Abrupt decrease of the population of a tiger beetle species, Cylindela elisae (Carabidae, Cicindelinae), in Tottori Sand Dunes, Honshu, Japan in 2017.

鳥取市鳥取砂丘オアシス周辺に営巣するエリザハンミョウの集団の保全に向けて2015 年から本種の成虫が発生する夏季に標識再捕法により当地での発生個体数を調査している。すでに結果を報告している2016 年までの調査に引き続き2017 年も同様の調査をおこなった。エリザハンミョウの成虫の消長は過去2年よりも早めに進行し，成虫は6月中旬に出現，7月中にはほぼ消失した。この間にマークできた総個体数は112（2015 年は304，2016 年は270）とこの3 年間で最も少なく， Jolly-Seber 法による個体数推定値はもっとも多かった調査日（6 月27 日）でわずか153 であった（2015 年は2,300個体，2016 年は1,460 個体）。この個体数は個体群を健全に維持するために必要とされる最小集団サイズ（MVP）として従来言われてきていた500（個体数変動の大きい動植物では10,000）を大幅に下回っており，危険な状態である。2017 年におけるエリザハンミョウ成虫の早期の出現と消失は2017 年の7 月の高温が，また，個体数の減少にもっとも寄与した要因としては2017 年の4～6 月の少雨が考えられる。 / As a consecutive series of surveys of the population size of a tiger beetle species, Cylindera elisae (Motschulsky 1859) at a site so-called“ Oasis” in the Tottori Sand Dunes, Tottori City, started in 2015 (Tsurusaki et al. 2016, 2017), we estimated population size of the same population of the same species also in 2017 by using a mark-recapture method. A total of 112 adults of C. elisae were individually marked during the summer in 2017 (304 and 270 adults in 2015 and 2016 surveys, respectively). The highest number of adults of C. elisae estimated by the Jolly-Seber method was only 153 recorded on 27 June 2017. This population size is much smaller than 500 which was the number formerly often said as the minimum viable population (MVP), to say nothing of 10,000 as the MVP for univoltine insects whose population size tend to be variable every year. 　It is probable that high air temperature of July in 2017 brought early emergence and disappearance of C. elisae in 2017. It is also likely that drought at “Oasis” area due to extremely low amount of precipitation from April to June in 2017 was the main factor for the marked decrease of population of this species in 2017. Some measure should be taken for the recovery of this population

Recent Results from LHD Experiment with Emphasis on Relation to Theory from Experimentalist’s View

he Large Helical Device (LHD) has been extending an operational regime of net-current free plasmas towardsthe fusion relevant condition with taking advantage of a net current-free heliotron concept and employing a superconducting coil system. Heating capability has exceeded 10 MW and the central ion and electron temperatureshave reached 7 and 10 keV, respectively. The maximum value of β and pulse length have been extended to 3.2% and 150 s, respectively. Many encouraging physical findings have been obtained. Topics from recent experiments, which should be emphasized from the aspect of theoretical approaches, are reviewed. Those are (1) Prominent features in the inward shifted configuration, i.e., mitigation of an ideal interchange mode in the configuration with magnetic hill, and confinement improvement due to suppression of both anomalous and neoclassical transport, (2) Demonstration ofbifurcation of radial electric field and associated formation of an internal transport barrier, and (3) Dynamics of magnetic islands and clarification of the role of separatrix

