Genetic Variation in Quercus acutissima Carruth., in Traditional Japanese Rural Forests and Agricultural Landscapes, Revealed by Chloroplast Microsatellite Markers

uercus acutissima Carruth. is an economically important species that has long been cultivated in Japan, so is a valuable subject for investigating the impact of human activities on genetic variation in trees. In total, 2152 samples from 18 naturally regenerated populations and 28 planted populations in Japan and 13 populations from the northeastern part of Eurasia, near Japan, were analyzed using six maternally inherited chloroplast (cpDNA) simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Although 23 haplotypes were detected in total, both the Japanese natural and artificial populations exhibited much lower genetic diversity than the continental populations. The level of genetic differentiation among natural populations in Japan was also much lower (G’ST = 0.261) than that on the continent (G’ST = 0.856). These results suggest that human activities, such as historical seed transfer, have reduced genetic diversity within and among populations and resulted in a homogeneous genetic structure in Japan. The genetic characteristics of natural and artificial populations of Quercus acutissima in Japan are almost the same and it is likely that most of the natural populations are thought to have originated from individuals that escaped from plantations

Circulating miR-203 derived from metastatic tissues promotes myopenia in colorectal cancer patients

Sarcopenia frequently occurs in metastatic cancer patients. Emerging evidence has revealed that various secretory products from metastatic tumours can influence host organs and promote sarcopenia in patients with malignancies. Furthermore, the biological functions of microRNAs in cell-to-cell communication by incorporating into neighbouring or distal cells, which have been gradually elucidated in various diseases, including sarcopenia, have been elucidated. We evaluated psoas muscle mass index (PMI) and intramuscular adipose tissue content (IMAC) using pre-operative computed tomography imaging in 183 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. miR-203 expression levels in CRC tissues and pre-operative serum were evaluated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Functional analysis of miR-203 overexpression was investigated in human skeletal muscle cells (SkMCs), and cells were analysed for proliferation and apoptosis. Expressions of several putative miR-203 target genes (CASP3, CASP10, BIRC5, BMI1, BIRC2, and BIRC3) in SKMCs were validated. A total of 183 patients (108 men and 75 women) were included. The median age of enrolled patients at diagnosis was 68.0 years (range 35-89 years). High IMAC status significantly correlated with female gender (P = 0.004) and older age (P = 0.0003); however, no other clinicopathological factors correlated with IMAC status in CRC patients. In contrast, decreased PMI significantly correlated with female gender (P = 0.006) and all well-established disease development factors, including advanced T stage (P = 0.035), presence of venous invasion (P = 0.034), lymphovascular invasion (P = 0.012), lymph node (P = 0.001), distant metastasis (P = 0.002), and advanced Union for International Cancer Control tumour-node-metastasis stage classification (P = 0.0004). Although both high IMAC status and low PMI status significantly correlated with poor overall survival (IMAC: P = 0.0002; PMI: P < 0.0001; log-rank test) and disease-free survival (IMAC: P = 0.0003; PMI: P = 0.0002; log-rank test), multivariate Cox's regression analysis revealed that low PMI was an independent prognostic factor for both overall survival (hazard ratio: 4.69, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.19-10, P = 0.0001) and disease-free survival (hazard ratio: 2.33, 95% CI: 1.14-4.77, P = 0.021) in CRC patients. Serum miR-203 expression negatively correlated with pre-operative PMI level (P = 0.0001, ρ = -0.25), and multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that elevated serum miR-203 was an independent risk factor for myopenia (low PMI) in CRC patients (odds ratio: 5.16, 95% CI: 1.8-14.8, P = 0.002). Overexpression of miR-203 inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis via down-regulation of BIRC5 (survivin) expression in human SkMC line. Assessment of serum miR-203 expression could be used for risk assessment of myopenia, and miR-203 might be a novel therapeutic target for inhibition of myopenia in CRC

Effect of the lateral growth rate on wood properties in fast-growing hardwood species

We investigated the feasibility of using several fast- growing tropical or subtropical hardwood species for timber production by measuring key wood qualities in relationship to the high rates of lateral growth. The trees tested were sampled from even-aged plantations of Acacia mangium, A. auriculiformis, hybrid Acacia(A.mangium × A. auriculiformis), Eucalyptus grandis, E. globulus, and Paraserianthes falcataria (Solomon and Java origin) that had already reached commercial harvesting age. The released strain of the surface growth stress (RS), xylem density (XD), microfibril angle (MFA), and fiber length (FL) were measured at the outermost part of the xylem at breast height in each tree. Results were then compared to the lateral growth rate (radius/age) at breast height, which provides a relative indicator of the amount of tree growth per year. Our findings indicated that RS was constant, regardless of lateral growth rate in each species. Similar results were observed for XD, MFA, and FL, with a few exceptions, suggesting that high growth rates do not intrinsically affect the wood properties of fast-growing tropical or subtropical species that have reached harvesting age. However, special attention must be paid to patterns of xylem maturation when developing plantations of such species

Research and Design of a Routing Protocol in Large-Scale Wireless Sensor Networks

