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We report the discovery of a quasar at z = 7.07, which was selected from the deep multi-band imaging data collected by the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Subaru Strategic Program survey. This quasar, HSC J124353.93+010038.5, has an order of magnitude lower luminosity than do the other known quasars at z > 7. The rest-frame ultraviolet absolute magnitude is M1450 = -24.13 +/- 0.08 mag and the bolometric luminosity is Lbol = (1.4 +/- 0.1) x 10^{46} erg/s. Its spectrum in the optical to near-infrared shows strong emission lines, and shows evidence for a fast gas outflow, as the C IV line is blueshifted and there is indication of broad absorption lines. The Mg II-based black hole mass is Mbh = (3.3 +/- 2.0) x 10^8 Msun, thus indicating a moderate mass accretion rate with an Eddington ratio 0.34 +/- 0.20. It is the first z > 7 quasar with sub-Eddington accretion, besides being the third most distant quasar, known to date. The luminosity and black hole mass are comparable to, or even lower than, those measured for the majority of low-z quasars discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and thus this quasar likely represents a z > 7 counterpart to quasars commonly observed in the low-z universe., Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

We report discovery of 41 new high-z quasars and luminous galaxies, which were spectroscopically identified at 5.7 < z < 6.9. This is the fourth in a series of papers from the Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-Luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs) project, based on the deep multi-band imaging data collected by the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Subaru Strategic Program survey. We selected the photometric candidates by a Bayesian probabilistic algorithm, and then carried out follow-up spectroscopy with the Gran Telescopio Canarias and the Subaru Telescope. Combined with the sample presented in the previous papers, we have now spectroscopically identified 137 extremely-red HSC sources over about 650 deg2, which include 64 high-z quasars, 24 high-z luminous galaxies, 6 [O III] emitters at z ~ 0.8, and 43 Galactic cool dwarfs (low-mass stars and brown dwarfs). The new quasars span the luminosity range from M1450 ~ -26 to -22 mag, and continue to populate a few magnitude lower luminosities than have been probed by previous wide-field surveys. In a companion paper, we derive the quasar luminosity function at z ~ 6 over an unprecedentedly wide range of M1450 ~ -28 to -21 mag, exploiting the SHELLQs and other survey outcomes., ApJS in press. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1704.05854

In order to understand nature of building blocks of galaxies in the early universe, we investigate "genuine irregular galaxies (GIGs)" in the nearby universe. Here, GIGs are defined as isolated galaxies without regular structures (spheroid, bulge, disk, bar, spiral arm, and nucleus). Using the results of two excellent studies on galaxy morphology based on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), we obtain a sample of 66 irregular galaxies. We carry out new classification of them into GIGs and non-GIGs which have regular structure or show evidence for galaxy interaction, by using the SDSS Data Release 10 images. We then find that a half of these irregular galaxies (33/66) are GIGs and obtain an unambiguous sample of 33 GIGs for the first time. We discuss their observational properties by comparing them with those of elliptical, S0, spiral galaxies, and irregular galaxies without the GIGs. We find that our GIGs have smaller sizes, lower optical luminosities, bluer rest-frame optical colors, lower surface stellar mass densities, and lower gas metallicity than normal galaxies. All these properties suggest that they are in chemically and dynamically younger phases even in the nearby universe., Comment: submitted to the Astrophysical Journal on 21st October, 2013

Fukuyama type congenital muscular dystrophy accompanies central nervous system and ocular lesions. Morphological findings suggest that major central nervous system lesions, such as cortical dysplasia, are caused by the abnormal glia limitans due to an impairment of astrocytes. Increase of corpora amylacea and neurofibrillary tangles suggests acceleration of the aging process in the Fukuyama type congenital muscular dystrophy brain. Glycosylation of alpha-dystroglycan is decreased in the central nervous system of Fukuyama type congenital muscular dystrophy in a similar manner to the skeletal muscle, but dystroglycan mRNA levels appear to be increased. Glycosylated alpha-dystroglycan is reduced in the glia limitans formed by astrocytic endfeet. Slight accumulation of N(epsilon)-(carboxymethyl)lysine, an oxidative modification product, is observed in astrocytes of Fukuyama type congenital muscular dystrophy and in an astrocytoma cell line with suppressed fukutin expression. Cerebral cortical neurons of Fukuyama type congenital muscular dystrophy and controls react with an antibody for core alpha-dystroglycan but not with an antibody for glycosylated alpha-dystroglycan. Carboxymethyl lysine is accumulated in cortical neurons of a severe case of Fukuyama type congenital muscular dystrophy. Both astrocytes and neurons appear to be sensitive to oxidative stress when fukutin is suppressed. However, it is still unclear how the loss of fukutin causes astrocytic and neuronal dysfunction. Since the central nervous system is composed of several components that are closely related to each other, more investigations are needed for thorough understanding of the Fukuyama type congenital muscular dystrophy brain. Moreover, since astrocytes and epithelial cells may show different cellular responses to fukutin suppression, it seems important to evaluate the functions of fukutin in each type of cell or tissue, not only to prove the pathogenesis of Fukuyama type congenital muscular dystrophy, but also for applying appropriate therapies, especially those at molecular level.