Rare earth element identification and quantification in millimetre-sized Ryugu rock fragments from the Hayabusa2 space mission.

Millimetre-sized primordial rock fragments originating from asteroid Ryugu were investigated using high energy X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, providing 2D and 3D elemental distribution and quantitative composition information on the microscopic level. Samples were collected in two phases from two sites on asteroid Ryugu and safely returned to Earth by JAXA's asteroid explorer Hayabusa2, during which time the collected material was stored and maintained free from terrestrial influences, including exposure to Earth's atmosphere. Several grains of interest were identified and further characterised to obtain quantitative information on the rare earth element (REE) content within said grains, following a reference-based and computed-tomography-assisted fundamental parameters quantification approach. Several orders of magnitude REE enrichments compared to the mean CI chondrite composition were found within grains that could be identified as apatite phase. Small enrichment of LREE was found for dolomite grains and slight enrichment or depletion for the general matrices within the Ryugu rock fragments A0055 and C0076, respectively. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40623-022-01705-3.

The powdery mildew resistance protein RPW8.2 is carried on VAMP721/722 vesicles to the extrahaustorial membrane of haustorial complexes.

Plants employ multiple cell-autonomous defense mechanisms to impede pathogenesis of microbial intruders. Previously we identified an exocytosis defense mechanism in Arabidopsis against pathogenic powdery mildew fungi. This pre-invasive defense mechanism depends on the formation of ternary protein complexes consisting of the plasma membrane-localized PEN1 syntaxin, the adaptor protein SNAP33 and closely sequence-related vesicle-resident VAMP721 or VAMP722 proteins. The Arabidopsis thaliana resistance to powdery mildew 8.2 protein (RPW8.2) confers disease resistance against powdery mildews upon fungal entry into host cells and is specifically targeted to the extrahaustorial membrane (EHM), which envelops the haustorial complex of the fungus. However, the secretory machinery involved in trafficking RPW8.2 to the EHM is unknown. Here we report that RPW8.2 is transiently located on VAMP721/722 vesicles, and later incorporated into the EHM of mature haustoria. Resistance activity of RPW8.2 against the powdery mildew Golovinomyces orontii is greatly diminished in the absence of VAMP721 but only slightly so in the absence of VAMP722. Consistent with this result, trafficking of RPW8.2 to the EHM is delayed in the absence of VAMP721. These findings implicate VAMP721/722 vesicles as key components of the secretory machinery for carrying RPW8.2 to the plant-fungal interface. Quantitative fluorescence recovery after photobleaching suggests that vesicle-mediated trafficking of RPW8.2-yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) to the EHM occurs transiently during early haustorial development and that lateral diffusion of RPW8.2-YFP within the EHM exceeds vesicle-mediated replenishment of RPW8.2-YFP in mature haustoria. Our findings imply the engagement of VAMP721/722 in a bifurcated trafficking pathway for pre-invasive defense at the cell periphery and post-invasive defense at the EHM.

Space environment of an asteroid preserved on micrograins returned by the Hayabusa spacecraft.

Records of micrometeorite collisions at down to submicron scales were discovered on dust grains recovered from near-Earth asteroid 25143 (Itokawa). Because the grains were sampled from very near the surface of the asteroid, by the Hayabusa spacecraft, their surfaces reflect the low-gravity space environment influencing the physical nature of the asteroid exterior. The space environment was examined by description of grain surfaces and asteroidal scenes were reconstructed. Chemical and O isotope compositions of five lithic grains, with diameters near 50 µm, indicate that the uppermost layer of the rubble-pile-textured Itokawa is largely composed of equilibrated LL-ordinary-chondrite-like material with superimposed effects of collisions. The surfaces of the grains are dominated by fractures, and the fracture planes contain not only sub-µm-sized craters but also a large number of sub-µm- to several-µm-sized adhered particles, some of the latter composed of glass. The size distribution and chemical compositions of the adhered particles, together with the occurrences of the sub-µm-sized craters, suggest formation by hypervelocity collisions of micrometeorites at down to nm scales, a process expected in the physically hostile environment at an asteroid's surface. We describe impact-related phenomena, ranging in scale from 10(-9) to 10(4) meters, demonstrating the central role played by impact processes in the long-term evolution of planetary bodies. Impact appears to be an important process shaping the exteriors of not only large planetary bodies, such as the moon, but also low-gravity bodies such as asteroids.

