Search for Antideuterons of Cosmic Origin Using the BESS-Polar II Magnetic-Rigidity Spectrometer

We searched for antideuterons (d[over ¯]'s) in the 4.7×10^{9} cosmic-ray events observed during the BESS-Polar II flight at solar minimum in 2007-2008 but found no candidates. The resulting 95% C.L. upper limit on the d[over ¯] flux is 6.7×10^{-5}  (m^{2} s sr GeV/n)^{-1} in an energy range from 0.163 to 1.100  GeV/n. The result has improved by more than a factor of 14 from the upper limit of BESS97, which had a potential comparable to that of BESS-Polar II in the search for cosmic-origin d[over ¯]'s and was conducted during the former solar minimum. The upper limit of d[over ¯] flux from BESS-Polar II is the first result achieving the sensitivity to constrain the latest theoretical predictions.

Evaluation of the host specificity of Eimeria uekii and Eimeria raichoi for Japanese rock ptarmigans by oocyst transfer to taxonomically related birds

Eimeria spp. are protozoan parasites that are commonly found in a broad range of vertebrate hosts. These parasites generally exhibit strict host specificity, but some Eimeria spp. can infect groups of closely related species such as species within a genus or family. Compared with Eimeria spp. that infect livestock, limited information is available about such infections in wild animals including data on host specificity, virulence, and prevalence. The Japanese rock ptarmigan, Lagopus muta japonica, is an endangered bird belonging to the family Phasianidae, order Galliformes, and inhabits only alpine areas of Japan. In conservation efforts for these birds, two Eimeria spp., E. uekii and E. raichoi, were frequently detected. Here, we examined cross-transmission of the parasites to other bird species to characterize their infectivity as well as the development of experimental bird models to contribute to conservation programs by the oocyst transfer. Consequently, among the examined eight bird species (chickens, Japanese pheasants, turkeys, chukar partridges, quails, helmeted guineafowls and ducks), only turkeys (family Phasianidae, order Galliformes) could be infected with E. raichoi. However, the number of oocysts per feces was relatively low, and few parasites in the intestinal mucosa could be found by histopathological analyses. These results might indicate that E. uekii and E. raichoi are highly adapted to Japanese rock ptarmigans that inhabit the alpine zone although further studies are anticipated.

Characterization of a half-wave plate for cosmic microwave background circular polarization measurement with POLARBEAR

A half-wave plate (HWP) is often used as a modulator to suppress systematic error in the measurements of cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization. A HWP can also be used to measure circular polarization (CP) through its optical leakage from CP to linear polarization. The CP of the CMB is predicted from various sources, such as interactions in the Universe and extension of the standard model. Interaction with supernova remnants of population III stars is one of the brightest CP sources. Thus, the observation of the CP of CMB is a new tool for searching for population III stars. In this paper, we demonstrate the improved measurement of the leakage coefficient using the transmission measurement of an actual HWP in the laboratory. We measured the transmittance of linearly polarized light through the HWP used in Polarbear in the frequency range of 120-160 GHz. We evaluate the properties of the HWP by fitting the data with a physical model using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method. We then estimate the band-averaged CP leakage coefficient using the physical model. We find that the leakage coefficient strongly depends on the spectra of CP sources. We thus calculate the maximum fractional leakage coefficient from CP to linear polarization as 0.133 ± 0.009 in the Rayleigh-Jeans spectrum. The nonzero value shows that Polarbear has a sensitivity to CP. Additionally, because we use the bandpass of detectors installed in the telescope to calculate the band-averaged values, we also consider systematic effects in the experiment.

Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction caused by a congenital accessory mitral valve leaflet and treated by open-heart surgery in a young dog

A 3-month-old Shetland sheepdog presented with a loud ejection murmur and exercise intolerance. Echocardiography revealed an accessory mitral valve leaflet, characterised by a valve-like structure separate from the mitral valve seen in the subaortic region of the ventricular septum. The left ventricular outflow tract was partially obstructed with a pressure gradient of 12 mmHg. Accessory mitral valve leaflet resection and mitral valvuloplasty were performed during open-heart surgery. Histology performed on the membrane-like structures were indicative of fibrous connective tissues. Postoperative echocardiography confirmed removal of the valve-like structure with resolution of the left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. The pressure gradient was decreased to 4.6 mmHg. The dog was in good condition and no further treatment was required 5 months after surgery. Both cardiac troponin I and NT-proBNP were markedly decreased. In this dog, surgical resection combined with mitral valve plasty resolved the left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and the clinical signs.

