Search

We study the evolution of elliptical galaxies at z >~ 1 on the basis of a sample of 247 Extremely Red Objects (EROs) with R-Ks >= 3.35 (AB) and Ks ~ 1.5 found by several authors, we conclude that the majority of ellipticals seen at present have not established either a red color or a smooth 1/4-law profile before z ~ 1.5$. (abridged), Comment: 46 pages, 15 PostScript figures. Submitted to ApJ

The star-forming region S269 is studied with deep JHK(s) and H(2)v = 1-0 S(1) images and K-band spectroscopy. The JHK(s) images reveal a rich embedded cluster at the center of the field; most stars in the cluster are located in two major congregations. The colors of the two congregations and of the associated nebulosities are quite different. The color-color diagrams and color-magnitude diagrams of the two subgroups show that their intrinsic colors are not significantly different, suggesting that they could be formed at a similar age. Between the subgroups there are two near-infrared sources, IRS 2e and 2w. Their K-band spectra rise toward longer wavelengths, indicative of a dense dusty envelope surrounding them. Strong H(2) and Brgamma lines are detected on these two objects. A poorly collimated bipolar H2 jet has been detected around IRS 2e and 2w. The morphology of the infrared jet and K-band spectra of the two infrared sources suggest that the jet is likely driven by IRS 2e or 2w, or both. Several lines of evidence suggest that IRS 2e and 2w are massive young stellar objects probably younger than most of the stars in the region. Given the facts above, we speculate that lower mass star-forming activities in a stellar cluster could play an important role in the formation of a massive star.

A near infrared survey of the inner 300pc of Nuclear Bulge region of the Milky Way is being carried out as a core program of the SIRIUS Camera mounted on the IRSF telescope at the South African Astronomical Observatory, Sutherland. The SIRIUS camera has three 1K × 1K detectors for simultaneous imaging in the J, H and Ks bands. With pixel scale of 0.45″ and good seeing most of the time, these observations present the deepest views of a large area of the Nuclear Bulge. The aim of this survey is to overcome the incompleteness and confusion limited nature of the undersampled near infrared surveys, such as DENIS and 2MASS in order to get better estimate of the extinction in these lines of sight and distinguish between various stellar populations. Preliminary results from the survey demonstrate the capability of the camera and photometric procedures for the crowded fields.

We present optical and near-infrared spectropolarimetry of the nuclei of four type 2 Seyfert galaxies, Mrk 463E, Mrk 1210, NGC 1068, and NGC 4388. The data were obtained simultaneously, covering the wavelength range of 0.46-2.5 μm. We model the polarizations from two dust-scattering components: (1) scattering in dusty regions in ionization cones and (2) scattering in a torus surrounding a type 1 nucleus. The polarizations from electron scattering in the cones and dichroic absorption by aligned dust grains in the torus are also compared with the observations. We confirmed that a combination of electron and dust scattering in the ionization cones is the preferred mechanism for the optical continuum polarization. For the near-infrared, dichroic absorption by aligned grains can explain the continuum polarization of Mrk 463E and Mrk 1210 as well as NGC 1068. Visual optical depths of the order of 10-20 are estimated for dichroic absorption in these nuclei. Dust scattering in the torus, whose grain size distribution is assumed to be the same as in the Galactic diffuse interstellar medium, cannot reproduce the observed spectral slope of the near-infrared polarization and total nuclear flux simultaneously. However, this might only indicate that the grain size distribution in the torus of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is different, and dust scattering with moderate optical depth and dominated by large grains might provide a reasonable explanation for the near-infrared radiation from AGNs.

We carried out deep imaging observations of the Lupus 3 dark cloud in near-infrared J, H, and Ks bands. An area of ~8' × 8' was observed, which corresponds to a projected area of ~0.4 × 0.4 pc at the distance of the cloud, ~150 pc. Lupus 3 showed itself as a near-infrared nebula that has a surface brightness higher than the adjacent sky at all the three wavelengths. In a JHKs color composite image (blue, green, and red are assigned to J, H, and Ks, respectively), three dark red cores are surrounded by a blue halo. The surface brightness was measured with 5 σ limiting magnitudes of J = 21.6, H = 21.3, and Ks = 20.6 mag arcsec-2. The appearance of the nebula depends on the wavelength. In the J band, dark cores are surrounded by a brighter halo, while in the Ks band, the dark cores of the J band are bright except for the central part of two of the cores. The appearance in the H band is intermediate between those of the J and Ks bands, having dark cores surrounded by local maxima of the surface brightness and decreased surface brightness farther out. The surface brightness is J = 20.6, H = 19.8, and Ks = 19.4 mag arcsec-2 at the maximum in each band. Photometry of the point sources was done with 10 σ limiting magnitudes of J = 20.1, H = 18.8, and Ks = 17.7. We constructed an extinction map of the background stars, using the H-K color of 1974 sources and the standard reddening law of Rieke & Lebofsky. The maximum value for the extinction is AV = 47 mag. There are three local maxima of the extinction with AV 30 mag, which we consider to be dense cores. Their positions agree with the cores identified with the surface brightness appearance. The surface brightness and its relationship with the extinction are understood in terms of scattering of starlight by dust. The values of the maximum surface brightness can be explained by scattering of starlight by dust in the cloud if we adopt a model of grain size distribution by Weingartner & Draine.

We are currently conducting three kinds of IR surveys of star forming regions (SFRs) in order to seek for very low-mass young stellar populations. First is a deep JHKs-bands (simultaneous) survey with the SIRIUS camera on the IRSF 1.4m or the UH 2.2m telescopes. Second is a very deep JHKs survey with the CISCO IR camera on the Subaru 8.2m telescope. Third is a high resolution companion search around nearby YSOs with the CIAO adaptive optics coronagraph IR camera on the Subaru. In this contribution, we describe our SIRIUS camera and present preliminary results of the ongoing surveys with this new instrument.

