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The low-lying isomeric state of $^{229}$Th provides unique opportunities for high-resolution laser spectroscopy of the atomic nucleus. We determine the energy of this isomeric state by taking the absolute energy difference between the excitation energy required to populate the 29.2-keV state from the ground-state and the energy emitted in its decay to the isomeric excited state. A transition-edge sensor microcalorimeter was used to measure the absolute energy of the 29.2-keV $��$-ray. Together with the cross-band transition energy (29.2 keV$\to$ground) and the branching ratio of the 29.2-keV state measured in a recent study, the isomer energy was determined to be 8.30$\pm$0.92 eV. Our result is in agreement with latest measurements based on different experimental techniques, which further confirms that the isomeric state of $^{229}$Th is in the laser-accessible vacuum ultraviolet range., 6 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables

著者人数: Hitomi Collaboration 197名（所属. 宇宙航空研究開発機構宇宙科学研究所(JAXA)(ISAS): 堂谷, 忠靖; 海老沢, 研; 林, 克洋; 林, 佑; 飯塚, 亮; 井上, 芳幸; 石田, 学; 石川, 久美; 岩井, 将親; 国分, 紀秀; 小山, 志勇; 前田, 良知; 満田, 和久; 中川, 貴雄; 尾崎, 正伸; 佐藤, 悟郎; 佐藤, 理江; Simionescu, Aurora; 菅原, 泰晴; 高橋, 忠幸; 竹井, 洋; 田村, 隆幸; 田中, 靖郎; 冨田, 洋; 辻本, 匡弘; 上田, 周太朗; 渡辺, 伸; 山崎, 典子）, Number of authors: Hitomi Collaboration 197 (Affiliation. Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)(ISAS): Dotani, Tadayasu; Ebisawa, Ken; Hayashi, Katsuhiro; Hayashi, Tasuku; Iizuka, Ryo; Inoue, Yoshiyuki; Ishida, Manabu; Ishikawa, Kumi; Iwai, Masachika; Kokubun, Motohide; Koyama, Shu; Maeda, Yoshitomo; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Nakagawa, Takao; Ozaki, Masanobu; Sato, Goro; Sato, Rie; Simionescu, Aurora; Sugawara, Yasuharu; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Takei, Yoh; Tamura, Takayuki; Tanaka, Yasuo; Tomida, Hiroshi; Tsujimoto, Masahiro; Ueda, Shutaro; Watanabe, Shin; Yamasaki, Noriko Y.), Accepted: 201710-31, 資料番号: SA1170334000

How structures of various scales formed and evolved from the early Universe up to present time is a fundamental question of astrophysical cosmology. EDGE (Piro et al., 2007) will trace the cosmic history of the baryons from the early generations of massive stars by Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) explosions, through the period of galaxy cluster formation, down to the very low redshift Universe, when between a third and one half of the baryons are expected to reside in cosmic filaments undergoing gravitational collapse by dark matter (the so-called warm hot intragalactic medium). In addition EDGE, with its unprecedented capabilities, will provide key results in many important fields. These scientific goals are feasible with a medium class mission using existing technology combined with innovative instrumental and observational capabilities by: (a) observing with fast reaction Gamma-Ray Bursts with a high spectral resolution. This enables the study of their star-forming and host galaxy environments and the use of GRBs as back lights of large scale cosmological structures; (b) observing and surveying extended sources (galaxy clusters, WHIM) with high sensitivity using two wide field of view X-ray telescopes (one with a high angular resolution and the other with a high spectral resolution). The mission concept includes four main instruments: a Wide-field Spectrometer (0.1-2.2 eV) with excellent energy resolution (3 eV at 0.6 keV), a Wide-Field Imager (0.3-6 keV) with high angular resolution (HPD = 15") constant over the full 1.4 degree field of view, and a Wide Field Monitor (8-200 keV) with a FOV of A1/4 of the sky, which will trigger the fast repointing to the GRB. Extension of its energy response up to 1 MeV will be achieved with a GRB detector with no imaging capability. This mission is proposed to ESA as part of the Cosmic Vision call. We will outline the science drivers and describe in more detail the payload of this mission.

We describe the potential of high resolution imaging spectroscopy with the SXS on ASTRO-H to advance our understanding of the interstellar- and circumgalactic media of our own Galaxy, and other galaxies. Topics to be addressed range from absorption spectroscopy of dust in the Galactic interstellar medium, to observations to constrain the total mass-, metal-, and energy flow out of starburst galaxies., Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures, ASTRO-H White Paper

We present two-dimensional temperature map of the Perseus cluster based on multi-pointing observations with the ASCA GIS, covering a region with a diameter of ~2^\circ. By correcting for the effect of the X-ray telescope response, the temperatures were estimated from hardness ratios and the complete temperature structure of the cluster with a spatial resolution of about 100 kpc was obtained for the first time. There is an extended cool region with a diameter of ~20' and kT ~5 keV at about 20' east from the cluster center. This region also shows higher surface brightness and is surrounded by a large ring-like hot region with kT > 7 keV, and likely to be a remnant of a merger with a poor cluster. Another extended cool region is extending outward from the IC 310 subcluster. These features and the presence of several other hot and cool blobs suggest that this rich cluster has been formed as a result of a repetition of many subcluster mergers., 11 pages, 3 figures (including color), accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

A large-scale gradient in the metal abundance has been detected with ASCA from an X-ray bright cluster of galaxies AWM7. The metal abundance shows a peak of 0.5 solar at the center and smoothly declines to, Comment: 14 pages with 3 figures, LaTeX with AASTeX v4.0 style file, accepted for publication in ApJL

We have cloned a cDNA (p3C4 lambda 5) encoding a human immunoglobulin lambda-chain of human-mouse heterohybridoma, H6-3C4, which produces a human monoclonal antibody against human sperm surface antigen. Amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence of V lambda (V lambda 3C4) of cloned cDNA was closely related to that of SHV lambda protein, a member of subgroup IV. Southern blot analysis of human genomic DNAs by using V lambda 3C4 as a probe detected at least 8 cross-hybridizing members of subgroup V lambda IV. Restriction enzyme fragment polymorphism (RFLP) appeared to be present in normal individuals with V lambda 3C4 gene.