Conceptual design of a heavy ion beam probe for the QUEST spherical tokamak

A heavy ion beam probe (HIBP) has been designed for the QUEST spherical tokamak to measure plasma turbulence and the profiles of electric potential profiles. Using a cesium ion beam with an energy of several 10 keV, the observable region covers most of the upper half of the plasma. Although the probe beam is deflected by the poloidal magnetic field produced by plasma current and poloidal coil currents, it can be detected under plasma current up to 150 kA by modifying the trajectories with two electrostatic sweepers. According to the numerical estimation of the intensity of the detected beam, sufficient signal intensity for measuring plasma turbulence can be obtained over almost the measurable area when the electron density is up to 1 × 10¹⁹ m^-3, which is larger than the cut-off density of electron cyclotron heating in QUEST. The performance of the designed HIBP is sufficient to explore the mechanisms of heat and particle transport in magnetically confined plasmas, including the influence of plasma wall interactions, which is a goal of the QUEST project.

O-256 Effect of an endometrial microbiota on pregnancy outcome of frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles

Study question

Is specific microbiota in the endometrial fluid (EF) associated with pregnancy outcome in a frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles?

Summary answer

Lactobacillus had high abundance in the microbiota of endometrial fluid of patients with successful pregnancy after FET treatment.

What is known already

Recently, the relationship between endometrial microbiota and repeated implantation failure (RIF) has been reported. While Lactobacillus-dominated microbiota (LDM, defined as > = 90 % Lactobacillus species) in the EF of the receptive phase was reported to be associated with favorable reproductive outcome, non-LDM (< 90 % Lactobacillus species) was found to decrease implantation, clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, and live birth rates. However, it is still unclear the effect of the microbiota on pregnancy outcome of the patients with the assisted reproductive technology, especially a frozen embryo transfer (FET) treatment.

Study design, size, duration

We included 802 cycles with clinical results of pregnancy outcome after FET treatment at our clinic from December 2018 to January 2021. Endometrium fluid was collected before FET and microbiota was examined. We examined the relationship between endometrial microbiota and pregnancy outcome in 463 cycles in which the endometrial microbiome test results were available, pregnancy outcome was known, CD138 negative, and less than 38years (229 cycles were positive pregnancy and 234 cycles were negative pregnancy).

Participants/materials, setting, methods

Sampling was performed carefully avoiding contamination before FET treatment. Extracted genomic DNA was sequenced for the region of 16S ribosomal RNA using next-generation sequencer (Endometrial microbiome test, Varinos, Japan). The sequencing data was assigned to bacterial taxonomy and the background-contaminated bacteria were excluded from the microbiome profile. Lactobacillus abundance was calculated. After concordance of patient background, Lactobacillus abundance between successful and unsuccessful pregnancy group was compared.

Main results and the role of chance

We investigated the effect of microbiota in EF, especially Lactobacillus, for the infertile female with frozen embryo transfer (FET) as an assisted reproductive treatment with large amount of cycles (802 cycles). First, all of cycles were divided into a successful pregnancy group (305/802) and an unsuccessful pregnant group (497/802), and then the abundance of Lactobacillus was analyzed (the pregnancy ratio was 38.0%). The mean abundance of Lactobacillus in EF was significantly higher in the successful pregnant group than in the unsuccessful pregnant group (70.2% 40.5 versus 63.5% 43.1, p = 0.007). To further refine the conditions of each cycle, patient backgrounds of each cycle were compared. There was a significant difference in age and CD138 results between the successful pregnant group and unsuccessful pregnant group, so the analysis was performed with the limited cycles with CD138-negative and under 38 years (229/463 versus 234/463, respectively). However, even under this strict condition, the mean abundance of Lactobacillus was significantly higher in the pregnant group than in the unsuccessful pregnant group (72.1% 39.7 versus 61.1% 44.4, p = 0.003). These results suggest that the endometrial environment with high Lactobacillus abundance is more conducive to pregnancy in FET treatment.

Limitations, reasons for caution

The limitation of this study is that the design is not a randomized controlled one, although it is prospective.

Wider implications of the findings

The results of this study suggest that the endometrial microbiota at the time of embryo implantation, especially Lactobacillus genus, is highly relevant to pregnancy outcome, implying that disruption of the intrauterine microbiota may cause infertility. We need further studies to improve the endometrial microbiota of infertile women.

