The red snow algae species found in snow at Resolute, Canadian Arctic, is a unicellular Chlamydomonas nivalis. Investigations by SEM-EDX, TEM, FT-IR, GC and GC-MS suggest that clay aerosols may provide nutrients for these unique systems. The clays provide P, S, K, Si, Ca, and Mg. Soot is also present and halite is very common. This salt probably plays a significant role in lowering the freezing temperature. The red snow algae is coated by a sticky thin film composed of both organic membrane material and inorganics consisting of mica and smectite. Green algae rich in Ca are involved in active photosynthesis while red algae are in a resting stage. Protamine, stearic acid, and decanoic acid were found at Ca-rich green cells while carminic acid and nopalcol BR-13 were found at Ca-poor red cells. The cell wall of red algae is composed of protein with cellulose. The major fatty acides in cells are all of even-carbon species with maximum concentrations of palmitic acid, stearic acid, and behenic acid, suggesting normal chemistry of algae species without C22. High concentration of n-alkanes with n-C24 is a characteristic component in this red snow algae, suggesting the presence of hydrocarbons that could be derived from the Arctic cold desert and/or organic debris of wind-transported bacteria. It is likely that such organic and inorganic matter provide the nutrient sources for the red snow algae in ice.

Novel ST398 methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) in the United States was first observed in New York City (2004–2007); its diffusion across the country resulted in changing treatment options. Utilizing outpatient antimicrobial susceptibility data from the Veterans Health Administration from 2010 to 2019, the spatiotemporal prevalence of potential ST398 MSSA is documented.

The impact of hurricane-related flooding on infectious diseases in the US is not well understood. Using geocoded electronic health records for 62,762 veterans living in North Carolina counties impacted by Hurricane Matthew coupled with flood maps, we explore the impact of hurricane and flood exposure on infectious outcomes in outpatient settings and emergency departments as well as antimicrobial prescribing. Declines in outpatient visits and antimicrobial prescribing are observed in weeks 0-2 following the hurricane as compared with the baseline period and the year prior, while increases in antimicrobial prescribing are observed 3+ weeks following the hurricane. Taken together, hurricane and flood exposure appear to have had minor impacts on infectious outcomes in North Carolina veterans, not resulting in large increases in infections or antimicrobial prescribing

The home-field advantage (HFA) hypothesis establishes that plant litter decomposes faster at ‘home’ sites than in ‘away’ sites due to more specialized decomposers acting at home sites. This hypothesis has predominantly been tested through ‘yes or no’ transplanting experiments, where the litter decomposition of a focal species is quantified near and away from their conspecifics. Herein, we evaluated the occurrence and magnitude of home-field effects on the leaf litter decomposition of Myrcia ramuliflora (O.Berg) N. Silveira (Myrtaceae) along a natural gradient of conspecific litterfall input and also if home-field effects are affected by litter and soil traits. Litter decomposition of M. ramuliflora was assessed through litterbags placed in 39 plots in a tropical heath vegetation over a period of 12 months. We also characterized abiotic factors, litter layer traits, and litter diversity. Our results indicated the occurrence of positive (i.e. Home-field advantage) and negative (i.e. Home-field disadvantage) effects in more than half of the plots. Positive and negative effects occurred in a similar frequency and magnitude. Among all predictors tested, only the community weighted mean C/N ratio of the litterfall input was associated with home-field effects. Our results reinforce the lack of generality for home-field effects found in the literature and thus challenge the understanding of litter-decomposer interaction in tropical ecosystems.

We study the relationship between the reduction number of a primary ideal of a local ring relative to one of its minimal reductions and the multiplicity of the corresponding Sally module. This paper is focused on three goals: (i) to develop a change of rings technique for the Sally module of an ideal to allow extension of results from Cohen–Macaulay rings to more general rings; (ii) to use the fiber of the Sally modules of almost complete intersection ideals to connect its structure to the Cohen–Macaulayness of the special fiber ring; (iii) to extend some of the results of (i) to two-dimensional Buchsbaum rings. Along the way, we provide an explicit realization of the $S_{2}$-fication of arbitrary Buchsbaum rings.

NUMO and JAEA have been conducting a joint research since FY2011, which is aimed to enhance the methodology of repository design and performance assessment in preliminary investigation stage for the deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste. As a part of this joint research, we have been developing glass dissolution models which include various processes derived from glass-overpack-bentonite buffer interaction, considering the precipitation of Fe-silicates associated with steel overpack corrosion, and Si transport through altered layer of glass. The objective of this modeling work is to show comprehensively the lifetime of the vitrified waste due to glass matrix dissolution timescales through sensitivity analysis, and to identify the feature/process that most strongly influences the lifetime, and to identify future R&D issues that would help to improve the nuclide transport analysis with confidential value and the safety case in future. The sensitivity analysis suggested that the duration of the glass dissolution might be predicted in the ranges from 3.8×103 to 1.9×105 years. Also, the results indicated that the precipitation of Fe–silicate has the strongest influence on the long-team behavior of vitrified waste.