Approximately 30 to 50 percent of the total baryons in the present universe is supposed to take a form of warm/hot intergalactic medium (WHIM) whose X-ray continuum emission is very weak. In order to carry out a direct and homogeneous survey of elusive cosmic missing baryons, we propose a dedicated soft-X-ray mission, {\it DIOS} (Diffuse Intergalactic Oxygen Surveyor). The unprecedented energy resolution ($\sim 2$eV) of the XSA (X-ray Spectrometer Array) on-board {\it DIOS} enables us to identify WHIM with gas temperature $T=10^{6-7}$K and overdensity $\delta=10-100$ located at $z, Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, invited talk at the VI International Conference on Gravitation and Astrophysics of Asian-Pacfic Countries, to be published in the proceedings

Recent developments of transition-edge sensors (TESs), based on extensive experience in ground-based experiments, have been making the sensor techniques mature enough for their application on future satellite cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiments. LiteBIRD is in the most advanced phase among such future satellites, targeting its launch in Japanese Fiscal Year 2027 (2027FY) with JAXA’s H3 rocket. It will accommodate more than 4000 TESs in focal planes of reflective low-frequency and refractive medium-and-high-frequency telescopes in order to detect a signature imprinted on the CMB by the primordial gravitational waves predicted in cosmic inflation. The total wide frequency coverage between 34 and 448 GHz enables us to extract such weak spiral polarization patterns through the precise subtraction of our Galaxy’s foreground emission by using spectral differences among CMB and foreground signals. Telescopes are cooled down to 5 K for suppressing thermal noise and contain polarization modulators with transmissive half-wave plates at individual apertures for separating sky polarization signals from artificial polarization and for mitigating from instrumental 1/f noise. Passive cooling by using V-grooves supports active cooling with mechanical coolers as well as adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators. Sky observations from the second Sun–Earth Lagrangian point, L2, are planned for 3 years. An international collaboration between Japan, the USA, Canada, and Europe is sharing various roles. In May 2019, the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA, selected LiteBIRD as the strategic large mission No. 2.

Recent developments of transition-edge sensors (TESs), based on extensive experience in ground-based experiments, have been making the sensor techniques mature enough for their application on future satellite cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiments. LiteBIRD is in the most advanced phase among such future satellites, targeting its launch in Japanese Fiscal Year 2027 (2027FY) with JAXA’s H3 rocket. It will accommodate more than 4000 TESs in focal planes of reflective low-frequency and refractive medium-and-high-frequency telescopes in order to detect a signature imprinted on the CMB by the primordial gravitational waves predicted in cosmic inflation. The total wide frequency coverage between 34 and 448 GHz enables us to extract such weak spiral polarization patterns through the precise subtraction of our Galaxy’s foreground emission by using spectral differences among CMB and foreground signals. Telescopes are cooled down to 5 K for suppressing thermal noise and contain polarization modulators with transmissive half-wave plates at individual apertures for separating sky polarization signals from artificial polarization and for mitigating from instrumental 1/f noise. Passive cooling by using V-grooves supports active cooling with mechanical coolers as well as adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators. Sky observations from the second Sun–Earth Lagrangian point, L2, are planned for 3 years. An international collaboration between Japan, the USA, Canada, and Europe is sharing various roles. In May 2019, the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA, selected LiteBIRD as the strategic large mission No. 2.