The first results of our ongoing near-infrared (NIR) survey of the variable red giants in the Large Magellanic Cloud, using the Infrared Survey Facility (IRSF) and the SIRIUS infrared camera, are presented. Many very red stars were detected and found that most of them are variables. In the observed colour-magnitude diagram ($J-K, K$) and the stellar $K$ magnitude distribution, the tip of the first giant branch (TRGB), where helium burning in the core starts, is clearly seen. Apart from the genuine AGB variables, we found many variable stars at luminosities around the TRGB. From this result, we infer that a substantial fraction of them are RGB variables., 5 pages, 3 figures; accepted for publication in MNRAS Letters

Background: Distal myopathy with rimmed vacuoles (DMRV) is an autosomal-recessive disorder with preferential involvement of the tibialis anterior muscle that starts in young adulthood and spares quadriceps muscles. The disease locus has been mapped to chromosome 9p1-q1, the same region as the hereditary inclusion body myopathy (HIBM) locus. HIBM was originally described as rimmed vacuole myopathy sparing the quadriceps; therefore, the two diseases have been suspected to be allelic. Recently, HIBM was shown to be associated with the mutations in the gene encoding the bifunctional enzyme, UDP- N -acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/ N -acetylmannosamine kinase ( GNE ). Objective: To determine whether DMRV and HIBM are allelic. Methods: The GNE gene was sequenced in 34 patients with DMRV. The epimerase activity in lymphocytes from eight DMRV patients was also measured. Results: The authors identified 27 unrelated DMRV patients with homozygous or compound-heterozygous mutations in the GNE gene. DMRV patients had markedly decreased epimerase activity. Conclusions: DMRV is allelic to HIBM. Various mutations are associated with DMRV in Japan. The loss-of-function mutations in the GNE gene appear to cause DMRV/HIBM.

An absorption feature at 3.4 μm has been detected in the long-wavelength wing of the 3.1 μm H2O ice feature in three young stellar objects: IRAS 18511+0146, IRAS 21413+5442, and IRAS 04579+4703. The profile of the 3.4 μm absorption in IRAS 18511+0146 has distinct subfeatures at 3.38, 3.41, and 3.48 μm and is not similar to those found in molecular clouds but is similar to those in the diffuse interstellar medium, such as the lines of sight toward the Galactic center and Cyg OB2 12. Spectropolarimetry of the 3.4 μm feature in IRAS 18511+0146 shows no excess polarization accompanying the feature, which is consistent with the observation toward the Galactic center source IRS 7 by Adamson et al.The 3.4 μm absorption in IRAS 18511+0146 probably occurs in the diffuse interstellar medium intervening in the line of sight to the molecular cloud where the H2O ice absorption occurs. Furthermore, the 3.4 μm absorption carrier seems to reside in a population of nonpolarizing grains in the diffuse interstellar medium, physically separate from other polarizing grains.

We conducted a deep JHK(s)-band imaging survey of the M17 region, using a near-infrared camera, the Simultaneous 3-color InfraRed Imager for Unbiased Survey ( SIRIUS), mounted on the InfraRed Survey Facility (IRSF) 1.4 m telescope at the South African Astronomical Observatory. This survey covers an area of similar to200 arcmin(2) with 10 sigma limiting magnitudes of J similar to 18.7, H similar to 18.2, and K-s similar to 17.5. The near-infrared (NIR) images reveal an unprecedented view of the region. The NIR nebulae are highly structured, with two nebular bars corresponding to, but a little larger than, the H II region defined by Felli, Massi, & Churchwell, constructing a conical shape. Fine structures are found all over the nebular area. The central region contains a congregation of intermediate- to high-mass stars. From the slope of the K-s-band luminosity function and the frequency of young stellar objects (YSOs) we infer that the central cluster has an age less than 3 Myr. The central OB cluster provides tremendous energy that heats and ionizes its surrounding materials, triggering the star formation of second-generation in the nebular bars. The second generation stars are so numerous that could they affect the star formation efficiency in the whole region. To the southwest of the central cluster and the nebular bars, where a giant molecular cloud core is located, a large number of red stars are detected. We argue that these red stars are most probably associated YSOs with intrinsic color excesses, not normal field stars reddened by the molecular cloud in front of them. Being located beyond the photodissociation region, the star-forming process in the molecular region could be independent of the impact of the central cluster.

We have carried out near-infrared mapping observations of photodissociation regions in M17 with the Wide Field Cryogenic Telescope and CO (J = 1-0) observations in three isotope lines with the "NANTEN" telescope. The observations covered an area of 20' × 20' with a spatial resolution of 56 for near-infrared wavelengths and with a half-power beamwidth of 27 for millimeter wavelengths. We detected 38 sources brighter than 7 mag at 3.67 μm (Ln band), five of which show signs of young stellar objects. We have detected two emission bars (the N bar and the S bar) in all four near-infrared bands (J, K, Ln, and 3.3 μm). Their spatial distributions differ considerably from band to band, and we have compared them with the radio continuum, the mid-infrared data, and the CO molecular line emission. The different brightness and spectral energy distributions at near-infrared wavelengths can be well explained by emission from hot dust and ionized gas together with obscuration by local cold dust with a steep gradient from north to south. In the N bar, the free-free emission from ionized gas dominates at shorter wavelengths (J and K) and there is little extinction, whereas in the S bar, the free-free emission is attenuated at shorter wavelengths by the heavy local extinction. In both the N and S bars, the thermal emission from hot dust at around 1000 K dominates in the Ln band. The 3.3 μm unidentified infrared (UIR) emission delineates photodissociation regions between the H II regions and the surrounding molecular clouds. The UIR intensity decreases exponentially from the UIR peak toward the molecular clouds, with scale lengths of 88'' and 100'', or 0.9 and 1.0 pc, at the N and the S bars, respectively. Far-ultraviolet photons, which excite UIR emission, penetrate into the molecular clouds for ~1 pc, in the nearly edge-on geometry. The 12CO contours are elongated in the direction northwest-southeast, while the C18O contours are round. Far-ultraviolet photons erode the tenuous portions (as seen in 12CO) of the surface of the cloud and penetrate deeply toward the denser inside, forming complex structures in the photodissociation regions bordering the molecular cloud.

