linear accelerator(RILAC)and RIKEN ring cyclotron accelerator(RRC).The typical beam intensity of^(238)U^(14+) was about 2pμA on faraday cup after analysing magnet.^(70)Zn beam was still supplied for the new super-heavy element search experiment with insertion method.Intense beam of^(70)Zn^(16+) was produced for long term(～43 days)without vacuum break and remarkably low material consumption rate(～100μgr/h).We already supplied Zn beam longer than 200 days for this experiment.^(48)Ca ion was also produced by insertion method using^(48)CaO rod for the nuclear physics experiment.In this contribution,we will present ion source parameter and techniques for production of each of the metal ions.

Two-dimensional laser-induced periodic surface structures formed on crystalline silicon by GHz burst mode femtosecond laser pulses

Femtosecond laser pulses with GHz burst mode that consist of a series of trains of ultrashort laser pulses with a pulse interval of several hundred picoseconds offer distinct features in material processing that cannot be obtained by the conventional irradiation scheme of femtosecond laser pulses(single-pulse mode).However,most studies using the GHz burst mode femtosecond laser pulses focus on ablation of materials to achieve high-efficiency and high-quality material removal.In this study,we explore the ability of the GHz burst mode femtosecond laser processing to form laser-induced periodic surface structures(LIPSS)on silicon.It is well known that the direction of LIPSS formed by the single-pulse mode with linearly polarized laser pulses is typically perpendicular to the laser polarization direction.In contrast,we find that the GHz burst mode femtosecond laser(wavelength:1030 nm,intra-pulse duration:220 fs,intra-pulse interval time(intra-pulse repetition rate):205 ps(4.88 GHz),burst pulse repetition rate:200 kHz)creates unique two-dimensional(2D)LIPSS.We regard the formation mechanism of 2D LIPSS as the synergetic contribution of the electromagnetic mechanism and the hydrodynamic mechanism.Specifically,generation of hot spots with highly enhanced electric fields by the localized surface plasmon resonance of subsequent pulses in the bursts within the nanogrooves of one-dimensional LIPSS formed by the preceding pulses creates 2D LIPSS.Additionally,hydrodynamic instability including convection flow determines the final structure of 2D LIPSS.

Production of neutron-rich actinide isotopes in isobaric collisions via multinucleon transfer reactions

We systematically calculated the multinucleon transfer reactions of ^(208)Os,^(208)Pt,^(208)Hg,^(208)Pb,^(208)Po,^(208)Rn,^(208)Ra,and ^(132,136) Xe when bombarded on ^(232) Th and ^(248) Cm at Coulomb barrier energies within the dinuclear system model.These results are in good agreement with the available experimental data.The influence of Coulomb and shell effects on actinide production in these reactions has been rigorously studied.We calculated and analyzed the potential energy surface (PES) and total kinetic energy (TKE) mass distributions for the reactions involving ^(208)Hg,^(208)Pb,and ^(208) Po with ^(248) Cm and ^(232)Th.The PES and TKE spectra shed light on the fragment formation mechanisms in multinucleon transfer reactions,with clear indications of isospin and shell effects.The production cross sections for multinucleon transfer products show a strong dependence on isobar projectiles with a mass number A=208.Isobar projectiles with high N/Z ratios are advantageous for generating neutron-rich target-like fragments.Conversely,products induced by isobar projectiles with larger charge numbers tend to shift toward proton-rich regions.The intertwining of the Coulomb potential and shell effect is evident in the production cross sections of actinide isotopes.Drawing from reactions induced by radioactive projectiles,we anticipate the discovery of several new actinide isotopes near the nuclear drip lines,extending our reach into the superheavy nuclei domain.

Prediction of synthesis cross sections of new moscovium isotopes in fusion‑evaporation reactions