Luciogobius punctilineatus n. sp. [New English name: Dot-lined Earthworm Goby; new standard Japanese name: Shiranui-mimizuhaze] Figures 1–4, 5A, 6; Tables 1–3 Luciogobius sp.: Koreeda & Motomura, 2021: 47, fig. 8A–E (Shimokoshiki-shima island, Koshiki Islands, Kagoshima Pref., Japan). Luciogobius sp. 11 (not of Shibukawa et al., 2019): Ito & Okumura, 2021: 4, fig. 4 (Kaifu, Tokushima Pref., Japan). Holotype. KAUM –I. 156161. 29.8 mm SL, mouth of Okawa River, Okawa, Akune, Kagoshima, southwestern Kyushu, Japan, coll. by R. Koreeda & R. Furuhashi, 1 Apr. 2021. Paratypes. 20 specimens (20.9–33.1 mm SL). Kyushu: KAUM –I. 156162. 33.1 mm SL, KAUM –I. 156163. 27.7 mm SL, KAUM –I. 156164. 28.2 mm SL, KAUM –I. 156165. 29.9 mm SL, KAUM –I. 156166. 28.4 mm SL, KAUM –I. 156167. 25.1 mm SL, collected with holotype; KAUM –I. 158051, 27.6 mm SL, KAUM –I. 158052, 28.0 mm SL, KAUM –I. 158053, 25.8 mm SL, KAUM –I. 158054, 26.4 mm SL, KAUM –I. 158055, 24.5 mm SL, KAUM –I. 158056, 24.9 mm SL, KAUM –I. 158057, 23.5 mm SL, KAUM –I. 158058, 25.4 mm SL, KAUM –I. 159066, 28.6 mm SL, KAUM –I. 159067, 26.7 mm SL, KAUM –I. 159068, 25.5 mm SL, mouth of Shirinashi River, Okawa, Akune, Kagoshima, Japan, coll. by R. Koreeda, 26 June 2021. Koshiki Islands: KAUM –I. 147759, 24.7 mm SL, south of fishing port at east side of Nagahama Bay, Nagahama, Shimokoshiki, Satsuma-sendai, Shimokoshiki-shima island, Koshiki Islands, Kagoshima, Japan, coll. by R. Nakagawa, 17 Oct. 2020. Osumi Islands: KAUM –I. 146246, 24.9 mm SL, north of Shojiura Fishing Port, Genna, Nishinoomote, Kumage, Tanega-shima island, Osumi Islands, Kagoshima, Japan, coll. by R. Furuhashi, 17 Sept. 2020; KAUM –I. 163150, 20.9 mm SL, mouth of Otoko River, Koseda, Yakushima, Kumage-gun, Yaku-shima island, Osumi Islands, Kagoshima, Japan, coll. by D. Kato, 4 Dec. 2021. Non-type specimens. 15 specimens (12.1–33.4 mm SL). Shikoku: KAUM –I. 159034, 24.7 mm SL, KAUM –I. 159035, 22.9 mm SL, KAUM –I. 159036, 20.9 mm SL, mouth of Shinjo River, Susaki, Kochi, Japan, coll. by H. Saito, 22 July, 2021. Kyushu: KAUM –I. 156187, 26.3 mm SL, north of mouth of Shimadomari River, Sataizashiki, Minami-osumi, Kimotsuki, Kagoshima, Japan, coll. by R. Koreeda, 10 Apr. 2021; KAUM –I. 157124, 33.4 mm SL, KAUM –I. 157125, 28.7 mm SL, KAUM –I. 157126, 26.3 mm SL, same locality as KAUM–I. 156187, 26 Apr. 2021. Amami Islands: KAUM –I. 145562, 12.1 mm SL, KAUM –I. 145563, 15.0 mm SL, KAUM –I. 145564, 25.7 mm SL, KAUM –I. 145565, 26.8 mm SL, KAUM –I. 145566, 24.0 mm SL, KAUM –I. 145567, 28.1 mm SL, KAUM –I. 145568, 24.8 mm SL, KAUM –I. 145569, 18.6 mm SL, south of mouth of Heda River, Uken, Oshima-gun, Amamioshima island, Kagoshima, Japan, coll. by R. Koreeda & N. Shimizu, 23 July 2020. Diagnosis. A species of Luciogobius with the following combination of characters: total second dorsal-fin rays 10–12 (modally 11); total anal-fin rays 12–14 (modally 13); pectoral-fin rays 8–12 (modally 10); vertebrae 16–18 + 22–24 = 39–42 (modally 17 + 23 = 40); pectoral-fin posterior margin slightly concave; pelvic fins united, forming a disc; snout relatively short, length 3.1–4.3% of SL; AAA distance twice body depth at anus, 11.4–16.9% of SL; snout length less than 34.7% of AAA distance; pre-anus length less than 85.5% of pre-anal-fin length; single poorly defined black longitudinal line along mid-lateral body region from behind pectoral fin to caudal-fin base, indistinct anteriorly (line embedded, visible through semi-transparent muscle tissue in fresh or live specimens); black spots forming a single longitudinal row on mid-lateral body surface from behind pectoral fin to caudal-fin base (more distinct in preserved specimens). Description. Counts and measurements given in Tables 1 and 2. In this description, data for holotype presented first, followed by data for paratypes in parentheses (if different). Body elongate, slightly compressed. Head depressed. Anterior nostril with short tube reaching to upper lip; posterior nostril horizontally ovate (Fig. 2). Snout slightly swollen dorsally, especially above nostril. Eye small, rounded, covered with thin skin, located anterodorsally on head; dorsal and posterior surface of skin covering eyes rounded, not projecting posteriorly. Dorsal profile of head between eye and nape swollen (centrally concave) in dorsal view. Interorbital space wider than snout length, slightly swollen anteriorly (or with a transverse ridge anteriorly, rarely completely flat). Single low longitudinal ridge extending from below anterior nostril to behind eye (Fig. 2). Mouth oblique; posterior end of maxilla extending beyond vertical through anterior margin of eye. Pair of symphysial flaps fused anteriorly, rounded. Jaws with bands of 4–6 rows of small conical teeth; outer teeth larger; upper jaw band wider. Tongue free, anteriorly bilobed. Gill opening narrow, extending below upper end of pectoral-fin base to level with posterior end of jaw.Anus located slightly behind midpoint of body. Urogenital papilla just behind anus, small and round (in both sexes; median slit in one mature female paratype slightly larger than in others). Origin of second dorsal fin posterior to anal-fin origin. Distance between anus and anal-fin origin twice body depth at anus. First and second dorsal-fin rays of second dorsal fin spinous (or only first ray spinous), remaining rays soft, segmented; sixth ray longest (fifth to seventh). First and second anal-fin rays spinous (or only first ray spinous), remaining rays soft, segmented. Pectoral fin small; membranes between adjacent rays moderately incised posteriorly for one-sixth to one-fourth (rarely one-third) of each ray pair; membrane between 2 uppermost and 2 lowermost rays not incised (sometimes incised); all rays lacking serrations; free rays absent. Sucker-shaped pelvic fins small; paired fins fused, frenum with smooth margin. Caudal fin rounded (sometimes slightly elongate). Zygapophyses on anterior base of haemal spines well developed. Cephalic sensory system: Canals and pores absent. Cephalic sensory papillae (shown in Fig. 2) in four rows; row a located behind eye; row b extending from below anterior nostril to behind eye; row c located at highest point of longitudinal skin ridge on cheek, extending to behind eye; and row d extending from snout tip to above midpoint of maxilla, along upper margin of maxilla, subsequently curving dorsoposteriorly to middle of head. Row cp, longitudinal papillae row on lower margin of cheek swelling between rows c and d. Row f located behind symphysial flaps. Rows e and i extending along weak flap on lower margin of lower jaw to lower part of preopercle. Row ot discontinuous. Rows os and oi located behind row ot. ......continued on the next page 1 Excludes two paratypes preserved in 99.5% ethanol (KAUM–I. 158056, 158057). Coloration (live and fresh specimens.) Based on Figures 1, 3 and Koreeda & Motomura (2021: fig. 8A–C, E): Body yellowish-green to brown dorsally, whitish ventrally (yellow to orange ventrally in gravid females). A single poorly defined black longitudinal line mid-laterally on body from behind pectoral fin to caudal-fin base, embedded internally and visible through semi-transparent muscle issue. Small black spots forming a single longitudinal row mid-laterally on body surface from behind pectoral fin to caudal-fin base, more distinct posteriorly, discontinuous anteriorly (sometimes indistinct in live specimens). Black to brown spots scattered on dorsal body surface and caudal peduncle. Dorsal-, anal-, pectoral-, and pelvic-fin rays and membranes semitransparent white to pale yellow. Caudal fin semitransparent white, with yellow-margined black rounded blotch basally; posterior margin of black blotch reaching posteriorly to between one-fourth and half of caudal-fin length. In juveniles (12.1–15.0 mm SL), body pale yellow to beige with few pigments; black stripe and dotted line indistinct; caudal-fin blotch reaching posteriorly to less than one-fifth of fin length; yellow margin absent. Coloration of preserved specimens. Based on Figure 4 and Koreeda & Motomura (2021: fig. 8D): Body whitish, with a single distinct longitudinal line on mid-lateral surface, and small brown blotches scattered dorsally and on caudal peduncle. Caudal fin with black to brown blotch basally. Single embedded longitudinal line not visible. Etymology. The specific name punctilineatus is derived from Latin meaning “dotted line,” and refers to the single longitudinal dotted line on the lateral surface of the body. Distribution and ecological notes. Currently known from southern Japan, specimens having been collected from Tokushima (Ito & Okumura, 2021) and Kochi prefectures (both southern Shikoku), Kagoshima mainland (southern Kyushu), Shimokoshiki-shima island (Koshiki Islands, off Kagoshima mainland, East China Sea), Tanegashima and Yakushima islands (Osumi Islands, south of Kyushu), and Amami-oshima island (Amami Islands, Ryukyu Islands). Most specimens were collected from gravel in the vicinity of freshwater springs near coastal river mouths (Fig. 7), but not from the rivers or river mouths themselves. On Amami-oshima island, all specimens were collected from the gravel layer (with a freshwater spring 10 cm below the surface) on a sandy beach 100 m west of the Heda River mouth. Luciogobius punctilineatus was abundant in the above-mentioned habitats, often occurring together with Luciogobius sp. 4 sensu Maeda et al., 2008, although suitable habitats for L. punctilineatus were more limited than those of the latter. Juveniles of L. punctilineatus (12.1–15.0 mm SL; Fig. 1C) were collected in July on Amami-oshima island, and fully matured females (Fig. 3A) collected from April to June on Kagoshima mainland. The reproductive season for this species is likely to be spring to early summer. Comparisons. Luciogobius punctilineatus belongs to the Luciogobius elongatus complex, defined by Shibukawa et al. (2019) as having no free pectoral-fin rays, total vertebrae 39–42, the AAA distance greater than body depth at the anus, first to third anal-fin rays unbranched and spine-like, and anteriormost pterygiophore of the anal fin inserted behind the fourth haemal spine. Luciogobius punctilineatus is easily distinguished from all other members of the complex (except Luciogobius sp. 11 sensu Shibukawa et al., 2019), by having 10–12 total dorsal-fin rays, 12–14 total anal-fin rays, 8–12 pectoral-fin rays with moderately incised membranes, pelvic fins united, forming a ventral disc, 39–42 total vertebrae, and a single poorly defined longitudinal black line (embedded in muscle tissue) and dotted line (on body surface) mid-laterally along the body. Luciogobius sp. 11 (Fig. 8) is similar to L. punctilineatus in sharing the above-mentioned characters (Tables 2, 3), the two species co-occurring at least in Kochi Prefecture (Shibukawa et al., 2019; Koreeda & Motomura, 2021; this study). However, the latter has a greater AAA distance [11.4–16.9% (mean 13.3%) of SL vs. 9.1–10.4% (9.6%) in Luciogobius sp. 11; Fig. 9B; Table 3], and shorter snout [19.2–34.7% (26.4%) of AAA vs. 36.7–44.8% (40.9%); Fig. 9E; Table 3] and pre-anus lengths [75.0–82.0% (79.3%) of preanal-fin length (except in juveniles less than 15.0 mm SL) vs. 84.4–88.8% (86.1%); Fig. 9F; Table 3]. The membranes between adjacent pectoral-fin rays (except 2 uppermost and 2 lowermost rays) are incised posteriorly for one-sixth to one-fourth of each ray pair in L. punctilineatus, to one-third to half in Luciogobius sp. 11 (Shibukawa et al., 2019; Koreeda & Motomura, 2021; Figs. 1, 2, 5, 8), and the first anal-fin pterygiophore is usually inserted behind the fifth haemal spine in L. punctilineatus and behind the fourth spine in Luciogobius sp. 11 (Table 2). The new species further differs from Luciogobius sp. 11 in having relatively lower numbers of anal-fin rays [12–14 (modally 13) vs. 14–16 (15) in Luciogobius sp. 11; Shibukawa et al., 2019; Tables 1, 2] and vertebrae [16–18 (18) + 22–24 (23) = 39–42 (40) vs. 17–18 (18) + 22–25 (23) = 40–43 (41); Shibukawa et al., 2019; Koreeda & Motomura, 2021; Tables 1], and a relatively higher number of pectoral-fin rays [8–12 (10) vs. 8–9 (9); Shibukawa et al., 2019; Tables 1]. The anus and anal-fin origin of L. punctilineatus are located more anteriorly and posteriorly, respectively, compared with Luciogobius sp. 11 (Fig. 9C, D). In preserved specimens, a single longitudinal row formed by black spots on the mid-lateral surface of the body is more distinct in L. punctilineatus than in Luciogobius sp. 11 (see Koreeda & Motomura, 2021: fig. 8; Figs. 4, 8), although this difference is unclear in live individuals. Luciogobius sp. 11 also exhibits sexual dichromatism (yellow males and brown females; Shibukawa et al., 2019), which is unknown in L. punctilineatus. Accordingly, individuals of L. punctilineatus are similar to males of Luciogobius sp. 11 in having a yellow body (Shibukawa et al., 2019: figs. 26D–E, 27D; Koreeda & Motomura, 2021: fig. 8; Fig. 3A). *excluding data for specimens less than 15.0 mm SL. Ito and Okumura (2021) reported a single specimen (20.1 mm SL) of Luciogobius sp. 11 sensu Shibukawa et al., 2019 from Tokushima Prefecture, Shikoku, Japan. However, based on their description and photograph, the specimen is most likely to have been L. punctilineatus, having a relatively greater AAA distance (twice body depth at anus) and relatively shorter snout length (25.4% as HL). Luciogobius sp. 3 sensu Maeda et al., 2008 is also similar to L. punctilineatus in most meristics, pectoral-fin membrane structure, and coloration (Maeda et al., 2008; Maeda, 2014). However, the latter is easily distinguished from Luciogobius sp. 3 by vertebral number (16–18 + 22–24 = 39–42 vs. 21–23 + 19–21 = 41–43; Maeda et al., 2008; Maeda, 2014) and greater AAA distance (about twice that of Luciogobius sp. 3; Maeda et al., 2008). The p -distances among the four species of Luciogobius and one species of Inu, estimated from the partial sequences of the 12S rRNA gene, showed that differences between L. punctilineatus n. sp. and Inu koma, L. martellii, L. elongatus, and Luciogobius sp. 11 were 17.34–18.28%, 5.50–6.32%, 3.91–5.53%, and 1.53–3.90%, respectively (Table 4). Luciogobius punctilineatus and Luciogobius sp. 11 were recovered in different groups, although it was supported by a low bootstrap value (Fig. 6). Although the molecular differences among L. punctilineatu s, Luciogobius sp. 11, and L. elongatus were less clear, the species are differentiated from each other by AAA distance, pectoral- and pelvic-fin shapes, and coloration. Geographic variation. Geographic variations in some meristics and coloration were apparent in L. punctilineatus, the dorsal-, anal-, and pectoral-fin rays in specimens from Amami-oshima island tending to be fewer than in specimens from other localities (Table 2). Similarly, vertebral numbers in specimens from Shikoku (Tokushima and Kochi prefectures) tended to be lower than in specimens from other localities [16–17 (mainly 17) + 22–23 (22) = 39 in specimens from Shikoku (Ito and Okumura, 2021; this study) vs. 17–18 + 22–24 (23) = 40–42 (40–41) in the latter]. Specimens from Kochi Prefecture and the Osumi Peninsula (Figs. 1D, E, 3C, 4D, E) had a relatively larger black caudal-fin blotch with a narrower yellowish margin, compared with specimens from other localities (Figs. 1A–C, 3A, B, 4A–C). Although these minor differences are regarded here as representing geographic variations within L. punctilineatus, specimens from Shikoku, Osumi Peninsula, and Amami-oshima island were excluded from the type series of the new species. Comparative material examined. Luciogobius sp. 11 sensu Shibukawa et al., 2019: KAUM –I. 142153, 29.3 mm SL, Iifuchi, Yaizu, Shizuoka, Japan, coll. by S. Yamashita, 9 Mar. 2020; KAUM–I. 145507, 26.4 mm SL, KAUM–I. 145508, 28.6 mm SL, KAUM –I. 145509, 28.3 mm SL, same locality of KAUM –I. 142153, S. Yamashita, 10 Mar. 2020; KAUM –I. 159027, 25.9 mm SL, mouth of Niyodo River, Haruno, Kochi, Japan, coll. by H. Saito, 13 July 2021., Published as part of Koreeda, Reo & Motomura, Hiroyuki, 2022, Luciogobius punctilineatus n. sp., a new earthworm goby from southern Japan, pp. 137-151 in Zootaxa 5138 (2) on pages 138-150, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5138.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/6556880, {"references":["Koreeda, R. & Motomura, H. (2021) Records of seven temperate and subtropical species of Luciogobius from Shimokoshikishima island, Koshiki Islands, East China Sea, Japan, and the first record of the possible hybrid individuals for Luciogobius. Ichthy, Natural History of Fishes of Japan, 11, 27 - 52. [in Japanese] https: // doi. org / 10.34583 / ichthy. 11.0 _ 27","Shibukawa, K., Aizawa, M., Suzuki, T., Kanagawa, N. & Muto, F. (2019) Preliminary review of earthworm gobies of the genus Luciogobius (Gobiiformes, Oxudercidae) from Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Bulletin of the Museum of Natural and Environmental History, Shizuoka, 12, 29 - 96. [in Japanese]","Ito, T. & Okumura, D. (2021) First records of Luciogobius parvulus and Luciogobius sp. 11 sensu Shibukawa et al., 2019 (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. Ichthy, Natural History of Fishes of Japan, 12, 1 - 7. [in Japanese] https: // doi. org / 10.34583 / ichthy. 12.0 _ 1","Maeda, K., Yamasaki, N., Kondo, M. & Tachihara, K. (2008) Occurrence and morphology of larvae and juveniles of six Luciogobius species from Aritsu Beach, Okinawa Island. Ichthyological Research, 55 (2), 162 - 174. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / s 10228 - 007 - 0018 - x","Maeda, K. (2014) Luciogobius sp. 2. In: Okiyama, M. (Ed.), An Atlas of Early Stage Fishes in Japan. Second Edition. Tokai University Press, Hadano, pp. 1250 - 1251. [in Japanese]"]}