We present J, H, and K' images of 45 IRAS sources in the recent list by Campbell, Persson, & Matthews, which have been presumed to be luminous young stellar objects (YSOs) because of their infrared colors and their large IRAS fluxes. These objects have been classified into four groups according to two dust features in the 3 mum band the H(2)O ice absorption and the unidentified infrared band (UIB) emission. Our near-infrared images reveal that most of them (42/45) have nebulosity in at least one of the three bands. By examining the nebulosities around these YSOs, we find that (1) nebulae around the objects with the ice absorption can be explained by the scattered light of the central stars, (2) nebulae around the objects with the UIB emission cannot be explained by the scattered light alone additional emission, most likely from very small grains, is necessary to explain the nebular colors and the surface brightness, and (3) the objects with neither the ice absorption nor the UIB emission tend to have faint or no nebulosity. We interpret the variation of nebular brightness and the color as evolutionary phases of circumstellar matter of intermediate- to high-mass YSOs.

We present combined J, H, and Ks images of M16 that were obtained with SIRIUS (Simultaneous three-color InfraRed Imager for Unbiased Surveys) on the University of Hawaii 2.2 m telescope. In contrast to optical images, the infrared images show that the Eagle Nebula's "pillars" have head-tail structures, with the heads faced toward the central part of the star cluster NGC 6611 and the tails trailed toward the opposite side. We have found a number of previously unreported young stellar object (YSO) candidates associated with these head-tail pillars. In particular, the youngest YSOs are located at the tips of the pillars or globules, facing toward the central part of NGC 6611. Some are associated with near-infrared jets or cometary reflection nebulae, with indications of a circumstellar disk. This YSO distribution and the cloud structures suggest that the most recent star formation is taking place following the interaction with UV light from the OB stars in NGC 6611.

We constructed a wide field cryogenic telescope (WFCT) containing a whole Ritchey-Chretien system and a focal plane array in a cryostat for near infrared observations to cover the field of view of 0.4°. The telescope has a primary mirror of 220 mm and an engineering grade 256 × 256 InSb array. The optical components such as two mirrors, filters, spiders, and radiation shield tube are cooled down to 180 K as well as the InSb array to 35 K by a mechanical refrigerator. We show the results of the background surface brightnesses and the limiting magnitudes at 3.3 and 3.67 μm measured at Sutherland, South Africa. We describe the on-going upgrade of this instrument, equipped with a 1024 × 1024 ALADDIN InSb science grade array.

Magnetic fields are believed to play an important role in controlling the stability and contraction of dense condensations of gas and dust leading to the formation of stars and planetary systems. In the present study, the magnetic field of FeSt 1-457, a cold starless molecular cloud core, was mapped on the basis of the polarized near-infrared light from 185 background stars after being dichroically absorbed by dust aligned with the magnetic field in the core. A distinct "hourglass-shaped" magnetic field was identified in the region of the core, which was interpreted as the first evidence of a magnetic field structure distorted by mass condensation in a starless core. The steep curvature of the magnetic field lines obtained in the present study indicates that the distortion was mainly created during the formation phase of the dense core. The derived mass-to-magnetic flux ratio indicates that the core is in a magnetically supercritical state. However, the stability of the core can be considered to be in a nearly critical state if the additional contributions from the thermal and turbulent support are included. Further diffusion of the magnetic field and/or turbulent dissipation would cause the onset of dynamical collapse of the core. The geometrical relationship between the direction of the magnetic field lines and the elongation of the core was found to be in good agreement with the theoretical predictions for the formation of Sun-like stars under the influence of a magnetic field., Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal (ApJ)

We have conducted a systematic near-infrared circular polarization (CP) survey in star-forming regions, covering high-mass, intermediate-mass, and low-mass young stellar objects. All the observations were made using the SIRPOL imaging polarimeter on the Infrared Survey Facility 1.4 m telescope at the South African Astronomical Observatory. We present the polarization properties of ten sub-regions in six star-forming regions. The polarization patterns, extents, and maximum degrees of linear and circular polarizations are used to determine the prevalence and origin of CP in the star-forming regions. Our results show that the CP pattern is quadrupolar in general, the CP regions are extensive, up to 0.65 pc, the CP degrees are high, up to 20 %, and the CP degrees decrease systematically from high- to low-mass young stellar objects. The results are consistent with dichroic extinction mechanisms generating the high degrees of CP in star forming regions., To appear in the Astrophysical Journal Letters

We propose a new high contrast imager for Kyoto 4m segmented telescope called SEICA (Second-generation Exoplanet Imager with Coronagraphic Adaptive optics), aiming at detection and characterization of selfluminous gas giants within 10AU around nearby stars. SEICA is aggressively optimized for high performance at very small inner working angle, 10-6 detection contrast at 0".1 in 1-hour integration. We start the on-sky commissioning test in 2016 and the science observations in 2017. Since it is the first time to realize the highcontrast imaging on the segmented telescope, SEICA is an important step toward future high contrast sciences on Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs). This paper presents an overall of the SEICA program and the conceptual design for ultimate performance under given atmospheric conditions.

We report the current status of the Infrared Doppler (IRD) instrument for the Subaru telescope, which aims at detecting Earth-like planets around nearby M darwfs via the radial velocity (RV) measurements. IRD is a fiber-fed, near infrared spectrometer which enables us to obtain high-resolution spectrum (R~70000) from 0.97 to 1.75 μm. We have been developing new technologies to achieve 1m/s RV measurement precision, including an original laser frequency comb as an extremely stable wavelength standard in the near infrared. To achieve ultimate thermal stability, very low thermal expansion ceramic is used for most of the optical components including the optical bench.