Microstructural and chemical features of impact melts on Ryugu particle surfaces: Records of interplanetary dust hit on asteroid Ryugu.

The Hayabusa2 spacecraft delivered samples of the carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu to Earth. Some of the sample particles show evidence of micrometeoroid impacts, which occurred on the asteroid surface. Among those, particles A0067 and A0094 have flat surfaces on which a large number of microcraters and impact melt splashes are observed. Two impact melt splashes and one microcrater were analyzed to unveil the nature of the objects that impacted the asteroid surface. The melt splashes consist mainly of Mg-Fe-rich glassy silicates and Fe-Ni sulfides. The microcrater trapped an impact melt consisting mainly of Mg-Fe-rich glassy silicate, Fe-Ni sulfides, and minor silica-rich glass. These impact melts show a single compositional trend indicating mixing of Ryugu surface materials and impactors having chondritic chemical compositions. The relict impactor in one of the melt splashes shows mineralogical similarity with anhydrous chondritic interplanetary dust particles having a probable cometary origin. The chondritic micrometeoroids probably impacted the Ryugu surface during its residence in a near-Earth orbit.

Nonmagnetic framboid and associated iron nanoparticles with a space-weathered feature from asteroid Ryugu.

Extraterrestrial minerals on the surface of airless Solar System bodies undergo gradual alteration processes known as space weathering over long periods of time. The signatures of space weathering help us understand the phenomena occurring in the Solar System. However, meteorites rarely retain the signatures, making it impossible to study the space weathering processes precisely. Here, we examine samples retrieved from the asteroid Ryugu by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft and discover the presence of nonmagnetic framboids through electron holography measurements that can visualize magnetic flux. Magnetite particles, which normally provide a record of the nebular magnetic field, have lost their magnetic properties by reduction via a high-velocity (>5 km s-1) impact of a micrometeoroid with a diameter ranging from 2 to 20 µm after destruction of the parent body of Ryugu. Around these particles, thousands of metallic-iron nanoparticles with a vortex magnetic domain structure, which could have recorded a magnetic field in the impact event, are found. Through measuring the remanent magnetization of the iron nanoparticles, future studies are expected to elucidate the nature of the nebular/interplanetary magnetic fields after the termination of aqueous alteration in an asteroid.

Subtracted 3D CT angiography for the evaluation of intracranial aneurysms in 256-slice multidetector CT: usefulness of the 80-kVp plus compact contrast medium bolus protocol.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the usefulness of an 80-kVp and compact contrast material protocol for arterial phase subtracted cerebral 3D-CTA using 256-slice multidetector CT. METHODS: Thirty-two patients underwent CT with 100 kVp and received a contrast dose of 370 mgI/kg body weight over 15 s (protocol A). Thirty-three patients underwent CT with 100 kVp and received a contrast dose of 296 mgI/kg body weight over 10 s (protocol B). Thirty-three other patients underwent CT with 80 kVp and received a contrast medium dose of 296 mgI/kg body weight over 10 s (protocol C). We compared the arterial attenuation and contrast noise ratio (CNR) of each protocol. Two independent readers assessed overall image quality. RESULTS: Arterial attenuation was significantly higher under protocols A (418.6 ± 71.1 HU) and C (442.7 ± 79.3 HU) than under protocol B (355.8 ± 107.2 HU; P < 0.05). The CNR of protocol C (26.1 ± 6.1) was higher than that of protocol A (20.7 ± 8.4; P < 0.05). The overall image quality of protocol A was higher than that of protocol C (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The 80-kVp plus compact contrast protocol is well suited to arterial phase subtracted cerebral 3D-CTA without confounding venous enhancement. KEY POINTS: • Subtracted 3D CT angiography is useful in the evaluation of intracranial aneurysms. • A compact contrast material protocol increased arterial attenuation without venous contamination. • Low-kVp CT compensated for the decreased amount of contrast medium. • An 80-kVp CT with a compact enhancement bolus provides good intracranial 3D-CT angiography.

