Suzaku Observation of the Diffuse X-Ray Emission from the Open Cluster Westerlund 2: a Hypernova Remnant?

We present the analysis of Suzaku observations of the young open cluster Westerlund 2, which is filled with diffuse X-ray emission. We found that the emission consists of three thermal components or two thermal and one non-thermal components. The upper limit of the energy flux of the non-thermal component is smaller than that in the TeV band observed with H.E.S.S. This may indicate that active particle acceleration has stopped in this cluster, and that the accelerated electrons have already cooled. The gamma-ray emission observed with H.E.S.S. is likely to come from high-energy protons, which hardly cool in contrast with electrons. Metal abundances of the diffuse X-ray gas may indicate the explosion of a massive star in the past.Comment: Accepted for publication in PAS

Preleukemia: hematological disorders prior to onset of leukemia

Published data on Japanese leukemia patients with a preleukemic hematological disorder were assessed. The reexamined cases were from the &#34;Japona Centra Revuo Medicina&#34; reported during the period from 1952 to 1971. Among preleukemic hematological disorders, hypoplastic anemia was the most frequently reported (41 of 62 cases). These &#34;hypoplastic preleukemia&#34; patients were rather elderly and terminated mostly in atypical myelocytic leukemia. The chief hematological feature of the hypoplastic preleukemia cases was the coexistence of a relative erythroid hyperplasia and a slight increase of myeloblasts in the bone marrow that was unusual in hypoplastic anemia. The presence of pancytopenia and hypocellular marrow with a relative erythroid hyperplasia combined with a slight increase of myeloblasts probably indicates hypoplastic preleukemia that terminates later in acute leukemia.</p

A snapshot of extracellular DNA influence on Aspergillus biofilm

Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biochem, Lab Glycoconjugate Immunochem, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Santa Cecilia, Dept Pharmaceut Sci, Lab Nat Prod, Santos, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biochem, Lab Glycoconjugate Immunochem, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Palynologic study of the Akkeshi and Tokotan Formations of the Nemuro Group, eastern Hokkaido

The author has carried out the palynological study of the Akkeshi and Tokotan Formations of the Nemuro Group which is distributed in the coastal regions between Kushiro and Nemuro and consists of Campanian, Maastrichtian, and Danian marine sediments. He has collected 48 samples from the Hamanaka-Oborogawa, Akkeshi, and Tokotan Formations and discriminated 311 palynomorphs which are composed of 121 spores, 55 gymnospermous pollen, and 135 angiospermous pollen, excepting phytomicroplankton. He describes and illustrates minutely these spores and pollen grains in this paper and discusses on the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary problem from the palynologic angle. The following forms are new : Biretisporites triangulatus n. sp., B. yoshimotoi n. sp., Pterisisporites hokkaidoensis n. sp., P. ochiishiensis n. sp., P. rotundus n. sp., P. verrucatus n. sp., Punctatisporites minor n. sp., Retitriletes borealis n. sp., R. nemuroensis n. sp., R. triangulatus n. sp., Saxosporis minor n. sp., Triplanosporites quadrangulatus n. sp., Undulatisporites subtriangulatus n. sp., Extrapunctatosporis micropunctatus n. sp., Laevigatosporites bellulus n. sp., L. convexus n. sp., L. tenuis n. sp., L. uedae n. sp., Latosporites subrotundus n. sp., Alisporites hokkaidoensis n. sp., Cupressacites ochiishiwanensis n. sp., Cycadopites laevis n. sp., Ephedripites (Ephedripites) angustus n. sp., E. (E.) robustus n. sp., Piceapollis minutus n. sp., Rossipollis minor n. sp., Aguilapollenites nemuroensis n. sp., Pentapollenites minus n. sp., Periscarioipollis rarus n. sp., Subtriporopollenites minor n. sp., Tricolpites hokkaidoanus n. sp., T. intrabaculatus n. sp., Tricolpopollenites akkeshiensis n. sp., T. oblongus n. sp., T. punctatus n. sp., T. rotundulus n. sp., and Triporopollenites suzukii n. sp. Moreover, new combinations are proposed: Baculatisporites cf. dubius Burger n. comb., B. wellmanii Couper n. comb., Cicatricosisporites minutaestriatus Bolkhovitina n. comb., and Murospora circulata Weyland & Krieger n. comb. Among the trilete spores,Baculatisporites (Osmundaceae ), Biretisporites, Deltoidospora, Leiotriletes (Schizaeaceae etc.), Monoleiotriletes, Pterisisporites (Pteridaceae), Retitriletes (Lycopodiaceae), Stereisporites (Sphagnaceae), and Triplanosporites (Schizaeaceae) appear predominantly. Among the monolete spores, Extrapunctatosporis (Athyriaceae) and Leavigatosporites (Polypodiaceae) occur abundantly. Of the gymnospermous pollen grains the following grains occur frequently: Cupressacites (Cupressaceae), Cycadopites (Cycadaceae), Ephedripites (Ephedraceae), Inaperturopollenites (Taxodiaceae etc.), Phyllocladidites (Phyllocladus), Pityosporites (Pinaceae), and Psophosphaera (Larix or Pseudotsuga). The angiospermous pollen assemblages include the Aguilapollenites (Triprojectacites) pollen group, oculata pollen grains, and some other pollen grains which are very important for age determination. In conclusion these pollen grains and a number of spores from the Akkeshi and Tokotan Formations indicate consistently Maastrichtian time, notwithstanding in the Tokotan Formation angiospermous pollen grains increase more in number and kind than in the Akkeshi Formation and the grains of the Aquilapollenites (Triprojectacites) pollen group decrease conversely. After all, the author could find no evidence supporting Danian time from the palynologic standpoint, whereas nannofossils of the uppermost Akkeshi Formation and the Tokotan Formation indicate the middle to late Danian time