Fe-based superconductors have attracted research interest because of their rich structural variety, which is due to their layered crystal structures. Here we report the new-structure-type Fe-based superconductors CaAFe4As4 (A = K, Rb, Cs) and SrAFe4As4 (A = Rb, Cs), which can be regarded as hybrid phases between AeFe2As2 (Ae = Ca, Sr) and AFe2As2. Unlike solid solutions such as (Ba(1-x)K(x))Fe2As2 and (Sr(1-x)Na(x))Fe2As2, Ae and A do not occupy crystallographically equivalent sites because of the large differences between their ionic radii. Rather, the Ae and A layers are inserted alternately between the Fe2As2 layers in the c-axis direction in AeAFe4As4 (AeA1144). The ordering of the Ae and A layers causes a change in the space group from I4/mmm to P4/mmm, which is clearly apparent in powder X-ray diffraction patterns. AeA1144 is the first known structure of this type among not only Fe-based superconductors but also other materials. AeA1144 is formed as a line compound, and therefore, each AeA1144 has its own superconducting transition temperature of approximately 31-36 K.

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Utilization of renewable energy are coming up from view points of environmental conservation and depletion of fossil fuel. However, the generated power from renewable energies is always fluctuating due to environmental status. Energy storage system is indispensable to compensate these fluctuating components. Energy capacitor system (ECaSS) connected an electric doublelayer capacitor (EDLC) with power-electronics devices is useful for the compensation of fluctuating power since one is capable of controlling both active and reactive power simultaneously. This paper proposes the current-source ECaSS (CS-ECS), which consists of EDLC, bi-directional DC-DC converter, and current-source inverter. We have presented the control system for the active/reactive power control of CS-ECS, and have shown the effectiveness of CS-ECS through computer simulations for case of wind power generation system.Index Terms-Bi-directional dc-dc converter, current source inverter, electric double-layer capacitor, regulations of terminal voltage and power flow, wind turbine generator.

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CaMFe4As4 (M: K, Rb, Cs) and SrMFe4As4 (M: Rb, Cs) are prepared by solid state reaction of stoichiometric amounts of the elements (stainless steel pipe, 860—920 °C, 2—6 h).

We previously identified suppressyn (SUPYN), a placental protein that negatively regulates the cell fusion essential for trophoblast syncytialization via binding to the trophoblast receptor for syncytin-1, ASCT2, and hypothesized that SUPYN may thereby regulate cell-cell fusion in the placenta. Here, we redefine in vivo SUPYN localization using specific monoclonal antibodies in a rare early placental sample, showing SUPYN localization in villous and extravillous trophoblast subtypes, the decidua and even in placental debris in the maternal vasculature. In human trophoblast cell lines, we show SUPYN alters ASCT2 glycosylation within the secretory pathway and that this binding is associated with inhibition of cell fusion. Using newly-optimized trophoblast isolation protocols that allow tracking of ex vivo cell fusion, we present transcription and translation dynamics of fusion-related proteins over 96 hours in culture and the effects of changes in ambient oxygen levels on these processes. We report converse syncytin-1 and SUPYN transcriptional and translational responses to surrounding oxygen concentrations that suggest both are important in the effects of hypoxia and hyperoxia on placental syncytialization. Our results suggest that SUPYN’s anti-fusogenic properties may be exerted at several sites in the maternal body and its dysregulation may be associated with diseases of abnormal placentation.

The Matthias rule, which is an empirical correlation between the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) and the average number of valence electrons per atom (n) in alloys and intermetallic compounds, has been used in the past as a guiding principle to search for new superconductors with higher Tc. The intermetallic compound SrBi3 (AuCu3 structure) exhibits a Tc of 5.6 K. An ab-initio electronic band structure calculation for SrBi3 predicted that Tc increases on decreasing the Fermi energy, i.e., on decreasing n, because of a steep increase in the density of states. In this study, we demonstrated that high-pressure (~ 3 GPa) and low-temperature ( < 350 °C) synthesis conditions enables the substitution of Na for about 40 at.% of Sr. With a consequent decrease in n, the Tc of (Sr,Na)Bi3 increases to 9.0 K. A new high-Tc peak is observed in the oscillatory dependence of Tc on n in compounds with the AuCu3 structure. We have shown that the oscillatory dependence of Tc is in good agreement with the band structure calculation. Our experiments reaffirm the importance of controlling the number of electrons in intermetallic compounds.

We succeeded in synthesizing a new intermetallic compound with a AuCu3-type structure, LaBi3, by utilizing a high-pressure technique. Reacting Bi and LaBi at 450 °C under a pressure of 3.4 GPa resulted in the crystallization of LaBi3 with an a-axis lattice parameter of Sharp superconducting transitions were observed in both its magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity at 7.3–7.4 K. The upper critical field and Ginzburg–Landau coherence length ξ0 were estimated to be 1.70 T and 139 Å, respectively. The superconducting transition temperature Tc was found to decrease linearly with increasing applied pressure with a slope of −0.26 K GPa−1. Band structure calculations indicated that this compound has a multiband nature and that its Fermi energy is located exactly at one of the peak density of states.