Insights into the formation and evolution of extraterrestrial amino acids from the asteroid Ryugu.

All life on Earth contains amino acids and carbonaceous chondrite meteorites have been suggested as their source at the origin of life on Earth. While many meteoritic amino acids are considered indigenous, deciphering the extent of terrestrial contamination remains an issue. The Ryugu asteroid fragments (JAXA Hayabusa2 mission), represent the most uncontaminated primitive extraterrestrial material available. Here, the concentrations of amino acids from two particles from different touchdown sites (TD1 and TD2) are reported. The concentrations show that N,N-dimethylglycine (DMG) is the most abundant amino acid in the TD1 particle, but below detection limit in the other. The TD1 particle mineral components indicate it experienced more aqueous alteration. Furthermore, the relationships between the amino acids and the geochemistry suggest that DMG formed on the Ryugu progenitor body during aqueous alteration. The findings highlight the importance of aqueous chemistry for defining the ultimate concentrations of amino acids in primitive extraterrestrial samples.

Chondrule-like objects and Ca-Al-rich inclusions in Ryugu may potentially be the oldest Solar System materials.

Chondrule-like objects and Ca-Al-rich inclusions (CAIs) are discovered in the retuned samples from asteroid Ryugu. Here we report results of oxygen isotope, mineralogical, and compositional analysis of the chondrule-like objects and CAIs. Three chondrule-like objects dominated by Mg-rich olivine are 16O-rich and -poor with Δ17O (=δ17O - 0.52 × Î´18O) values of ~ -23‰ and ~ -3‰, resembling what has been proposed as early generations of chondrules. The 16O-rich objects are likely to be melted amoeboid olivine aggregates that escaped from incorporation into 16O-poor chondrule precursor dust. Two CAIs composed of refractory minerals are 16O-rich with Δ17O of ~ -23‰ and possibly as old as the oldest CAIs. The discovered objects (<30 µm) are as small as those from comets, suggesting radial transport favoring smaller objects from the inner solar nebula to the formation location of the Ryugu original parent body, which is farther from the Sun and scarce in chondrules. The transported objects may have been mostly destroyed during aqueous alteration in the Ryugu parent body.

Uracil in the carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu.

The pristine sample from the near-Earth carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu collected by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft enabled us to analyze the pristine extraterrestrial material without uncontrolled exposure to the Earth's atmosphere and biosphere. The initial analysis team for the soluble organic matter reported the detection of wide variety of organic molecules including racemic amino acids in the Ryugu samples. Here we report the detection of uracil, one of the four nucleobases in ribonucleic acid, in aqueous extracts from Ryugu samples. In addition, nicotinic acid (niacin, a B3 vitamer), its derivatives, and imidazoles were detected in search for nitrogen heterocyclic molecules. The observed difference in the concentration of uracil between A0106 and C0107 may be related to the possible differences in the degree of alteration induced by energetic particles such as ultraviolet photons and cosmic rays. The present study strongly suggests that such molecules of prebiotic interest commonly formed in carbonaceous asteroids including Ryugu and were delivered to the early Earth.

Chemical evolution of primordial salts and organic sulfur molecules in the asteroid 162173 Ryugu.

