We report the discovery of a bow-shock pulsar wind nebula (PWN), named Potoroo, and the detection of a young pulsar J1638$-$4713 that powers the nebula. We present a radio continuum study of the PWN based on 20-cm observations obtained from the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and MeerKAT. PSR J1638$-$4713 was identified using Parkes radio telescope observations at frequencies above 3 GHz. The pulsar has the second-highest dispersion measure of all known radio pulsars (1 553 pc cm$^{-3}$), a spin period of 65.74 ms and a spin-down luminosity of $\dot{E}=6.1\times10^{36}$ erg s$^{-1}$. The PWN has a cometary morphology and one of the greatest projected lengths among all the observed pulsar radio tails, measuring over 21 pc for an assumed distance of 10 kpc. The remarkably long tail and atypically steep radio spectral index are attributed to the interplay of a supernova reverse shock and the PWN. The originating supernova remnant is not known so far. We estimated the pulsar kick velocity to be in the range of 1 000–2 000 km s$^{-1}$ for ages between 23 and 10 kyr. The X-ray counterpart found in Chandra data, CXOU J163802.6$-$471358, shows the same tail morphology as the radio source but is shorter by a factor of 10. The peak of the X-ray emission is offset from the peak of the radio total intensity (Stokes $\rm I$) emission by approximately 4.7$^{\prime\prime}$, but coincides well with circularly polarised (Stokes $\rm V$) emission. No infrared counterpart was found.

A future sustainable dietary pattern for Japanese is yet undefined. This study aimed to explore more sustainable Japanese diets that are nutritious, affordable and with low greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) and particular emphasis on cultural acceptability. A newly developed data envelopment analysis (DEA) diet model was applied to 4-d dietary record data among 184 healthy Japanese men and 185 women volunteers aged 21–69 years. Alternative diets were calculated as the linear combinations of observed diets. Firstly, for each individual, four modelled diets were calculated that maximised cultural acceptability (i.e. minimise dietary change from observed diet), maximised nutritional quality assessed by the Nutrient-Rich Food Index (NRF), minimised monetary diet costs or minimised diet-related GHGE. The final modelled diet combined all four indicators. In the first four models, the largest improvement was obtained for each targeted indicator separately, while relatively small improvements or unwanted changes were observed for other indicator. When all indicators were aimed to optimise, the NRF score and diet-related GHGE were improved by 8–13 % with the lower monetary cost than observed diets, although the percentage improvement was a bit smaller than the separate models. The final modelled diets demanded increased intakes for whole grains, fruits, milk/cream/yogurt, legumes/nuts, and decreased intakes for red and processed meat, sugar/confectioneries, alcoholic and sweetened beverages, and seasonings in both sexes. In conclusion, more sustainable dietary patterns considering several indicators are possible for Japanese, while total improvement is moderate due to trade-offs between indicators and methodological limitation of DEA diet model.

The significance of the potential impacts of microbial activity on the transport properties of host rocks for geological repositories is an area of active research. Most recent work has focused on granitic environments. This paper describes pilot studies investigating changes in transport properties that are produced by microbial activity in sedimentary rock environments in northern Japan. For the first time, these short experiments (39 days maximum) have shown that the denitrifying bacteria, Pseudomonas denitrificans, can survive and thrive when injected into flow-through column experiments containing fractured diatomaceous mudstone and synthetic groundwater under pressurized conditions. Although there were few significant changes in the fluid chemistry, changes in the permeability of the biotic column, which can be explained by the observed biofilm formation, were quantitatively monitored. These same methodologies could also be adapted to obtain information from cores originating from a variety of geological environments including oil reservoirs, aquifers and toxic waste disposal sites to provide an understanding of the impact of microbial activity on the transport of a range of solutes, such as groundwater contaminants and gases (e.g. injected carbon dioxide).

