Eye contrast polarity is critical for face recognition by infants

Just as faces share the same basic arrangement of features, with two eyes above a nose above a mouth, human eyes all share the same basic contrast polarity relations, with a sclera lighter than an iris and a pupil, and this is unique among primates. The current study examined whether this bright-dark relationship of sclera to iris plays a critical role in face recognition from early in development. Specifically, we tested face discrimination in 7- and 8-month-old infants while independently manipulating the contrast polarity of the eye region and of the rest of the face. This gave four face contrast polarity conditions: fully positive condition, fully negative condition, positive face with negated eyes ( negative eyes ) condition, and negated face with positive eyes ( positive eyes ) condition. In a familiarization and novelty preference procedure, we found that 7- and 8-month-olds could discriminate between faces only when the contrast polarity of the eyes was preserved (positive) and that this did not depend on the contrast polarity of the rest of the face. This demonstrates the critical role of eye contrast polarity for face recognition in 7- and 8-month-olds and is consistent with previous findings for adults

ゴウニチ ナンキョク キョウドウ ケンキュウ ニ カンスル ワークショップ ノ ホウコク オヨビ ソノ カンレン セイカ

2008年6月豪日両首相による共同宣言の中で豪日の南極研究協力の重要性がうたわれたことを受け,2009 年9 月9?11 日および2012 年12 月1 日に国立極地研究所において第一回および第二回豪日南極研究合同ワークショップが開催された.一連のワークショップは南極研究における豪日共同研究を効果的に行うためのプランを議論することにより,将来の豪日双方の国内プロジェクト案に資することを目的とした.The 1st and 2nd Australia─Japan Joint Workshops on Antarctic Science(Sep. 9?11, 2009 and Dec. 1, 2012, respectively) were held at the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR), Tokyo, Japan, after the importance of Australian and Japanese collaboration in Antarctic research was re-affirmed by the Prime Ministers of both countries in a June 2008 joint communique. The purposes of these workshops were to propose a plan to maximize the two countries\u27 Antarctic research efforts and to produce agreed reports to form the basis of the development of future project proposals from each country

Low-molecular weight fractions of Japanese soy sauce act as a RAGE antagonist via inhibition of RAGE trafficking to lipid rafts

Advanced glycation end-products (AGE) have been implicated in aging and the pathogenesis of diabetic complications, inflammation, Alzheimer\u27s disease, and cancer. AGE engage the cell surface receptor for AGE (RAGE), which in turn elicits intracellular signaling, leading to activation of NF-κB to cause deterioration of tissue homeostasis. AGE are not only formed within our bodies but are also derived from foods, endowing them with flavor. In the present study, we assessed the agonistic/antagonistic effects of food-derived AGE on RAGE signaling in a reporter assay system and found that low-molecular weight AGE can antagonize the action of AGE-BSA. Foods tested were Japanese soy sauce, coffee, cola, and red wine, all of which showed fluorescence characteristics of AGE. Soy sauce and coffee contained Nε-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML). Soy sauce, coffee, and red wine inhibited the RAGE ligand-induced activation of NF-κB, whereas cola had no effect on the ligand induction of NF-κB. The liquids were then fractionated into high-molecular weight (HMW) fractions and low-molecular weight (LMW) fractions. Soy sauce-, coffee-, and red wine-derived LMW fractions consistently inhibited the RAGE ligand induction of NF-κB, whereas the HMW fractions of these foods activated RAGE signaling. Using the LMW fraction of soy sauce as a model food-derived RAGE antagonist, we performed a plate-binding assay and found that the soy sauce LMW fractions competitively inhibited AGE-RAGE association. Further, this fraction significantly reduced AGE-dependent monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) secretion from murine peritoneal macrophages. The LMF from soy sauce suppressed the AGE-induced RAGE trafficking to lipid rafts. These results indicate that small components in some, if not all, foods antagonize RAGE signaling and could exhibit beneficial effects on RAGE-related diseases. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry

Report on 1st and 2nd Joint Workshops on Australian and Japanese Collaboration in Antarctic Science and related achievements

The 1st and 2nd Australia─Japan Joint Workshops on Antarctic Science(Sep. 9?11, 2009 and Dec. 1, 2012, respectively) were held at the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR), Tokyo, Japan, after the importance of Australian and Japanese collaboration in Antarctic research was re-affirmed by the Prime Ministers of both countries in a June 2008 joint communique. The purposes of these workshops were to propose a plan to maximize the two countries' Antarctic research efforts and to produce agreed reports to form the basis of the development of future project proposals from each country