H. Sugai, et al., Recent developments of transition-edge sensors (TESs), based on extensive experience in ground-based experiments, have been making the sensor techniques mature enough for their application on future satellite cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiments. LiteBIRD is in the most advanced phase among such future satellites, targeting its launch in Japanese Fiscal Year 2027 (2027FY) with JAXA’s H3 rocket. It will accommodate more than 4000 TESs in focal planes of reflective low-frequency and refractive medium-and-high-frequency telescopes in order to detect a signature imprinted on the CMB by the primordial gravitational waves predicted in cosmic inflation. The total wide frequency coverage between 34 and 448 GHz enables us to extract such weak spiral polarization patterns through the precise subtraction of our Galaxy’s foreground emission by using spectral differences among CMB and foreground signals. Telescopes are cooled down to 5 K for suppressing thermal noise and contain polarization modulators with transmissive half-wave plates at individual apertures for separating sky polarization signals from artificial polarization and for mitigating from instrumental 1/f noise. Passive cooling by using V-grooves supports active cooling with mechanical coolers as well as adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators. Sky observations from the second Sun–Earth Lagrangian point, L2, are planned for 3 years. An international collaboration between Japan, the USA, Canada, and Europe is sharing various roles. In May 2019, the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA, selected LiteBIRD as the strategic large mission No. 2., This work was supported by World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), MEXT, Japan, by JSPS Core-to-Core Program, A. Advanced Research Networks, and by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers JP15H05891, JP17H01115, and JP17H01125. The Italian contribution to the LiteBIRD phase A is supported by the Italian Space Agency (ASI Grant No. 2016-24- H.1-2018) and the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN). The French contribution to the LiteBIRD phase A is supported by the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiale (CNES), by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifque (CNRS), and by the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA). A Concurrent Design Facility study focused on the MHFT and Sub-Kelvin coolers has been led by the European Space Agency (ESA). The Canadian contribution to LiteBIRD is supported by the Canadian Space Agency. The US contribution is supported by NASA Grant no. 80NSSC18K0132

