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The complete chloroplast and mitochondrial genome sequences of Scopelophila cataractae (Pottiaceae, Bryophyta) are determined. The chloroplast genome is 122,290 bp with 118 genes and the mitochondrial genome is 105,607 bp with 67 genes, both genomes are circular. This study showed the S. cataractae plastome contains the smallest genome size, and a functional trnPGGG gene, relative to other pottiaceous species. Phylogenetic inferences support the sister relationship of S. cataractae to all other pottiaceous accessions.

The complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of Petasites japonicus (Asteraceae) was determined. The cp genome is 150,445 bp and consists of a large single-copy region (82,910 bp), a small single-copy region (17,907 bp), and a pair of inverted repeats (24,814 bp). It encodes a set of 114 genes, consisting of 80 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. Phylogenetic inference confirmed that P. japonicus is sister to the genus Ligularia in the tribe Senecioneae of Asteraceae.

A new variety, Lecanorchis japonica var. insularis (Orchidaceae: Vanilloideae), a mycoheterotrophic orchid from Jejudo Island, Korea, is described and illustrated. It usually grows with L. japonica var. japonica, L. japonica var. hokurikuensis and L. kiusiana in evergreen forests. The newly described variety is distinguished from L. japonica vars. japonica, hokurikuensis, and kiiensis by having fully opened, larger flowers and an obtuse labellum apex.

A total of 34 taxa, 33 species and one variety, are newly added to the moss checklist of Korea. They were collected on Jejudo Island, Samcheok limestone areas in Gangwon Province, and Socheongdo Island from 2015 to 2018 and organized into 19 families and 26 genera. Additionally, eight genera are new to Korea. This study verifies the distributions of nine species whose distributions and specimens have remained unknown thus far. Finally, two unrecorded taxa, consisting of one species and one variety, are identified by reexamining Korean specimens deposited at the National Museum and Science in Japan (TNS). The specimens were collected in 1942 and 1940 from Mt. Baekdusan and Anbyun in North Korea.

Most taxa of the genus Marchantia L. (Marchantiaceae) produce multicellular gemmae within gemma cups. They are discoid bodies with two notches and a trace of stalk. Although gemmae of Marchantia have been of interest to physiological and developmental studies, they have been rarely used as a taxonomic character. To improve understanding of the taxonomic significance of gemma morphology, we investigated gemmae of six Japanese Marchantia (including four subspecies) and provide comparative morphological descriptions and a key. Several characters of the gemmae, including size, shape, morphology of marginal cells, and the presence or absence of mucilage hairs were useful in species identification. Morphological similarity of gemmae between M. polymoprpha and M. paleacea, as well as between M. emarginata and M. pinnata, was consistent with the results of molecular phylogenetic analyses. We recommend that morphology of gemmae should be used as a new taxonomic character in the genus Marchantia.

Complete chloroplast genome sequence of a moss, Takakia lepidozioides (Takakiopsida) is reported. The largest collection of genes in mosses and the intensive RNA editing were discussed from evolutionary perspectives. We assembled the entire plastid genome sequence of Takakia lepidozioides (Takakiopsida), emerging from the first phylogenetic split among extant mosses. The genome sequences were assembled into a circular molecule 149,016 bp in length, with a quadripartite structure comprising a large and a small single-copy region separated by inverted repeats. It contained 88 genes coding for proteins, 32 for tRNA, four for rRNA, two open reading frames, and at least one pseudogene (tufA). This is the largest number of genes of all sequenced plastid genomes in mosses and Takakia is the only moss that retains the seven coding genes ccsA, cysA, cysT, petN rpoA, rps16 and trnPGGG. Parsimonious interpretation of gene loss suggests that the last common ancestor of bryophytes had all seven genes and that mosses lost at least three of them during their diversification. Analyses of the plastid transcriptome identified the extraordinary frequency of RNA editing with more than 1100 sites. We indicated a close correlation between the monoplastidy of vegetative tissue and the intensive RNA editing sites in the plastid genome in land plant lineages. Here, we proposed a hypothesis that the small population size of plastids in each vegetative cell of some early diverging land plants, including Takakia, might cause the frequent fixation of mutations in plastid genome through the intracellular genetic drift and that deleterious mutations might be continuously compensated by RNA editing during or following transcription.

In this paper, we analyzed the stability of a wave-variables-based bilateral control system driven by pneumatic actuators. A pneumatic system is generally a third-order lag system due to the compressibility of gas. Frequency domain passivity of the system is evaluated using scattering matrix. The passivity is numerically confirmed when an appropriate control gain is given. The pneumatic system is nonlinear and can be unstable if the stability analysis is based on frequency domain passivity condition. The simulation results show that the pneumatic bilateral control system is passive.

The genus Fissidens (ca. 440 spp.) is one of the phylogenetically poorly studied groups of mosses (Bryophyta). While various classifications of this genus have been proposed, no attempt at a classification of the genus based on combined molecular and morphological evidence has been made. Here, we present for the first time a comprehensive phylogenetic tree consisting of 50 representatives of Fissidens, reconstructed using sequence data from chloroplast rbcL and rps4 genes. Ancestral state reconstructions provide three clear apomorphies within Fissidens: peristome teeth, limbidium and chromosome number. Based on the phylogeny and morphological reassessment, we recognize three subgenera, Pachyfissidens, Neoamblyothallia, and Fissidens. Subgenus Neoamblyothallia consists of two sections: Neoamblyothallia and Crispidium. Subgenus Fissidens consists of five sections: Fissidens, Polypodiopsis, Aloma, Areofissidens, and Semilimbidium. High diversity of the most derived sect. Semilimbidium in the tropics suggests that the evolutionary history of the genus is through adaptation and diversification in tropical regions.

