A sintering process for copper based films using a rapid thermal process with infrared lamps is proposed to improve the electrical properties. Compared with films produced by conventional thermal sintering, the microstructure of the copper based films contained fewer internal and interfacial pores and larger grains after the rapid thermal process. This high-density microstructure is due to the high heating rate, which causes the abrupt decomposition of the organic shell at higher temperatures than is the case for the low heating rate; the high heating rate also induces densification of the copper based films. In order to confirm the effect of the rapid thermal process on copper nanoink, copper based films were prepared under varying of conditions such as the sintering temperature, time, and heating rate. As a result, the resistivity of the copper based films showed no significant changes at high temperature (300 oC) according to the sintering conditions. On the other hand, at low temperatures, the resistivity of the copper based films depended on the heating rate of the rapid thermal process.

This study was conducted to determine the effect of mathematical transformation on near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) calibrations for the prediction of chemical composition and fermentation parameters in corn silage. Corn silage samples (n=407) were collected from cattle farms and feed companies in Korea between 2014 and 2015. Samples of silage were scanned at 1 nm intervals over the wavelength range of 680~2,500 nm. The optical data were recorded as log 1/Reflectance (log 1/R) and scanned in intact fresh condition. The spectral data were regressed against a range of chemical parameters using partial least squares (PLS) multivariate analysis in conjunction with several spectral math treatments to reduce the effect of extraneous noise. The optimum calibrations were selected based on the highest coefficients of determination in cross validation (R2 cv) and the lowest standard error of cross validation (SECV). Results of this study revealed that the NIRS method could be used to predict chemical constituents accurately (correlation coefficient of cross validation, R2 cv, ranging from 0.77 to 0.91). The best mathematical treatment for moisture and crude protein (CP) was first-order derivatives (1, 16, 16, and 1, 4, 4), whereas the best mathematical treatment for neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) was 2, 16, 16. The calibration models for fermentation parameters had lower predictive accuracy than chemical constituents. However, pH and lactic acids were predicted with considerable accuracy (R2 cv 0.74 to 0.77). The best mathematical treatment for them was 1, 8, 8 and 2, 16, 16, respectively. Results of this experiment demonstrate that it is possible to use NIRS method to predict the chemical composition and fermentation quality of fresh corn silages as a routine analysis method for feeding value evaluation to give advice to farmers.

Multiple color selection techniques are successful in identifying quasars from wide-field broad- band imaging survey data. Among the quasars that have been discovered so far, however, there is a redshift gap at 5 . z . 5.7 due to the limitations of filter sets in previous studies. In this work, we present a new selection technique of high redshift quasars using a sequence of medium-band filters: nine filters with central wavelengths from 625 to 1025 nm and bandwidths of 50 nm. Photometry with these medium-bands traces the spectral energy distribution (SED) of a source, similar to spectroscopy with resolution R  15. By conducting medium-band observations of high redshift quasars at 4.7  z  6.0 and brown dwarfs (the main contaminants in high redshift quasar selection) using the SED camera for QUasars in EArly uNiverse (SQUEAN) on the 2.1-m telescope at the McDonald Observatory, we show that these medium-band filters are superior to multi-color broad-band color section in separating high redshift quasars from brown dwarfs. In addition, we show that redshifts of high redshift quasars can be determined to an accuracy of
z/(1 + z) = 0.002 – 0.026. The selection technique can be extended to z  7, suggesting that the medium-band observation can be powerful in identifying quasars even at the re-ionization epoch.

PURPOSES : The objective of this study is to propose a quality control and quality assurance method for use during asphalt pavement construction using non-destructive methods, such as ground penetrating radar (GPR) and an infrared (IR) camera. METHODS: A 1.0 GHz air-coupled GPR system was used to measure the thickness and in situ density of asphalt concrete overlay during the placement and compaction of the asphalt layer in two test construction sections. The in situ density of the asphalt layer was estimated based on the dielectric constant of the asphalt concrete, which was measured as the ratio of the amplitude of the surface reflection of the asphalt mat to that of a metal plate. In addition, an IR camera was used to monitor the surface temperature of the asphalt mat to ensure its uniformity, for both conventional asphalt concrete and fiber-reinforced asphalt (FRA) concrete. RESULTS: From the GPR test, the measured in situ air void of the asphalt concrete overlay gradually decreased from 12.6% at placement to 8.1% after five roller passes for conventional asphalt concrete, and from 10.7% to 5.9% for the FRA concrete. The thickness of the asphalt concrete overlay was reduced from 7.0 cm to 6.0 cm for the conventional material, and from 9.2 cm to 6.4 cm for the FRA concrete. From the IR camera measurements, the temperature differences in the asphalt mat ranged from 10℃ to 30 ℃ in the two test sections. CONCLUSIONS: During asphalt concrete construction, GPR and IR tests can be applicable for monitoring the changes in in situ density, thickness, and temperature differences of the overlay, which are the most important factors for quality control. For easier and more reliable quality control of asphalt overlay construction, it is better to use the thickness measurement from the GPR.