Samples from the carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu provide information on the chemical evolution of organic molecules in the early solar system. Here we show the element partitioning of the major component ions by sequential extractions of salts, carbonates, and phyllosilicate-bearing fractions to reveal primordial brine composition of the primitive asteroid. Sodium is the dominant electrolyte of the salt fraction extract. Anions and NH4+ are more abundant in the salt fraction than in the carbonate and phyllosilicate fractions, with molar concentrations in the order SO42- > Cl- > S2O32- > NO3- > NH4+. The salt fraction extracts contain anionic soluble sulfur-bearing species such as Sn-polythionic acids (n < 6), Cn-alkylsulfonates, alkylthiosulfonates, hydroxyalkylsulfonates, and hydroxyalkylthiosulfonates (n < 7). The sulfur-bearing soluble compounds may have driven the molecular evolution of prebiotic organic material transforming simple organic molecules into hydrophilic, amphiphilic, and refractory S allotropes.

Soluble organic matter Molecular atlas of Ryugu reveals cold hydrothermalism on C-type asteroid parent body.

The sample from the near-Earth carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu is analyzed in the context of carbonaceous meteorites soluble organic matter. The analysis of soluble molecules of samples collected by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft shines light on an extremely high molecular diversity on the C-type asteroid. Sequential solvent extracts of increasing polarity of Ryugu samples are analyzed using mass spectrometry with complementary ionization methods and structural information confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Here we show a continuum in the molecular size and polarity, and no organomagnesium molecules are detected, reflecting a low temperature and water-rich environment on the parent body approving earlier mineralogical and chemical data. High abundance of sulfidic and nitrogen rich compounds as well as high abundance of ammonium ions confirm the water processing. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are also detected in a structural continuum of carbon saturations and oxidations, implying multiple origins of the observed organic complexity, thus involving generic processes such as earlier carbonization and serpentinization with successive low temperature aqueous alteration.

Visualization of nanoscale magnetic domain states in the asteroid Ryugu.

In the samples collected from the asteroid Ryugu, magnetite displays natural remanent magnetization due to nebular magnetic field, whereas contemporaneously grown iron sulfide does not display stable remanent magnetization. To clarify this counterintuitive feature, we observed their nanoscale magnetic domain structures using electron holography and found that framboidal magnetites have an external magnetic field of 300 A m-1, similar to the bulk value, and its magnetic stability was enhanced by interactions with neighboring magnetites, permitting a disk magnetic field to be recorded. Micrometer-sized pyrrhotite showed a multidomain magnetic structure that was unable to retain natural remanent magnetization over a long time due to short relaxation time of magnetic-domain-wall movement, whereas submicron-sized sulfides formed a nonmagnetic phase. These results show that both magnetite and sulfide could have formed simultaneously during the aqueous alteration in the parent body of the asteroid Ryugu.

Reassigning CI chondrite parent bodies based on reflectance spectroscopy of samples from carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu and meteorites.

The carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu has been explored by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft to elucidate the actual nature of hydrous asteroids. Laboratory analyses revealed that the samples from Ryugu are comparable to unheated CI carbonaceous chondrites; however, reflectance spectra of Ryugu samples and CIs do not coincide. Here, we demonstrate that Ryugu sample spectra are reproduced by heating Orgueil CI chondrite at 300°C under reducing conditions, which caused dehydration of terrestrial weathering products and reduction of iron in phyllosilicates. Terrestrial weathering of CIs accounts for the spectral differences between Ryugu sample and CIs, which is more severe than space weathering that likely explains those between asteroid Ryugu and the collected samples. Previous assignments of CI chondrite parent bodies, i.e., chemically most primitive objects in the solar system, are based on the spectra of CI chondrites. This study indicates that actual spectra of CI parent bodies are much darker and flatter at ultraviolet to visible wavelengths than the spectra of CI chondrites.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in samples of Ryugu formed in the interstellar medium.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contain ≲20% of the carbon in the interstellar medium. They are potentially produced in circumstellar environments (at temperatures ≳1000 kelvin), by reactions within cold (~10 kelvin) interstellar clouds, or by processing of carbon-rich dust grains. We report isotopic properties of PAHs extracted from samples of the asteroid Ryugu and the meteorite Murchison. The doubly-13C substituted compositions (Δ2×13C values) of the PAHs naphthalene, fluoranthene, and pyrene are 9 to 51‰ higher than values expected for a stochastic distribution of isotopes. The Δ2×13C values are higher than expected if the PAHs formed in a circumstellar environment, but consistent with formation in the interstellar medium. By contrast, the PAHs phenanthrene and anthracene in Ryugu samples have Δ2×13C values consistent with formation by higher-temperature reactions.

