Feminization of genetic males by a symbiotic bacterium in a butterfly,Eurema hecabe (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

Wolbachia are symbiotic bacteria found in many arthropods and filarian nematodes. They often manipulate the reproduction of host arthropods. In the present study, female-biased sex-ratio distortion in the butterfly Eurema hecabe was investigated. Breeding experiments showed that this distorted sex ratio is maternally inherited. When treated with tetracycline, adult females of the thelygenic line produced male progeny only. After PCR using Wolbachia-specific primers for the ftsZ gene a positive result was seen in the thelygenic females, but not in male progeny from tetracycline-treated females, or individuals from a Tokyo population with normal sex ratio and reproduction. Cytological observations showed that thelygenic females lack the sex chromatin body (W chromosome). The results strongly suggest that the sex-ratio distortion in E. hecabe is due to feminization of genetic males by Wolbachia.     

Analysis of driving forces behind diversified carbon dioxide emission patterns in regions of the mainland of China

China has large regional disparities in carbon dioxide CO₂ emissions with economic development among its 31 provincial mainland regions. This paper investigates these disparities in CO₂ emission patterns and identifies the factors underlying the differences. Results show that the 30 study China's mainland provinces (Tibet not included) can be divided into seven groups with three typical CO₂ emission patterns. Index decomposition results indicate that changes in economic development, the industrial sector, and technology contribute far more to increased CO₂ emissions than do population, energy structure, and other sectors. Close inspection reveals that different industry structures and technology contribute greatly to the differences observed in CO₂ emissions between provinces with similar economic output. This study highlights the importance of region-specific industrial structure adjustment policies, especially for regions transitioning to heavy industry and for those still in the primary stages of industrialization. The potential application of a domestic carbon emissions trading system, to encourage regional investment in updated technology, is also discussed.     

Dynamic studies on lead volatilization from CaO–SiO2–Al2O3 molten slag under N2–CO–CO2, N2–HCl and N2–H2S gas atmospheres

Dynamic studies on the volatilization of lead from CaO–SiO₂–Al₂O₃ molten slags were conducted in a lab-scale melting furnace from 1623 to 1773 K under different mixed gas atmospheres of CO 0.05–0.3 atm to CO₂ 0–0.3 atm to N₂ (balance), HCl 1.7 × 10^?3–6.7 × 10^?3 atm to N₂ (balance), and H₂S 3.0 × 10^?4 to 1.7 × 10^?3 atm to N₂ (balance). The slag samples consisted of the mixed powders of 20–50 wt% CaO, 30–60 wt% SiO₂, and 10–40 wt% Al₂O₃, containing 2000 ppm PbO.Results showed that the rates of volatilization of lead from the CaO–SiO₂–Al₂O₃ molten slags under the N₂–CO–CO₂, N₂–HCl, and N₂–H₂S gas atmospheres were higher than those under the simulated air (N₂–O₂), which increased with CO, HCl, and H₂S partial pressures. At \(p_{{HCl}}\)  =  \(p_{H_{2}S}\)  = 1.7 × 10^?3 atm, the apparent rate constants for the volatilization of lead under the N₂–H₂S and N₂–HCl gas atmospheres were nearly equal, which increased with a rise in temperature. Results also showed that the rate of volatilization of lead from the molten slag decreased drastically with the increasing viscosity of the molten slag, in the viscosity range lower than 3 Pa s. Consequently, the volatilization of lead from the CaO–SiO₂–Al₂O₃ molten slag was significantly influenced by CO, HCl, and H₂S partial pressures and by the viscosity of the molten slag.     

Decolorization and estrogenic activity of colored livestock wastewater after electrolysis treatment

Livestock wastewater is treated by activated sludge treatment. Untreated livestock wastewater has high estrogen activity because animal excreta contains estrogen. When activated sludge treatment is applied, the estrogen activity declines or is lost. However, the color of treated livestock wastewater is deep brownish-red because of the decomposition of organic compounds or the synthesis of metabolites. Discharging colored wastewater to the environment could cause some problems, so it is necessary to decolorize colored wastewater before it is discharged. It has been suggested that electrolysis decolorization technology is suitable for treating colored wastewater; however, the process produces volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In fact, little research has been conducted with reference to estrogen activity in wastewater that has undergone electrolysis, especially on the contribution of the electrolysis decolorization process to estrogen activity, i.e., the possibility of resynthesis of some substance with estrogen activity due to resolved and metabolized colored components. In this study, the concentration of VOC was measured for various electrolysis conditions, and estrogen activity was examined using a yeast two-hybrid assay. From the results, decolorization of colored livestock wastewater by electrolysis was possible, and the VOC generation during electrolysis could be controlled depending on the electrolysis conditions. Estrogen activity in colored livestock wastewater disappeared on electrolysis decolorization.     

Effects of process conditions on nano-dot array formation by thermal dewetting

In this paper, three kinds of self-organization processes for metal nano-dot array fabrication are compared; one is the conventional thermal dewetting, another is thermal dewetting of a grid patterned deposited metal layer, the other is thermal dewetting of a metal layer deposited on a patterned substrate. In these processes, nano plastic forming technique is utilized for patterning of groove grid. Effects of process conditions on nano-dot formation, such as substrate material, deposited metal, thickness of deposited layer, annealing condition, are experimentally studied. Also, effect of grid patterning on improvement of nano-dot array formation is studied. It is shown that grid patterning on a deposited metal layer is effective to improve alignment and configuration of nano-dot array.     

Leaching of indium from obsolete liquid crystal displays: Comparing grinding with electrical disintegration in context of LCA

In order to develop an effective recycling system for obsolete Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs), which would enable both the leaching of indium (In) and the recovery of a pure glass fraction for recycling, an effective liberation or size-reduction method would be an important pre-treatment step. Therefore, in this study, two different types of liberation methods: (1) conventional grinding, and (2) electrical disintegration have been tested and evaluated in the context of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). In other words, the above-mentioned methods were compared in order to find out the one that ensures the highest leaching capacity for indium, as well as the lowest environmental burden. One of the main findings of this study was that the electrical disintegration was the most effective liberation method, since it fully liberated the indium containing-layer, ensuring a leaching capacity of 968.5mg-In/kg-LCD. In turn, the estimate for the environmental burden was approximately five times smaller when compared with the conventional grinding.     

Enrichment of elements in industrial waste incineration bottom ashes obtained from three different types of incinerators,as studied by ICP-AES and ICP-MS

The elemental composition of the industrial waste incineration bottom ash (IWIBA) samples collected from three different types of incinerator with different kinds of wastes were compared. The major-to-ultratrace elements in the IWIBA samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). As a result, ca. 40 elements in the concentration range from milligrams per gram to submicrograms per gram could be determined with relative standard deviations of less than 5%. The IWIBA sample from petrochemical wastes contained lower concentrations of the elements, because fewer mineral constituents were contained in the input waste materials. On the contrary, the elemental concentrations in the IWIBA sample from industrial solid wastes provided the highest values for most elements, while the elemental compositions of the IWIBA sample from food wastes were similar to those of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash. In addition, it was found from the analytical results that the levels of various heavy metals such as Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, As, Zr, Mo, Sb, Ba, and Pb were higher in the IWIBA samples than in municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash. The enrichment factors of the elements in the IWIBA samples were estimated from the analytical results to compare the elemental distributions in incineration bottom ashes in relation to their mining influence factors, which are the indices for human use of the elements.