The Hiroshima Astrophysical Science Center (HASC) was founded in 2004 at Hiroshima University, Japan. The main mission of this institute is the observational study of various transient objects includ- ing gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, novae, cataclysmic variables, and active galactic nuclei by means of multi-wavelength observations. HASC consists of three divisions; the optical-infrared astronomy divi- sion, high-energy astronomy division, and theoretical astronomy division. HASC is operating the 1.5m optical-infrared telescope Kanata, which is dedicated to follow-up and monitoring observations of transient objects. The high-energy division is the key operation center for the Fermi gamma-ray space telescope. HASC and the high-energy astronomy group in the department of physical science at Hiroshima University are closely collaborating with each other to promote multi-wavelength time-domain astronomy. We report the recent activities of HASC and some science topics pursued by this multi-wavelength collaboration.

We present the current status (as of August 2014) of SPICA (Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics), which is a mission optimized for mid- and far-infrared astronomy with a cryogenically cooled 3m-class telescope. SPICA is expected to achieve high spatial resolution and unprecedented sensitivity in the mid- and far-infrared, which will enable us to address a number of key problems in present-day astronomy, ranging from the star-formation history of the universe to the formation of planets. We have carried out the "Risk Mitigation Phase" activity, in which key technologies essential to the realization of the mission have been extensively developed. Consequently, technical risks for the success of the mission have been significantly mitigated. Along with these technical activities, the international collaboration framework of SPICA has been revisited, which resulted in la arger contribution from ESA than that in the original plan. To enable the ESA participation under the new framework, a SPICA proposal to ESA is under consideration as a medium-class mission under the framework of the ESA Cosmic Vision. The target launch year of SPICA under the new framework is the mid-2020s.

This study was conducted to assess the potential of using NIRS to accurately determine the chemical composition and fermentation parameters in fresh coarse sorghum and sudangrass silage. Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) has been increasingly used as a rapid and accurate method to analyze the quality of cereals and dried animal forage. However, silage analysis by NIRS has a limitation in analyzing dried and ground samples in farm-scale applications because the fermentative products are lost during the drying process. Fresh coarse silage samples were scanned at 1 nm intervals over the wavelength range of 680~2500 nm, and the optical data were obtained as log 1/Reflectance (log 1/R). The spectral data were regressed, using partial least squares (PLS) multivariate analysis in conjunction with first and second order derivatization, with a scatter correction procedure (standard normal variate and detrend (SNV&D)) to reduce the effect of extraneous noise. The optimum calibrations were selected on the basis of minimizing the standard error of cross validation (SECV). The results of this study showed that NIRS predicted the chemical constituents with a high degree of accuracy (i.e. the correlation coefficient of cross validation (R²cv) ranged from 0.86~0.96), except for crude ash which had an R² cv of 0.68. Comparison of the mathematical treatments for raw spectra showed that the second-order derivatization procedure produced the best result for all the treatments, except for neutral detergent fiber (NDF). The best mathematical treatment for moisture, acid detergent fiber (ADF), crude protein (CP) and pH was 2,16,16 respectively while the best mathematical treatment for crude ash, lactic acid and total acid was 2,8,8 respectively. The calibrations of fermentation products produced poorer calibrations (RPD < 2.5) with acetic and butyric acid. The pH, lactic acid and total acids were predicted with considerable accuracy at R²cv 0.72~0.77. This study indicated that NIRS calibrations based on fresh coarse sorghum and sudangrass silage spectra have the capability of assessing the forage quality control

We use ALLWISE data release W1- and W2-band epoch photometry collected by the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) to determine slopes of the period-luminosity relations for RR Lyrae stars in 15 globular clusters in the corresponding bands. We further combine these results with V- and K-band photometry of Galactic field RR Lyrae stars to determine the metallicity slopes of the log PF - [Fe/H]-MK, log PF - [Fe/H]-MW1, and log PF - [Fe/H]- MW2 period-metallicity-luminosity relations. We infer the zero points of these relations and determine the kinematical parameters of thick-disk and halo RR Lyraes via statistical parallax, and estimate the RR Lyrae-based distances to 18 Local-Group galaxies including the center of the Milky Way.

Young Galactic supernova remnants (SNRs) are where we can observe closely supernova (SN) ejecta and their interaction with the circumstellar/interstellar medium. They also provide an opportunity to explore the explosion and the final stage of the evolution of massive stars. Near-infrared (NIR) emission lines in SNRs mostly originate from shocked dense material. In shocked SN ejecta, forbidden lines from heavy ions are prominent, while in shocked circumstellar/interstellar medium, [Fe II] and H2 lines are prominent. [Fe II] lines are strong in both media, and therefore [Fe II] line images provide a good starting point for the NIR study of SNRs. There are about twenty SNRs detected in [Fe II] lines, some of which have been studied in NIR spectroscopy. We will review the NIR [Fe II] observations of SNRs and introduce our recent NIR spectroscopic study of the young core-collapse SNR Cas A where we detected strong [P II] lines.