The newly recognized ataxia-ocular apraxia 1 (AOA1; MIM 208920) is the most frequent cause of autosomal recessive ataxia in Japan and is second only to Friedreich ataxia in Portugal. It shares several neurological features with ataxia-telangiectasia, including early onset ataxia, oculomotor apraxia and cerebellar atrophy, but does not share its extraneurological features (immune deficiency, chromosomal instability and hypersensitivity to X-rays). AOA1 is also characterized by axonal motor neuropathy and the later decrease of serum albumin levels and elevation of total cholesterol. We have identified the gene causing AOA1 and the major Portuguese and Japanese mutations. This gene encodes a new, ubiquitously expressed protein that we named aprataxin. This protein is composed of three domains that share distant homology with the amino-terminal domain of polynucleotide kinase 3'- phosphatase (PNKP), with histidine-triad (HIT) proteins and with DNA-binding C2H2 zinc-finger proteins, respectively. PNKP is involved in DNA single-strand break repair (SSBR) following exposure to ionizing radiation and reactive oxygen species. Fragile-HIT proteins (FHIT) cleave diadenosine tetraphosphate, which is potentially produced during activation of the SSBR complex. The results suggest that aprataxin is a nuclear protein with a role in DNA repair reminiscent of the function of the protein defective in ataxia-telangiectasia, but that would cause a phenotype restricted to neurological signs when mutant.

We found a cluster of early-type star candidates embedded in the Galactic plane by using optical to near-infrared broadband imaging. The observed region is around the 10 highly reddened stars found as a possible new and very remote open cluster by Stephenson. The 10 stars are identified as red supergiants, and several similar stars are newly found in our images. Furthermore, 25 early-type star candidates suffering visual extinction of AV ~ 11.2 have been identified from various color-magnitude and color-color diagrams. These stars are likely to make a star cluster, and we estimate its age and distance to be ~107.7 yr and ~1.5 kpc, respectively.

K'-band polarimetric images of star-forming regions S187 IR and S233 are presented. In S187 IR, a bipolar, near-infrared nebula is observed around IRAS 01202+6133, with the southern part being bright and knotty, and the northern part being faint and filamentary. The polarization pattern shows that the nebula is illuminated by a single near-infrared source, which is associated with IRAS 01202+6133. A polarization disk is found around this source with the disk plane roughly perpendicular to the axis of the bipolar nebula. We conclude that this source is the driving source of the outflow in the region. Two nebulae are detected in the S233 region. Associated with a compact infrared cluster, S233 A is roughly round in shape and shows a weak polarization pattern. The S233 B nebula shows roughly elongated geometry in the east-west direction. The polarization vectors divide it into three parts. Each part has distinctly different polarization from the others. The northeastern part of S233 B exhibits a centrosymmetric polarization pattern around a centroid, at which we locate a deeply embedded source (DES) undetected in the K' band and shorter wavelengths. The DES is likely the exciting source of water masers and outflows in the S233 B region. The western part of the nebula shows a parallel polarization pattern, but the southeastern part displays very little polarization. Comparison of the morphology and polarization of the nebulae in different star-forming regions suggests a close relationship between the evolutionary sequence of the young stellar objects and the morphology of the associated nebulae.

We present spectroscopy from 2.0 to 2.33 mum of 32 luminous young stellar objects (YSOs), which are presumed to be precursors of Herbig Ae/Be stars. From these stars, Br gamma, H(2), CO, He I, and Fe II were found in emission with detection rates of 97%, 34%, 22%, 9%, and 3%, respectively. We compare the spectral features with those of Herbig Ae/Be stars in the literature to investigate the spectral behavior of intermediate- to high-mass YSOs and to search for their relations to the spectral energy distributions (SEDs). H(2) emission is detected only in Class I SEDs with particularly large spectral indices. The detection of H(2) emission is related to the degree of the dispersal of circumstellar envelopes, where H(2) molecules are probably excited by shocks from outflows. On the other hand, Br gamma emission, which is generally thought to occur in stellar winds close to the stars, does not depend on the SEDs. This indicates that stellar wind from luminous YSOs does not change much from the embedded phase to the optically visible phase. CO emission is also independent of the SEDs, but the detection rate is much lower than that of Br gamma emission. Probably, more specific physical conditions regarding circumstellar disks and stellar radiation are necessary for CO emission to take place.

The thymus is a critical organ for the elimination of autoreactive T cells by apoptosis. We studied the expression of apoptosis-associated genes, bcl-xL, bad, caspase-3, and c-myc family genes in myasthenia gravis (MG) thymuses. We observed that the mRNA levels of myc family genes, c-myc and max, were markedly reduced in MG thymuses. These results indicate that c-myc-mediated signaling is abnormal in MG thymuses. The levels of molecules whose expressions are associated with myc, such as STAM, prothymosin-alpha, and NFkappaB, were also analyzed.

Near-infrared polarimetric images are presented for six molecular outflow sources: IRAS 20050+2720, IRAS 20126+4104, IRAS 20188+3928, S233, AFGL 5180, and AFGL 6366S. All the regions are found to exhibit reflection nebulae and to be associated with massive and clustered star formation. By inspecting polarimetric patterns in the nebulae, we have identified six deeply embedded sources (DESs) which illuminate circumstellar nebulosity but are not detectable in wavelengths shorter than 2 μm. While the DES in IRAS 20050 coincides with an infrared source in a previous, longer wavelength observation and the one in IRAS 20126 with a hot molecular core, the nature of the other newly discovered DESs is not known. From the compilation of the observations of DESs over a large wavelength range, we suspect that the DESs possess characteristics similar to hot molecular cores and are likely to be in the pre-ultracompact H II region phase of massive star formation.

