太田川水系におけるナガレトビケラ科幼虫各種の分布様式の違いについて

太田川水系の全体を網羅するいろいろな幼虫群集を調べることによって，ナガレトビケラ科幼虫の分布様式を比較した。合計15種が採集され，どの環境パラメータについても，分布範囲と平均値は種間で著しく異なった。Rhyacophila bilobata，R. shikotsuensisおよびR. sp. RFは，源流からの距離，川幅および流域面積について，狭い範囲と小さな標準偏差を示した。各パラメータを標準化し，8つのパラメータについての分布平均に基づいてクラスター分析を行った。すべて原始的な種であるR. bilobata，R. clemensとR. sp. RKからなるクラスターは，高標高，急な川床勾配，小規模，貧栄養で低温の水域に適応してきたと推定された。共に派生的な種であるR. nigrocephalaとR.yamanakensisからなるクラスターは，低標高，緩い川床勾配，大規模，富栄養で高温の水域に適応してきたと推定された。さらに，Nigrocephalaグループの一員であるR. nigrocephalaがR.nigrocephalaのクラスターを形成したのに対し，同グループのR. kawamuraeはApsilochoremasutshanumのクラスターに加わった。これらの結果は，祖先種の本来の生息地は源流域であること，分布制限要因は種間で異なること，さらに近縁種間で何らかの棲み分けがあることを示唆する。The distribution pattern was compared among the caddisfly larvae of the family Rhyacophilidae by examining the various larval communities covering a total basin of the Ohta River, Japan. A total of 15 species were collected, among which the distribution range and the mean was remarkably different for any environmental parameter. Rhyacophila bilobata, R. shikotsuensis and R. sp. RF showed a narrow range and small standard deviation for distance from riverhead, river width and valley area. Each parameter was standardized, and cluster analysis was performed on the basis of the means of 8 parameters for distribution of each species. A cluster, involving R. bilobata, R. clemens and R. sp. RK, all primitive, was estimated to have adapted to high altitude, steep riverbed slope, small-scale, oligotrophic and low-temperature waters. Another cluster, involving R. nigrocephala and R. yamanakensis, both derivative, was estimated to have adapted to low altitude, loose slope, large-scale, eutrophic and high-temperature waters. Besides, R. kawamurae, a species of Nigrocephala group, participated in an Apsilochorema sutshanum-cluster whereas R. nigrocephala, another species of the same group, constructed a R. nigrocephala-cluster. These suggest that the original habitat of the ancestral species be headwaters, that strongly restricting factors be different among species and that there be some habitat-partitionings among the sibling species

Self-trapped electrons and holes in PbBr2_2 crystals

We have directly observed self-trapped electrons and holes in PbBr$_{2}$ crystals with electron-spin-resonance (ESR) technique. The self-trapped states are induced below 8 K by two-photon interband excitation with pulsed 120-fs-width laser light at 3.10 eV. Spin-Hamiltonian analyses of the ESR signals have revealed that the self-trapping electron centers are the dimer molecules of Pb$_2$$^{3+}$ along the crystallographic a axis and the self-trapping hole centers are those of Br$_2$$^-$ with two possible configurations in the unit cell of the crystal. Thermal stability of the self-trapped electrons and holes suggests that both of them are related to the blue-green luminescence band at 2.55 eV coming from recombination of spatially separated electron-hole pairs.Comment: 8 pages (7 figures, 2 tables), ReVTEX; revised the text and figures 1, 4, and

Self-trapped states and the related luminescence in PbCl2_2 crystals

We have comprehensively investigated localized states of photoinduced electron-hole pairs with electron-spin-resonance technique and photoluminescence (PL) in a wide temperature range of 5-200 K. At low temperatures below 70 K, holes localize on Pb$^{2+}$ ions and form self-trapping hole centers of Pb$^{3+}$. The holes transfer to other trapping centers above 70 K. On the other hand, electrons localize on two Pb$^{2+}$ ions at higher than 50 K and form self-trapping electron centers of Pb$_2$$^{3+}$. From the thermal stability of the localized states and PL, we clarify that blue-green PL band at 2.50 eV is closely related to the self-trapped holes.Comment: 8 pages (10 figures), ReVTEX; removal of one figure, Fig. 3 in the version

Predictors towards entrepreneurial intention: a Malaysian case study

The bumiputra population in Malaysia seems unable to match the nonbumiputras especially the Chinese in terms of their entrepreneurial character. The small number of small business startup by the bumiputras in Malaysia evidently shows this. One reason suggested by many academics is the risktaking propensity by the bumiputras. This research intends to investigate the relationship between risk taking propensity and entrepreneurial intention among the bumiputras and Chinese in Malaysia. The respondents for this study were 746 students studying in Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Questionnaires were used in the data collection process. The results revealed that the Chinese respondents had significantly higher risk taking scores than the bumiputras. The Chinese were also found to be more intent to become entrepreneurs upon graduation from the university. This clearly explains why the Chinese are predominantly involved in business in Malaysia as compared to the bumiputras. Significant differences were also found between genders whereby male respondents were found to have higher risk taking scores and more intent to become entrepreneurs than the females. The degree programs in which the students are enrolled in also showed significant differences with the Science students having the highest risk taking scores followed by the Business and the Arts students. The regression result examining the relationship between risk taking propensity and intention to become an entrepreneur was found to be significant. However, the ability of risk taking propensity to explain the variance in entrepreneurial intention is very small. Suggestions were given to overcome the problems of low risk taking propensity among the bumiputras

Second nationwide surveillance of bacterial pathogens in patients with acute uncomplicated cystitis conducted by Japanese Surveillance Committee from 2015 to 2016: antimicrobial susceptibility of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus saprophyticus

The Japanese Surveillance Committee conducted a second nationwide surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of uropathogens responsible for acute uncomplicated cystitis (AUC) in premenopausal patients aged 16–40 years old at 31 hospitals throughout Japan from March 2015 to February 2016. In this study, the susceptibility of causative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus saprophyticus) for various antimicrobial agents was investigated by isolation and culturing of organisms obtained from urine samples. In total, 324 strains were isolated from 361 patients, including E. coli (n = 220, 67.9%), S. saprophyticus (n = 36, 11.1%), and K. pneumoniae (n = 7, 2.2%). The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 20 antibacterial agents for these strains were determined according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) manual. At least 93% of the E. coli isolates showed susceptibility to fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins, whereas 100% of the S. saprophyticus isolates showed susceptibility to fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides. The proportions of fluoroquinolone-resistant and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli strains were 6.4% (13/220) and 4.1% (9/220), respectively. The antimicrobial susceptibility of K. pneumoniae was retained during the surveillance period, while no multidrug-resistant strains were identified. In summary, antimicrobial susceptibility results of our second nationwide surveillance did not differ significantly from those of the first surveillance. Especially the numbers of fluoroquinolone-resistant and ESBL-producing E. coli strains were not increased in premenopausal patients with AUC in Japan

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target