| 1. |
- Fujii, Kazumichi, et al.
(author)
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Biodegradation of low molecular weight organic compounds and their contribution to heterotrophic soil respiration in three Japanese forest soils
- 2010
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In: Plant and Soil. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0032-079X .- 1573-5036. ; 334:1-2, s. 475-489
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Low molecular weight (LMW) organic compounds in soil solution could be important substrates for heterotrophic soil respiration. The importance of LMW organic compound mineralization in heterotrophic soil respiration needs to be confirmed for different types of soils. The concentrations of LMW organic compounds in soil solution and mineralization kinetics of C-14-radiolabelled glucose, acetate, oxalate and citrate were studied in three Japanese forest soils (Andisol, Spodosol and Inceptisol) with varying adsorption capacities. Based on those results, the fluxes of LMW organic compound mineralization and their magnitude relative to heterotrophic soil respiration were quantified. Monosaccharides and organic acids comprised on average 5.9-11.2% and 0.9-1.4% of dissolved organic carbon in soil solution, respectively. Monosaccharide mineralization make up 49-74% of heterotrophic (basal) soil respiration at the soil-profile scale, while organic acid mineralization accounts for between 5% (Andisol) and 47-58% (Spodosol and Inceptisol) of heterotrophic soil respiration. The mineralization of LMW organic compounds is a substantial fraction of heterotrophic soil respiration regardless of soil type, owing to their rapid and continuous production and consumption. The specific contribution of organic acid mineralization to heterotrophic soil respiration varies depending on soil adsorption capacities, namely iron and aluminum oxides.
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| 2. |
- Jacoby, Nori, et al.
(author)
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Commonality and variation in mental representations of music revealed by a cross-cultural comparison of rhythm priors in 15 countries
- 2024
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In: Nature Human Behaviour. - : Springer Nature. - 2397-3374. ; 8:5, s. 846-877
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Music is present in every known society but varies from place to place. What, if anything, is universal to music cognition? We measured a signature of mental representations of rhythm in 39 participant groups in 15 countries, spanning urban societies and Indigenous populations. Listeners reproduced random ‘seed’ rhythms; their reproductions were fed back as the stimulus (as in the game of ‘telephone’), such that their biases (the prior) could be estimated from the distribution of reproductions. Every tested group showed a sparse prior with peaks at integer-ratio rhythms. However, the importance of different integer ratios varied across groups, often reflecting local musical practices. Our results suggest a common feature of music cognition: discrete rhythm ‘categories’ at small-integer ratios. These discrete representations plausibly stabilize musical systems in the face of cultural transmission but interact with culture-specific traditions to yield the diversity that is evident when mental representations are probed across many cultures.
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| 3. |
- Ozaki, Yuto, et al.
(author)
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Globally, songs and instrumental melodies are slower and higher and use more stable pitches than speech: A Registered Report
- 2024
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In: Science Advances. - 2375-2548. ; 10:20
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Both music and language are found in all known human societies, yet no studies have compared similarities and differences between song, speech, and instrumental music on a global scale. In this Registered Report, we analyzed two global datasets: (i) 300 annotated audio recordings representing matched sets of traditional songs, recited lyrics, conversational speech, and instrumental melodies from our 75 coauthors speaking 55 languages; and (ii) 418 previously published adult-directed song and speech recordings from 209 individuals speaking 16 languages. Of our six preregistered predictions, five were strongly supported: Relative to speech, songs use (i) higher pitch, (ii) slower temporal rate, and (iii) more stable pitches, while both songs and speech used similar (iv) pitch interval size and (v) timbral brightness. Exploratory analyses suggest that features vary along a “musi-linguistic” continuum when including instrumental melodies and recited lyrics. Our study provides strong empirical evidence of cross-cultural regularities in music and speech.
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| 4. |
- Tanaka, Gen, et al.
(author)
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CXCR4 Stimulates Macropinocytosis : Implications for Cellular Uptake of Arginine-Rich Cell-Penetrating Peptides and HIV
- 2012
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In: Chemistry and Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1074-5521 .- 1879-1301. ; 19:11, s. 1437-1446
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- CXCR4 is a coreceptor of HIV-1 infection in host cells. Through a photocrosslinking study to identify receptors involved in internalization of oligoarginine cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), we found that CXCR4 serves as a receptor that stimulates macropinocytic uptake of the arginine 12-mer peptide (R12) but not of the 8-mer. We also found that stimulating CXCR4 with its intrinsic ligands, stromal cell-derived factor 1α and HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein 120, induced macropinocytosis. R12 had activity to prevent viral infection for HIV-1(IIIB), a subtype of HIV-1 that uses CXCR4 as a coreceptor for entry into susceptible cells, whereas the addition of a macropinocytosis inhibitor, dimethylamiloride, resulted in enhancement of viral infection. The present study shows that CXCR4 triggers macropinocytosis, which may have implications for the cellular uptake of oligoarginine CPPs and internalization of HIV.
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| 5. |
- Yukioka, Satoru, et al.
(author)
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A profile analysis with suspect screening of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in firefighting foam impacted waters in Okinawa, Japan
- 2020
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In: Water Research. - : Elsevier. - 0043-1354 .- 1879-2448. ; 184
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a group of persistent contaminants detected in firefighting foam impacted waters. Previous studies have performed suspect and non-target screening by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) to determine the composition of PFAS contamination and to discover unknown PFASs. Here, we performed a profile analysis with suspect screening against two lists in the NORMAN Suspect List Exchange in firefighting foam impacted environmental and drinking water (n = 18) collected in Okinawa, Japan, in April 2019. Samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography (LC) quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) MS in electron spray ionization mode. Suspect screening returned 116 candidate PFASs with their molecular weights, functional groups, and perfluoroalkyl chain lengths. Long-chain perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and some of their precursors were specifically found around the firefighting training area. Short-chain PFAAs were assumed to be formed from precursors by environmental processes. Perfluoroalkyl sulfonamide precursors were found to be transformed to perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSAs) in the drinking water treatment process. In contrast, biological activated carbon filtration formed perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs). The PFAS profile showed that a large number of different substances needs to be considered.
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