In order to assess the possibility of fiber type transformation in human skeletal muscle, muscle fiber composition of athletes in various events, raining-induced changes in muscle fiber, fiber type distribution in the course of development and ageing, and the results of cross-innervation and chronic artificial stimulation in animal muscle experiments are reviewed.
The present available evidence suggests that fiber type transformation may take place in human skeletal muscle, although genetic factors appear to play essential roles in determining muscle fiber composition. Endurance training or activities of daily living may be capable of converting fasttwitch-glycolytic type II B fibers into fasttwitch-oxidative-glycolytic type II A fibers, and then into slow-twitch-oxidative type I fibers. This may explain why endurance-trained muscles have a higher percentage of type I fibers and lower percentage of type II B fibers as compared to untrained or power-trained muscles. The variation in the proportion of type II A fibers observed in endurance-trained muscles is probably due to differences in the degree of training. Most of the longitudinal studies have failed to show changes in muscle fiber composition with endurance training. This may be ascribed to too short training period, since the fiber type changes only after long periods of stimulation as shown in chronic stimulation experiments in animal muscles. It is postulated that type II C fibers, which are normally rare, are transitional type between type I and II A fibers. This could account for the presence of type II C fibers in the muscles of endurance athletes. The changes induced by endurance or activities of daily living are reversible: the conversion of type I to type II B via type II A fibers occurs during detraining or immobilization. Increased proportion of type I fibers with age and decrease in the relative occurrence of type I fibers in very old age are most likely related to physical activity levels.
Excepting the reversion of type I to type II fibers produced by detraining or inactivity, a transformation of type I to type II fibers seems to be difficult to achieve, judging from the results of animal experiments and training experiments in man. The athlete's success in power events appears to depend more on the genetic endowments in com parison with that in endurance events. However, there is a possibility of conversion of type I to type II fibers. The training methods to increase the occurence of type II fibers will require further investigation.
Smoking, undernutrition and throid Status may also have influences on muscle fiber composition.

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Pulmonary diffusing capacity for CO (DL), the diffusing capacity of the pulmonary capillary membrane, and pulmonary capillary blood volume were measured for 63 male and female subjects aged 17 to 33 years in both sitting and supine postures. From the relationship of these values to morphological factors, the existence and cause of sexual and ethnic differences in DL were investigated. The average DL values for males in both positions were about 35% larger than those for females; even when corrected by body size, such as body surface area or stature, significant sexual difference was found. This difference disappeared when DL was corrected by difference in alveolar volume. That is, differences between men and women in body size and ratio of lung volume to body size are thought to account for sexual difference in DL. From comparison with other reports, an ethnic difference in DL was recognized between Caucasians and Japanese, and its cause is suggested to be the same as cause which accounts for the difference by sex among Japanese.

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Body weight and crown-heel length measurements were undertaken on 154 urban Punjabi infants by longitudinal and 721 comparable infants by cross-sectional methods. The growth attainments were comparable in the first 4/5 months, but after this age infants assessed by longitudinal method demonstrated significantly better growth attainments (p<0.05) as compared to those assessed by cross-sectional method. This pattern is explained on the basis of HAWTHORNE effect. It is recommended that the role of HAWTHORNE effect be considered while interpreting growth data from longitudinal studies.

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In order to examine the characteristics and the evolutionary stage of innominates from Pleistocene in Japan, the nonmetrical characters of Japanese Pleistocene innominates and of various other innominates ranging from the Australopithecus to the Recent Sapiens stage were observed and classified into successive categories for each item in Part I. The characteristics of Japanese Pleistocene innominates were already clarified in Part I. In this part, the successive categories are used for nonparametric statistical analyses for the purpose of detecting their evolutionary stages. The methods are the KRUSKAL multidimensional scaling for clarifying the positional relationship among specimens in various stages, the KENDALL coefficient of concordance for detecting the one-directional evolutionary trend, and the LIKERT method for defining their stages in the evolutionary trend. The result is that all the Japanese innominates from Pleistocene are concluded to be in the Pleistocene Sapiens stage except for the Akashi innominate, which is very modern, belonging to the Holocene Sapiens stage.

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Blood samples from 500 healthy blood donors of Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan, were examined for polymorphism of the following red cell enzyme and serum protein systems by starch-gel electrophoresis and in part by isoelectrofocusing: ACP, PGMI, ESD, GPT, Hp, Tf and subtypes of PGMI and Gc. The distribution f phenotypes and allele frequencies estimated for each system was essentially similar to those reported in other areas of Japan. However, when the data of Gc subtypes thus far reported in Japan excluding Okinawa Islands are compared, statistically significant geographical cline was detected for GC*1F and GC*2 alleles.