Meiotic maturation of oocytes requires a variety of ATP-dependent reactions, such as germinal vesicle breakdown, spindle formation, and rearrangement of plasma membrane structure, which is required for fertilization. Mitochondria are accordingly expected be localized to subcellular sites of energy utilization. Although microtubule-dependent cellular traffic for mitochondria has been studied extensively in cultured neuronal (and some other somatic) cells, the molecular mechanism of their dynamics in mammalian oocytes at different stages of maturation remains obscure. The present work describes dynamic aspects of mitochondria in porcine oocytes at the germinal vesicle stage. After incubation of oocytes with MitoTracker Orange followed by centrifugation, mitochondria-enriched ooplasm was obtained using a glass needle and transferred into a recipient oocyte. The intracellular distribution of the fluorescent mitochondria was then observed over time using a laser scanning confocal microscopy equipped with an incubator. Kinetic analysis revealed that fluorescent mitochondria moved from central to subcortical areas of oocytes and were dispersed along plasma membranes. Such movement of mitochondria was inhibited by either cytochalasin B or cytochalasin D but not by colcemid, suggesting the involvement of microfilaments. This method of visualizing mitochondrial dynamics in live cells permits study of the pathophysiology of cytoskeleton-dependent intracellular traffic of mitochondria and associated energy metabolism during meiotic maturation of oocytes.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, August 4 – August 8, 2013.

Human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is caused by the accidental ingestion of Echinococcus multilocularis eggs. Early detection is essential as surgical resection is the only treatment for a complete cure. However, details are unclear about changes in the antibody response during the initial stages of infection, yet such information is useful for early serodiagnosis. Therefore, a long-term investigation was performed into the time course of the antibody response before ‘positive’ detection. Patient sera were used for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting (WB) analysis using crude antigens extracted from E. multilocularis protoscoleces. Rats were experimentally infected with AE and similarly analysed by ELISA and WB. Among the markers for diagnoses, the 18 kDa band (main marker) appeared last in the preoperative stages and disappeared first after operation in a WB test. Although the 18 kDa antigen can be useful as a marker for AE diagnosis, it cannot contribute to the detection of some patients before the 18 kDa band appearance. To avoid misdiagnosis, different diagnostic antigens such as the 26–28 and 7–8 kDa bands should also be considered. These bands tend to appear earlier than the 18 kDa band and thus offer the potential for early detection of AE. We first observed changes in the antibody response in a relatively early stage after infection in human AE cases. Notably, changes in the antibody response of two intermediate species were similar. These findings provide valuable information for the early detection of human AE cases in the future.

We successfully obtained the first optical spectra of the faint light echoes around Cassiopeia A and Tycho Brahe's supernova remnants (SNRs) with FOCAS and the Subaru Telescope. We conclude that Cas A and Tycho's SN 1572 belong to the Type IIb and normal Type Ia supernovae, respectively. Light echo spectra are important in order to obtain further insight into the supernova explosion mechanism of Tycho's SN 1572: how the Type Ia explosion actually proceeds, and whether accretion occurs from a companion or by the merging of two white dwarfs. The proximity of the SN 1572 remnant has allowed detailed studies, such as the possible identification of the binary companion, and provides a unique opportunity to test theories of the explosion mechanism and the nature of the progenitor. Future light-echo spectra, obtained in different spatial directions of SN 1572, will enable to construct a three-dimensional spectroscopic view of the explosion.

Huge landslides triggered by strong earthquakes or torrential rains can result in unstable natural dams that pose serious risks to humans. In this study, we attempt to document the age of an ancient earthquake that produced a landslide-dammed lake. A buried forest found in the Toyama River area of the southern Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, provides evidence of this event. The dammed lake formation has been previously estimated to have occurred in AD 714. However, the age of the dam and the way it was formed have never been directly determined. To determine the position and timing of the landslide dam, we analyzed the radiocarbon content of branches and wood fragments from a brecciated deposit. We show that the 14C dating method is suitable for clarifying the timing of burial for a variety of trees, although the method does not produce a narrow age for the event. In addition to the dating, we determined the landslide dam's position and reconstructed the formation of the lake.