In the framework of the dinuclear system model,the synthesis mechanism of the superheavy nuclides with atomic numbers Z=112,114,115 in the reactions of projectiles 40,^(48)Ca bombarding on targets^(238)U,^(242)Pu,and^(243)Am within a wide interval of incident energy has been investigated systematically.Based on the available experimental excitation functions,the dependence of calculated synthesis cross-sections on collision orientations has been studied thoroughly.The total kinetic energy(TKE)of these collisions with fixed collision orientation shows orientation dependence,which can be used to predict the tendency of kinetic energy diffusion.The TKE is dependent on incident energies,as discussed in this paper.We applied the method based on the Coulomb barrier distribution function in our calculations.This allowed us to approximately consider all the collision orientations from tip-tip to side-side.The calculations of excitation functions of^(48)Ca+^(238)U,^(48)Ca+242Pu,and^(48)Ca+^(243)Am are in good agreement with the available experimental data.The isospin effect of projectiles on production cross-sections of moscovium isotopes and the influence of the entrance channel effect on the synthesis cross-sections of superheavy nuclei are also discussed in this paper.The synthesis cross-section of new moscovium isotopes 278−286 Mc was predicted to be as large as hundreds of pb in the fusion-evaporation reactions of^(35,37)Cl+^(248)Cf,^(38,40)Ar+^(247)Bk,^(39,41)K+247 Cm,^(40,42,44,46)Ca+^(243)Am,45 Sc+^(244)Pu,and^(46,48,50)Ti+237Np,51 V+^(238)U at some typical excitation energies.

GHz bursts in MHz burst(BiBurst) enabling high-speed femtosecond laser ablation of silicon due to prevention of air ionization

For the practical use of femtosecond laser ablation, inputs of higher laser intensity are preferred to attain high-throughput material removal. However, the use of higher laser intensities for increasing ablation rates can have detrimental effects on ablation quality due to excess heat generation and air ionization. This paper employs ablation using BiBurst femtosecond laser pulses, which consist of multiple bursts(2 and 5 bursts) at a repetition rate of 64 MHz, each containing multiple intra-pulses(2–20 pulses) at an ultrafast repetition rate of 4.88 GHz, to overcome these conflicting conditions. Ablation of silicon substrates using the BiBurst mode with 5 burst pulses and 20 intra-pulses successfully prevents air breakdown at packet energies higher than the pulse energy inducing the air ionization by the conventional femtosecond laser pulse irradiation(single-pulse mode). As a result, ablation speed can be enhanced by a factor of23 without deteriorating the ablation quality compared to that by the single-pulse mode ablation under the conditions where the air ionization is avoided.

Smart industrial IoT empowered crowd sensing for safety monitoring in coal mine

The crowd sensing technology can realize the sensing and computing of people,machines,and environment in smart industrial IoT-based coal mine,which provides a solution for safety monitoring through distributed intelligence optimization.However,due to the difficulty of neural network training to achieve global optimality and the fact that traditional LSTM methods do not consider the relationship between adjacent machines,the accuracy of human body position prediction and pressure value prediction is not high.To solve these problems,this paper proposes a smart industrial IoT empowered crowd sensing for safety monitoring in coal mine.First,we propose a Particle Swarm Optimization-Elman Neural Network(PE)algorithm for the mobile human position prediction.Second,we propose an ADI-LSTM neural network prediction algorithm for pressure values of machines supports in underground mines.Among them,our proposed PE algorithm has the lowest average cumulative prediction error,and the trajectory fit rate is improved by 24.1%,13.9%and 8.7%compared with Kalman filtering,Elman and Kalman plus Elman algorithms,respectively.Meanwhile,compared with single-input ARIMA,RNN,LSTM,and GRU,the RMSE values of our proposed ADI-LSTM are reduced by 36.6%,52%,32%,and 13.7%,respectively;and the MAPE values are reduced by 0.0003%,0.9482%,1.1844%,and 0.3620%,respectively.

Identification of microbial metabolites that accelerate the ubiquitindependent degradation of c-Myc

Myc belongs to a family of proto-oncogenes that encode transcription factors.The overexpression of c-Myc causes many types of cancers.Recently,we established a system for screening c-Myc inhibitors and identified antimycin A by screening the RIKEN NPDepo chemical library.The specific mechanism of promoting tumor cell metastasis by high c-Myc expression remains to be explained.In this study,we screened approximately 5,600 microbial extracts using this system and identified a broth prepared from Streptomyces sp.RK19-A0402 strongly inhibits c-Myc transcriptional activity.After purification of the hit broth,we identified compounds closely related to the aglycone of cytovaricin and had a structure similar to that of oligomycin A.Similar to oligomycin A,the hit compounds inhibited mitochondrial complex V.The mitochondria dysfunction caused by the compounds induced the production of reactive oxygen species(ROS),and the ROS activated GSK3α/βthat phosphorylated c-Myc for ubiquitination.This study provides a successful screening strategy for identifying natural products as potential c-Myc inhibitors as potential anticancer agents.