Insufficient nutrition during the perinatal period causes structural alterations in humans and experimental animals, leading to increased vulnerability to diseases in later life. Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica, in which partial (8–10%) egg white was withdrawn (EwW) from eggs before incubation had lower birth weights than controls (CTs). EwW birds also had reduced hatching rates, smaller glomeruli and lower embryo weight. In EwW embryos, the surface condensate area containing mesenchymal cells was larger, suggesting that delayed but active nephrogenesis takes place. In mature EwW quail, the number of glomeruli in the cortical region (mm2) was significantly lower (CT 34.7±1.4, EwW 21.0±1.2); capillary loops showed focal ballooning, and mesangial areas were distinctly expanded. Immunoreactive cell junction proteins, N-cadherin and podocin, and slit diaphragms were clearly seen. With aging, the mesangial area and glomerular size continued to increase and were significantly larger in EwW quail, suggesting compensatory hypertrophy. Furthermore, apoptosis measured by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling analysis was higher in EwWs than in CTs on embryonic day 15 and postnatal day 4 (D4). Similarly, plasma glucocorticoid (corticosterone) was higher (P<0.01) on D4 in EwW quail. These results suggest that although nephrogenic activity is high in low-nutrition quail during the perinatal period, delayed development and increased apoptosis may result in a lower number of mature nephrons. Damaged or incompletely mature mesangium may trigger glomerular injury, leading in later life to nephrosclerosis. The present study shows that birds serve as a model for ‘fetal programming,’ which appears to have evolved phylogenetically early.

Establishment of nonindigenous (NI) aquatic plants in the nearshore regions of freshwater ecosystems has resulted in environmental degradation, recreation concerns, economic impacts, and substantial management challenges. To reduce these undesirable effects, NI aquatic plants are often targeted for removal or control by management agencies, but the efficacy of implementation is often not documented or sustained. In this study, we developed a management plan to completely remove all NI plants from Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe, CA, using only physical control techniques. Management plan priorities were based on previous research and lessons learned, including the need for (1) integrated weed management using multiple physical control techniques, (2) a large initial treatment investment, (3) ongoing early detection and rapid response, (4) detailed ecological monitoring, and (5) a long-term commitment to annual maintenance removal. Application of this management plan resulted in complete removal of all NI aquatic plants from Emerald Bay and substantial cost savings each year after the initial large investment. Annual maintenance removal and monitoring will need to continue as long as NI aquatic plants continue to enter Emerald Bay on boats and currents from other areas of Lake Tahoe.

A new approach is proposed to analyze Bremsstrahlung X-rays that are emitted from laser-produced plasmas (LPP) and are measured by a stack type spectrometer. This new method is based on a spectral tomographic reconstruction concept with the variational principle for optimization, without referring to the electron energy distribution of a plasma. This approach is applied to the analysis of some experimental data obtained at a few major laser facilities to demonstrate the applicability of the method. Slope temperatures of X-rays from LPP are determined with a two-temperature model, showing different spectral characteristics of X-rays depending on laser properties used in the experiments.

The shear deformations of pillared-graphene nanostructures are investigated using molecular dynamics simulation. Slight anisotropy regarding the direction of a shear load is detected. Changing the loading area in graphene and the radius of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) as a pillar, the deformations near the joints of graphene and a SWNT are examined in detail. It is concluded the anisotropy of the shear deformation of the nanostructure is due to the atomic structures at the joints of graphene and a SWNT as a pillar, and the out-of-plane deformations of graphene near the joints dominantly affect the overall shear deformation of the nanostructure.

The gullet worm (Gongylonema pulchrum) has been recorded from a variety of mammals worldwide, including monkeys and humans. Due to its wide host range, it has been suggested that the worm may be transmitted locally to any mammalian host by chance. To investigate this notion, the ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA), mainly regions of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) 1 and 2, and a cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) region of mitochondrial DNA of G. pulchrum were characterized using parasites from the following hosts located in Japan: cattle, sika deer, wild boars, Japanese macaques, a feral Reeves's muntjac and captive squirrel monkeys. The rDNA nucleotide sequences of G. pulchrum were generally well conserved regardless of their host origin. However, a few insertions/deletions of nucleotides along with a few base substitutions in the ITS1 and ITS2 regions were observed in G. pulchrum from sika deer, wild boars and Japanese macaques, and those differed from G. pulchrum in cattle, the feral Reeves's muntjac and captive squirrel monkeys. The COI sequences of G. pulchrum were further divided into multiple haplotypes and two groups of haplotypes, i.e. those from a majority of sika deer, wild boars and Japanese macaques and those from cattle and zoo animals, were clearly differentiated. Our findings indicate that domestic and sylvatic transmission cycles of the gullet worm are currently present, at least in Japan.