Objectives - To examine the expression of OX40, an activated memory T-cell marker, and its ligand (OX40L), a set of molecules for T-cell-B-cell interaction, and other lymphocyte activation markers in the thymuses of myasthenia gravis (MG) and controls. Material and methods - We studied the expression of OX40, OX40L, IL-2Ra and HLA-DR in the thymic tissues of MG and controls using immunocytochemistry and flowcytometry. Results - In both hyperplastic thymus of MG and control thymus, OX40 + cells were scattered mainly in the medulla with much fewer OX40L + cells being distributed in the corticomedullary junctions. IL-2Ra and HLA-DR were expressed in the medulla at higher frequencies as compared with OX40 in controls as well as MG. In contrast, the numbers of OX40 + cells around the germinal centers (GC) were significantly greater than those of control thymuses, and some mononuclear cells in GC were OX40L + . A considerable number of OX40 + cells were seen in the thymic tissues adjacent to thymomas. OX40 + cells were CD4 + CD8 or CD4 + CD8 + and were mostly HLA-DR . (The coexpression of OX40 and IL-2Ra on activated CD4 + T cells was previously reported.) Conclusion - OX40, expressed in a fraction of activated CD4 + T cells, may be upregulated in thymic tissues adjacent to GC and thymoma in MG, and OX40 may interact with OX40L in GC to enhance anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody production in MG.

We have conducted near infrared spectroscopy of 61 background stars toward Heiles Cloud 2 in the Taurus molecular cloud complex. We used a low-dispersion spectrometer, PASP2, which can simultaneously obtain the spectrum with a wavelength coverage between 1.3 and 4.2 μm. For 56 of 61 objects, the visual extinction (AV) and the optical depth of water ice at λ = 3.1 μm (τICE) have been estimated: for 50 of 56 objects, these were systematically estimated from our data only. In order to investigate the water ice distribution in Heiles Cloud 2, we have constructed a "water ice map" in which τICE is plotted at the position of each object. The water ice map is then compared with the C18O (J = 1-0) map obtained by millimeter observations performed by Sunada & Kitamura. We find that the distribution of water ice is closely correlated with that of C18O. Strong water ice absorption is seen only toward the dense C18O clumps, while less water ice absorption is detected toward the outer region of the cloud. There is an AV threshold for the positive ice detection (AV0), as suggested by previous observations, but with a significant scatter; AV0 = 2-5 mag. The scatter might be caused by the different contribution of the inner water-containing portion of the cloud along the line of sight. The value of τICE increases with increasing of AV and the slope of ΔτICE/ΔAV is 0.067, consistent with the previously observed values for the Taurus molecular cloud.

We present near-infrared spectropolarimetric data between 0.9 and 4.2 μm for three prototypes of low-mass young stellar objects (YSOs), L1551 IRS 5, HL Tau, and T Tau in the Taurus dark cloud. These sources are in different classes in the standard spectral classification scheme of low-mass YSOs by Lada. The polarization curves of the observed sources show distinct differences. The class I protostar L1551 IRS 5 shows a flat polarization curve with high polarization through the observed wavelengths. It also shows a polarization excess at the 3.1 μm ice band absorption feature. The "flat-spectrum source" HL Tau, which is thought to be in a transient phase from class I to class II, shows a steep decrease of polarization with increasing wavelengths from 1.0 to 2.5 μm, while it shows a flat polarization curve with high polarization in optical wavelengths and a slowly decreasing slope with small polarization in 3-4 μm. The class II source T Tau displays small polarization no more than 2% through the observed wavelengths; the polarization in the shorter wavelengths from optical to 1.3 μm decreases with increasing wavelengths. T Tau also shows an increasing polarization curve in the longer wavelengths over 1.6 μm, which is most likely to come from the infrared companion T Tau S (Kobayashi et al.). The prominent differences of the observed near-infrared polarization curves can be clearly understood in terms of the standard spectral classification scheme of low-mass YSOs. Thus near-infrared spectropolarimetry could serve as a potentially powerful diagnostic of circumstellar material, complementary to the standard spectral classification.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system and one of the earliest changes in inflammatory focus involves the activation of vascular endothelial cells. We determined the plasma level of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), a key regulator of fibrinolysis and cell migration, in patients with MS. The level of plasma PAI-1 was significantly higher in active MS cases when compared to stable MS and controls. Plasma concentrations of tissue plasminogen activator, transforming growth factor beta-1, and lipoprotein-a remained normal in spite of disease activity. These results suggested that PAI-1 plasma levels are associated with MS disease activity and is a good marker for MS relapse.

We present near-infrared images of the star-forming region AFGL 5157 in the JHK' broadband filters and H-2 upsilon = 1-0 S(1) narrowband filter. The images reveal a dense cluster of stars and infrared nebulosities associated with previously known infrared sources. Of 54 near-infrared sources detected in the nebula, NGC 1985, 12 exhibit infrared excesses typical of T Tauri stars, Herbig Ae/Be stars, and protostars. The magnitude and color distribution of the cluster of stars in the nebula are found to be different from those outside the nebular region. The K'-magnitude distribution of the cluster is quite flat, while the noncluster is peaked toward the low magnitude. The [H - K'] color of the cluster also displays 0.3 mag redder than that of the noncluster. The infrared nebula displays a bright nucleus with two spirals extended to the north and south. In light of the color properties of the nebula, we propose a shell model for the nebular structure that could be formed by star-forming activity of the central cluster. Many sources with infrared excesses are found to be embedded in the shell structure. Twelve shocked knots in H-2 emission are observed in the region. The nonaxisymmetric distribution of the knots indicates the presence of multiple outflows in the region. Although we failed to identify the powering sources responsible for some of the HH-like objects, the relationship of the H-2 emission with infrared sources shows that there must be several spatially separated sources exciting the shocked H-2 emission as well as the previously observed H2O masers and molecular outflow. Diffuse H-2 emission is also detected on the shell structure, which supports the shell model of the nebula. This diffuse emission could result from fluorescence by relatively evolved stars in the cluster.

