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Summary. In 1999, two viruses were isolated from blood samples of sentinel cattle in the Western part of Japan. The physiochemical and morphological properties of these viruses indicated that they belonged to the family Bunyaviridae. Sequence analysis of the S segment indicates that the two viruses are closely related to Sathuperi virus (SATV). The N-terminal 168 amino acid of the G2 protein of the M segment was highly homologous with that of SATV (98.2%). Given these results, we conclude that the newly isolated viruses are closest to SATV, which was initially isolated in India and Nigeria over 30 years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present Spitzer/IRS mid-infrared spectral maps of the Galactic star-forming region M17 as well as IRSF/SIRIUS Brγ and Nobeyama 45 m/FOREST 13CO (J = 1–0) maps. The spectra show prominent features due to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at wavelengths of 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, 11.3, 12.0, 12.7, 13.5, and 14.2 μm. We find that the PAH emission features are bright in the region between the H ii region traced by Brγ and the molecular cloud traced by 13CO, supporting that the PAH emission originates mostly from photo-dissociation regions. Based on the spatially resolved Spitzer/IRS maps, we examine spatial variations of the PAH properties in detail. As a result, we find that the interband ratio of PAH 7.7 μm/PAH 11.3 μm varies locally near M17SW, but rather independently of the distance from the OB stars in M17, suggesting that the degree of PAH ionization is mainly controlled by local conditions rather than the global UV environments determined by the OB stars in M17. We also find that the interband ratios of the PAH 12.0 μm, 12.7 μm, 13.5 μm, and 14.2 μm features to the PAH 11.3 μm feature are high near the M17 center, which suggests structural changes of PAHs through processing due to intense UV radiation, producing abundant edgy irregular PAHs near the M17 center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present distributions of two molecular clouds having velocities of 2 and 14 km s−1 toward RCW 38, the youngest super star cluster in the Milky Way, in the 12CO J = 1–0 and 3–2 and 13CO J = 1–0 transitions. The two clouds are likely physically associated with the cluster as verified by the high intensity ratio of the J = 3–2 emission to the J = 1–0 emission, the bridging feature connecting the two clouds in velocity, and their morphological correspondence with the infrared dust emission. The velocity difference is too large for the clouds to be gravitationally bound. We frame a hypothesis that the two clouds are colliding with each other by chance to trigger formation of the ∼20 O stars that are localized within ∼0.5 pc of the cluster center in the 2 km s−1 cloud. We suggest that the collision is currently continuing toward part of the 2 km s−1 cloud where the bridging feature is localized. This is the third super star cluster alongside Westerlund 2 and NGC 3603 where cloud–cloud collision has triggered the cluster formation. RCW 38 is the youngest super star cluster in the Milky Way, holding a possible sign of on-going O star formation, and is a promising site where we may be able to witness the moment of O star formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]