Stiphodon palawanensis, new species (Figs. 1���5; Table 1) Material examined. 57 specimens (24 males and 33 females, 27.0��� 63.9 mm SL) collected from Palawan, Philippines. Holotype. WPU-PPC-P 5, male (62.2 mm SL), Balsahan Stream in the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, 18 May 2015, coll. K. Maeda and H. P. Palla. Paratypes. CMK 11966, 2 males (37.3 and 43.1 mm SL) and 8 females (28.5���47.2 mm SL), Malatgao River, Narra, Palawan, 29 September 1994, coll. J. Margraf; CMK 11974, 3 females (41.9���48.5 mm SL), Estrella Falls (tributary of Malatgao River), Narra, Palawan, 29 September 1994, coll. J. Margraf; NSMT-P 45091, 45092, and 45094, 2 males (27.7 and 38.8 mm SL) and female (36.6 mm SL), Iwahig River, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, 13 November 1988, coll. K. Matsuura; URM-P 31438, female (27.0 mm SL), Nagsagoiri River, Palawan, 9 August 1985, coll. S. Shokita; URM-P 31439, 6 males (34.1���36.8 mm SL) and 7 females (32.4���36.2 mm SL), Papait River, Palawan, 9 August 1985, coll. S. Shokita; URM-P 31440, 2 females (38.6 and 40.7 mm SL), Iraan River, Palawan, 5 August 1985, coll. S. Shokita; URM-P 31441, 6 males (31.3���41.4 mm SL) and 3 females (30.7���39.1 mm SL), Tagbariri, Palawan, 9 August 1985, coll. S. Shokita; URM-P 48659 ���48662, 2 males (46.2 and 51.1 mm SL) and 2 females (41.1 and 47.2 mm SL), Barake Stream (tributary of Aborlan River), Barangay Magbabadil, Aborlan, Palawan, 15 May 2015, coll. K. Maeda and H. P. Palla; URM-P 48663 ���48666, 2 males (59.7 and 63.9 mm SL) and 2 females (58.5 and 63.6 mm SL), same data as holotype; WPU-PPC-P 2 ���4, 2 males (52.6 and 59.2 mm SL) and female (46.3 mm SL), Barake Stream (tributary of Aborlan River), Barangay Magbabadil, Aborlan, Palawan, 15 May 2015, coll. K. Maeda and H. P. Palla; WPU-PPC-P 6���9, male (59.4 mm SL) and 3 females (57.5��� 62.1 mm SL), same data as holotype. Diagnosis. Second dorsal fin usually with one spine and nine segmented rays, pectoral fin usually with 15 segmented rays; first dorsal fin pointed in male; relatively large caudal fin (26���34 % of SL) in male; premaxilla with 45���71 tricuspid teeth, dentary with 2���6 (male) or 1���4 (female) symphyseal teeth and 45���79 unicuspid horizontal teeth; nape and posterior part of occipital region covered by cycloid scales; 9���11 dusky transverse bars laterally on trunk and tail; first dorsal fin gray or dusky after preservation (orange or reddish brown in life) without any distinct markings, having a line of black blotches (male) or a black band (female) on distal part of second dorsal fin; pectoral fin without clear markings. Description. Morphometric measurements given in Table 1. Body elongate, cylindrical anteriorly and somewhat compressed posteriorly. Head somewhat depressed with a round snout protruding beyond upper lip. Anterior nostril tubular and short, posterior nostril round or oblong, not tubular. Mouth inferior with upper jaw projecting beyond lower jaw. Upper lip thick with small medial cleft. Premaxillary teeth 45���71, fine and tricuspid. Dentary with canine-like symphyseal teeth (number of teeth 2���6 in male, 1���4 in female) and a row of unicuspid horizontal teeth enclosed in fleshy sheath (number of teeth 45���79). Larger fish having more premaxillary and horizontal teeth (Fig. 2). Urogenital papilla in male rounded with one cleft at posterior tip; that in female rectangular, bearing one small projection at each corner of the posterior margin. TABLE 1. Morphometrics of Stiphodon palawanensis, expressed as a percentage of standard length. D 1, first dorsal fin; D 2, second dorsal fin; A, anal fin; C, caudal fin; P 1, pectoral fin; P 2, pelvic fin. First dorsal fin with six spines, except two specimens with five spines; second dorsal fin usually with one spine and nine segmented rays (one specimen with one spine and eight segmented rays). In female, first dorsal fin rounded, almost semicircular, usually second and/or third spines longest, but its posteriormost tip never extending to origin of second dorsal fin. In male, first dorsal fin spines elongate (usually fourth spine longest) and posteriormost point of first dorsal fin (tip of fourth spine) extending to base of first to sixth segmented ray of second dorsal fin when depressed. Anal fin with one spine and ten segmented rays. In female, usually first or second and second or third segmented rays longest in second dorsal and anal fins, respectively; in male, posterior rays longer than anterior rays (last ray and/or penultimate ray usually longest). Caudal fin usually with 17 segmented rays, including 13 branched rays, posterior margin rounded; caudal fin relatively larger in male than in female (caudal-fin length 26���34 % of SL in male, 21���26 % of SL in female). Pectoral fin with 14 (n= 7), 15 (n= 47), or 16 (n= 3) rays. Pelvic fin with one spine and five segmented rays; pelvic fins joined together to form strong, cuplike disk with fleshy frenum. Scales in a longitudinal series 29 (n= 4), 30 (n= 13), 31 (n= 19), 32 (n= 15, including holotype), or 33 (n= 6); scales in a transverse series 9 (n= 1), 10 (n= 3), 11 (n= 52, including holotype), 12 (n= 1); circumpeduncular scales 15 (n= 1) or 16 (n= 55) (not including one broken specimen). Ctenoid scales covering tail, sides and dorsum of posterior trunk. Pectoral-fin base naked. Small naked area behind pectoral-fin base; some anteriormost scales on lateral sides of trunk cycloid. Belly covered with cycloid scales. Nape and posterior part of occipital region covered by cycloid scales (Fig. 3); in female, scaled area slightly exceeding middle of occipital region; male similar, but sometimes not exceeding the middle. Cycloid scales also occurring on first and second dorsal-fin bases, anal-fin base, caudal-fin base, and proximal part of caudal fin. Cephalic sensory pore system always with A��, B, C, D(S), F, H��, K��, L��, N��, and O��(Fig. 4). Oculoscapular canal interrupted between pores H��and K��. Cutaneous sensory papillae developed over dorsal, lateral, and ventral surface of head (Fig. 4). The largest male and female specimens were 63.9 and 63.6 mm SL (82.9 and 77.9 mm in total length), respectively. Color in preservative. In male, background brown; 9���11 (usually 10) dusky transverse bars laterally and dorsally on trunk and tail. First dorsal fin gray or dusky without distinct markings. Second dorsal fin gray or dusky; each ray having a black blotch surrounded by a translucent margin, these black blotches forming a line along second dorsal fin margin, but posterior part of the fin sometimes lacking this black blotch. Anal fin gray or dusky. Caudal fin with dusky longitudinal band on upper part; dorsal to this band, gray; ventrally along this band translucent; middle and lower parts of caudal fin gray. Pectoral fin pale gray without clear markings, but sometimes with one to four obscure, dusky spots on each of middle rays. Pelvic disk dusky, but margin of anterior and middle parts translucent. In female, background brown or yellowish brown; blackish longitudinal band extending from snout and upper lip to below eye and to middle of pectoral-fin base, band continuing from behind pectoral-fin base to posterior end of caudal peduncle through lateral midline; nine or ten (usually ten) dusky transverse bars laterally on trunk and tail intersecting with the mid-lateral longitudinal band. The longitudinal band often unclear if the transverse bars accentuated, and transverse bars often unclear if the longitudinal band accentuated. Additional blackish longitudinal band above the mid-lateral band from dorsoposterior edge of eye to base of upper procurrent caudalfin rays, but often obscure. First dorsal-fin gray without distinct markings. Second dorsal and anal fins gray with a black submarginal band and translucent margin; the black band on second dorsal fin thicker than that on anal fin. Black blotch on middle of proximal part of caudal fin; other part of caudal fin translucent with a black band (upside-down ���L��� shape) along dorsal and posterior margins and one to four black vertical stripes on middle part. Pectoral fin pale gray without clear markings, but sometimes with one or two obscure, dusky spots along middle rays. Pelvic fin translucent, but middle parts of rays, membranes, and frenum often dusky, forming a ring in ventral view. Color in life. Body and fin markings of male and female similar to those of preserved specimens, but in male (Fig. 5 a���d), background of body grayish, purplish, or yellowish brown; first and second dorsal fins orange or reddish brown; black blotches on second dorsal fin surrounded by white or yellow margins; anal fin brown, gray, or orange; and dorsal part of caudal fin reddish or yellowish with bluish-white margin. In female (Fig. 5 e, f), first dorsal fin reddish brown; second dorsal fin reddish brown with a black submarginal band and bluish white margin; white spots often lining proximal side of this band; anal fin brown with a black submarginal band and bluish white margin; upper and middle parts of caudal fin fringed by bluish white margin; area between the white margin and the black band orange. Distribution. The new species is currently known only from Palawan, in the western Philippines. All known habitats are streams flowing into the Sulu Sea in the central part of the island (Fig. 6). When we explored the Iwahig River where it flows into the South China Sea at Quezon (Fig. 6) for two days in May 2015, S. palawanensis was not found, but other areas, such as the northern and southern parts of the island, have not yet been explored. Given its amphidromous life cycle with the high dispersal ability of the larvae suggested in this genus (Yamasaki et al., 2007; Maeda et al., 2012 b), and the geographically limited survey made to date, S. palawanensis is expected to be found elsewhere in the region in the future. Ecology. The new species was one of the dominant fish species observed in the middle reaches of Balsahan Stream (Puerto Princesa City) and Barake Stream (Aborlan) in May 2015. Stiphodon palawanensis inhabits pools with a substrate that is a mixture of boulders, gravel, and pebbles with exposed bedrock in some places. It also inhabits rapids. The water was clear. The fish were clinging to the rocks while feeding on algae. When disturbed, they swam to nearby rocks or hid in crevices under or between rocks. The maximum water depth of the sites was 1.5 m in May, but it could reach 3.0 m during the wet season. Normally, that occurs from June to December, while the dry season runs from January to May. In these two sites sampled, two cyprinid species Barbodes palavanensis (Boulenger) and Rasbora everetti Boulenger were very abundant with S. palawanensis. Other common species at these sites were two gobioids, Glossogobius illimis Hoese & Allen and Redigobius sp., and a halfbeak Dermogenys palawanensis Meisner. Etymology. The name of the new species is derived from Palawan, the type locality, and the Latin suffix -ensis. Comparison. The new species was compared with congeners sharing the second dorsal- and pectoral-fin ray counts (one spine and nine segmented rays in the second dorsal fin, and usually 15 or 16 rays in the pectoral fin). Stiphodon palawanensis shares 9���11 dusky transverse bars laterally on the trunk and tail with S. maculidorsalis Maeda & Tan and S. multisquamus Wu & Ni, but it differs from S. maculidorsalis in the lack of clear markings on the pectoral fin (vs. having fine black spots along rays), dorsal markings (black spots scattered dorsally on the head and tail of S. maculidorsalis, but not on S. palawanensis), and predorsal scalation (the posterior part of the occipital region is scaled in S. palawanensis, Fig. 3, vs. an occipital region that is almost naked in S. maculidorsalis); and from S. multisquamus by the lack of distinct markings on the first dorsal and pectoral fins (vs. having a black blotch on the posterior part of the first dorsal fin in males, thick dusky lines along spines of the first dorsal fin in females, and fine black spots along the pectoral-fin rays in both sexes), having a line of black blotches (in males) or a black band (in females) on the distal part of the second dorsal fin (vs. no such black markings), and predorsal scalation of males (posterior part of the occipital region scaled in S. palawanensis, Fig. 3, vs. an occipital region that is almost naked in S. multisquamus). Stiphodon niraikanaiensis Maeda males have black longitudinal bands on the second dorsal and caudal fins, but females lack them. Although a line of black blotches on the second dorsal fin in S. palawanensis males resembles a black band when the fin is not fully open, S. palawanensis differs from S. niraikanaiensis also by the lack of conspicuous markings on the first dorsal and pectoral fins (vs. having black spots), and in the mode of the pectoral-fin ray count (15 vs. 16). Stiphodon palawanensis differs from S. alcedo Maeda, Mukai & Tachihara by having a line of black blotches (in males) or a black band (in females) on the distal part of the second dorsal fin (vs. no such markings), having more premaxillary and horizontal teeth (Fig. 2), and the mode of the pectoral-fin ray count (15 vs. 16); from S. martenstyni Watson (of which only the male holotype is known) by lack of clear markings on the first dorsal fin (vs. having two to five dusky spots along each spine) and having a line of black blotches on the second dorsal fin (vs. lack of it); from S. atratus Watson, S. imperiorientis Watson & Chen, S. ornatus Meinken, S. pelewensis Herre, S. pulchellus, and S. weberi Watson, Allen & Kottelat by lack of distinct markings on the pectoral fin (vs. having many black spots along rays), having a line of black blotches (in males) or a black band (in females) on the second dorsal fin (vs. lack of it), and having more premaxillary and horizontal teeth (Fig. 2); and from S. atropurpureus, S. carisa Watson, S. kalfatak Keith, Marquet & Watson, S. larson Watson, and S. semoni Weber by having a line of black blotches (in males) or a black band (in females) on the second dorsal fin (vs. lack of it), a pointed first dorsal fin in males (vs. rounded, except S. carisa males having a pointed fin), and the predorsal scalation of males (the posterior part of the occipital region is scaled, Fig. 3, vs. an occipital region that is almost naked). Briefly, the new species is most easily distinguished by its unique fin markings: any Stiphodon with a line of black blotches (in males) or a black band (in females) on the distal part of the second dorsal fin, and without distinct markings on the first dorsal and pectoral fins can be identified as S. palawanensis. Other Stiphodon species found in Palawan. During our two-day exploration in the type locality of the new species (Balsahan Stream in the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, Sulu Sea side of Puerto Princesa City) in May 2015, two other Stiphodon species were found; three female individuals of S. atropurpureus and one male individual of S. percnopterygionus Watson & Chen (Fig. 6). Two of the three S. atropurpureus individuals were collected (Fig. 7 c) and listed as comparative material in this paper. Stiphodon percnopterygionus was not collected, however a wild individual was identified on site by snorkel based observation of characteristic markings of the body and fins (Fig. 8) and its unique, high triangular first dorsal fin. While S. palawanensis was very abundant, both S. atropurpureus and S. percnopterygionus were rare at this site. Four Stiphodon specimens collected in the Iwahig River at Puerto Princesa City in 1988 have been deposited in the National Museum of Nature and Science (Ibaraki, Japan). The Iwahig is a relatively large river next to the Balsahan Stream. The specimens are composed of three S. palawanensis (NSMT-P 45091, 45092, and 45094) and one S. pulchellus (NSMT-P 45093), but the latter species was not found in our exploration in Balsahan Stream in May 2015. In Barake Stream (Sulu Sea side of Aborlan), the only Stiphodon species found during our one-day exploration was S. palawanensis. All collections from Aborlan and Narra, examined in the present study (CMK and URM), also comprised entirely of individuals of S. palawanensis (Fig. 6). We also explored another river bearing the name Iwahig at Quezon, on the South China Sea side of the island (Fig. 6) in May 2015. Stiphodon pulchellus (Fig. 7 a, b) was abundant, but S. palawanensis could not be found there. Thus, the species composition of any Stiphodon assemblage seems to depend on the location on the island. Stiphodon palawanensis may be the dominant species in some areas, whereas S. pulchellus may be dominant in others. However, because only a small survey effort has been applied at each site and only a small part of the island has been explored so far, comprehensive surveys will be required to understand the distribution of Stiphodon species on Palawan., Published as part of Maeda, Ken & Palla, Herminie P., 2015, A new species of the genus Stiphodon from Palawan, Philippines (Gobiidae: Sicydiinae), pp. 381-395 in Zootaxa 4018 (3) on pages 382-391, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4018.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/232899, {"references":["Yamasaki, N., Maeda, K. & Tachihara, K. (2007) Pelagic larval duration and morphology at recruitment of Stiphodon percnopterygionus (Gobiidae: Sicydiinae). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 14 (Supplement), 209 - 214.","Maeda, K., Mukai, T. & Tachihara, K. (2012 b) A new species of amphidromous goby, Stiphodon alcedo, from the Ryukyu Archipelago (Gobiidae: Sicydiinae). Cybium, 35, 285 - 298."]}

