Summed Probability Distribution of 14C Dates Suggests Regional Divergences in the Population Dynamics of the Jomon Period in Eastern Japan

Recent advances in the use of summed probability distribution (SPD) of calibrated ¹⁴C dates have opened new possibilities for studying prehistoric demography. The degree of correlation between climate change and population dynamics can now be accurately quantified, and divergences in the demographic history of distinct geographic areas can be statistically assessed. Here we contribute to this research agenda by reconstructing the prehistoric population change of Jomon hunter-gatherers between 7,000 and 3,000 cal BP. We collected 1,433 ¹⁴C dates from three different regions in Eastern Japan (Kanto, Aomori and Hokkaido) and established that the observed fluctuations in the SPDs were statistically significant. We also introduced a new non-parametric permutation test for comparing multiple sets of SPDs that highlights point of divergences in the population history of different geographic regions. Our analyses indicate a general rise-and-fall pattern shared by the three regions but also some key regional differences during the 6^th millennium cal BP. The results confirm some of the patterns suggested by previous archaeological studies based on house and site counts but offer statistical significance and an absolute chronological framework that will enable future studies aiming to establish potential correlation with climatic changes.     

Role of hypothalamic orexin neurons in the regulation of arousal according to energy balance

Sleep and Biological Rhythms -     

Establishment and characterization of a clear cell carcinoma cell line,designated NOCC,derived from human ovary

A cell line, designated NOCC, was established from the ascites of a patient with clear cell adenocarcinoma of the ovary. The cell line has been grown without interruption and continuously propagated by serial passaging (more than 76 times) over 7 years. The cells are spherical to polygonal-shaped, display neoplastic, and pleomorphic features, and grow in a jigsaw puzzle-like pattern while forming monolayers without contact inhibition. The cells proliferate rapidly, but are easily floated as a cell sheet. The population doubling time is about 29 h. The number of chromosomes ranges from 60 to 83. The modal number of chromosomes is 70–74 at the 30th passage. NOCC cells secreted 750.5 ng/ml of VEGF over 3 days of culture. Hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is a primary regulator of VEGF under hypoxic conditions. NOCC cells were not sensitive to the anticancer drugs BEV, DOX, GEM, ETP, CDDP, or TXT. The graft of NOCC cells to a scid mouse displayed similar histological aspects to the original tumor. Both the NOCC cells and the graft of the NOCC cells gave a positive PAS reaction.     

Temperature dependence on the pesticide sampling rate of polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS)

Laboratory experiments were performed to determine the sampling rates of pesticides for the polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) used in Japan. The concentrations of pesticides in aquatic environments were estimated from the accumulated amounts of pesticide on POCIS, and the effect of water temperature on the pesticide sampling rates was evaluated. The sampling rates of 48 pesticides at 18, 24, and 30 °C were obtained, and this study confirmed that increasing trend of sampling rates was resulted with increasing water temperature for many pesticides.     

The Inner Nuclear Membrane Protein Bqt4 in Fission Yeast Contains a DNA-Binding Domain Essential for Telomere Association with the Nuclear Envelope

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Establishment of a monoclonal antibody PMab-225 against alpaca podoplanin for immunohistochemical analyses

Podoplanin (PDPN) is known as a lymphatic endothelial cell marker. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against human, mouse, rat, rabbit, dog, cat, bovine, pig, and horse PDPN have been established in our previous studies. However, mAbs against alpaca PDPN (aPDPN), required for immunohistochemical analysis, remain to be developed. In the present study, we employed the Cell-Based Immunization and Screening (CBIS) method for producing anti-aPDPN mAbs. We immunized mice with aPDPN-overexpressing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-K1 cells (CHO/aPDPN), and hybridomas producing mAbs against aPDPN were screened using flow cytometry. One of the mAbs, PMab-225 (IgG_2b, kappa), specifically detected CHO/aPDPN cells via flow cytometry and recognized the aPDPN protein on Western blotting. Further, PMab-225 strongly stained lung type I alveolar cells, colon lymphatic endothelial cells, and kidney podocytes via immunohistochemistry. These findings demonstrate that PMab-225 antibody is useful to investigate the function of aPDPN via different techniques.