Plastid proteins crucial for symbiotic fungal and bacterial entry into plant roots.

The roots of most higher plants form arbuscular mycorrhiza, an ancient, phosphate-acquiring symbiosis with fungi, whereas only four related plant orders are able to engage in the evolutionary younger nitrogen-fixing root-nodule symbiosis with bacteria. Plant symbioses with bacteria and fungi require a set of common signal transduction components that redirect root cell development. Here we present two highly homologous genes from Lotus japonicus, CASTOR and POLLUX, that are indispensable for microbial admission into plant cells and act upstream of intracellular calcium spiking, one of the earliest plant responses to symbiotic stimulation. Surprisingly, both twin proteins are localized in the plastids of root cells, indicating a previously unrecognized role of this ancient endosymbiont in controlling intracellular symbioses that evolved more recently.

Spectrally blue hydrated parent body of asteroid (162173) Ryugu.

Ryugu is a carbonaceous rubble-pile asteroid visited by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft. Small rubble pile asteroids record the thermal evolution of their much larger parent bodies. However, recent space weathering and/or solar heating create ambiguities between the uppermost layer observable by remote-sensing and the pristine material from the parent body. Hayabusa2 remote-sensing observations find that on the asteroid (162173) Ryugu both north and south pole regions preserve the material least processed by space weathering, which is spectrally blue carbonaceous chondritic material with a 0-3% deep 0.7-µm band absorption, indicative of Fe-bearing phyllosilicates. Here we report that spectrally blue Ryugu's parent body experienced intensive aqueous alteration and subsequent thermal metamorphism at 570-670 K (300-400 °C), suggesting that Ryugu's parent body was heated by radioactive decay of short-lived radionuclides possibly because of its early formation 2-2.5 Ma. The samples being brought to Earth by Hayabusa2 will give us our first insights into this epoch in solar system history.

Gibberellin controls the nodulation signaling pathway in Lotus japonicus.

Root nodule formation is regulated by several plant hormones, but the details of the regulation of the nodulation signaling pathway are largely unknown. In this study, the role of gibberellin (GA) in the control of root nodule symbiosis was investigated at the physiological and genetic levels in Lotus japonicus. Exogenous application of biologically active GA, GA(3), inhibited the formation of infection threads and nodules, which was counteracted by the application of a biosynthesis inhibitor of GA, Uniconazole P. Nod factor-induced root hair deformation was severely blocked in the presence of GA, which was phenocopied by nsp2 mutants. The number of spontaneous nodules triggered by the gain-of-function mutation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase (CCaMK) or the lotus histidine kinase 1 (LHK1) was decreased upon the addition of GA; moreover, the overexpression of the gain-of-function mutation of L. japonicus, SLEEPY1, a positive regulator of GA signaling, resulted in a reduced nodule number, without other aspects of root development being affected. These results indicate that higher GA signaling levels specifically inhibit the nodulation signaling pathway. Nod factor-dependent induction of NSP2 and NIN was inhibited by exogenous GA. Furthermore, the cytokinin-dependent induction of NIN was suppressed by GA. From these results, we conclude that GA inhibits the nodulation signaling pathway downstream of cytokinin, possibly at NSP2, which is required for Nod factor-dependent NIN expression. These results clarify the roles of GA in the nodulation signaling pathway, and in relation to the cytokinin signaling pathway for nodulation in L. japonicus.

