Crystal structure of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase from Hansenula saturnus

This research was originally published in Journal of Biological Chemistry. Min Yao, T. Ose, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Atsushi Horiuchi, Atsushi Nakagawa, Soichi Wakatsuki, Daisuke Yokoii, Toyotaka Murakamii, Mamoru Honmai, and Isao Tanaka. Crystal structure of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase from Hansenula saturnus. J. Biol. Chem. 2000; 275, 34557-34565. © the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Detection of a bright burst from the repeating FRB 20201124A at 2 GHz

We present a detection of a bright burst from FRB 20201124A, which is one of the most active repeating FRBs, based on S-band observations with the 64-m radio telescope at the Usuda Deep Space Center/JAXA. This is the first FRB observed by using a Japanese facility. Our detection at 2 GHz in February 2022 is the highest frequency for this FRB and the fluence of $>$ 189 Jy ms is one of the brightest bursts from this FRB source. We place an upper limit on the spectral index $\alpha$ = -2.14 from the detection of the S band and non-detection of the X band at the same time. We compare an event rate of the detected burst with ones of the previous research, and suggest that the power-law of the luminosity function might be broken at lower fluence, and the fluences of bright FRBs distribute up to over 2 GHz with the power-law against frequency. In addition, we show the energy density of the burst detected in this work was comparable to the bright population of one-off FRBs. We propose that repeating FRBs can be as bright as one-off FRBs, and only their brightest bursts could be detected so some of repeating FRBs intrinsically might have been classified as one-off FRBs.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan (PASJ

Experience of Mothers of Hikikomori Children during their High School and University Days : The Process of Mother’s Participation in a Hikikomori “Parents’ Group”

The goal of this study is to clarify the experience process up to joining a parents' group, for mothers of school refusal children who refused to go to school or university and ended up as hikikomori, refusing to go out at all. Another goal is to examine support for such mothers. Semistructured interviews were conducted with twelve mothers. By analyzing the interviews using the revised version of the grounded theory approach, five categories and twelve concepts were extracted. The central category was looking for a guidepost and this affected the other three categories. In (makeshift solution for child) mothers repeatedly tried to find some stopgap solution. In (anguish amid a sense of isolation) they struggled on alone, feeling isolated. In this process, mothers made the (decision to join a parents' group) because they wanted to meet someone who would understand, obtain useful information and have some idea of what the future might hold. Since the looking for a guidepost situation continued for some time before they made the (decision to join a parents' group) it is highly likely that these mothers' psychological state can be stabilized through an appropriate response, and that they will be able to deal with their child head on, and adopt an attitude which seeks to understand him. From the analysis results, it is suggested that “mother's acceptance” and “encouragement of supporter's understanding of hikikomori” are important elements in supporting responses to looking for a guidepost.本研究は、高校・大学時にひきこもった子どもの母親の、親の会に参加するまでの体験のプロ セスを明らかにし支援の検討を目的とした。母親12名を対象に半構造化面接を行い、面接内容を 修正版グラウンデッド・セオリー・アプローチを用いて分析した結果、５つのカテゴリーと12の 概念が抽出された。コアカテゴリーは≪探し求める道しるべ≫であり、その後の３つのカテゴ リーに影響を与えていた。〈子どもには対症療法〉でその場しのぎの対応を繰り返し〈孤独感の 中で苦悩〉し、わかる人とつながり有効な情報を得て先の展望を持ちたいという思いで〈親の会 への参加決断〉をしていた。≪探し求める道しるべ≫状態が継続していることから、ここへの適 切な対応で早期に母親の心理的安定を図ることができる可能性が高く、“母親の受容”、”支援 者のひきこもりに関する理解の促進”が重要な要素と考えられる