Age control of the first appearance datum for Javanese in the Sangiran area.

The chronology of the World Heritage Site of Sangiran in Indonesia is crucial for the understanding of human dispersals and settlement in Asia in the Early Pleistocene (before 780,000 years ago). It has been controversial, however, especially regarding the timing of the earliest hominin migration into the Sangiran region. We use a method of combining fission-track and uranium-lead dating and present key ages to calibrate the lower (older) Sangiran hominin-bearing horizons.

Origin of clay minerals in Early Eocene volcanic paleosols on King George Island, Maritime Antarctica.

The paleoclimate during the Early Eocene in Maritime Antarctica is characterized by cool conditions without a pronounced dry season. Soils formed on volcanic material under such climate conditions in modern analogue environments are usually Andosols rich in nanocrystalline minerals without pedogenic smectite. The paleosols formed on volcanic material on King Georges Island are covered by basalts, dated by 6 new Ar/Ar datings to 51-48 Ma, and are rich in smectite.

The characteristics and chronology of the earliest Acheulean at Konso, Ethiopia.

The Acheulean technological tradition, characterized by a large (>10 cm) flake-based component, represents a significant technological advance over the Oldowan. Although stone tool assemblages attributed to the Acheulean have been reported from as early as circa 1.6-1.

Synthesis of oligodiaminosaccharides having α-glycoside bonds and their interactions with oligonucleotide duplexes.

Syntheses of the novel oligodiaminosaccharides, α-(1→4)-linked-2,6-diamino-2,6-dideoxy-D-glucopyranose oligomers, and their interactions with nucleic acid duplexes DNA-DNA, RNA-RNA, and DNA-RNA are described. Monomers to tetramers of oligodiaminoglucose derivatives having α-glycosyl bonds were successfully synthesized using a chain elongation cycle including glycosylation reactions of a 6-phthalimide glycosyl donor. UV melting experiments for a variety of nucleic acid duplexes in the absence and presence of the oligodiaminosaccharides were performed.

Stabilization of A-type nucleic acid duplexes by novel oligodiaminosaccharides.

Novel oligodiaminosaccharides, alpha-(1-->4)-linked-2,6-diamino-2,6-dideoxy-D-glucopyranose oligomers, were designed and synthesized to bind to A-type nucleic acid duplexes, such as RNA duplexes. Using properly designed glycosyl donors and glycosyl acceptors, an alpha-selective glycosylation was achieved. A chain elongation cycle was established and the oligodiaminosaccharides bearing the alpha-glycoside bonds (1-4mer) were synthesised.

[60]fullerenoacetyl chloride as a versatile precursor for fullerene derivatives: efficient ester formation with various alcohols.

[reaction: see text] [60]Fullerenoacetyl chloride, one of the reactive derivatives of [60]fullerenoacetic acid, was isolated and identified for the first time. This acid chloride was easily synthesized in good yield from tert-butyl [60]fullerenoacetate through two steps. In the presence of 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine as a base, the acid chloride smoothly reacted with various alcohols under mild conditions to give the corresponding esters including [60]fullerene-biomolecule hybrids in moderate to high yields.