Hannaella oleicumulans sp. nov. and Hannaella higashiohmiensis sp. nov., two novel oleaginous basidiomycetous yeast species

滋賀県の土壌から新種の油脂酵母2種を発見 --日本の土壌微生物の可能性を開拓--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-10-04.Two-of-a-kind strike oil: Discovery of oil-forming yeast species boosts hope for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-10-04.Three strains of novel oleaginous yeast species were isolated from soil samples collected in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the D1/D2 region of the large subunit (LSU) of the rRNA genes indicated that these novel yeast species are members of the genus Hannaella. The results of molecular phylogenetic analysis indicated that strains 38–3 and 8s1 were closely related to Hannaella oryzae. They differed by 10 nucleotide substitutions and one gap (1.77 %) in the D1/D2 region of the LSU of the rRNA genes and by 17–18 nucleotide substitutions and 10–11 gaps (5.45–5.85 %) in the ITS region. Strain 51–4 differed from the type strain of the most closely related species, Hannaella pagnoccae, by 26 nucleotide substitutions (4.46 %) in the D1/D2 region of the LSU of the rRNA genes and by 20 nucleotide substitutions and six gaps (5.42 %) in the ITS region. The names proposed for these previously undescribed species are Hannaella oleicumulans sp. nov. and Hannaella higashiohmiensis sp. nov

Omnidirectional Radio Interferometry Using Deployable Tensegrity Array Antenna Satellite

We propose a method of omnidirectional radio interferometry in space using a three-dimensional tensegrity array antenna deployed from a small satellite. Tensegrity means a stable and self-equilibrating structure based on the balance of compressive and tensile forces between compression and tension members. The advantages of the tensegrity structure are that it is lightweight and can be stored compactly, reducing launch costs and enabling deployment in orbit. This structure is therefore attracting interest for various applications such as space antennas, starshades, and planetary exploration. In this study, we investigated a tensegrity array antenna that can be deployed from small satellites as a platform for a space-based radio interferometer. This is an attempt to advance the proposed method of omnidirectional radio interferometry to enable us to configure sensor pairs with multiple baseline lengths and arbitrarily change the baseline vectors with respect to the observation target by rotating the satellite. With a wide field of view, the tensegrity array antenna employing this method can serve a variety of applications, including science and space situational awareness. The tensegrity array antenna deploys bars and thin films as compression and tension members of the tensegrity structure to form a tensegrity icosahedron with an outer shape more than twice as large as that of a small satellite in storage. The bars are used as pole antennas and the thin films as patch antennas to form a three-dimensional array antenna with thirteen axes of rotational symmetry. We propose the method to estimate the omnidirectional distribution of the scalar sources by measuring the interference between the antenna pairs while rotating the tensegrity array antenna around the rotational symmetry axis. We present the configuration of the tensegrity array antenna as well as its deployment. We also propose an estimation method for the omnidirectional distribution of the scalar sources by rotational interferometry using the spherical harmonic expansion. We report the verification results of this estimation method using the similarity rule between electromagnetics and acoustics. For the verification, we constructed a six-channel array microphone and measured uncorrelated one-third octave bandpass noise (center frequencies of 1 k and 2 kHz, corresponding to 0.9 G and 1.8 GHz in radio-frequency conversion) emitted from multiple directions in an anechoic chamber by rotating the array microphone. The results indicate the ability to separate sources arriving simultaneously from multiple directions at 10 dB signal-to-noise ratio. This was achieved with the theoretical resolution of the interferometer. Finally, we discuss the development challenges and future works