Trial registration number

not applicable

OP0112 THE EVER-LARGEST ASIAN GWAS FOR SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS AND TRANS-POPULATION META-ANALYSIS IDENTIFIED SEVEN NOVEL LOCI AND A CANDIDATE CAUSAL SNP IN A CIS-REGULATORY ELEMENT OF THE FCGR REGION

Background

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified 29 disease-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for systemic sclerosis (SSc) in non-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) regions (1-7). While these GWASs have clarified genetic architectures of SSc, study subjects were mainly Caucasians limiting application of the findings to Asians.

Objectives

The study was conducted to identify novel causal variants for SSc specific to Japanese subjects as well as those shared with European population. We also aimed to clarify mechanistic effects of the variants on pathogenesis of SSc.

Methods

A total of 114,108 subjects comprising 1,499 cases and 112,609 controls were enrolled in the two-staged study leading to the ever-largest Asian GWAS for SSc. After applying a strict quality control both for genotype and samples, imputation was conducted using the reference panel of the phase 3v5 1,000 genome project data combined with a high-depth whole-genome sequence data of 3,256 Japanese subjects. We conducted logistic regression analyses and also combined the Japanese GWAS results with those of Europeans (6) by an inverse-variance fixed-effect model. Polygenicity and enrichment of functional annotations were evaluated by linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC), Haploreg and IMPACT programs. We also constructed polygenic risk score (PRS) to predict SSc development.

Results

We identified three (FCRLA-FCGR, TNFAIP3, PLD4) and four (EOMES, ESR1, SLC12A5, TPI1P2) novel loci in Japanese GWAS and a trans-population meta-analysis, respectively. One of Japanese novel risk SNPs, rs6697139, located within FCGR gene clusters had a strong effect size (OR 2.05, P=4.9×10-11). We also found the complete LD variant, rs10917688, was positioned in cis-regulatory element and binding motif for an immunomodulatory transcription factor IRF8 in B cells, another genome-wide significant locus in our trans-ethnic meta-analysis and the previous European GWAS. Notably, the association of risk allele of rs10917688 was significant only in the presence of the risk allele of the IRF8. Intriguingly, rs10917688 was annotated as one enhancer-related histone marks, H3K4me1, in B cells, implying that FCGR gene(s) in B cells may play an important role in the pathogenesis of SSc. Furhtermore, significant heritability enrichment of active histone marks and a transcription factor C-Myc were found in B cells both in European and Japanese populations by LDSC and IMPACT, highlighting a possibility of a shared disease mechanism where abnormal B-cell activation may be one of the key drivers for the disease development. Finally, PRS using effects sizes of European GWAS moderately fit in the development of Japanese SSc (AUC 0.593), paving a path to personalized medicine for SSc.

Conclusion

Our study identified seven novel susceptibility loci in SSc. Downstream analyses highlighted a novel disease mechanism of SSc where an interactive role of FCGR gene(s) and IRF8 may accelerate the disease development and B cells may play a key role on the pathogenesis of SSc.

References

[1]F. C. Arnett et al. Ann Rheum Dis, 2010.

[2]T. R. Radstake et al. Nat Genet, 2010.

[3]Y. Allanore et al. PLoS Genet, 2011.

[4]O. Gorlova et al. PLoS Genet, 2011.

[5]C. Terao et al. Ann Rheum Dis, 2017.

[6]E. López-Isac et al. Nat Commun, 2019.

[7]W. Pu et al. J Invest Dermatol, 2021.

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

Distribution of Eimeria uekii and Eimeria raichoi in cage protection environments for the conservation of Japanese rock ptarmigans (Lagopus muta japonica) in the Japanese Alps

Japanese rock ptarmigans, Lagopus muta japonica, are classified as an endangered species in Japan and are found only in the Japanese Alps. The number of birds has decreased in the last half century and cage protection projects have been undertaken as in situ conservation strategies (one of the projects for the recovery plan of Japanese rock ptarmigan) in the mountains. During the period with cage protections, some chicks died and two Eimeria spp., E. uekii and E. raichoi, were identified in the chicks. Here, we examined the soil within the cages and in the surrounding environment to assess potential sources of infection between July to August 2020. We found high numbers of oocysts in the cages, especially at the back sides where the ptarmigan family frequently congregated, but soils in other areas outside the cages were less contaminated or not contaminated at all. The time required for more than 50% of the oocysts to sporulate at 15, 20 and 25 °C for E. uekii was 20, 11, and 5 h, respectively, and 72, 48 and 18 h, respectively, for E. raichoi. Our results cast some doubt that coprophagia by chicks is the source of infection because chicks consumed fresh cecal feces (approximately within 1 h) as far as we know, and instead, the protected chicks might be directly or indirectly infected by oocysts in soils or the environment.

