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Abstract  Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) is an important fruit in Asian countries, where it is eaten as a fresh fruit and is also used for many other purposes. To understand the molecular mechanism of fruit development and ripening in persimmon, we generated a total of 9,952 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from randomly selected clones of two different cDNA libraries. One cDNA library was derived from fruit of “Saijo” persimmon at an early stage of development, and the other from ripening fruit. These ESTs were clustered into 6,700 non-redundant sequences. Of the 6,700 non-redundant sequences evaluated, the deduced amino acid sequences of 4,356 (65%) showed significant homology to known proteins, and 2,344 (35%) showed no significant similarity to any known proteins in Arabidopsis databases. We report comparison of genes identified in the two cDNA libraries and describe some putative genes involved in proanthocyanidin and carotenoid synthesis. This study provides the first global overview of a set of genes that are expressed during fruit development and ripening in persimmon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the temporal responses and the efficacy of 192Ir-HDR endovascular irradiation for preventing smooth muscle cell proliferation of rabbit iliac arteries after PTA with a cutting balloon catheter. Endovascular irradiation with 12 Gy was randomly performed on the one side of iliac arterial segment with the unirradiated side serving as a control. Animals were euthanatized 1,2,3,4,8 and 12 week(s) after angioplasty. Histopathological and immunohistochemical studies were carried out. Histopathology showed repair of the dissection by cellular accumulation and a striking reduction in the amount of neointimal hyperplasia in the irradiated arteries as compared with control vessels. A peak of PCNA-positive ratio was in neointima of the control arterial segments at a week. 2-4 weeks after irradiation, the neointimal PCNA-positive ratio was still significantly increased in the control arterial segments compared with the irradiated arterial segments. After 8 weeks, PCNA-positive ratio was below 1% in both irradiated arterial segments and the control. Our results showed that the 192Ir-HDR afterloading irradiation with a dose of 12 Gy can be considered sufficient for inhibiting neointimal hyperplasia in angioplastized rabbit iliac arteries with cutting balloon catheter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report an orbital characterization of GJ1108Aab that is a low-mass binary system in the pre-main-sequence phase. Via the combination of astrometry using adaptive optics and radial velocity measurements, an eccentric orbital solution of e = 0.63 is obtained, which might be induced by the Kozai–Lidov mechanism with a widely separated GJ1108B system. Combined with several observed properties, we confirm that the system is indeed young. Columba is the most probable moving group, to which the GJ1108A system belongs, although its membership to the group has not been established. If the age of Columba is assumed for GJ1108A, the dynamical masses of both GJ1108Aa and GJ1108Ab (Mdynamical,GJ1108Aa = 0.72 ± 0.04 M⊙ and Mdynamical,GJ1108Ab = 0.30 ± 0.03 M⊙) are more massive than what an evolutionary model predicts based on the age and luminosities. We consider that the discrepancy in mass comparison can be attributed to an age uncertainty; the system is likely older than stars in Columba, and effects that are not implemented in classical models such as accretion history and magnetic activity are not preferred to explain the mass discrepancy. We also discuss the performance of the evolutionary model by compiling similar low-mass objects in the evolutionary state based on the literature. Consequently, it is suggested that the current model on average reproduces the mass of resolved low-mass binaries without any significant offsets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present high signal-to-noise ratio, precise YJH photometry and Y band (0.957–1.120 μm) spectroscopy of HD 1160 B, a young substellar companion discovered from the Gemini NICI Planet Finding Campaign using the Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics instrument and the Gemini Planet Imager. HD 1160 B has typical mid-M dwarf-like infrared colors and a spectral type of M5.5, where the blue edge of our Y band spectrum rules out earlier spectral types. Atmospheric modeling suggests HD 1160 B has an effective temperature of 3000–3100 K, a surface gravity of log g = 4–4.5, a radius of 1.55 ± 0.10 RJ, and a luminosity of log L/L⊙ = −2.76 ± 0.05. Neither the primary’s Hertzspring–Russell diagram position nor atmospheric modeling of HD 1160 B show evidence for a subsolar metallicity. Interpretation of the HD 1160 B spectroscopy depends on which stellar system components are used to estimate the age. Considering HD 1160 A, B and C jointly, we derive an age of 80–125 Myr, implying that HD 1160 B straddles the hydrogen-burning limit (70–90 MJ). If we consider HD 1160 A alone, younger ages (20–125 Myr) and a brown dwarf-like mass (35–90 MJ) are possible. Interferometric measurements of the primary, a precise Gaia parallax, and moderate-resolution spectroscopy can better constrain the system’s age and how HD 1160 B fits within the context of (sub)stellar evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper first describes the effect of water absorption in polyamide material irradiated by thermal plasmas on the occurrence of spallation phenomena. The interaction between polyamide materials and arc plasmas occurs particularly in the low voltage circuit breaker and aerospace fields. Spallation phenomena are those in which polymer particles are ejected from polymer bulk materials irradiated by high heat flux. To confirm the effect of water absorption into the polyamide material on spallation phenomena, polyamide specimens with and without water absorption were irradiated by Ar inductively coupled thermal plasma. The results show that the polyamide specimen with water absorption ejected spallation particles, whereas the polyamide specimen without water absorption were only slightly ejected, indicating that water absorption promotes the occurrence of spallation. The cooling effects of the spallation polyamide 66 (PA66) particles ablation were also estimated in hot air to assess the arc quenching ability from the spallation particle inclusion. This estimation showed that 10 and more PA66 particles inclusion might decrease the air temperature by 3000 K effectively, which can be useful to enhance arc quenching in circuit breakers working in air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report measurements of the diffuse galactic light (DGL) spectrum in the near-infrared, spanning the wavelength range 0.95–1.65 μm by the Cosmic Infrared Background ExpeRiment. Using the low-resolution spectrometer calibrated for absolute spectro-photometry, we acquired long-slit spectral images of the total diffuse sky brightness toward six high-latitude fields spread over four sounding rocket flights. To separate the DGL spectrum from the total sky brightness, we correlated the spectral images with a 100 μm intensity map, which traces the dust column density in optically thin regions. The measured DGL spectrum shows no resolved features and is consistent with other DGL measurements in the optical and at near-infrared wavelengths longer than 1.8 μm. Our result implies that the continuum is consistently reproduced by models of scattered starlight in the Rayleigh scattering regime with a few large grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "The North Ecliptic Pole Wide survey of AKARI: a near and mid-infrared source catalog," by S. J. Kim and colleagues is presented.