Pheromone communication and the mushroom body of the ant, Camponotus obscuripes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Communication by means of pheromones plays predominant roles in colony integration by social insects. However, almost nothing is known about pheromone processing in the brains of social insects. In this study, we successfully applied intracellular recording and staining techniques to anatomically and physiologically characterize brain neurons of the ant Camponotus obscuripes. We identified 42 protocerebral neurons that responded to undecane and/or formic acid, components of alarm pheromones that evoke attraction or evasive behavior, respectively. Notably, 30 (71%) of these neurons were efferent (output) or feedback neurons of the mushroom body, and many of these exhibited different responses to formic acid and undecane. Eight of the remaining 12 neurons had arborizations in the lateral and/or medial protocerebrum, which receive terminations of efferent neurons of the mushroom body and from which premotor descending neurons originate. The remaining four neurons were bilateral neurons that connect lateral accessory lobes or dorsal protocerebrums of both hemispheres. We suggest that the mushroom body of the ant participates in the processing of alarm pheromones. Seventeen (40%) of 42 neurons exhibited responses to nonpheromonal odors, indicating that the pheromonal and nonpheromonal signals are not fully segregated when they are processed in the protocerebrum. This may be related to modulatory functions of alarm pheromones, i.e., they change alertness of the ant and change responses to a variety of sensory stimuli.     

Photodegradation of gaseous acetaldehyde and methylene blue in aqueous solution with titanium dioxide-loaded activated carbon fiber polymer materials and aquatic plant ecotoxicity tests

TiO₂-supported activated carbon felts (TiO₂–ACFTs) were prepared by dip coating of felts composed of activated carbon fibers (ACFs) with either polyester fibers (PS-A20) and/or a polyethylene pulp (PE-W15) in a TiO₂ aqueous suspension followed by calcination at 250 °C for 1 h. The as-prepared TiO₂–ACFTs with 29–35 wt.% TiO₂ were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and N₂ adsorption. The TiO₂–ACFT(PS-A20) samples with 0 and 29 wt.% TiO₂ were microporous with specific surface areas (S _BET) of 996 and 738 m²/g, respectively, whereas the TiO₂–ACFT(PE-W15) samples with 0 and 35 wt.% TiO₂ were mesoporous with S _BET of 826 and 586 m²/g, respectively. Adsorption and photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared samples were evaluated by measuring adsorption in the dark and photodegradation of gaseous acetaldehyde (AcH) and methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution under UV light. The TiO₂ loading caused a considerable decrease in the S _BET and MB adsorption capacity along with an increase in MB photodegradation and AcH mineralization. Lemna minor was chosen as a representative aquatic plant for ecotoxicity tests measuring detoxification of water obtained from the MB photodegradation reaction with the TiO₂–ACFT samples under UV light.     

Removal of hexavalent chromium from water by Z-scheme photocatalysis using TiO2 (rutile) nanorods loaded with Au core–Cu2O shell particles

All-solid-state Z-scheme photocatalysts, containing Cu₂O, TiO₂ (rutile), and Au as the electron mediator, were prepared and applied to the reduction of Cr(VI) in aqueous solutions. The Cu₂O–Au–TiO₂ composites were prepared by loading Au core–Cu₂O shell hemisphere particles on TiO₂ (rutile) nanorods using a two-step photocatalytic deposition process. Under ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) light illumination, the Cu₂O–Au–TiO₂ composites exhibited higher photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction activities than those exhibited by single TiO₂ (rutile) and Cu₂O. In this reaction, a precipitate containing Cr, which was considered to be Cr(OH)₃, was deposited site-selectively on the Au core–Cu₂O shell particles of the composites, indicating that the reduction site of the composite was Cu₂O, and the reaction proceeded according to the Z-scheme. The Cu₂O–Au–TiO₂ composites also exhibited photocatalytic activity under visible light illumination. The oxidation state of Cu in the Cu₂O–Au–TiO₂ composite gradually changed from Cu(I) to Cu(II) during the photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction. However the composite maintained its high photocatalytic performance even after oxidation. The role of Au in the Cu₂O–Au–TiO₂ composite was examined by comparing the properties of the Cu₂O–Au–TiO₂ composite with those of the Cu₂O–TiO₂ composite prepared via direct Cu₂O deposition on TiO₂.     

Negotiating with the future: incorporating imaginary future generations into negotiations

People to be born in the future have no direct influence on current affairs. Given the disconnect between people who are currently living and those who will inherit the planet left for them, individuals who are currently alive tend to be more oriented toward the present, posing a fundamental problem related to sustainability. In this study, we propose a new framework for reconciling the disconnect between the present and the future whereby some individuals in the current generation serve as an imaginary future generation that negotiates with individuals in the real-world present. Through a laboratory-controlled intergenerational sustainability dilemma game (ISDG), we show how the presence of negotiators for a future generation increases the benefits of future generations. More specifically, we found that when faced with members of an imaginary future generation, 60% of participants selected an option that promoted sustainability. In contrast, when the imaginary future generation was not salient, only 28% of participants chose the sustainable option.     

