Zooplankton diversity analysis through single-gene sequencing of a community sample

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Oceans cover more than 70% of the earth's surface and are critical for the homeostasis of the environment. Among the components of the ocean ecosystem, zooplankton play vital roles in energy and matter transfer through the system. Despite their importance, understanding of zooplankton biodiversity is limited because of their fragile nature, small body size, and the large number of species from various taxonomic phyla. Here we present the results of single-gene zooplankton community analysis using a method that determines a large number of mitochondrial <it>COI </it>gene sequences from a bulk zooplankton sample. This approach will enable us to estimate the species richness of almost the entire zooplankton community.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A sample was collected from a depth of 721 m to the surface in the western equatorial Pacific off Pohnpei Island, Micronesia, with a plankton net equipped with a 2-m²mouth opening. A total of 1,336 mitochondrial <it>COI </it>gene sequences were determined from the cDNA library made from the sample. From the determined sequences, the occurrence of 189 species of zooplankton was estimated. BLASTN search results showed high degrees of similarity (>98%) between the query and database for 10 species, including holozooplankton and merozooplankton.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In conjunction with the Census of Marine Zooplankton and Barcode of Life projects, single-gene zooplankton community analysis will be a powerful tool for estimating the species richness of zooplankton communities.</p

Quantitative analysis of agglomerates levitated from particle layers in a strong electric field

The electrification, agglomeration, and levitation of particles in a strong electric field were analyzed experimentally and theoretically. Particle layers of glass, alumina, and ferrite were formed on a plate electrode and an external voltage was applied. Microscopic observations of the agglomerates levitated from the particle layers revealed that the number of primary particles constituting an agglomerate is affected by particle diameter and electrical resistance, but not by the applied electric field. The electric field distributions in the system were calculated by considering the charges and geometries of the agglomerates formed on the particle layers. The charges of the agglomerates were obtained experimentally. All forces acting on the agglomerates (i.e., gravitational forces, Coulomb forces, interaction forces between polarized particles, image forces, and gradient forces) were analyzed under different conditions, including various electric field distributions and charges of agglomerates. Furthermore, the critical conditions for the levitation of the agglomerates were evaluated using a force balance

桃山茶陶と近代陶芸の研究 [論文要旨及び審査の要旨]

関西大

The Roots of Connoisseurship

The custom of drinking tea, which is thought to have become popular from the end of the Heian period, is still with us to this day, even although its form has undergone a number of changes along the way. Among the various customs of drinking tea that have continued over this period of time, two that should be considered in particular are tocha and wabisuki no cha, which became popular in the Muromachi Period. For many years, the roots of wabisuki no cha were thought to have originated in tea placed on the large utensil stand found in shoinzukuri-type architecture, but that theory has now been rejected. Instead, as has been discovered in subsequent research, the theory today is that the origins lie in the common tea peddlers (ippuku issen) that arose in the early Muromachi period. It should be considered the tea that arose from the living rooms that were the private spaces of the Muromachi era. Through an analysis of the emaki picture scrolls from the Muromachi period entitled Muromachi-Dono Gyoko Okazariki, this paper revisits the idea that tea in actuality arose from the private spaces for tea connoisseurship in the Muromachi period.東アジアの言語と表象 (East Asian languages and Representations

桃山茶陶と近代陶芸の研究

関西大

About the influence of the continental ceramic in early Satsuma ware

At the end of the 16th century, after the War of Bunroku-Keicho (The Imjin War,文禄・慶長の役), the production of new ceramics began in many places in Japan. Satsuma ware (薩摩焼) is one of them. Potters who was taken by Japanese Daimyo from Korean Peninsula was ordered to produce new ceramics in Japan. Therefore,it is natural to be influenced by the Korean tea bowl (高麗茶碗). But, a part of early Satsuma ware,it is remaining to be influenced by the Chinese celadon (中国青磁), or the Korean celadon (高麗青磁). This paper examines the reason why a part of early Satsuma ware was influenced by the continental ceramics, and the background of the production of them in early Satsuma ware.中谷伸生教授古稀記念

Ceramics Made by Kawakita Handeishi

In the early modern period, the situation concerning traditional culture in Japan transformed rapidly in the face of the new Meiji era. The tea ceremony, which had barely survived through strong ties with the old powers, temporarily declined and had to wait for the appearance of people called men of refined tastes in order to be revitalized as it is today. In addition to collecting antiques that had been left untouched in the homes of former daimyo families, people called men of refined tastes collected these art items when they were put on sale. When Arakawa Toyozo discovered Shino-yaki pottery pieces at Mino-Okaya in 1930, the excavation of the pottery pieces that had not been focused upon until then facilitated a new interest in Momoyama pottery. But because the interest of the public focused only on antiques, those that were made at that time never sold. Therefore, Arakawa, Kato Tokuro, and others who were the descendants of potters, engaged in the making of pottery in Mino and Seto, and worked vigorously to restore traditional Momoyama pottery in the Showa era. On the other hand, the person who challenged traditional Momoyama pottery for different reasons is Kawakita Handeishi. Handeishi was born in a wealthy house of Mie Prefecture and was involved in various projects, he studied under Hisada Soya who mastered of the tea ceremony of Omote-senke and mastered it. Despite being successful as a businessman and being on a wealthy person, he did not show much interest in collecting antiques. Also, based on the excavated pottery pieces and art objects that had been passed down, Arakawa and others spent their lives creating their own individual style of tea bowls rather than engaging in making copies, to produce tea bowls from which they themselves wanted to drink. This paper examines how Handeishi came to be involved in the making of pottery, his philosophy of pottery creation, and the qualities seen in his works in order to position Handeishi in the history of pottery-making and to identify the role he played as the progenitor of future pottery creations.文部科学省グローバルCOEプログラム 関西大学文化交渉学教育研究拠点[東アジアの言語と表象