Low serum free light chain is associated with risk of COPD exacerbation

Background: Most exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are triggered by respiratory tract infections. Adaptive immunity via antibody production is important in preventing infections. Impaired antibody production is reported to be associated with an increased risk of exacerbations of COPD. In the present study, we elucidated whether reduced free light chains (FLCs), which are excessive amounts of light chains produced during antibody synthesis and can be used to estimate systemic antibody production, may be a promising biomarker to predict the risk of exacerbations of COPD. Methods: We enrolled stable male patients with COPD and prospectively observed them for 2 years. At baseline, serum combined FLC (cFLC; sum of kappa and lambda values) and pulmonary function were evaluated. Exacerbation was defined as a worsening of symptoms requiring treatments with antibiotics, corticosteroids or both. Results: 63 patients with stable COPD were enrolled (72.8±8.1 years, GOLD A/B/C/D=24/28/6/5), and 51 patients completed the 2-year follow-up. Serum cFLC was 31.1 mg·L−1 on average and ranged widely (1.4 to 89.9 mg·L−1). The patients with low cFLC (below the mean−sd, n=6) experienced a significantly shorter time to the first exacerbation of COPD (p<0.0001 by the log-rank test). A multivariate Cox proportional hazard model, including the COPD assessment test score, % predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 % pred), and number of previous exacerbations demonstrated that low cFLC and low FEV1 % pred were independently and significantly correlated with the risk for exacerbations of COPD. Conclusion: Low cFLC may be a B-cell-associated novel biomarker associated with risk of COPD exacerbation

Dwarf Nova-like Outburst of Short Period Intermediate Polar HT Camelopardalis

We report the first time-series observations of the short outburst of the proposed intermediate polar HT Cam (=RX J0757.0+6306). On 2001 December 29, we detected the object was undergoing a bright outburst at the magnitude of $m_{vis}=12.2$. Following this detection, we started international joint observations through VSNET. The light curve showed a gradual decline for the first 0.5 d. Following this short plateau phase, the rate of decline dramatically increased to more than 4 mag d$^{-1}$. Within 1.5 d from the outburst detection, the object almost declined to the quiescent level. During the rapidly declining phase, long-term modulations with a period of 86 min and strong pulses with a period of 8.6 min were observed. We concluded that 86 min and 8.6 min are the orbital period and the spin period of HT Cam, respectively. By the detection of the spin period, we confirmed the IP classification of HT Cam. However, its outburst behavior rather resembles that of dwarf novae. The discrepancy between the declining rates of the total flux and the pulse flux strongly suggests that the disk instabilities were taking place during the outburst.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in PAS

Long-term monitoring of the short period SU UMa-type dwarf nova, V844 Herculis

We report on time-resolved CCD photometry of four outbursts of a short-period SU UMa-type dwarf nova, V844 Herculis. We successfully determined the mean superhump periods to be 0.05584(64) days, and 0.055883(3) for the 2002 May superoutburst, and the 2006 April-May superoutburst, respectively. During the 2002 October observations, we confirmed that the outburst is a normal outburst, which is the first recorded normal outburst in V844 Her. We also examined superhump period changes during 2002 May and 2006 April-May superoutbursts, both of which showed increasing superhump period over the course of the plateau stage. In order to examine the long-term behavior of V844 Her, we analyzed archival data over the past ten years since the discovery of this binary. Although photometry is not satisfactory in some superoutbursts, we found that V844 Her showed no precursors and rebrightenings. Based on the long-term light curve, we further confirmed V844 Her has shown almost no normal outbursts despite the fact that the supercycle of the system is estimated to be about 300 days. In order to explain the long-term light curves of V844 Her, evaporation in the accretion disk may play a role in the avoidance of several normal outbursts, which does not contradict with the relatively large X-ray luminosity of V844 Her.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures, accepted for PAS

Sarcomatoid Variant of Bladder Carcinoma: A Case Report

A 59-year-old man was referred to our hospital complaining of asymptomatic gross hematuria. Cystoscopy revealed a papillary tumor 8 cm in diameter filling the bladder. The patient underwent transurethral resection of the bladder tumor. The pathological findings revealed the sarcomatoid variant of urothelial carcinoma with a heterologous osteosarcomatous element. He had no metastasis according to our imaging analyses; thus, we planned radical cystectomy after two courses of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (gemcitabine and cisplatin). Following chemotherapy, enlarged pelvic lymph nodes were noted, and extremely aggressive local progression of the bladder tumor was confirmed. The patient ultimately died 6 months after his initial visit to our hospital