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Cage protection is effective for protecting chicks of Japanese rock ptarmigans.

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Soils at the back sides in the cages were highly contaminated with Eimeria spp.

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E. uekii can rapidly be sporulated at 15 °C in timber regions.

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Protected chicks might be infected by oocysts in soils or the environment.

Spatial optimization of invasive species control informed by management practices

Optimization of spatial resource allocation is crucial for the successful control of invasive species under a limited budget but requires labor-intensive surveys to estimate population parameters. In this study, we devised a novel framework for the spatially explicit optimization of capture effort allocation using state-space population models from past capture records. We applied it to a control program for invasive snapping turtles to determine effort allocation strategies that minimize the population density over the whole area. We found that spatially heterogeneous density dependence and capture pressure limit the abundance of snapping turtles. Optimal effort allocation effectively improved the control effect, but the degree of improvement varied substantially depending on the total effort. The degree of improvement by the spatial optimization of allocation effort was only 3.21% when the total effort was maintained at the 2016 level. However, when the total effort was increased by two, four, and eight times, spatial optimization resulted in improvements of 4.65%, 8.33%, and 20.35%, respectively. To achieve the management goal for snapping turtles in our study area, increasing the current total effort by more than four times was necessary, in addition to optimizing the spatial effort. The snapping turtle population is expected to reach the target density one year after the optimal management strategy is implemented, and this rapid response can be explained by high population growth rate coupled with density-dependent feedback regulation. Our results demonstrated that combining a state-space model with optimization makes it possible to adaptively improve the management of invasive species and decision-making. The method used in this study, based on removal records from an invasive management program, can be easily applied to monitoring data for wildlife and pest control management using traps in a variety of ecosystems.

Predator presence and recent climatic warming raise body temperatures of island lizards

In ectothermic predator-prey relationships, evasion of predation by prey depends on physiological and behavioural responses relating to the thermal biology of both predator and prey. On Japan's Izu Islands, we investigated a prey lizard's physiological and thermal responses to the presence of a snake predator over geologic time in addition to recent climatic warming. Foraging lizard body temperatures increased by 1.3 °C from 1981 to 2019 overall, yet were 2.9 °C warmer on snake islands relative to snake-free islands. We also detected snake predator-induced selection on hind leg length, which in turn is a major determinant for sprint speed only in lizard populations exposed to predation by snakes. Accordingly, we found that warmer prey body temperatures result in faster sprint speeds by the prey at temperatures suboptimal for the snake predator, and therefore contribute to escaping predation. Given recent climatic change, further warming could irrevocably alter this and other ectothermic predator-prey relationships.

Exploitation of Elevated Extracellular ATP to Specifically Direct Antibody to Tumor Microenvironment

The extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration is highly elevated in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and remains tightly regulated in normal tissues. Using phage display technology, we establish a method to identify an antibody that can bind to an antigen only in the presence of ATP. Crystallography analysis reveals that ATP bound in between the antibody-antigen interface serves as a switch for antigen binding. In a transgenic mouse model overexpressing the antigen systemically, the ATP switch antibody binds to the antigen in tumors with minimal binding in normal tissues and plasma and inhibits tumor growth. Thus, we demonstrate that elevated extracellular ATP concentration can be exploited to specifically target the TME, giving therapeutic antibodies the ability to overcome on-target off-tumor toxicity.

Parasitic development in intestines and oocyst shedding patterns for infection by Eimeria uekii and Eimeria raichoi in Japanese rock ptarmigans, Lagopus muta japonica, protected by cages in the Southern Japanese Alps

The population of Japanese rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta japonica), an endangered species with a habitat above the timberline of the southern Japanese Alps, has declined. As one of the recent conservation strategies for this species, cage protection for broods (hens and chicks) has been introduced in their habitats. Two species of Eimeria have frequently been detected in these birds, but little is known about the parasitic circulation in the region, including among birds and in the environment. Here, we conducted histopathology examinations of dead chicks collected under cage protection in 2018, and examined the feces of the hens and chicks of three broods and environmental soils for parasites in 2019 in order to assess the potential sources of infection and pathogenicity. Developmental zoites were found in the epithelial mucosa and/or the submucosa from the duodenum to the colon of all dead chicks. Fecal examination revealed oocysts of E. uekii and/or E. raichoi in all hens and chicks. Oocysts of Eimeria spp. per gram of feces in chicks increased within 2 weeks after hatching and then gradually deceased. Following infection of the chicks, oocysts could accumulate within the cage areas, and oocyst density exceeded more than 1000 oocysts per gram of cage soils. Based on having sporulated morphologies, oocysts could be infective and therefore, be direct or indirect potential sources of infection. However, based on our findings that not all chicks were clinically affected by the infections, other factors such as microbial flora in the chicks established by coprophagy or from the habitat environment, including climate, might be associated with the pathogenicity of Eimeria spp., although further studies are needed to assess these correlations.

