Museum of Nature and Human Activities Hyogo

In theorizing that humanistic elements have shaped farmhouse of the Edo period, researchers have pointed out the existence of a system for licensing Hafu/bargeboards on SETTAN type farmhouses. However, no studies have thoroughly examined a system for licensing Hafu. The present study therefore examined written records from the Edo period to analyze in detail a system for licensing Hafu on SETTAN type farmhouses. The results clarified that licenses for Hafu were the privilege of members of the upper stratum of rural society and that these licenses were autonomously managed by Miyaza that they organized.

Abstract Environmental pollution in stream networks is a major concern. In this study, the effects of land-use and geological characteristics on basin-scale sulfate and nitrate dynamics in the Chikusa River basin, Hyogo, Japan, where substantial environmental pollution has not yet been officially reported, were evaluated from the perspective of an overview. Using sulfate and nitrate concentrations as well as their isotopic signatures ( δ 15 N-NO 3 − , δ 18 O-NO 3 − , δ 34 S-SO 4 2− , δ 18 O-SO 4 2− values) as response variables, we employed generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMMs) to clarify the effects of land coverage, geological rock type, and season on the loading of these solutes. The results obtained showed an increase in sulfate concentration with an increase in the proportional area of exploited land regardless of the season. Isotopic signatures ( δ 34 S-SO 4 2− , δ 18 O-SO 4 2− values) and the GLMMs suggested that sulfate primarily originated from the soil owing to rock weathering processes, and its distribution was mainly driven by the confluence of river branches along with altitude. In contrast, nitrate concentration varied with season, decreasing with an increase in the proportional area of exploited land in summer and showing an opposite trend in winter. The δ 15 N vs. δ 18 O plot showed that the impacts of direct nitrate input from precipitation and chemical fertilizer were negligible, while topically applied manure and septic waste played important roles. The GLMMs also indicated that the proportion of fertilized area affects the spatial distribution of δ 15 N-NO 3 − values but not nitrate concentration, implying the existence of nitrate loading from fertilized areas that could not be detected via concentration-only measurements. Therefore, the combined use of isotopic signatures and GLMMs is expected to provide valuable information for discerning potential sources of pollution in areas without substantial environmental issues. Taken together, this approach could be applied as a “proactive indicator” particularly for areas without apparent pollution, to ensure effective river management.

In 1986, Japanese macaques of the Arashiyama B group fissioned, with high-ranking females forming the dominant E group and the middle- and low-ranking females forming the subordinate F group (Suzuki et al. in Primates 64:79-90. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-022-01024-x , 2023). In 1988, we recorded the dominant-subordinate interactions among adult females in both groups and analyzed them to clarify how they reorganized their dominance relations. The two groups showed contrasting results. Two years after group fission, the past dominance relations among female kin-groups had been largely maintained in E group, whereas the dominance relations among females in F group had been significantly reorganized, with the females from some kin-groups dispersing into various rank positions within the group. In both the E and F groups, the kin-related dyads within the 2nd degree of maternal relatedness (consanguinity) (r ≥ 0.25) tended to follow Kawamura's principles (Kawamura in Primates 1:149-156, 1958), but a considerable number of dyads did not. Such deviations from the principles seemed to derive from multiple factors: past rank reversals between the mothers and daughters, social influences from high-ranking males, and changes in the membership of kin-related females following group fission; for example, disappearances of or separations from mothers. Once rank changes were fixed, however, the relations of the newly emerged mother-daughter and sister dyads again reflected Kawamura's principles.

A unique moss species, Pseudohypnella verrucosa with two kinds of papillae on laminal cells and double costae reaching to midleaf is newly reported from Vietnam. Its familial position in the Symphyodontaceae is newly proposed based on molecular analysis using ITS1&2 and trnL-F and supported by its morphology.

交通不便地域では交通弱者の移動手段確保に向け、地域住民等による自家用車を用いた輸送サービスである「自家用有償旅客運送」と「互助型輸送（許可・登録を要しない輸送）」の導入がみられる。本研究では法的位置付けが異なる2つの輸送サービスの導入・運営実態を比較し、互助型輸送に特有な導入・運営課題とその課題要因を明らかにすることを目的とした。互助型輸送はサービス形態に関する法的根拠が無いうえ、自治体や交通事業者との導入前の協議が必須でない。サービスの運営団体へのヒアリング調査結果から、互助型輸送の導入・運営では、利用料金や運行範囲などのサービス形態は運営団体の判断に依り、制約が少ない一方、導入後に運営団体と交通事業者と競合関係となり得る点が課題であり、導入前の2者間の協議と運行範囲・料金等の調整の必要性が明らかになった。

Abstract Plants in the field respond to seasonal and diel changes in various environmental factors such as irradiance and temperature. We previously developed a statistical model that predicts rice gene expression from the meteorological data and identified the environmental factors regulating each gene. However, since irradiance and temperature (the two most critical environmental factors) are correlated in the field, it remains difficult to distinguish their roles in gene expression regulation. Here, we show that transcriptome dynamics in the field are predominantly regulated by irradiance, by the modelling involving diurnal transcriptome data from the 73 controlled conditions where irradiance and temperature were independently varied. The model’s prediction performance is substantially high when trained using field and controlled conditions data. Our results highlight the utility of a systematic sampling approach under controlled environments to understand the mechanism of plant environmental response and to improve transcriptome prediction under field environments.

A new troodontid dinosaur, Hypnovenator matsubaraetoheorum gen. et sp. nov., is described based on an articulated postcranial skeleton recovered from the fluvial deposits of the Albian Ohyamashimo Formation of the Sasayama Group in Tambasasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Hypnovenator is distinguished from other troodontids by four autapomorphies and a combination of additional features. Our phylogenetic analysis positions Hypnovenator as the oldest and one of the most basal troodontines, forming a clade with Gobivenator mongoliensis. The discovery of Hypnovenator suggests that small-bodied maniraptorans with a sleeping posture were common not only in environments with volcanic and eolian events or alluvial systems but also in fluvial systems. Geometric morphometric analysis of manual ungual phalanges shows that manual ungual phalanges I and III of Hypnovenator exhibit considerable morphological variation but are functionally similar, which differs from those of non-troodontine troodontids, reflecting the transition of manual motion within Troodontinae. Hypnovenator also has mosaic features in the pes related to cursoriality. This study reveals that asymmetrical arctometatarsus occurred by the Albian, and some morphological changes, such as shorter digit IV than digit III and non-ungual phalanges of digits III with roller joints and digit IV with weakly ginglymoid articulation, arose during the early Late Cretaceous.

Sympatric male and female specimens of the water mite genus Momonia were examined to clarify their taxonomic status based on morphology and molecular data. From the results of morphological examinations, the male was identified as Momonia (Orientmomonia) koreana Pešić, 2014, and the female was Momonia (Kondia) sp. In addition, molecular analysis revealed that both male and female belong to the same species. Consequently, the subgenus Orientmomonia Pešić, 2014, is regarded as the junior synonym of the subgenus Kondia Sokolow, 1926. The diagnosis of the subgenus Kondia is revised, and the specific status of Momonia koreana is corrected to Momonia (Kondia) koreana Pešić, 2014.