Currently, phase 2/3 clinical trials of exon 51 skipping for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) are being conducted and have been shown promising results for NDA. Next to the patients treatable by exon 51 skipping, the patients amenable to exon 53 skipping are the second largest population; therefore a development of exon 53 skipping drug has high priority. National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, with Kyoto-based pharmaceutical company Nippon Shinyaku, had jointly developed the exon 53 skipping drug since 2009 and started an investigator-initiated clinical trial from June 2013 (UMIN Clinical Trial ID: UMIN000010964, ClinicalTrial.gov: NCT02081625). The NS-065/NCNP-01 is a morpholino based antisense oligonucleotide that has been developed to skip the exon 53 of the dystrophin gene and to treat DMD patient amenable to the exon 53 skipping. It has been confirmed potent efficacy and high safety in pre-clinical studies. This clinical trial is an exploratory phase 1, single-site, first-in-human study. The primary endpoints are the safety and tolerability and the secondary endpoints are the pharmacokinetics and efficacies (dystrophin recovery). Three doses cohort design (1.25 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg) was adopted and all subjects were dosed weekly intravenous infusion for 12 weeks. Mainly nonambulant subjects were recruited because the dose and duration in this trial was not enough to expect functional improvement. Of total 10 subjects, each three subjects were randomly assigned to 1.25 mg/kg or 5 mg/kg cohorts, and four subjects were assigned to 20 mg/kg cohort. An in vitro confirmation of dystrophin recovery and exon 53 skipping in subject-derived cells was one of inclusion criteria. Subject's mutations were classified into any of exons 45-52, 48-52 or 49-52 deletion; all NS-065/NCNP-01 treated cells satisfied the criteria. One week after an initial dosing for the first subject in each cohort, next subjects were dosed. Safety review committee advised the principal investigator whether or not to proceed to next cohort. At the end of 2014, dosing to all subjects had completed; no serious adverse events were observed. Dystrophin expression is to be evaluated by Western blotting and immunofluorescent staining. The analysis is still ongoing, but an immunofluorescent image analysis will be performed as objective and quantitative as possible by automated measurements. We would report progress of the first-in-human study of NS-065/NCNP-01; the morpholino based exon 53 skipping drug for DMD.

We present the results of spectrophotometry from 1.3 to 4.2 μm of 45 IRAS sources in the list of Campbell, Persson, & Matthews that have been presumed to be luminous young stellar objects because of their infrared colors and large IRAS fluxes. About 70% of the objects show 3.1 μm H2O ice absorption or 3.3 μm unidentified infrared emission, or both. Among those with 3.1 μm H2O ice absorption, three objects seem to have a distinct absorption near 3.4 μm, and their absorption profiles are different than the optical depth profiles of young stellar objects in the literature. In the HKL two-color diagram, objects with ice absorption occupy the same region as previously known young stellar objects with the ice feature, and those with unidentified infrared emission overlap with Herbig Ae/Be stars. We interpret the distribution in the HKL two-color diagram as indicating the evolutionary sequence of intermediate- to high-mass young stars.

We present H- and Ks-band imaging polarimetry for the star-forming region S140 IRS and spectropolarimetry from 1.26 to 4.18 μm for the infrared source IRS 1. The polarimetric images reveal two reflection nebulae illuminated by the deeply embedded infrared sources IRS 1 and IRS 3. The nebula associated with IRS 1 does not simply show a symmetric structure, as expected in the well-known pole-on outflow model, but displays three reflection lobes. Two bipolar reflection lobes are apparently extended in the northeast-southwest direction and lie nearly in the plane of the sky. Another pole-on lobe, corresponding to the blueshifted pole-on molecular outflow, is projected to the southeast of IRS 1. The polarimetric images also resolve an asymmetric density distribution around IRS 1; to the west there is a dense disk structure elongated in the east-west direction; whereas to the east there is a cavity. On the basis of these features, as well as previous radio continuum and CO molecular line observations, we propose that S140 IRS 1 may drive a quadrupolar outflow.

We present H- and Ks-band imaging polarimetry for the star-forming region Mon R2 IRS, and spectropolarimetry from 1.2 to 4.2 μm for the infrared sources IRS 2 and IRS 3. The nebular complex in Mon R2 IRS is revealed to be composed of four domains dominated by the infrared sources IRS 1, IRS 2, IRS 3, and IRS 6. IRS 2 is the predominant illuminating source in the region and dominates the emission of the IR ring and most of the western part of the nebulosity. IRS 1 is responsible for the enhanced unpolarized intensity in the southeast part of the IR ring and inside the IR ring. IRS 3 illuminates the bright eastern nebula, and together with IRS 2 illuminates the eastern region inside the IR ring. IRS 6 illuminates a small nebula to the south of the IR ring. An arc structure of polarized intensity is observed abutting the northwest IR ring, consistent with the outflow cavity structure inferred from millimeter-wave observations. IRS 3 is associated with a disklike condensation oriented southeast-northwest, perpendicular to the elongated eastern nebula. The magnetic field in the core region exhibits an hourglass structure oriented north-south.

We present the 1.2-4.2 fiia spectroscopy of stars found in an objective prism survey of the galactic plane by Stephenson (1992, AAA 55.002.010). These stars were thought by Stephenson to be heavily reddened by interstellar absorption. However, almost all of them have turned out to be late-type stars with clear 2.3 //m CO absorption, which means that they are intrinsically red as well. A few stars have Ay ~ 9, but most of them are only moderately reddened {Ay = 1-5).

We present near-infrared spectropolarimetric data between 0.9 and 4.2 μm for T Tauri. The data clearly show two polarization components: one has a position angle of ~90° at wavelengths shortward of ~1.6 μm, while the other has a position angle of ~20° at wavelengths longward of ~1.6 μm. The degree of polarization of the former component decreases as the wavelength increases, while the reverse occurs for the latter component. Because the polarization position angle rotates gradually from 1.4 to 1.8 μm, the rotation can probably be explained by a combination of several scattering components and/or dichroic extinction. In addition, an enhancement of the polarization of the longer wavelength component was clearly observed in 1990 January, when T Tau's infrared companion, T Tau S, was in the outburst phase. The polarization increased to about 3 times that of the quiescent phase at 1.4-2.4 μm. The enhancement of the polarization in the brighter phase of T Tau S means that T Tau S is a highly polarized source. We estimate the polarization of T Tau S in the K band (2.2 μm) at 5.7% ± 1.3%, assuming that the polarization is constant in both the quiescent and the outburst phase. This high polarization suggests that the polarization originates from scattering by a compact nebulosity in the vicinity of T Tau S. In view of the high polarization resulting from the scattering, we suggest that the infrared companion T Tau S is an embedded protostellar object.