无线传感器网络，作为全球未来十大技术之一，集成了传感器技术、嵌入式计算技术、分布式信息处理和自组织网技术，可实时感知、采集、处理、传输网络分布区域内的各种信息数据，在军事国防、生物医疗、环境监测、抢险救灾、防恐反恐、危险区域远程控制等领域具有十分广阔的应用前景。 本文研究分析了无线传感器网络的已有路由协议，并针对大规模的无线传感器网络设计了一种树状路由协议，它根据节点地址信息来形成路由，从而简化了复杂繁冗的路由表查找和维护，节省了不必要的开销，提高了路由效率，实现了快速有效的数据传输。 为支持此路由协议本文提出了一种自适应动态地址分配算——ADAR（AdaptiveDynamicAddre...As one of the ten high technologies in the future, wireless sensor network, which is the integration of micro-sensors, embedded computing, modern network and Ad Hoc technologies, can apperceive, collect, process and transmit various information data within the region. It can be used in military defense, biomedical, environmental monitoring, disaster relief, counter-terrorism, remote control of haz...学位：工学硕士院系专业：信息科学与技术学院通信工程系_通信与信息系统学号：2332007115216

Genetics and Improvement of Forest Trees

Forest tree improvement has mainly been implemented to enhance the productivity of artificial forests [...

Differences in the components of metabolic syndrome by age and sex: a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of a cohort of middle-aged and older Japanese adults

Abstract Background The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Japan, a super-aged society, is increasing and poses a major public health issue. Several studies have reported sex differences in the association between age and MetS prevalence. This study aimed to examine the association between age and the prevalence of MetS based on multiple screening criteria and MetS components by sex. Methods We used 6 years of individual-level longitudinal follow-up data (June 2012 to November 2018; checkup year: 2012–2017) of middle-aged and older adults aged 40–75 years in Japan (N = 161,735). The Joint Interim Statement criteria, International Diabetes Federation criteria, and another set of criteria excluding central obesity were used as the screening criteria for MetS. The prevalence of MetS and MetS components was cross-sectionally analyzed according to sex and age. A longitudinal association analysis of age, MetS, and MetS components by sex was performed using a multilevel logistic model, adjusted for lifestyle- and regional-related factors. Results Sex differences were observed in the prevalence and association of MetS and MetS components. In all age groups, the prevalence of central obesity was higher among women, and the prevalence of high blood pressure and fasting glucose was higher among men (P  60 years (P  55 years (P < 0.001). Men had a higher prevalence of MetS without central obesity than women in all age groups (P < 0.001). The odds ratio for MetS and MetS components with aging was greater among women than in men. Conclusions Medical management should be based on the prevalence of MetS and its components according to sex and age. In particular, the high prevalence of MetS without central obesity in middle-aged and older Japanese men suggests that the adoption of the Joint Interim Statement criteria, which do not precondition central obesity, should be considered

Review of Techniques for Establishing Mixed Forests of Planted Coniferous and Natural-regenerated Broad-leaved Trees in the Forest Region of Northeast China

中国東北地方の森林地帯での植栽された針葉樹類と天然更新広葉樹類の混交林造成技術について議論した。その結果，混交林を造成する方法としては，(1)広葉樹が更新して生育している林分では針葉樹の部分植栽とそのあと地への広葉樹の部分保留を行う；(2)広葉樹が更新しておらず，林地および近接地に種子源となる広葉樹が存在する場合は，針葉樹の植栽と天然更新による広葉樹の導入を行う；(3)針葉樹人工林分では，針葉樹植栽木の一部を伐採し，そのあと地に広葉樹を天然更新により導入するの，3つの方法に大別された。Techniques for establishing mixed forests of planted coniferous trees and naturally regenerated broad-leaved trees in the eastern forest region of Northeast China were reviewed. There are three methods for establishing mixed forests: by partly planting coniferous trees and partly reserving broad-leaved trees on sites where there are naturally regenerated and/or ready-grown broad-leaved trees; by partly planting coniferous trees and introducing broad-leaved trees into the planted coniferous stand by natural regeneration on sites without broad-leaved trees but with seed sources nearby; and by thinning coniferous plantations and introducing broad-leaved trees into the thinned stand by natural regeneration

