Blue carbon in human-dominated estuarine and shallow coastal systems

Estuarine and shallow coastal systems (ESCS) are recognized as not only significant organic carbon reservoirs but also emitters of CO₂ to the atmosphere through air–sea CO₂ gas exchange, thus posing a dilemma on ESCS’s role in climate change mitigation measures. However, some studies have shown that coastal waters take up atmospheric CO₂ (C_atm), although the magnitude and determinants remain unclear. We argue that the phenomenon of net uptake of C_atm by ESCS is not unusual under a given set of terrestrial inputs and geophysical conditions. We assessed the key properties of systems that show the net C_atm uptake and found that they are often characteristic of human-dominated systems: (1) input of high terrestrial nutrients, (2) input of treated wastewater in which labile carbon is highly removed, and (3) presence of hypoxia. We propose that human-dominated ESCS are worthy of investigation as a contributor to climate change mitigation.     

Value of information analysis for adequate monitoring of carbon dioxide storage in geological reservoirs under uncertainty

As monitoring is essential for the proper management of geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO₂), the ability to value information from monitoring is indispensable to adequately design a monitoring program. It is necessary to judge whether the expected improvement in management is worth the cost of monitoring. The value of information (VOI) is closely related to the possible increase in expected utility gained by gathering the information, the concept of which can be applied to such judgement. Although VOI analysis has been extensively studied in the context of decision analysis, its application to the management of carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) operations is rare. This paper introduces and discusses the methodology of VOI analyses in the context of monitoring CO₂ storage. A motivating problem with discrete probabilities is used to illustrate the concept of VOI. It is demonstrated that information is not always of value; for information to be worthwhile, monitoring under uncertainty must satisfy certain conditions. This concept is then extended to continuous probability distributions. The effects of prior uncertainty and information reliability on the VOI are examined. It is shown that an excessive improvement in information accuracy yields little value and that the optimal level of reliability can be inferred. VOI analyses provide quantitative insights into the value of information-gathering activities and therefore can be an objective means to adequately design and impartially justify a monitoring program.     

Pathways and Kinetics on Photocatalytic Destruction of Aqueous Phenol

In this study, the TiO₂ photocatalytic decomposition process of aqueous phenol was investigated. The intermediate products generated in the elementary reaction steps in the mineralization process were experimentally identified as hydroquinone, catechol and hydroxyhydroquinone. The concentration variations of these intermediate products with time passage were traced by high performance liquid chromatograph. The pathways of the decomposition process were given. Based on Langmuir isothermal theory and Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism, the multi-compounds competition kinetic model was established. In this model, the observed time-dependent concentrations of phenol and the intermediate products were simulated.     

Prenatal diagnosis of triple X using fetal cells obtained by endocervical lavage

Prenatal diagnosis of aneuploidies currently relies on invasive procedures such as chorionic villous sampling and amniocentesis. These methods can provide an accurate diagnosis of the fetal karyotype but are relatively invasive. Here, we report a case of the prenatal detection of triple X using fetal cells obtained by lavage of the endocervical canal prior to amniocentesis, following ultrasound diagnosis of hydrops fetalis. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Benefits of tropical forest management under the new climate change agreement—a case study in Cambodia

Promoting sustainable forest management as part of the reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation in developing countries (REDD)-plus mechanism in the Copenhagen Accord of December 2009 implies that tropical forests will no longer be ignored in the new climate change agreement. As new financial incentives are pledged, costs and revenues on a 1-ha tract of tropical forestland being managed or cleared for other land use options need to be assessed so that appropriate compensation measures can be proposed. Cambodia's highly stocked evergreen forest, which has experienced rapid degradation and deforestation, will be the first priority forest to be managed if financial incentives through a carbon payment scheme are available. By analyzing forest inventory data, we assessed the revenues and costs for managing a hypothetical 1 ha of forestland against six land use options: business-as-usual timber harvesting (BAU-timber), forest management under the REDD-plus mechanism, forest-to-teak plantation, forest-to-acacia plantation, forest-to-rubber plantation, and forest-to-oil palm plantation. We determined annual equivalent values for each option, and the BAU-timber and REDD-plus management options were the highest, with both options influenced by logging costs and timber price. Financial incentives should be provided at a level that would allow continuation of sustainable logging and be attractive to REDD-plus project developers.     

Methane dehydroaromatization over Mo-modified H-MFI for gas to liquid catalysts

For direct gas to liquid (GTL),a novel process producing energy sources for methane dehydroaromatization is needed.Supporting MoO3 on H-MFI zeolite shows the high catalytic capacity and a selective activity for dehydroaromatization of methane to benzene at 973 K in a fixed bed reactor.On the other hand,deactivation by coke on the active sites in all the catalysts is formed during the reaction.H2 co-feed suppressed the deactivation,which is probably due to the decrease in coking amount.Mo K-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) results showed the formation of dispersed Mo2C species with low crystallinity after dehydroaromatization.Mo L-edge XANES (X-ray absorption near-edge structure) indicated the formation of active Mo species including Mo2C and Mo-oxycarbide (MoOxCy),where the red-ox state should be independent in the absence/presence of H2.It is concluded that Mo-oxycarbide species act as highly active species,and their stability affected the durable activity in the presence of H2.     

Loss or major reduction of umami taste sensation in pinnipeds

Umami is one of basic tastes that humans and other vertebrates can perceive. This taste is elicited by L-amino acids and thus has a special role of detecting nutritious, protein-rich food. The T1R1 + T1R3 heterodimer acts as the principal umami receptor. The T1R1 protein is encoded by the Tas1r1 gene. We report multiple inactivating (pseudogenizing) mutations in exon 3 of this gene from four phocid and two otariid species (Pinnipedia). Jiang et al. (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 109:4956–4961, 2012) reported two inactivating mutations in exons 2 and 6 of this gene from another otariid species. These findings suggest lost or greatly reduced umami sensory capabilities in these species. The widespread occurrence of a nonfunctional Tas1r1 pseudogene in this clade of strictly carnivorous mammals is surprising. We hypothesize that factors underlying the pseudogenization of Tas1r1 in pinnipeds may be driven by the marine environment to which these carnivorans (Carnivora) have adapted and may include: the evolutionary change in diet from tetrapod prey to fish and cephalopods (because cephalopods and living fish contain little or no synergistic inosine 5′-monophosphate that greatly enhances umami taste), the feeding behavior of swallowing food whole without mastication (because the T1R1 + T1R3 receptor is distributed on the tongue and palate), and the saltiness of sea water (because a high concentration of sodium chloride masks umami taste).     

Recovery of molybdenum from fly ash by gibbsite

The effectiveness of gibbsite (GB), an amorphous aluminum oxide, for the recovery of Mo(VI) from eluates of fly ash of two coal-fired thermal power stations and of roof tile waste was investigated. Upon the qualitative analysis of an eluate of fly ash, 16 elements were detected. Greater amounts of these elements were eluted under acidic conditions (pH 2) than from the neutral or basic eluate of fly ash. GB was used for the adsorption of Mo(VI). Equilibrium adsorption was reached within 1?min. Optimal solution acidity for the adsorption of Mo(VI) onto GB400 (calcined at 400°C) was pH 2. The main adsorption mechanism was ion exchange with a number of hydroxyl groups of GB400. For repeated ad- and desorption of Mo(VI), GB400 could be used at least four times and the recovery percentage of Mo(VI) with sodium hydroxide solution as eluent surpassed 90%. Our results showed that GB400 was very effective for the recovery of Mo(VI) from fly ash.