Interval between endoscopic surgery and decreased intracranial pressure related to putaminal hemorrhage prognosis.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic evacuation of a putaminal hemorrhage is effective and minimally invasive; however, it may not result in sufficient brain decompression. While monitoring postoperative intracranial pressure (ICP) is likely useful, specific ICP data in patients with a putaminal hemorrhage are limited. The aim of this study was to determine the association between postoperative ICP and the prognosis of patients with putaminal hemorrhage after endoscopic surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 24 consecutive patients with a putaminal hemorrhage in whom ICP monitoring after endoscopic surgery was performed. Clinical data regarding hematoma volume, evacuation rate, onset-to-treatment time, operation time, ICP max, ICP peak out time (T peak out), and neurological outcomes on discharge were investigated. RESULTS: From August 2011 to October 2015, 24 patients with a putaminal hemorrhage were analyzed. Consciousness on admission and hemorrhage volume were associated with poor outcomes after endoscopic surgery for putaminal hemorrhage. The hematoma volume, operation time, and evacuation rate of hemorrhage were correlated to early peak out of ICP. Furthermore, a T peak out ≤24 h was significantly associated with good neurological outcomes on discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that early peak out (≤24 h) of ICP after endoscopic surgery is predictive of a good prognosis following putaminal hemorrhage. Operation time and evacuation rate of hemorrhage could hasten peak out of ICP and improve outcomes in patients with a putaminal hemorrhage after endoscopic surgery.

Histological analysis of infiltrating macrophages in the cerebral aneurysm walls.

A series of recent evidences suggested activated macrophages have broadly two distinct forms that possess opposite functions for the process of inflammation: classically activated macrophages (M1/kill macrophages) and alternatively activated macrophages (M2/repair macrophages) according to their functions and expression markers. To elucidate what roles those two phenotypes of macrophages play in the evolution of cerebral aneurysm, the presence of macrophages inside the aneurysm walls was assessed with an immunohistochemical approach. The portions of the aneurysm domes deflated after neck clipping were utilized for the further histological examinations, including immunostainings with five antibodies to identify macrophage subpopulations. In this study, contrary to the previous reports, the following various ratios of subtypes were observed in the aneurysm walls: M1 > M2 (2 cases), M1 < M2 (2 cases), M1 = M2 (3 cases). While M1-like macrophages have been typically regarded as a main driver of the degenerating process, these surprisingly richer presences of M2-like macrophages in the aneurysm walls suggests that an unrecognized biological process might be in play in aneurysm development.

Valsartan in a Japanese population with hypertension and other cardiovascular disease (Jikei Heart Study): a randomised, open-label, blinded endpoint morbidity-mortality study.

BACKGROUND: Drugs that inhibit the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system benefit patients at risk for or with existing cardiovascular disease. However, evidence for this effect in Asian populations is scarce. We aimed to investigate whether addition of an angiotensin receptor blocker, valsartan, to conventional cardiovascular treatment was effective in Japanese patients with cardiovascular disease. METHODS: We initiated a multicentre, prospective, randomised controlled trial of 3081 Japanese patients, aged 20-79 years, (mean 65 [SD 10] years) who were undergoing conventional treatment for hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart failure, or a combination of these disorders. In addition to conventional treatment, patients were assigned either to valsartan (40-160 mg per day) or to other treatment without angiotensin receptor blockers. Our primary endpoint was a composite of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Analysis was by intention to treat. The study was registered at clintrials.gov with the identifier NCT00133328. FINDINGS: After a median follow-up of 3.1 years (range 1-3.9) the primary endpoint was recorded in fewer individuals given valsartan than in controls (92 vs 149; absolute risk 21.3 vs 34.5 per 1000 patient years; hazard ratio 0.61, 95% CI 0.47-0.79, p=0.0002). This difference was mainly attributable to fewer incidences of stroke and transient ischaemic attack (29 vs 48; 0.60, 0.38-0.95, p=0.028), angina pectoris (19 vs 53; 0.35, 0.20-0.58, p<0.0001), and heart failure (19 vs 36; 0.53, 0.31-0.94, p=0.029) in those given valsartan than in the control group. Mortality or tolerability did not differ between groups. INTERPRETATION: The addition of valsartan to conventional treatment prevented more cardiovascular events than supplementary conventional treatment. These benefits cannot be entirely explained by a difference in blood pressure control.