Measurements of aerosol optical properties in central Tokyo during summertime using cavity ring-down spectroscopy: Comparison with conventional techniques

A highly sensitive cavity ring-down spectrometer (CRDS) was used to monitor the aerosol extinction coefficient at 532 nm. The performance of the spectrometer was evaluated using measurements of nearly monodisperse polystyrene particles with diameters between 150 and 500 nm. By comparing the observed results with those determined using Mie theory, the accuracy of the CRDS instrument was determined to be >97%, while the upper limit for the precision of the instrument was estimated to be 0.6–3.5% (typically 2%), depending on the particle number concentration, which was in the range of 30–2300 particles cm^?3. Simultaneous measurements of the extinction (b_ext), scattering (b_sca) and absorption (b_abs) coefficients of ambient aerosols were performed in central Tokyo from 14 August to 2 September 2007 using the CRDS instrument, two nephelometers and a particle/soot absorption photometer (PSAP), respectively. The value of b_ext measured using the CRDS instrument was compared with the sum of the b_sca and b_abs values measured with a nephelometer and a PSAP, respectively. Good agreement between the b_ext and b_sca + b_abs values was obtained except for data on days when high ozone mixing ratios (>130 ppbv) were observed. During the high-O₃ days, the values for b_sca + b_abs were ～7% larger than the value for b_ext, possibly because the value for b_abs measured by the PSAP was overestimated due to interference from coexisting non-absorbing aerosols such as secondary organic aerosols.     

Brominated flame retardants and heavy metals in automobile shredder residue (ASR) and their behavior in the melting process

The End-of-life Vehicles Recycling Act went into effect on January 1, 2005, in Japan and requires the proper treatment of airbags, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and automobile shredder residue (ASR). The need for optimal treatment and recycling of ASR, in particular, has been increasing year after year because ASR is regarded as being difficult to treat. Dioxin-related compounds, brominated flame retardants (BFRs), heavy metals, chlorine and organotin compounds are all present in high concentrations in ASR. The authors conducted ASR melting treatment tests using a 10-tons/day-scale direct melting system (DMS), which employs shaft-type gasification and melting technology. The results obtained showed that dioxin-related compounds and BFRs were decomposed by this melting treatment. The high-temperature reducing atmosphere in the melting furnace moved volatile heavy metals such as lead and zinc into the fly ash where they were distributed at a rate of more than 90% of the input amount. This treatment was also found to be effective in the decomposition of organotin, with a rate of decomposition higher than 99.996% of the input amount. Via the recovery of heavy metals concentrated in the fly ash, all the products discharged from this treatment system were utilized effectively for the complete realization of an ASR recycling system that requires no final disposal sites.     

Co-gasification of municipal solid waste and material recovery in a large-scale gasification and melting system

This study evaluates the effects of co-gasification of municipal solid waste with and without the municipal solid waste bottom ash using two large-scale commercial operation plants. From the viewpoint of operation data, there is no significant difference between municipal solid waste treatment with and without the bottom ash. The carbon conversion ratios are as high as 91.7% and 95.3%, respectively and this leads to significantly low PCDD/DFs yields via complete syngas combustion. The gross power generation efficiencies are 18.9% with the bottom ash and 23.0% without municipal solid waste bottom ash, respectively. The effects of the equivalence ratio are also evaluated. With the equivalence ratio increasing, carbon monoxide concentration is decreased, and carbon dioxide and the syngas temperature (top gas temperature) are increased. The carbon conversion ratio is also increased. These tendencies are seen in both modes.Co-gasification using the gasification and melting system (Direct Melting System) has a possibility to recover materials effectively. More than 90% of chlorine is distributed in fly ash. Low-boiling-point heavy metals, such as lead and zinc, are distributed in fly ash at rates of 95.2% and 92.0%, respectively. Most of high-boiling-point heavy metals, such as iron and copper, are distributed in metal. It is also clarified that slag is stable and contains few harmful heavy metals such as lead. Compared with the conventional waste management framework, 85% of the final landfill amount reduction is achieved by co-gasification of municipal solid waste with bottom ash and incombustible residues. These results indicate that the combined production of slag with co-gasification of municipal solid waste with the bottom ash constitutes an ideal approach to environmental conservation and resource recycling.     

Voltammetric response of ferroceneboronic acid to diol and phenolic compounds as possible pollutants

A voltammetric determination of possible organic pollutants such as diol and phenolic compounds in water was studied using ferroceneboronic acid (FBA) as a redox-active marker. A cyclic voltammogram of FBA exhibited a pair of oxidation and reduction peaks at 230 and 170 mV at pH 7.0, respectively, while another pair of redox peaks was observed in the presence of diol or phenolic compounds tested. The results were rationalized based on the formation of boronate esters of FBA with the added compounds. The changes in the redox peak currents were dependent on the concentration of the additives, suggesting a usefulness of FBA in the electrochemical determination of these compounds in water.