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Trabajo presentado como comunicación a la Conferencia "Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2008: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray" celebrada en Francia el 23 de Junio del 2008., The EURECA (EURopean-JapanEse Calorimeter Array) project aims to demonstrate the science performance and technological readiness of an imaging X-ray spectrometer based on a micro-calorimeter array for application in future X-ray astronomy missions, like Constellation-X and XEUS. The prototype instrument consists of a 5 x 5 pixel array of TES-based micro-calorimeters read out by by two SQUID-amplifier channels using frequency-domain-multiplexing (FDM). The SQUID-amplifiers are linearized by digital base-band feedback. The detector array is cooled in a cryogenfree cryostat consisting of a pulse tube cooler and a two stage ADR. A European-Japanese consortium designs, fabricates, and tests this prototype instrument. This paper describes the instrument concept, and shows the design and status of the various sub-units, like the TES detector array, LC-filters, SQUID-amplifiers, AC-bias sources, digital electronics, etc. Initial tests of the system at the PTB beam line of the BESSY synchrotron showed stable performance and an X-ray energy resolution of 1.58 eV at 250 eV and 2.5 eV @ 5.9 keV for the read-out of one TES-pixel only. Next step is deployment of FDM to read-out the full array. Full performance demonstration is expected mid 2009., The authors acknowledge an ESA Technological Research Program contract for the development of TES-arrays and SQUIDs, being a significant support to the EURECA program. Also the recent ESA TRP contract for the development of SQUID-based electronics is of crucial importance for this work.