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Cage protection is effective on conservation of Japanese rock ptarmigans.

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Hens caring chicks were highly infected with Eimeria spp. and shedded the oocysts.

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Potential sources of the infection could be contaminated soils but not coprophagy behaviors of chicks.

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Pathogenicity of Eimeria might be also associated with factors like establishment of gut microbiota or habitat conditions.

Internal Delensing of Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization B-Modes with the POLARBEAR Experiment

Using only cosmic microwave background polarization data from the polarbear experiment, we measure B-mode polarization delensing on subdegree scales at more than 5σ significance. We achieve a 14% B-mode power variance reduction, the highest to date for internal delensing, and improve this result to 22% by applying for the first time an iterative maximum a posteriori delensing method. Our analysis demonstrates the capability of internal delensing as a means of improving constraints on inflationary models, paving the way for the optimal analysis of next-generation primordial B-mode experiments.

Mixed Tb/Dy coordination ladders based on tetra(carboxymethyl)thiacalix[4]arene: a new avenue towards luminescent molecular nanomagnets

The macrocyclic ligand calix[4]arene (L1) and its sulphur-containing analogue thia[4]calixarene (L2) are promising precursors for functional molecular materials as they offer rational functionalization with various organic groups. Here, we present the first example of lanthanide-based coordination polymers built from the macrocyclic thiacalix[4]arene backbone bearing four carboxylic moieties, namely, ligand H₄L3. The combination of H₄L3 with the Tb³⁺ and Dy³⁺ cations led to the formation of 1D ladder-type coordination polymers with the formula [Ln^IIIHL3DMF₃]·(DMF) (where DMF = dimethylformamide and Ln = Tb or Dy, denoted as HL3–Tb and HL3–Dy), which resulted from the coordination of the lanthanide cations with the partially deprotonated ligand HL3³⁻ that behaved as a T-shape connector. The coordination sphere around the metal was completed by the coordinated DMF solvent molecules. By combining both Tb³⁺ and Dy³⁺ cations, isostructural heterobimetallic solid solutions HL3–Tb_1−xDy_x were also prepared. HL3–Tb and HL3–Dy showed visible light photoluminescence originating from the f–f electronic transitions of pale green emissive Tb³⁺ and pale yellow emissive Dy³⁺ with efficient sensitization by the functionalized thia[4]calixarene ligand HL3. In the HL3–Tb_1−xDy_x solid solutions, the Tb/Dy ratio governed both the emission colour as well as the emission quantum yield, which reached even 28% at room temperature for HL3–Tb. Moreover, HL3–Dy exhibited a slow magnetic relaxation effect related to the magnetic anisotropy of the dodecahedral Dy³⁺ complexes, which were well isolated in the crystal lattice by expanded organic spacers.

The single crystals of the two isostructural Tb³⁺- and Dy³⁺-based coordination polymers (HL3–Tb and HL3–Dy) were structurally characterized, and their photophysical properties were investigated, together with their corresponding solid solutions.

The POLARBEAR Fourier transform spectrometer calibrator and spectroscopic characterization of the POLARBEAR instrument

We describe the Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) used for in-field testing of the POLARBEAR receiver, an experiment located in the Atacama Desert of Chile which measures the cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization. The POLARBEAR-FTS (PB-FTS) is a Martin-Puplett interferometer designed to couple to the Huan Tran Telescope (HTT) on which the POLARBEAR receiver is installed. The PB-FTS measured the spectral response of the POLARBEAR receiver with signal-to-noise ratio >20 for ∼69% of the focal plane detectors due to three features: a high throughput of 15.1 sr cm², optimized optical coupling to the POLARBEAR optics using a custom designed output parabolic mirror, and a continuously modulated output polarizer. The PB-FTS parabolic mirror is designed to mimic the shape of the 2.5 m-diameter HTT primary reflector, which allows for optimum optical coupling to the POLARBEAR receiver, reducing aberrations and systematics. One polarizing grid is placed at the output of the PB-FTS and modulated via continuous rotation. This modulation allows for decomposition of the signal into different harmonics that can be used to probe potentially pernicious sources of systematic error in a polarization-sensitive instrument. The high throughput and continuous output polarizer modulation features are unique compared to other FTS calibrators used in the CMB field. In-field characterization of the POLARBEAR receiver was accomplished using the PB-FTS in April 2014. We discuss the design, construction, and operation of the PB-FTS and present the spectral characterization of the POLARBEAR receiver. We introduce future applications for the PB-FTS in the next-generation CMB experiment, the Simons Array.