The spontaneous generation of inertia-gravity waves (IGWs) by surface-intensified, nearly balanced motion is examined using a high-resolution simulation of the primitive equations in an idealized oceanic configuration. At large scale and mesoscale, the dynamics, which is driven by baroclinic instability near the surface, is balanced and qualitatively well described by the surface quasi-geostrophic model. This however predicts an increase of the Rossby number with decreasing spatial scales and, hence, a breakdown of balance at small scale; the generation of IGWs is a consequence of this breakdown. The wave field is analysed away from the surface, at depths where the associated vertical velocities are of the same order as those associated with the balanced motion. Quasi-geostrophic relations, the omega equation in particular, prove sufficient to separate the IGWs from the balanced contribution to the motion. A spectral analysis indicates that the wave energy is localized around dispersion relation for free IGWs, and decays only slowly as the frequency and horizontal wavenumber increase. The IGW generation is highly intermittent in time and space: localized wavepackets are emitted when thin filaments in the surface density are formed by straining, leading to large vertical vorticity and correspondingly large Rossby numbers. At depth, the IGW field is the result of a number of generation events; away from the generation sites it takes the form of a relatively homogeneous, apparently random wave field. The energy of the IGW field generated spontaneously is estimated and found to be several orders of magnitude smaller than the typical IGW energy in the ocean.

It is well discussed about biological effect to high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal and known that the biofilm is considered to be the uncertain factor to estimate for migration of radioactive elements. The objective of this research is to estimate the microbial effect of Cs migration in groundwater interacted with rock surface. Specially, we focus on Cs behavior at the rock surface surrounded by biofilm. The most important factor is the Cs sorption and diffusion to the microbe and/or their biofilm. Generation of bio-colloid absorbed with Cs and retardation of Cs by their matrix diffusion in rock will be influenced by these phenomena. We introduce about scenario analysis for biofilm and a simple Cs diffusion test with and without sulfur reducing bacteria (SRB) which is well known as easy to produce biofilm on the rock surface in order to clarify the existence effect of the bacteria at the rock surface. The Cs diffusion experiment, using Desulfovivrio desullfuricans as SRB, indicated that microbial effect was less to through their biofilm in the experimental condition. We consider that Cs is easy to contact the rock surface even if surrounded biofilm and not effect to retardation by matrix diffusion scenario.

In this study, aluminized, boronized, chromized and siliconized gray cast iron plate specimens were prepared, and their microstructures and tribological properties were investigated. The surfaces of the aluminized, boronized, chromized and siliconized specimens mainly consisted of FeAl, Fe2B, (Cr, Fe)23C6 and FeSi phases, respectively. Also, the surface of the boronized specimen exhibited the highest microvickers hardness of all the specimens. The aluminized, boronized and chromized specimens exhibited friction coefficients as low as the non-coated specimens when sliding against AISI 52100 steel ball specimens in poly-alpha-olefin. In addition, the boronized and chromized specimens exhibited much higher wear resistance than the non-coated specimens.

The reversible hydrogen adsorption site in Ni-nanoparticle-dispersed amorphous silica (Si-O) was identified by analyzing the hydrogen adsorption behavior and the microstructure. The total amount of reversibly adsorbed hydrogen was evaluated from the total surface area of Ni and the Ni concentration in the composite. The total surface area of the Ni nanoparticles in each sample powder was calculated from the mean particle size of the Ni nanoparticles in the Si-O matrix using dark field images taken by transmission electron microscopy and high-angle annular dark-field images by scanning transmission electron microscopy. The estimated amount of reversibly adsorbed hydrogen was highly consistent with that obtained experimentally by hydrogen adsorption analysis, which suggested that reversible hydrogen adsorption occurred at the Ni/Si-O interface.

Bandwidth effects on laser-plasma interaction were investigated with a ¼-μm laser. Planar targets were irradiated with a 1- to 40-cm–1 bandwidth laser at I = 1 × 1013–4 × 1015 W/cm2. Above 3 × 1013 W/cm2, stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) was observed with 1 cm–1 light. This process was strongly reduced with a 40-cm–1 light. Evolution of the convective SBS was studied with 1-D fluid simulation code. Bandwidth effect on the SBS growth was discussed to compare the theoretical prediction and experimental results. The scalelength dependence exists for the SBS reduction with a broadband laser.

An atomic model of the laser-produced Al plasma has been developed and used to analyze excitation processes of recombination pumping soft X-ray lasers. A soft X-ray gain for H-like Balmer-α line and He-like 3d-2p transition in short-pulse intense KrF laser (IL = 1014–1015 W/cm2, T = 10–100 ps)-produced Al plasmas are calculated for various laser temporal pulse shapes to find the condition for efficient production of population inversion. Results from different models are compared and requirements for the atomic model for X-ray laser design are discussed.