We report fourteen and twenty-eight protocluster candidates at z = 5.7 and 6.6 over 14 and 19 deg2 areas, respectively, selected from 2,230 Lyα emitters (LAEs) photometrically identified with Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) deep images. Six out of the 42 protocluster candidates include at least 1 spectroscopically confirmed LAEs at redshifts up to z = 6.574. By the comparisons with the cosmological Lyα radiative transfer (RT) model reproducing LAEs with the reionization effects, we find that more than a half of these protocluster candidates might be progenitors of the present-day clusters with a mass of ≳ 1014M⊙. We also investigate the correlation between LAE overdensity and Lya rest-frame equivalent width (EW), because the cosmological Lyα RT model suggests that a slope of EW-overdensity relation is steepened towards the epoch of cosmic reionization (EoR), due to the existence of the ionized bubbles around galaxy overdensities easing the escape of Lyα emission from the partly neutral intergalactic medium. The available HSC data suggest that the slope of the EW-overdensity correlation does not evolve from the post-reionization epoch z = 5.7 to the EoR z = 6.6 beyond the moderately large statistical errors.

We propose and numerically investigate a tunable metasurface made of an array of graphene ribbons to dynamically control terahertz (THz) wavefront. The metasurface consists of graphene micro ribbons on a silver mirror with a SiO2 gap layer. The graphene ribbons are designed to exhibit localized plasmon resonances depending on their Fermi levels to introduce abrupt phase shifts along the metasurface. With interference of the Fabry-Perot resonances in the SiO2 layer, phase shift through the system is largely accumulated, covering up to 2π range for full control of the THz wavefront. Numerical simulations prove that wide-angle reflected THz beam steering from -53° to +53° with a high reflection efficiency as high as 60% is achieved at 5 THz while the propagation direction of THz beam could be switched within 0.6 ps.

We report the kinetic analysis of radicals on fungal spores of Penicillium digitatum interacted with charged-neutral oxygen species (O*) generated plasma discharge using real time in situ electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements. The ESR signal from the spores was observed at a g-value of around 2.004 with a line width of approximately 5G. We have successfully obtained information regarding the reaction mechanism with free radicals and realtime in situ ESR has proven to be a useful method to elucidate plasma-induced surface reactions on biological specimens

The acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor donepezil is also a σ1 receptor agonist. We examined whether donepezil binds to σ1 receptors in the living human brain after a single oral administration. Dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) data acquisition using the selective σ1 receptor ligand [11C]SA4503 was performed to evaluate quantitatively the binding of [11C]SA4503 to σ1 receptors in eight healthy male volunteers. Each subject had a PET scan before and after receiving a single dose of donepezil (5 or 10 mg). The binding potential of [11C]SA4503 was calculated. Doses of 5 mg and 10 mg donepezil bound to σ1 receptors in the human brain with occupancies of ~60% and ~75%, respectively, in a dose-dependent manner. This study demonstrated that donepezil binds to σ1 receptors in the living human brain at therapeutic doses. Therefore, σ1 receptors may be implicated in the pharmacological mechanism of donepezil in the human brain.

The mechanism for cleaning Cu surfaces using the vapor from organic acids was studied by infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IR-RAS) and by analysis of products collected using a cold-trap placed downstream of a reactor. When formic acid vapor was exposed to oxidized Cu samples heated to about 200°C for about a half an hour, the oxides were reduced. The surface seemed to have a shiny metallic appearance but no Cu-containing volatile products were collected, and the decomposition of formic acid molecules into CO2 was observed. In contrast, using acetic acid vapor, Cu-containing etching products were collected and identified as a dinuclear Cu (II) acetate complex. The vapor treatment using formic and acetic acids can be reduced Cu oxides to have metallic Cu surfaces. Furthermore, controlling temperature and choice of organic acids enabled the advantageous establishment of a control for the reduction in, and etching of, the Cu oxides.

We report a rare case of laryngeal myxoma in a 57-year-old Japanese man. Except for a five-year history of gradually progressive hoarseness, he had been in good health. Video-stroboscopic examination revealed a solid mass in the anterior third of the right vocal fold. Phonosurgery performed with a microscope showed that the mass was encapsulated and located between the epithelium and vocal fold ligaments of the right vocal fold. This hard, elastic mass which measured 7 mm in diameter, was diagnosed as a myxoma. Only three cases of myxoma of the larynx have been reported in the English literature, with only one other case involving the vocal fold.

A case of cervico-mediastinal venous haemangioma with diffuse upper respiratory airway involvement is reported. The lesion was considered to be an ordinary supraglottic haemangioma at first. We recommend that adult cases of laryngeal haemangioma should be carefully examined for extra-laryngeal lesions.