综合研究大学院大学

We study a family of cosmological models featuring dynamical dark energy (DE), based on the idea that the creation of its constituents arises from the gravitational field of the expanding universe, whose non-equilibrium physics is described by a non-zero bulk viscosity coefficient. We consider the complete scenario, in which both matter creation and bulk viscosity are present, together with its two limiting cases, in which only one of the two effects is retained. Once each model is constrained by requiring its present-day deceleration parameter q0 to match specific values, the complete scenario introduces up to two additional free parameters with respect to the Lambda CDM model, one of which is the equation of state parameter w of the created dark energy. We consider two choices for q0: the value predicted by the Lambda CDM model, and one obtained from a background analysis of Fazzari et al. (2025). To perform the analysis, we construct the effective running Hubble constant, i.e. a theoretical function corresponding to the ratio between the Hubble parameter of our models and the Lambda CDM expansion rate. The theoretical predictions for the effective running Hubble constant of the three models are tested against the Master binned sample of Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia), through a Markov Chain Monte Carlo procedure with up to four free parameters. The most important result emerging from this analysis is that, when using the cosmographic q0, all three models exhibit a quintessence-to-phantom transition in the effective equation of state parameter of the dark energy; on the contrary, when using the q0 coming from the Lambda CDM limit, the transition cannot happen, and the effective equation of state parameter is entirely of phantom nature across the considered redshift range.

The Compact Helical Device (CHD) experiment is scheduled to begin early in 2027 as the successor to the Large Helical Device (LHD). To support efficient experimental operation, a robust and maintainable data analysis framework must be established before experimental operation begins. Based on operational experience gained from LHD, we analyzed the limitations of the existing LHD workflow and identified requirements for the next-generation analysis system. After evaluating several existing workflow management systems, we designed a lightweight event-driven framework centered on a custom job management system. The proposed framework integrates Python, a database, and Kubernetes to provide centralized workflow management, improved maintainability, and scalable execution. This paper describes the system requirements, design concept, and current implementation status.

Urbanization influences not only free-living organisms, but also various pathogens, including those with limited visibility to humans. Although previous research on urban parasites has primarily focused on human-specific and zoonotic species, a comprehensive understanding of parasite ecology in urban settings requires attention to inconspicuous enzootic species. In this study, we investigated two flea species, Aenigmopsylla grodekovi and Ceratophyllus (Monopsyllus) indages indages, parasitizing Eurasian red squirrels Sciurus vulgaris orientis in and around Obihiro City, Hokkaido, Japan. These fleas, dislodged during the routine handling of host squirrels, were collected and quantified during spring and autumn surveys to assess seasonal and spatial patterns of infestation across urban and rural sites. Over the course of a four-year survey (2017–2020), 317 squirrels (168 males and 149 females) were examined, with 284 individuals of A. grodekovi and 214 of C. (M.) indages indages recovered. The former was rarely observed in spring but showed a pronounced increase in autumn, with rural areas exhibiting 14.06 times more dislodged individuals than urban areas, on average. In contrast, the latter was more prevalent in spring (2.50 times higher than in autumn) and displayed no consistent difference between urban and rural habitats. Our results revealed distinct dislodgement patterns in two flea species in response to habitat and seasonal variations, indicating species-specific responses to urbanization. While direct quantification of flea abundance remains ideal, the number of dislodged individuals may serve as a useful indicator for assessing the effect of urbanization on host-parasitic interactions and infrapopulation dynamics.

We have constructed collisional-radiative (CR) models for tungsten ions, Wq+, with q = 18–25, including ionizing and recombining processes as well as collisional excitation/deexcitation and radiative decay, and applied the models to analyze extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectra measured in magnetically confined fusion plasmas with a tungsten pellet injection into the Large Helical Device (LHD). The CR models are constructed as hybrids with fine-structure levels for lower states and relativistic configuration-averaged levels for higher states to include autoionizing states. The dielectronic recombination process is treated as dielectronic capture to the autoionizing states and radiative decay from the autoionizing states in the CR model. We calculated EUV spectra of the tungsten ions for ionizing and recombining plasmas. Measured spectra at the 2–4 nm region were used to estimate the charge state distribution of tungsten ions in LHD plasmas by comparing calculated emission peaks of n = 4–5 transitions of Wq+ with q = 22–25. Using the estimated ion distribution, the synthesized spectral profile at 4.5–7 nm shows characteristic profiles similar to the measured so-called unresolved transition array (UTA) due to n = 4–4 transitions. We also synthesized the spectra at 10–35 nm, where the UTA due to n = 5–5 transitions appeared, and we partly reproduced the UTA with synthesized spectra. The CR models for the tungsten ions were validated with the measured spectra of LHD plasmas.

Among the diverse metabolites produced by plants, hormones play crucial roles in coordinating plant growth and development with environmental stress responses. They achieve this via the coordination of intricate and often ancient signaling networks. An important component of these networks is often the reprogramming of primary metabolism or in the case of stress responses, both primary and secondary metabolism. However, the interface between plant hormones and metabolism is only partially characterized. In this review, we summarize recent advances in phytohormone biology, focusing on both how hormone signaling influences metabolism and how metabolic states, in turn, modulate hormone signaling. We describe how the metabolic response to hormones and the responsiveness of hormones to metabolites are particularly well characterized for certain hormones but relatively poorly understood for others. Particular attention is given to defining a conceptual framework through which hormone-driven regulation of metabolism and metabolic regulation of hormone signaling can be understood as an integrated bidirectional network, with specific attention to recent mechanistic advances. Finally, we review current and emerging techniques that should allow us to deepen our understanding of the metabolite-to-hormone interface, which will not only provide greater insight into how plants coordinate various aspects of their life cycle but will also likely provide hints toward selecting breeding targets for crop improvement.