We report two brothers from a Japanese family with a late-onset distal myopathy characterized by rimmed vacuoles and dysferlin deficiency with no inflammatory infiltration and dystrophic changes in muscle biopsy. Mutations in the GNE, dysferlin, caveolin 3, emerin, and lamin A/C genes were excluded. We speculate that dysferlin is involved in the pathogenesis of the myopathy in these patients, which may represent a new disease entity presenting as a distal myopathy.

We have carried out adaptive-optics assisted observations at the Subaru telescope, and have found 11 intrinsically polarized sources in the central parsec of our Galaxy. They are selected from 318 point sources with Ks, 28 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ

Near-infrared polarimetric imaging observations toward the Galactic center have been carried out to examine the efficiency and wavelength dependence of interstellar polarization. A total area of about 5.7 deg$^2$ is covered in the $J$, $H$, and $K_S$ bands. We examined the polarization efficiency, defined as the ratio of degree of polarization to color excess. The interstellar medium between the Galactic center and us shows the polarization efficiency lower than that in the Galactic disk by a factor of three. Moreover we investigated the spatial variation of the polarization efficiency by comparing it with those of color excess, degree of polarization, and position angle. The spatial variations of color excess and degree of polarization depend on the Galactic latitude, while the polarization efficiency varies independently of the Galactic structure. Position angles are nearly parallel to the Galactic plane, indicating the longitudinal magnetic field configuration between the Galactic center and us. The polarization efficiency anticorrelates with dispersions of position angles. The low polarization efficiency and its spatial variation can be explained by the differences of the magnetic field directions along the line-of-sight. From the lower polarization efficiency, we suggest a higher strength of a random component relative to a uniform component of the magnetic field between the Galactic center and us. We also derived the ratios of degree of polarization $p_H/p_J$ = 0.581 $\pm$ 0.004 and $p_{K_S}/p_H$ = 0.620 $\pm$ 0.002. The power law indices of the wavelength dependence of polarization are $\beta_{JH}$ = 2.08 $\pm$ 0.02 and $\beta_{HK_S}$ = 1.76 $\pm$ 0.01. Therefore the wavelength dependence of interstellar polarization exhibits flattening toward longer wavelengths in the range of 1.25$-$2.14 $\micron$. The flattening would be caused by aligned large-size dust grains., Comment: 40 pages, 18 figures, 2 tables, Accepted for publication in AJ

We report the result of our near-infrared survey of short-period variable stars (P, 13 pages, 10 figures, 7tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), one of the most common and lethal genetic disorders, and the mdx mouse myopathies are caused by a lack of dystrophin protein. These dystrophic muscles contain sporadic clusters of dystrophin-expressing revertant fibers (RFs), as detected by immunohistochemistry. RFs are known to arise from muscle precursor cells with spontaneous exon skipping (alternative splicing) and clonally expand in size with increasing age through the process of muscle degeneration/regeneration. The expansion of revertant clusters is thought to represent the cumulative history of muscle regeneration and proliferation of such precursor cells. However, the precise mechanisms by which RFs arise and expand are poorly understood. Here, to test the effects of mutation types and aging on RF expansion and muscle regeneration, we examined the number of RFs in mdx mice (containing a nonsense mutation in exon 23) and mdx52 mice (containing deletion mutation of exon 52) with the same C57BL/6 background at 2, 6, 12, and 18months of age. Mdx mice displayed a significantly higher number of RFs compared to mdx52 mice in all age groups, suggesting that revertant fiber expansion largely depends on the type of mutation and/or location in the gene. A significant increase in the expression and clustering levels of RFs was found beginning at 6months of age in mdx mice compared with mdx52 mice. In contrast to the significant expansion of RFs with increasing age, the number of centrally nucleated fibers and embryonic myosin heavy chain-positive fibers (indicative of cumulative and current muscle regeneration, respectively) decreased with age in both mouse strains. These results suggest that mutation types and aging differently affect revertant fiber expansion in mdx and mdx52 mice.

The origin of the Galactic center diffuse X-ray emission (GCDX) is still under intense investigation. In particular, the interpretation of the hot (kT ~ 7 keV) component of the GCDX, characterised by the strong Fe 6.7 keV line emission, has been contentious. If the hot component originates from a truly diffuse interstellar plasma, not a collection of unresolved point sources, such plasma cannot be gravitationally bound, and its regeneration would require a huge amount of energy. Here we show that the spatial distribution of the GCDX does NOT correlate with the number density distribution of an old stellar population traced by near-infrared light, strongly suggesting a significant contribution of the diffuse interstellar plasma. Contributions of the old stellar population to the GCDX are implied to be about 50 % and 20 % in the Nuclear stellar disk and Nuclear star cluster, respectively. For the Nuclear stellar disk, a scale height of 0.32 +- 0.02 deg is obtained for the first time from the stellar number density profiles. We also show the results of the extended near-infrared polarimetric observations in the central 3 deg * 2 deg region of our Galaxy, and confirm that the GCDX region is permeated by a large scale, toroidal magnetic field as previously claimed. Together with observed magnetic field strengths close to energy equipartition, the hot plasma could be magnetically confined, reducing the amount of energy required to sustain it., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