Robustness of zero-modes of two-dimensional Dirac fermions is examined numerically for the honeycomb lattice in the presence of Kekul\'e bond ordering. The split $n=0$ Landau levels in a magnetic field as well as the zero-modes generated by topological defects in the Kekul\'e ordering are shown to exhibit anomalous robustness against disorder when the chiral symmetry is respected., Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, submitted to the proceedings of Localisation 2020

Astomum japonicum G. Roth is a cleistocarpous moss species but its taxonomic placement remains uncertain because the type material has not been re-examined since being described in 1911. We have examined type specimens and selected the specimen in PC as the lectotype. Based on a morphological study of the type material, we also propose the transfer of the species to the genus Weissia Hedw.: W. japonica (G. Roth) Y. Inoue & H. Tsubota comb. nov. Taxonomic notes on W. japonica and a key to the cleistocarpous species of Weissia in Japan are also provided.

FRP material has good characteristics such as light-weight, high-strength and high-corrosion resistance. Light-weight structure possesses some advantages over the rational constructing procedure such as self-building structures. In recent years, mechanical characteristics of FRP joints using bolts and/or rivet are investigated in detail, and they are used in many FRP structures. However, the bolts lack bearing strength compared with material strength and the joint needs the prepared bolt hole. In this paper, an alternative joint system for FRP structures using tapping screw is proposed and mechanical characteristics are investigated through experiment. Tapping screw has some advantages; easy-to-use, light-weight and high bearing strength. Then, the results of double-lapped tensile shear tests having one, four and eight tapping screws along longitudinal direction are shown. Moreover, it is shown that longitudinal stress distribution is approximately corresponding to the theoretical stress distribution of double-lapped adhesively bonded joints. Based on these, it is proposed that joint strength can be estimated by using the present calculation method.

This paper proposes a device that simultaneously computes and displays the biomechanical quantities, such as joint moments, joint forces and the center of gravity point, at the same time with the symmetric motion of subjects with respect to a sagittal plane. These biomechanical quantities are computed in real-time based on the inverse dynamics, using the marker positions obtained by real-time image processing of the body movement which is captured by a CCD camera. Then these biomechanical quantities are displayed in real-time on a screen by a LCD projector, and accordingly the subject can objectively recognize the quality of the motion by seeing these physical quantities during the motion. In the application of this real-time motion analyzer to the analysis of bow motion, bending and stretching and sit-to-stand motion, it is shown that this device is advantageous for the coaching and the self-education of an optimal motion based on the body mechanics.

Four species, including one newly described, of Japanese cleistocarpous species of Weissia (Pottiaceae): W. exserta , W. japonica , W. kiiensis and W. parajaponica sp. nov. are recognized based on molecular phylogenetic inference and morphological reassessment. For each species, typification, description, distribution, illustrations and photographs are presented, and a key to the species is included. Rapid sporophyte modifications in Weissia and monophyletic positions of these four species are supported by the analysis using concatenated chloroplast rbcL and rps4 gene sequences. A lectotype is designated for W. controversa which is the type species of the genus, and a new combination, W. loncophylla is proposed for Trachycarpidium lonchophyllum .

Based on our molecular phylogenetic analysis of haplolepideous mosses with concatenated sequences of chloroplast rps4 and rbcL genes, a new family Timmiellaceae is erected to accommodate the genera Timmiella and Luisierella, both of which have been formerly included in the family Pottiaceae. The family Timmiellaceae is resolved as a second-branching clade together with Distichium (Distichiaceae) within the Dicranidae (haplolepideous moss) lineages and phylogenetically distinct from the Pottiaceae. Reassessment of morphological characters suggests that a combination of the characters: 1) adaxially bulging and abaxially flat leaf surfaces, 2) sinistrorse or straight peristomes, when present, and 3) sinistrorsely arranged operculum cells is unique to Timmiellaceae and discriminates it from other haplolepideous moss families.

This paper presents a study of peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) reduction using coded partial transmit sequence (PTS) in 8×8 multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) systems. MIMO-OFDM achieves large-capacity wireless communication, and has been adopted in such as IEEE802.11n/ac standard wireless LAN systems. PAPR indicates the ratio of peak power to average power. High PAPR causes waveform distortion due to nonlinear amplifier characteristics. PTS is one of PAPR reduction methods to prevent communication quality degradation. PTS performs phase rotation to OFDM modulated signals to reduce the peak power. We have to increase the number of possible phase patterns in order to obtain enough PAPR reduction. Coded PTS is used to reduce computational cost of PTS by using codebook. In the case of MIMO-OFDM systems, we have to use the same phase pattern of PTS for each stream due to difficulty of detection. In this paper, we have evaluated PAPR reduction by the proposed coded PTS in 8×8 MIMO-OFDM systems. The evaluation result shows that low error transmission can be achieved by using coded PTS and RS code, and PAPR reduction is about 1.7 dB. In comparison with PTS, coded PTS can achieve 94% computational cost reduction.

Recently, network services based on distributed components that provide services by using components running on remote nodes have attracted much attention. Advanced services can be provided at a lower cost by using existing components. We have previously proposed a method that ensures a stable QoS for each service by allocating components dynamically according to changes in access frequency. In that method, however, we considered only CPU resources rather than network resources. In this paper, we propose a method for providing bandwidth-guaranteed services stably by considering available wavelength resources in backend servers on a platform with a WDM optical network.