Coin-structured tunable beam shaping assembly design for accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy for tumors at different depths and sizes

In the past decade,boron neutron capture therapy utilizing an accelerator-based neutron source(ABNS)designed primarily for producing epithermal neutrons has been implemented in the treatment of brain tumors and other cancers.The specifications for designing an epithermal beam are primarily based on the IAEA-TECODC-1223 report,issued in 2001 for reactor neutron sources.Based on this report,the latest perspectives and clinical requirements,we designed an ABNS capable of adjusting the average neutron beam energy.The design was based on a 2.8 MeV,20 mA proton beam bombarding a lithium target to produce neutrons that were subsequently moderated and tuned through a tunable beam shaping assembly(BSA)which can modify the thicknesses and materials of the coin-shaped moderators,back reflectors,filters,and collimators.The simulation results demonstrated that epithermal neutron beams for deep seated tumor treatment,which were generated by utilizing magnesium fluoride with lengths ranging between 28 and 36 cm as the moderator,possessed a treatment depth of 5.6 cm although the neutron flux peak shifts from 4.5 to 1.0 keV.When utilizing a thinner moderator,a less accelerated beam power can meet the treatment requirements.However,higher powers reduced the treatment time.In contrast,employing a thick moderator can reduce the skin dose.In scenarios that required relatively low energy neutron beams,the removal of the thermal neutron filter can raise the thermal neutron flux at the beam port.And the depth of the dose rate peak could be adjusted between 0.25 and 2.20 cm by combining magnesium fluoride and polyethylene coins of different thicknesses.Hence,this device has a better adaptability for the treatment of superficial tumors.Overall,the tunable BSA provides greater flexibility for clinical treatment than common BSA designs that can only adjust the port size.

A Furan-Substituted Polymeric Hole-Transporting Material for Energy Level Regulation and Less Planarity in Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cells

For efficient colloidal quantum dot(CQD)solar cells(CQD-SCs),thiol-passivated p-type CQDs are generally used as a hole-transporting material(HTM);however,there are issues with the control of optoelectrical properties,low thiol passivation rate,and poor morphology with a power conversion efficiency(PCE)of approximately 11%.Although polymeric HTMs have been introduced to address these issues,maximizing efficiency and achieving green-solvent processability and thermal stability for commercialization is necessary.Here,we synthesize a novel benzodifuran(BDF)-based HTM(asy-ranPBTBDF)showing an electron-deficient state,low steric hindrance,and low planarity compared to those of a typical benzodithiophene(BDT)-based HTM(asy-ranPBTBDT).BDF properties lead to deep high occupied molecular orbital(HOMO)levels,closeπ-πstacking,excellent solubility,and amorphous properties related to efficiency,green-solvent processability,and thermal stability.With these benefits,the asy-ranPBTBDF-based CQD-SC showed enhanced open-circuit voltage(Voc)(0.65 V)and PCE(13.29%)compared to those of the asy-ranPBTBDT-based device(0.63 V and 12.22%)in toxic processes with chlorobenzene.The asy-ranPBTBDF-based CQD-SC showed a PCE of 12.51%in a green-solvent process with 2-methylanisole and improved thermal stability at 80℃(83.8%retaining after 24 h)owing to less lateral crystallization than the asy-ranPBTBDT-based device(60.8%retaining after 24 h).

Isolation and characterization ofβ-transducin repeat-containing protein ligands screened using a high-throughput screening system

β-transducin repeat-containing protein(β-TrCP)is an F-box protein subunit of the E3 Skp1-Cullin-F box(SCF)type ubiquitin-ligase complex,and provides the substrate specificity for the ligase.To find potent ligands ofβ-TrCP useful for the proteolysis targeting chimera(PROTAC)system usingβ-TrCP in the future,we developed a high-throughput screening system for small moleculeβ-TrCP ligands.We screened the chemical library utilizing the system and obtained several hit compounds.The effects of the hit compounds on in vitro ubiquitination activity of SCFβ-TrCP1 and on downstream signaling pathways were examined.Hit compounds NPD5943,NPL62020-01,and NPL42040-01 inhibited the TNFα-induced degradation of IκBαand its phosphorylated form.Hence,they inhibited the activation of the transcription activity of NF-κB,indicating the effective inhibition ofβ-TrCP by the hit compounds in cells.Next,we performed an in silico analysis of the hit compounds to determine the important moieties of the hit compounds.Carboxyl groups of NPL62020-01 and NPL42040-01 and hydroxyl groups of NPD5943 created hydrogen bonds withβ-TrCP similar to those created by intrinsic target phosphopeptides ofβ-TrCP.Our findings enhance our knowledge of useful small molecule ligands ofβ-TrCP and the importance of residues that can be ligands ofβ-TrCP.