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This study was attempted to formulate a new equation for predicting the body composition of young and middle-aged Japanese men from anthropometric measurements. Sixty-four Japanese men aged from 12 to 52 years were measured for body composition using 15 anthropometric dimensions and hydrostatic weighing. Using this sample, the prediction equation of total body volume (TBV) was calculated as follows;
TBV=0.9424BW+0.1188AG-0.0695CG-0.0029AGE-2.893 (R=0.998, SEE=0.586)
where TBV, BW, AG, CG, and AGE were total body volume in liters, body weight in kg, abdominal girth in cm, chest girth in cm, and age in years, respectively. Relative fat content (%Fat) was also calculated by substituting the equation of TBV into the formula of BROZEK et al. (1963) for %Fat as
follows;
%Fat=(16.48BW+54.29AG-31.76CG-1.33AGE-1322)/BW (R=0.651, SEE=3.5)
These equations were cross-validated on a second sample of 20 men. The correlation between predicted and observed TBV was 0.997 with total error of estimate (TEE) of 609ml. Converted to units of %Fat, the TEE value was 4.2%. These equations were expected to be valid for young and middle-aged Japanese men.

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Dermatoglyphic features of the Kazak, a Mongol tribe in Iran have been studied. C-line terminations showed an interesting feature viz frequencies of the proximal and absent modal types are very high compared to the other populations. Asymmetry and diversity of finger ridge counts from finger to finger showed that the Kazaks are characterized by more or less high heterogeneity and asymmetry. Means of the various palmar ridge counts and MLI are also reported. Bilateral comparisons of various dermatoglyphic features showed significant differences for C- and D-line terminations, c-d ridge count and MLI. The obtained results have been compared with those of the other Iranian populations and frequently showed significant differences.

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Three sets of facial flatness measurements were taken of five Mongoloid cranial series from North America, and two Mongoloid and one Caucasoid cranial series from East Asia. The data of the Ainu and Japanese quoted from YAMAGUCHI (1973) were also used as a comparison. The definitions of measurements and indices of flatness were the same as described by YAMAGUCHI (l, c.). Correlation between sexes measured by the SPEARMAN rank correlation coefficient was considerably high in each of the frontal, simotic, and zygomaxillary indices. High correlation between the two sexes was also observed in PENROSE shape distances based on the three sets of measurements. From three-dimensional diagrams of the three indices of flatness, it was inferred that the combination of frontal and zygomaxillary indices was more effective than that of the frontal and simotic indices in differentiating Mongoloid and Caucasoid groupings from each other. The principal co-ordinates analyses on the basis of the matrix of PENROSE shape distances showed that, though they were within the range of variation of the Mongoloid series, the Japanese and Ontario Iroquois formed a cluster, as did the Canadian Eskimos and Inupik-speaking Alaskan Eskimos. In regard to the facial flattening, the Ainu was far closer to the Mongoloid series than to the Caucasoid series. It was confirmed that the Eskimo's face was characterized by extremely flat frontal and zygomaxillary regions and pronounced nasal bones. The causation of the reduced but prominent, or "pinched ", nasal bones of the Eskimos was briefly discussed.

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Formerly, FENART (1969) developed a small and portable - X-ray tomograph, called the vestibulograph, which was designed for craniological study based on the vestibular plane. This apparatus seemed to be suitable for use in ordinary anthropological laboratories. However, he did not explain the principle of making a tomogram with this apparatus. The authors also needed such a small tomographic apparatus and so searched for the principle used in producing FENART's apparatus. The fundamental condition was that the object and the film rotate completely parallel within a range of angles. The authors clarify and describe in this paper the principle of tomography of this type based on this condition. The authors also manufactured an acutal apparatus using this principle and tested it by taking tomograms.

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In testing additional 4, 000 blood samples from unrelated Japanese in and around Tokyo 18 (0.45%) were found to be phenotype Co(a+b+), from which the allele frequencies were estimated at Coa : 0.998 and Cob: 0.002. It was confirmed that the Cob frequency in the Japanese is lower by far than in Caucasians. In a family study, independent segregation of the Colton from the Diego blood group system was shown.

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Three types of millets are known to have been utilized in ancient Japan. It is often suggested that they were cultivated in the Jomon period before the cultivation of rice.
However, the identification of millets has been a problem for researchers of plant remains. It is hard to distinguish them by their outer morphology owing to the deformation and distortion in shape when carbonized. However, when the epidermis of paleas and lemmas remain and can be observed, it is possible to determine differences among the three by observing them with a scanning electron microscope.
In this study, the characteristic cell patterns of the most common millet "awa " was shown by an archaeological sample belonging to the historical age from Iwate Prefecture. They were compared with recent samples by SEM to provide a standard for the Jomon millet.

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