In Vitro Plantlet Regeneration of Paraserianthes falcataria (L..) Nielsen

Plantlets were regenerated in vitro from seedling tissue of Paraserianthes falcataria (L.) Nielsen, which is a fast-growing, tropical tree of the Leguminosae family. Axillary buds and cotyledonary nodes of seedlings that were germinated under aseptic conditions were used as explants. Various concentrations of BAP were added to three kinds of basic media, WPM, B5 and MS, in order to find a suitable medium for shoot proliferation. Shoot induction was seen in all combinations of culture medium. When axillary buds were used as explants, the greatest number of shoots developed (4.2 per explant) when the explants were cultured on B5 medium with 0.22mg/l BAP. When cotyledonary nodes were used as explants, many shoots were induced (5.4 to 5.7 per explant) on B5 medium with 0.22mg/l to 0.44mg/l of BAP. Although shoot elongation in axillary buds and cotyledonary nodes was most pronounced on hormone-free medium, few shoots per explant were induced. When shoots elongated to 0.5cm or more were cultivated on a hormone-free MS medium, 90% of the shoots rooted. All plantlets cultivated for six weeks on rooting medium survived transplantation and acclimatization to vermiculite-filled pots.熱帯産マメ科早生樹であるParaserianthes falcataria (L.) Nielsenの芽生えの組織から，試験管内で植物体を再生させた。外植体として，無菌発芽させた芽生えの腋芽と子葉節を用いた。WPM，B5，MSの3種類の基本培地にBAPを様々な濃度で添加し，シュートの増殖に適した培地を検索した。すべての組み合わせの培地でシュートの発生が見られた。腋芽を外植体とした場合は，B5培地にBAPを0.22mg/l添加した培地でもっとも多くのシュート（外植体1つ当たり4.2本）が見られた。子葉節を外植体とした場合には，B5培地にBAPを0.22mg/lから0.44mg/l添加した培地で，多くのシュート（外植体1つ当たり5.4本から5.7本）ができた。外植体が腋芽と子葉節のどちらの時にも，3種類の基本培地すべてで，ホルモンフリーの時にシュートの成長がもっともよかったが，外植体当たりのシュートの数は少なかった。0.5cm以上に伸長したシュートをホルモンフリーのMS培地で培養したところ，90％のシュートが発根した。バーミキュライトを入れたポットに発根培地で6週間培養した幼植物体を移植し順化したところ，すべての植物体が生存した

Encapsulation of Axillary Buds of Gmelina arborea Roxb. and Peronema canescens Jack.

This study developed a method of synthetic seed formation by encapsulating axillary buds from in vitro grown plantlets of two fast-growing tropical tree species, Gmelina arborea and Peronema canescens, under aseptic conditions. MS medium containing plant growth regulators (0.22 mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine, 0.02 mg/l α-naphthylacetic acid, and 1.00 mg/l 3-indolebuthylic acid) and different concentrations of sucrose (3, 6, 12, 24, and 36%) were used as the encapsulation medium in combination with 4% (w/v) sodium alginate. Nodal segments of plantlets were encapsulated with calcium alginate gel. Synthetic seeds were cultured on five types of agar medium containing different shoot sprouting components. Both G. arborea and P. canescens were successfully sprouted from axillary buds in any combination of encapsulation medium and shoot elongation medium after 6 weeks of culture. The MS shoot sprouting medium containing plant growth regulators and 3% sucrose appeared to be suitable for sprouting G. arborea shoots. Shoot sprouting of P. canescens was prominent on medium containing only plant growth regulators, indicating that a continuous supply of plant growth regulators is necessary for P. canescens shoot sprouting. Shoot elongation in G. arborea was promoted at lower sucrose concentrations in the encapsulation medium, whereas that of P. canescens was promoted at higher sucrose concentrations. Plants of these species were established within 1 month by transplanting the elongated shoots into vermiculite. When synthetic seeds were stored at different temperatures (4 10, 15, 20, and 25°C) and for different durations (1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks), they were successfully preserved at all combinations of temperature and duration except for those stored at 4°C. Preserved G. arborea synthetic seeds successfully sprouted shoots in a succeeding culture at 25°C, whereas P. canescens synthetic seeds did not sprout, although the explants remained green in color.二種の熱帯早生樹, Gmelina arboreaとPeronema canescensの培養中の幼植物体の腋芽部分をカプセル化して人工種子を作成する方法を開発した。植物成長調節物質(0.22mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine, 0.02mg/l α-naphthylacetic acid, 1.00mg/l 3-indolebuthylic acid)と異なる濃度のショ糖(3, 6, 12, 24, 36%)を含むMS培地に4%(w/v)のアルギン酸ナトリウムを添加したものをカプセル化培地とし, アルギン酸カルシウムで包まれた人工種子を作成した。人工種子をシュートの伸長を期待する5種類の培地上で培養したところ, 6週間後には, 両種ともカプセル化培地とシュート伸長培地の特定の組み合わせにおいて, シュートの発生と伸長が見られた。G. arboreaでは，MS培地に成長調節物質とショ糖3%を添加した培地でのシュートの発生が良好であった。P. canescensでは成長調節物質のみを添加した培地でのシュートの発生が良好であった。これは, G. arboreaでは成長調節物質は必ずしも必要ではないが, P. canescensではその補給がシュートの発生に必要なことを示している。シュートの伸長は, G. arboreaではカプセル化培地中のショ糖濃度が低い方で, P. canescensでは高い方でそれぞれ良好であった。人工種子を異なる温度と期間で保存したところ, 4°Cでの保存を除いてすべての組み合わせで保存が可能であった。保存した人工種子を25°Cで培養したところG. arboreaではシュートの発生が見られた。一方, P. canescensでは外植体は緑色を呈していたが, シュートの発生は見られなかった