Spatially-resolved Radio-to-Far-infrared SED of the Luminous Merger Remnant NGC 1614 with ALMA and VLA

We present the results of Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) 108, 233, 352, and 691 GHz continuum observations and Very Large Array (VLA) 4.81 and 8.36 GHz observations of the nearby luminous merger remnant NGC 1614. By analyzing the beam (1".0 * 1".0) and uv (> 45 k{\lambda}) matched ALMA and VLA maps, we find that the deconvolved source size of lower frequency emission (< 108 GHz) is more compact (420 pc * 380 pc) compared to the higher frequency emission (> 233 GHz) (560 pc * 390 pc), suggesting different physical origins for the continuum emission. Based on an SED model for a dusty starburst galaxy, it is found that the SED can be explained by three components, (1) non-thermal synchrotron emission (traced in the 4.81 and 8.36 GHz continuum), (2) thermal free-free emission (traced in the 108 GHz continuum), and (3) thermal dust emission (traced in the 352 and 691 GHz continuum). We also present the spatially-resolved (sub-kpc scale) Kennicutt-Schmidt relation of NGC 1614. The result suggests a systematically shorter molecular gas depletion time in NGC 1614 (average {\tau}_gas of 49 - 77 Myr and 70 - 226 Myr at the starburst ring and the outer region, respectively) than that of normal disk galaxies (~ 2 Gyr) and a mid-stage merger VV 114 (= 0.1 - 1 Gyr). This implies that the star formation activities in U/LIRGs are efficiently enhanced as the merger stage proceeds, which is consistent with the results from high-resolution numerical merger simulations.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in PAS

Spatially resolved CO SLED of the Luminous Merger Remnant NGC 1614 with ALMA

We present high-resolution (1".0) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of CO (1-0) and CO (2- 1) rotational transitions toward the nearby IR-luminous merger NGC 1614 supplemented with ALMA archival data of CO (3-2), and CO (6-5) transitions. The CO (6-5) emission arises from the starburst ring (central 590 pc in radius), while the lower-$J$ CO lines are distributed over the outer disk ($\sim$ 3.3 kpc in radius). Radiative transfer and photon dominated region (PDR) modeling reveal that the starburst ring has a single warmer gas component with more intense far-ultraviolet radiation field ($n_{\rm{H_2}}$ $\sim$ 10$^{4.6}$ cm$^{-3}$, $T_{\rm{kin}}$ $\sim$ 42 K, and $G_{\rm{0}}$ $\sim$ 10$^{2.7}$) relative to the outer disk ($n_{\rm{H_2}}$ $\sim$ 10$^{5.1}$ cm$^{-3}$, $T_{\rm{kin}}$ $\sim$ 22 K, and $G_{\rm{0}}$ $\sim$ 10$^{0.9}$). A two-phase molecular interstellar medium with a warm and cold ($>$ 70 K and $\sim$ 19 K) component is also an applicable model for the starburst ring. A possible source for heating the warm gas component is mechanical heating due to stellar feedback rather than PDR. Furthermore, we find evidence for non-circular motions along the north-south optical bar in the lower-$J$ CO images, suggesting a cold gas inflow. We suggest that star formation in the starburst ring is sustained by the bar-driven cold gas inflow, and starburst activities radiatively and mechanically power the CO excitation. The absence of a bright active galactic nucleus can be explained by a scenario that cold gas accumulating on the starburst ring is exhausted as the fuel for star formation, or is launched as an outflow before being able to feed to the nucleus.Comment: 20 pages, 19 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Ap

School teachers' awareness of internet addiction in elementary school students: a regional survey in Japan

In recent years, concerns about internet addiction (IA) among children have been increasing. This study focused on the awareness of IA in elementary school teachers. A web-based anonymous survey was conducted in November 2021. The participants completed an original questionnaire about their awareness of IA. The participants were divided into three groups based on their positions in the classroom: class teachers, support teachers, and administrative teachers. Out of 283 participants, over 70% had not approached students with IA and had little practical knowledge about the disorder. Support and administrative teachers had more opportunities to interact with students with IA than class teachers (p &lt; 0.001 in both cases). Support teachers had more opportunities to ask their colleagues about IA than class teachers (p &lt; 0.01); similarly, administrative teachers also had more opportunities to discuss IA with colleagues than class teachers (p = 0.04). Preventive interventions are recommended for people who communicate with children with IA. Students with IA might cause anxiety among teachers; therefore, preventive education strategies should be implemented with the cooperation of psychiatrists, psychologists, and public health nurses