Revival of Shinoware in the Shōwa period: Focusing on Arakawa Toyozō and Katō Tōkurō

At the end of the 16th century, in the Momoyama period (1582～1615), the production of ceramics began in a new place in Japan. Of these, in Minoyō （美濃窯）, Kiseto （黄瀬戸）, Setoguro （瀬戸黒）, Shino （志野）, Oribe （織部）, for example, new forms of tea bowls and tableware were produced. From Karatsu （唐津） was introduced a climbing kiln （登り窯）. Minoyō achieved a stunning development in such ceramics compared with other kiln locates. However, demand decreased because of changes in the style of the tea ceremony. The Shino, Oribe in Minoyō did not last long, and were eventually and forgotten. In the Shōwa period (1926～1989), there were ceramic artists who strove to restore Shinoware. Their names were Arakawa Toyozō （荒川豊蔵） and Katō Tōkurō（加藤唐九郎）. Arakawa Toyozō was born in Mino, and after having seen the Tamagawa bowl （玉川） from Shino held by the Sekido clan, discovered a ceramic fragment from Momoyama Shino in the mountains of ōkaya （大萱）. After discovery, Arakawa spent the rest of his restoring Momoyama Shino ceramics. Katō Tōkurō was born in Seto （瀬戸）. He acquired book of secrets from Katō Shuntai （加藤春岱）, who had made Shinoware at the end of the Edo period (1603～1872). Further, Tōkurō learned from Katō Bakutai（加藤麦袋） how to create Shinoware and began making it in earnest. Of the ceramics Tōkurō produced, Shinoware was the only style he continued to make his entire life. This paper examines the process by which Arakawa and Tōkurō restored Momoyama Shinoware, which had been forgotten for a long time, and from their ceramic works, also considers future restoration of Momoyama Shino ceramics.文部科学省グローバルCOEプログラム 関西大学文化交渉学教育研究拠点[東アジアの言語と表象

Silicate Microfiber Scaffolds Support the Formation and Expansion of the Cortical Neuronal Layer of Cerebral Organoids With a Sheet-Like Configuration

Terada Eisaku, Bamba Yohei, Takagaki Masatoshi, et al. Silicate Microfiber Scaffolds Support the Formation and Expansion of the Cortical Neuronal Layer of Cerebral Organoids With a Sheet-Like Configuration. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 9, 519 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1093/stcltm/szad066.Cerebral organoids (COs) are derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells in vitro and mimic the features of the human fetal brain. The development of COs is largely dependent on “self-organization” mechanisms, in which differentiating cells committed to cortical cells autonomously organize into the cerebral cortex-like tissue. However, extrinsic manipulation of their morphology, including size and thickness, remains challenging. In this study, we discovered that silicate microfiber scaffolds could support the formation of cortical neuronal layers and successfully generated cortical neuronal layers, which are 9 times thicker than conventional COs, in 70 days. These cortical neurons in the silicate microfiber layer were differentiated in a fetal brain-like lamination pattern. While these cellular characteristics such as cortical neurons and neural stem/progenitor cells were like those of conventional COs, the cortical neuronal layers were greatly thickened in sheet-like configuration. Moreover, the cortical neurons in the scaffolds showed spontaneous electrical activity. We concluded that silicate microfiber scaffolds support the formation of the cortical neuronal layers of COs without disturbing self-organization-driven corticogenesis. The extrinsic manipulation of the formation of the cortical neuronal layers of COs may be useful for the research of developmental mechanisms or pathogenesis of the human cerebral cortex, particularly for the development of regenerative therapy and bioengineering

Application of a new microcantilever biosensor resonating at the air–liquid interface for direct insulin detection and continuous monitoring of enzymatic reactions

Here we describe the application of a recently developed high-resolution microcantilever biosensor resonating at the air–liquid interface for the continuous detection of antigen–antibody and enzyme–substrate interactions. The cantilever at the air–liquid interface demonstrated 50% higher quality factor and a 5.7-fold increase in signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) compared with one immersed in the purified water. First, a label-free detection of a low molecular weight protein (insulin, 5.8 kDa) in physiological concentration was demonstrated. The liquid facing side of the cantilever was functionalized by coating its surface with insulin antibodies, while the opposite side was exposed to air. The meniscus membrane at the micro-slit around the cantilever sustained the liquid in the microchannel. After optimizing the process of surface functionalization, the resonance frequency shift was successfully measured for insulin solutions of 0.4, 2.0, and 6.3 ng ml^(−1). To demonstrate additional application of the device for monitoring enzymatic protein degradation, the liquid facing microcantilever surface was coated with human recombinant SOD1 (superoxide dismutase 1) and exposed to various concentrations of proteinase K solution, and the kinetics of the SOD1 digestion was continuously monitored. The results showed that it is a suitable tool for sensitive protein detection and analysis