No. 349 Which dose abdominal compartment syndrome occur after endovascular repair of ruptured infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm or not? J. Nishimura, Y. Koike, S. Hase, N. Hosaka, M. Yamasaki, N. Moriya, H. Nishimaki; Department of Interventiona Radiology, Kawasaki Saiwai Hospital, Kawasaki, Japan; Department of Cardiovascular surgery, St. Marianna Medical University, Kawasaki, Japan Purpose: Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) have been increasingly recognized as significant causes of mortality in patients with endovascular repair (EVAR) of ruptured infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAAs). If there is high rate of falling into the ACS in the patient with rAAA, EVAR with the procedure of leak reduction and continuous decompression surgery of intra-abdominal pressure are able to be performed. Otherwise, the shock index (SI), defined as the ratio of heart rate to systolic blood pressure, is a simple marker for situation in emergent patients. This study is presented to determine whether the SI is a useful marker for ACS in patients with EVAR of rAAAs. Materials and Methods: In 14 cases with rAAAs, 12 Men and 2 women, mean age 77.2 6.5, EVAR were performed emergency in our institution between March in 2012 and July in 2013. SI calculated from heart rate and systolic blood pressure just before putting the patients under an anesthetic. SI was analyzed between patients with ACS and without ACS. Results: Intraoperative immediate technical success were obtained in all cases. 4 patients fall into the ACS, 2 patients of them died, and reminded 2 patients could leave hospital on foot. SI of patients with ACS and without ACS were 1.86 0.30 (1.44 2.08) and 1.28 0.45 (0.67 1.86), respectively. There is significant difference between SI with ACS and without ASC (P o 0.05). 4 patients died in our hospital after EVAR. SI of the death and survive cases were 1.86 0.23 (1.55 2.08) and 1.29 0.43 (0.67-1.86), respectively. Also, there is significant difference between SI with death and survive cases (P o 0.05). All patients with SI less than 1.4 could be survive, and all patient more than 2.0 died. There is the same trend about ACS between patients in our institusion with EVAR of rAAA and ruptured solitary iliac artery’s aneurysm. Conclusion: SI is simple and useful marker for ACS in patients with EVAR of rAAAs. When SI is over 1.4, there is possibility patient falling into ACS, the procedure for leak control during EVAR and decompression of the abdomen after EVAR are considered to be prepared.