YES1 Is a Targetable Oncogene in Cancers Harboring YES1 Gene Amplification

Targeting genetic alterations of oncogenes by molecular-targeted agents (MTA) is an effective approach for treating cancer. However, there are still no clinical MTA options for many cancers, including esophageal cancer. We used a short hairpin RNA library to screen for a new oncogene in the esophageal cancer cell line KYSE70 and identified YES proto-oncogene 1 (YES1) as having a significant impact on tumor growth. An analysis of clinical samples showed that YES1 gene amplification existed not only in esophageal cancer but also in lung, head and neck, bladder, and other cancers, indicating that YES1 would be an attractive target for a cancer drug. Because there is no effective YES1 inhibitor so far, we generated a YES1 kinase inhibitor, CH6953755. YES1 kinase inhibition by CH6953755 led to antitumor activity against YES1-amplified cancers in vitro and in vivo. Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) played a role downstream of YES1 and contributed to the growth of YES1-amplified cancers. YES1 regulated YAP1 transcription activity by controlling its nuclear translocation and serine phosphorylation. These findings indicate that the regulation of YAP1 by YES1 plays an important role in YES1-amplified cancers and that CH6953755 has therapeutic potential in such cancers. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings identify the SRC family kinase YES1 as a targetable oncogene in esophageal cancer and describe a new inhibitor for YES1 that has potential for clinical utility.See related commentary by Rai, p. 5702.

Effect of Seasonality on Rates of Gregarine Infection in Workers of a Social Wasp Polybia Paulista (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

Social insects face strong selection from parasites because the conditions of group living often favor the transmission of infection among nestmates. However, there is little detailed information on the effects of parasite infection in the host species. Workers of Polybia species, neotropical swarm-founding wasps, are commonly infected by gregarines, protozoans that are exclusively parasitic on invertebrates. Previous studies showed that high rates of gregarine infection in workers of Polybia occidentalis (Olivier) have negative effects on their colony performance. However, the effect of seasonality on infection rates throughout the year or between wet and dry seasons has not been examined. Host-parasite interactions cannot be understood without consideration of the overall population dynamic. We compared rates of gregarine infection in workers of Polybia paulista (Ihering) between wet and dry seasons and among months. The 35% rate was by far the highest of the four wet seasons sampled, but the rates declined in the mid-wet season and were very low during the dry season. Strong seasonal differences in infection rates were also observed between the dry and wet seasons. Several potential factors affecting the seasonal differences are discussed.

Erratum to: Measurement of the W boson polarisation in t t ¯ events from pp collisions at s = 8 TeV in the lepton + jets channel with ATLAS

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-017-4819-4.].

Selective TRK Inhibitor CH7057288 against TRK Fusion-Driven Cancer

Members of the tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) family are expressed in their constitutively activated forms as a result of a gene fusion that occurs across a wide variety of cancer types. We have identified CH7057288 as a potent and selective TRK inhibitor that belongs to a novel chemical class. CH7057288 showed selective inhibitory activity against TRKA, TRKB, and TRKC in cell-free kinase assays and suppressed proliferation of TRK fusion-positive cell lines, but not that of TRK-negative cell lines. Strong in vivo tumor growth inhibition was observed in subcutaneously implanted xenograft tumor models of TRK fusion-positive cells. Furthermore, in an intracranial implantation model mimicking brain metastasis, CH7057288 significantly induced tumor regression and improved event-free survival. Recently, resistant mutations in the kinase domain of TRK have been reported in patients who show disease progression after treatment with the TRK inhibitors now under clinical development. Our compound maintained similar levels of in vitro and in vivo activity against one of these resistant mutants as it did to wild-type TRK. An X-ray crystal structure of the TRKA and CH7057288 complex supported the activity against the mutant. In addition, gene expression analysis revealed that CH7057288 suppressed MAPK and E2F pathways as downstream signaling of TRK fusion. Therefore, CH7057288 could be a promising therapeutic agent for TRK fusion-positive cancer.