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

Alternatives : envisioning and organizing

On Day 3 (30 June 2019), LAU Kin Chi (Lingnan University, Hong Kong, China) moderated the session of “Alternatives: Envisioning and Organizing” The session is divided into two parts, “Part One: Livelihood and Commoning” and “Part Two: Building Alliances”. Francine MESTRUM (Global Social Justice, Belgium) gave a presentation on “The Quest for Social Justice”. INYAKU Tomoya (Save Seeds, Japan) gave a presentation on “Democratizing food and society by Agroecological transformation”. Ana Terra REIS (Florestan Fernandes National School, Brazil) gave a presentation on the “Brazilian Landless Workers’ Movement (MST)” in Portuguese and Aline PIVA (Florestan Fernandes National School, Brazil) did the interpretation. SIT Tsui (Southwest University, China) gave her presentation on “New Buds on the Old Trees-Rural Movements in China, Brazil, and India”. During part one discussions, Ariel SALLEH (University of Sydney, Australia), Dominique LÄMMLI (FOA-FLUX, Switzerland), HUANG Xiaomei (interpreter, on behalf of some Chinese participants), and CHANG Tianle (Know Your Food, China) raised questions. The speakers responded accordingly. The moderator, LAU Kin Chi (Lingnan University, Hong Kong, China), commented and summed up. In “Part Two: Building Alliances”, MUTO Ichiyo (People’s Plan Study Group, Japan) gave his presentation on “Inter-movement Politics for Inter-people Alliance”. Aline PIVA (International People’s Assembly, Brazil) gave her presentation on the nature of the organization of the International People’s Assembly. Hernan VARGAS (ALBA; Movimiento de Pobladores, Venezuela) gave his presentation on the importance of people’s alliance and the Bolivarian for Our America’s People (ALBA). WEI Ran (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China) gave his presentation in Putonghua on the “Soul of Metals: a Cultural Studies on Lithium in Latin America (金属的灵魂：关于南美锂资源的文化研究) . Rolien HOYNG (Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China) gave her presentation on “In-Formation: Data and E-Waste Matter”. During part two discussions, Francine MESTRUM (Global Social Justice, Belgium), Ariel SALLEH (University of Sydney, Australia), LI Yang (rural reconstruction worker, China), CHEN Zhiyuan (university student, China), and DING Jiaxing (rural reconstruction volunteer) raised questions. The speakers responded accordingly. LAU Kin Chi (Lingnan University, Hong Kong, China) commented and summed up

Measurement of the molar radioactivity for [11C]choline and [11C]AIB without UV chromophores using radio-HPLC coupled with a corona-charged aerosol detector to comply with GMP

Objectives: The most common detection technique for analytical HPLC is ultraviolet (UV) detection. However, it is difficult to detect low or no UV chromophore molecules such as amino acid derivatives and choline using HPLC-UV system. Low mass of these compounds has been measured by derivatization and alternative detection methods, such as refractive index, electrochemical detection and mass spectrometry, and corona-charged aerosol detection (CAD). CAD is a mass-based detection that provides a sensitive and near universal response for any nonvolatile compounds independent of chemical composition [1]. CAD can detect the mass unseen by UV absorption, and is well suited for the underivatized detection of compounds without UV chromophores and the quantification of unknowns [1]. To easily and rapidly measure the molar radioactivity of 11C-labeled PET probe without UV chromophores such as amino acid derivatives and choline, we developed radio-HPLC coupled with CAD (radio-HPLC-CAD system). Also, we validated measurement of the molar radioactivity of [11C]choline and [11C]AIB to comply with GMP.Methods: The molar radioactivity of [11C]choline and [11C]AIB was determined to measure the mass using radio-HPLC-CAD (HPLC system: Ultimate 3000, Thermo Fisher Scientific; Radioactivity detector: Gabi Star PET, Raytest; CAD: Corona Veo, Thermo Fisher Scientific), radioactivity using dose calibrator and weight. Quantitative analyses for the mass of [11C]choline and [11C]AIB were validated according to the validation protocols.Results: We enabled detecting the mass of [11C]choline and [11C]AIB using the radio-HPLC-CAD system, and calculate the molar radioactivity of [11C]choline and [11C]AIB (approximately 100 and 50 GBq/μmol at end of synthesis, respectively). The mass of [11C]choline was measured with a good linearity in the range of 0.2 to 20 μg/mL (R2>0.98), accuracy within the range of 90 to 110%, repeatability on three injections at the same day or three different days in less than 5% relative standard deviation (% RSD). Also, the mass of [11C]AIB was measured with a good linearity in the range of 0.1 to 10 μg/mL (R2>0.98), accuracy within the range of 90 to 110%, repeatability on three injections at the same day or three different days in less than 5% RSD.22th International Symposium on Radiopharmaceutical Science