Background Oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is also an important mechanism that underlies destructive and proliferative synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Abundant amounts of reactive oxygen species have been detected in the synovial fluid of inflamed rheumatoid joints. It is reported that drugs that block tumor necrosis factor (TNF) reduce the oxidative stress marker levels in patients with RA [1,2]. Then, it is plausible to consider that interleukin-6 (IL-6)-blocking drug also reduce ROS levels in RA cases. Objectives The influence of not only TNF-blocking drug, but also IL-6-blocking drug on the serum level of oxidative stress marker were evaluated. Methods In this study, we measured reactive oxygen species (ROM: reactive oxygen metabolites) using a free radical analytical system (FRAS4, Wismarl, Italy) in 140 patients with RA treated with disease-modifying anti rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) (n=91), TNF-blocking drugs (infliximab, etanercept) (n=8), and an interleukin-6 (IL-6)-blocking drug (tocilizumab) (n=26). As a control, patients suffering from osteoarthritis (OA) were selected (n=15). Of these 26 patients treated with tocilizumab, 3 cases were followed longitudinally. Serum level of ROM was measured before administration of tocilizumab, 1 week after administration, 3 and 4 months after administration. Inflammatory makers (CRP: C-reactive protein, WBC: white blood cell) and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) were also measured. Results Patients with OA showed 375.5 ± 72.5 Carr U of ROM, which is significantly lower (p Conclusions Serum level of oxidative stress markers is dramatically low and smoothly reduced in patients with RA treated with tocilizumab, suggesting that IL-6 blocking therapy reduces not only joint damage, but also extra-articular manifestations caused by oxidative stress, including vascular degeneration in patients with RA. We believe that this drastic effect may reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with RA. References Kageyama Y, Takahashi M, Nagano A et al. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2008 Kageyama Y, Takahashi M, Nagano A et al. Rheumatol Int. 2008 Hirao M, Yamasaki N, Hashimoto J et al. Rheumatol Int. 2012 Disclosure of Interest None Declared

We isolated Pseudomonas paucimobilis SYK-6, which was able to degrade various dimeric lignin compounds (Y. Katayama, S. Nishikawa, M. Nakamura, K. Yano, M. Yamasaki, N. Morohoshi, and T. Haraguchi, Mokuzai Gakkaishi 33:77-79, 1987). This metabolic process is a distinct characteristic of this bacterium, which is equipped with an enzymatic modification system for various dimeric lignin compounds involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Cleavage of the beta-aryl ether linkage is essential in this process, because this linkage is the most abundant (approximately 50%) in lignin. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of the beta-etherase gene, which contains an open reading frame of 843 bp and which we call ligE. This gene was expressed in Escherichia coli, and the enzyme had the same kinetic properties as the P. paucimobilis SYK-6 enzyme.

Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2016, Edinburgh, United Kingdom., X-IFU: et al., The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) on board the Advanced Telescope for High-ENergy Astrophysics (Athena) will provide spatially resolved high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy from 0.2 to 12 keV, with ~ 5" pixels over a field of view of 5 arc minute equivalent diameter and a spectral resolution of 2.5 eV up to 7 keV. In this paper, we first review the core scientific objectives of Athena, driving the main performance parameters of the X-IFU, namely the spectral resolution, the field of view, the effective area, the count rate capabilities, the instrumental background. We also illustrate the breakthrough potential of the X-IFU for some observatory science goals. Then we brie y describe the X-IFU design as defined at the time of the mission consolidation review concluded in May 2016, and report on its predicted performance. Finally, we discuss some options to improve the instrument performance while not increasing its complexity and resource demands (e.g. count rate capability, spectral resolution)., We acknowledge support from the Athena Science Study Team, the Athena Working Group Chairs, the Athena Topical Panel Chairs and the Topical Panel members in strengthening the X-IFU top level performance requirements. Particular thanks go to: E. Rasia, V. Biffi, S. Borgani and K. Dolag for providing cosmological hydrodynamic simulations of a cluster used to produce simulation of X-IFU observation presented in Fig. 2; P.T. O'Brien for assistance with Sect. 2.2.1, A.C. Fabian and C. Pinto for providing inputs for Figure 1. We also thank the ESA project team, and in particular Mark Ayre and Ivo Ferreira, for their work on the assessment of the ToO efficiency requirement. The Italian contribution to X-IFU is supported through the ASI contract n. 2015-046-R.0. XB, MTC and BC acknowledge nancial support by MINECO through grant ESP2014-53672-C3-1-P. A.R., P.O, and A.J. were supported by Polish NSC grants: 2015/17/B/ST9/03422 and 2015/18/M/ST9/00541. GR, ER, YN, and PJ acknowledges support by FNRS and Prodex (Belspo). This work was supported by the French Space Agency (CNES).

EURECA (EURopean-JapanEse Calorimeter Array) comprises a 5 x 5 pixel imaging TES-based micro-calorimeter array read-out by SQUID-based frequency-domain-multiplexed electronics and cooled down by an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator. A European-Japanese consortium designs, fabricates, and tests this prototype instrument with the aim to show within about 2 years technology readiness of a TES-based X-ray imaging micro-calorimeter array in anticipation of future X-ray astronomy missions, like XEUS (ESA), Constellation-X (NASA), NEXT (JAXA), DIOS (JAXA), ESTREMO (ASI), and NEW (Dutch-multinational). This paper describes the instrument concept, and shows the design of the various sub-units, like the TES detector array, LC-filters, SQUID-amplifiers, flux-locked-loop electronics, AC-bias sources, etc.