We present results from deep imaging linear and circular polarimetry of the massive star-forming region NGC 6334- V. These observations show high degrees of circular polarization (CP), as much as 22 % in the Ks band, in the infrared nebula associated with the outflow. The CP has an asymmetric positive/negative pattern and is very extended (~80" or 0.65 pc). Both the high CP and its extended size are larger than those seen in the Orion CP region. Three-dimensional Monte Carlo light-scattering models are used to show that the high CP may be produced by scattering from the infrared nebula followed by dichroic extinction by an optically thick foreground cloud containing aligned dust grains. Our results show not only the magnetic field orientation of around young stellar objects but also the structure of circumstellar matter such as outflow regions and their parent molecular cloud along the line of sight. The detection of the large and extended CP in this source and the Orion nebula may imply the CP origin of the biological homochirality on Earth., Comment: To appear in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, 6 pages, 4 figures

We present an analysis of 1- to 5-μm, near-infrared broadband images of Comet P/Halley 1986 III covering a 10 4 -km square region of the inner coma obtained on three consecutive nights in 1986 March during post-perihelion passage. In all images, the coma is extended in the sunward direction and appears distinctly non-spherical, similar to morphology in the 10-μm made by Hayward et al. (1987) 3.0 days later during the Giotto encounter. Marked variation in the coma's overall structure and brightness also was apparent, including the presence of a jet feature which we associate with a short-term outburst of material from the comet nucleus. The observed coma surface brightness dependence upon nucleocentric distance ( r ) at all wavelengths in both the comet dust tail and in the jet deviates from the dependence predicted by the “steady state” model for comet nucleus ablation, with the radial decrease in surface brightness being slower than r −1 on the jet side of the nucleus and faster that r −1 on the tail side. The near-infrared colors of the coma are not constant as a function of nucleocentric distance, suggesting that the grain properties are not uniform across the coma. Based on an elementary dynamical analysis of the trajectories of dust particles ablated from the nucleus we argue that these observations may be consistent with the hypothesis that particles emitted in jets fragments in the outflow on time scales of a few hours.

We describe a Japanese family with hereditary spinocerebellar ataxia characterized by initial emaciation and myoclonus. The proband first noted truncal ataxia, myoclonus in the shoulder and general emaciation at age 24. The other affected members of the family also had such emaciation in the early stage of the disease. The DNA analyses of the family revealed that the patients of the family are associated with the expansions of CAG repeats for Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) on the long arm of chromosome 14. Although the clinical features of MJD are very variable, general emaciation in an early stage of the disease and systemic myoclonus have not been documented. Because it is sometimes difficult to distinguish among hereditary spinocerebellar ataxias such as spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) or dentatorubropallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) by clinical features, a genetic examination provides better understanding of such a rare and ambiguous type of hereditary spinocerebellar ataxia.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe muscular disorder. It was reported that multiple exon skipping (MES), targeting exon 45–55 of the DMD gene, might improve patients’ symptoms because patients who have a genomic deletion of all these exons showed very mild symptoms. Thus, exon 45–55 skipping treatments for DMD have been proposed as a potential clinical cure. Herein, we detected the expression of endogenous exons 44–56 connected mRNA transcript of the DMD using total RNAs derived from human normal skeletal muscle by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and identified a total of eight types of MES products around the hotspot. Surprisingly, the 5′ splice sites of recently reported post-transcriptional introns (remaining introns after co-transcriptional splicing) act as splicing donor sites for MESs. We also tested exon combinations to generate DMD circular RNAs (circRNAs) and determined the preferential splice sites of back-splicing, which are involved not only in circRNA generation, but also in MESs. Our results fit the current circRNA-generation model, suggesting that upstream post-transcriptional introns trigger MES and generate circRNA because its existence is critical for the intra-intronic interaction or for extremely distal splicing.

IRD is the near-infrared high-precision radial velocity instrument for the Subaru 8.2-m telescope. It is a relatively compact (~1m size) spectrometer with a new echelle-grating and Volume-Phase Holographic gratings covering 1-2 micron wavelengths combined with an original frequency comb using optical pulse synthesizer. The spectrometer will employ a 4096x4096-pixel HgCdTe array under testing at IfA, University of Hawaii. Both the telescope/Adaptive Optics and comb beams are fed to the spectrometer via optical fibers, while the instrument is placed at the Nasmyth platform of the Subaru telescope. Expected accuracy of the Doppler-shifted velocity measurements is about 1 m s-1. Helped with the large collecting area and high image quality of the Subaru telescope, IRD can conduct systematic radial velocity surveys of nearby middle-to-late M stars aiming for down to one Earth-mass planet. Systematic observational and theoretical studies of M stars and their planets for the IRD science are also ongoing. We will report the design and preliminary development progresses of the whole and each component of IRD.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the commonest form of muscular dystrophy, is caused by lack of dystrophin. One of the most promising therapeutic approaches is antisense-mediated elimination of frame-disrupting mutations by exon skipping. However, this approach faces two major hurdles: limited applicability of each individual target exon and uncertain function and stability of each resulting truncated dystrophin. Skipping of exons 45–55 at the mutation hotspot of the DMD gene would address both issues. Theoretically it could rescue more than 60% of patients with deletion mutations. Moreover, spontaneous deletions of this specific region are associated with asymptomatic or exceptionally mild phenotypes. However, such multiple exon skipping of exons 45–55 has proved technically challenging. We have therefore designed antisense oligo (AO) morpholino mixtures to minimize self- or heteroduplex formation. These were tested as conjugates with cell-penetrating moieties (vivo-morpholinos). We have tested the feasibility of skipping exons 45–55 in H2K-mdx52 myotubes and in mdx52 mice, which lack exon 52. Encouragingly, with mixtures of 10 AOs, we demonstrated skipping of all 10 exons in vitro, in H2K-mdx52 myotubes and on intramuscular injection into mdx52 mice. Moreover, in mdx52 mice in vivo, systemic injections of 10 AOs induced extensive dystrophin expression at the subsarcolemma in skeletal muscles throughout the body, producing up to 15% of wild-type dystrophin protein levels, accompanied by improved muscle strength and histopathology without any detectable toxicity. This is a unique successful demonstration of effective rescue by exon 45–55 skipping in a dystrophin-deficient animal model.