ABCA7 Gene Expression and Genetic Association Study in Schizophrenia

Introduction: Although ATP-binding cassette sub-family A member 7 gene (ABCA7) is known to be associated with Alzheimer’s disease, the relationship between ABCA7 and schizophrenia has been unknown. Methods: Schizophrenia patients (n = 50; 24 males, 62.1 ± 0.50 years old) and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 50) were recruited for the mRNA analysis. Additionally, a case-control study for the rs3764650 genotypes was performed with 1308 samples (control subjects; n = 527, schizophrenia patients; n = 781). All participants were Japanese, unrelated to each other, and living in the same area. Results: The distributions of the rs3764650 genotypes in schizophrenia patients were not different from that of controls. However, the ABCA7 mRNA expression levels in schizophrenia patients were significantly higher than those in controls by a logistic regression analysis. Additionally, the ABCA7 mRNA expression levels in schizophrenia patients were correlated with the rs3764650 genotypes in a dose-dependent manner. Discussion: The ABCA7 mRNA expression levels in peripheral blood with the rs3764650 genotypes may be related to pathological mechanisms in schizophrenia and may be a biological marker for schizophrenia

Case Report Effects of Adenotonsillectomy on Neurocognitive Function in Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in children does not only present with symptoms of sleep disturbances but also with associated symptoms such as growth failure, enuresis, academic learning difficulties, and behavioral problems, including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder-(ADHD-) like symptoms. We evaluated neurocognitive functions before and after adenotonsillectomy in a patient with OSAS. An 11-year-old boy suspected of having ADHD with nocturnal enuresis was referred for evaluation. He was found to have adenotonsillar hypertrophy. Presence of snoring was evident only after detailed medical interview. Polysomnography confirmed the diagnosis of OSAS, which was subsequently treated by adenotonsillectomy. The apnea/hypopnea index decreased from 21.9 at baseline to 1.8 after surgery, and the frequency of enuresis fell from almost nightly to 2-3 times per month. Neurocognitive and behavioral assessment after the treatment of OSAS showed significant improvement in cognitive functions, especially attention capacity and considerable amelioration of behavioral problems including ADHD-like symptoms. As the most common cause of pediatric OSAS is adenotonsillar hypertrophy, medical interview and oropharyngeal examination should always be performed in children suspected of having ADHD. The necessity of sleep evaluation for children with ADHD-like symptoms was also emphasized

Very compact millimeter sizes for composite star-forming/AGN submillimeter galaxies

We report the study of far-IR sizes of submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) in relation to their dust-obscured star formation rate (SFR) and active galactic nuclei (AGN) presence, determined using mid-IR photometry. We determined the millimeter-wave ($\lambda_{\rm obs}=1100 \mu$m) sizes of 69 ALMA-identified SMGs, selected with $\geq10$$\sigma$ confidence on ALMA images ($F_{\rm 1100 \mu m}=1.7$--7.4 mJy). We found that all the SMGs are located above an avoidance region in the millimeter size-flux plane, as expected by the Eddington limit for star formation. In order to understand what drives the different millimeter-wave sizes in SMGs, we investigated the relation between millimeter-wave size and AGN fraction for 25 of our SMGs at $z=1$--3. We found that the SMGs for which the mid-IR emission is dominated by star formation or AGN have extended millimeter-sizes, with respective median $R_{\rm c,e} = 1.6^{+0.34}_{-0.21}$ and 1.5$^{+0.93}_{-0.24}$ kpc. Instead, the SMGs for which the mid-IR emission corresponds to star-forming/AGN composites have more compact millimeter-wave sizes, with median $R_{\rm c,e}=1.0^{+0.20}_{-0.20}$ kpc. The relation between millimeter-wave size and AGN fraction suggests that this size may be related to the evolutionary stage of the SMG. The very compact sizes for composite star-forming/AGN systems could be explained by supermassive black holes growing rapidly during the SMG coalescing, star-formation phase.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in ApJ Lette

TREM2 Expression in Schizophrenia

TREM2 and TYROBP are causal genes for Nasu–Hakola disease (NHD), a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by bone lesions and early-onset progressive dementia. TREM2 forms a receptor signaling complex with TYROBP, which triggers the activation of immune responses in macrophages and dendritic cells, and the functional polymorphism of TREM2 is reported to be associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The objective of this study was to reveal the involvement of TYROBP and TREM2 in the pathophysiology of AD and schizophrenia. Methods: We investigated the mRNA expression level of the 2 genes in leukocytes of 26 patients with AD and 24 with schizophrenia in comparison with age-matched controls. Moreover, we performed gene association analysis between these 2 genes and schizophrenia. Results: No differences were found in TYROBP mRNA expression in patients with AD and schizophrenia; however, TREM2 mRNA expression was increased in patients with AD and schizophrenia compared with controls (P < 0.001). There were no genetic associations of either gene with schizophrenia in Japanese patients. Conclusion: TREM2 expression in leukocytes is elevated not only in AD but also in schizophrenia. Inflammatory processes involving TREM2 may occur in schizophrenia, as observed in neurocognitive disorders such as AD. TREM2 expression in leukocytes may be a novel biomarker for neurological and psychiatric disorders