The distribution of molybdenum in the tissues of wild ducks

The Mo contents and the relations between Mo and Cu or Crcontents were investigated in the organs of Japanese wild ducks(spotbill duck, pintail, wigeon, scaup and tufted duck). Thehighest Mo content in kidney and liver of the dabbling duckswere more than 30 g g^-1 dry weight (g g^-1 d.wt.), though that of diving ducks were less than 11 gg^-1 d. wt. The contents were lower in the ducks migratingwithin Japan, Eurasia and North America than those in the birdsmigrating between Japan and Eurasia. The contents of liver inall species were more than 50 and less than 5 g g^-1 d.wt. for Cu and Cr, respectively. Significant correlations werefound between Mo and both elements in pintail and scaup, and Moand Cr in tufted duck. These results suggest that thecontamination of wild ducks reflects the reproductive area, andnot the collected area. Mo contents closely correlated with theCu and/or Cr contaminations.     

北京市汽车行驶工况和污染物排放系数调查研究

利用先进的技术和设备调查了北京市不同道路上的汽车行驶状况,基于这些调查数据进行了不同道路的汽车行驶工况解析,分别确定了用于北京市汽车排放污染物测定的一般道路行驶工况,快速路行驶工况,高速路行驶工况,城区综合道路行驶工况和综合道路行驶速度特征工况。     

Relationship between the riverine nitrate–nitrogen concentration and the land use in the Teshio River watershed, North Japan

The present research investigated the relationship between nitrate–nitrogen (NO₃–N) in river water and the land use/land cover (hereafter, land use) in the Teshio River watershed located in northern Hokkaido island to understand the effect of human activities such as agriculture, forestry, industry, and urbanization in the drainage basin on the river ecosystem quality and services. River water was sampled at nine points seasonally during a 2-year period and the nutrients concentration was measured. Land use profiles were estimated at two spatial scales, riparian and sub-catchment, for each sampling station. The spatial pattern of water quality in the Teshio River showed increased NO₃–N levels associated with agriculture and urban expansion, and forest reduction in the watershed. Land use at the riparian scale closely reflected that at the sub-catchment scale, which masked the unique riparian buffer effect on the river water condition. The increased agricultural and reduced forest area in the riparian zone, especially in the upper middle reach, could be a possible reason for a decline of ecosystem service for the provisioning of clean water and habitat for aquatic organisms. Measures towards sustainable and more nature-friendly agricultural management are necessary in the area to protect the Teshio River ecosystem and its ecosystem services.     

Assessing the impact of the Japanese 2005 World Exposition Project on vascular plants' risk of extinction

The Red Data Book of Japanese Vascular Plants is based on their risk of extinction. In order to construct the list, 2000 taxa were evaluated using population data and rates of decline for approximately 4400 grids, each of approximately 100 km(2). This database can be used to estimate the impact of human activity on a threatened plant's risk of extinction. In order to evaluate extinction risks and apply the evaluation to conservation actions, the discount mean time to extinction is defined as a measure of extinction risk, where the present value of a species' persistence in the future decreases exponentially. The rate of decrease has to be much less than the rate of economic discounting, in order to realize intergenerational sustainability. Increases of the inverse, and logarithm, of the discount mean time to extinction are considered measures of the extinction risk. We applied these measures to an environmental impact assessment for the Japanese World Exposition that is to be held in 2005. Development will have a greater impact on threatened Salvia species than it will on star magnolia, Magnolia tomentosa, which has been conserved by changing the site plan.     

Interannual, seasonal, local and body size variations in reproduction of the prawn Penaeus (Marsupenaeus) japonicus (Crustacea: Decapoda: Penaeidae) in the Ariake Sea and Tachibana Bay, Japan

 The reproductive biology of female Penaeus japonicus Bate was investigated in the Ariake Sea and Tachibana Bay (located outside the Ariake Sea), Japan from 1994 to 1996. Interannual, seasonal, individual female body size and spatial influences on the incidence of spawning were examined. The proportion of inseminated females, increased with increasing body size up to 170 mm body length (BL) and decreased thereafter. The minimum size at maturity was similar between years; 130 to 140 mm BL. The minimum size of individuals with developing ovaries or spermatophores differed from that of ripe females by 20 to 25 mm. Spawning occurred in the central part of the Ariake Sea and Tachibana Bay but rarely in the inner part. P. japonicus had a clear reproductive cycle. Spawning started earlier and ended later, occurring from mid-May to mid-October, in the eastern central part of and outside of the Ariake Sea compared with the western central part, where spawning occurred from mid-June to mid-September. Spawning dynamics differed across seasons, body sizes and areas but not across years. The seasonal peak in the proportion of ripe females varied with body size. In small individuals (130 to 169 mm BL), no peak was observed, whereas in large individuals (>170 mm BL) the proportion of ripe individuals peaked in June. The proportion of ripe individuals increased with increasing body size and was high outside the Ariake Sea. Factors causing the variation in spawning dynamics are discussed. Received: 30 November 1998 / Accepted: 12 October 1999     

Relationships between the abnormalities of the male reproductive organs and the accumulation of phenol compounds in the striped field mouse, Apodemus agrarius, inhabiting Korea

The relationships between the abnormalities of the male reproductive organs in striped field mice and the accumulation of endocrine-disrupting chemicals were assessed. Most mice collected at three areas were contaminated with phenol or organotin compounds. Fourteen to 42% of the mice at each area had abnormally shrunken reproductive organs, and some of them were contaminated with high levels of phenol compounds. Moreover, all the shrunken reproductive organs were damaged in the histological structure. The damage was observed also from several mice accumulating a high level of phenol compounds even though they had normally developed reproductive organs, although no damage was found in the mice accumulating a high level of organotin compounds. Collectively, the abnormalities of the reproductive organs in the mice seemed to be related to the accumulation of phenol compounds rather than of organotin compounds.     

Correction to: An automated assessment method for integrated circuit chip detachment from printed circuit board by multistep binarization and template matching of X-ray transmission images

Given the increase in digital product waste, demand for recycling of printed circuit boards (PCBs) is increasing. Precious and minor metals are often well concentrated in integrated circuit (IC) chips, especially in PCBs; hence, IC chips are primary targets for recycling. The technology for the non-destructive detachment of IC chips from PCBs is increasing in sophistication; however, the effectiveness of IC chip detachment is currently assessed manually and visually. In the present study, an automated IC chip detachment assessment method was developed, which combines multistep binarization and template matching of X-ray transmission images of crushed PCBs. To validate the method, five types of mechanically crushed PCBs from mobile phones were examined, and the developed method successfully assessed the IC chip detachment rate, with an average error rate of only 2.2% compared to visual assessment.

     

Synchronous recruitment and growth pattern of planktonic larvae of the amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan

Planktonic larvae of the amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri were collected in the western part of the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, in order to document their seasonal occurrence, recruitment, and growth patterns. The larvae appeared from mid-July to early October and their size ranged from 0.6 to 5.5 mm. Three distinct cohorts were observed during the summers, indicating multiple, synchronous spawning within the population. The length increment pattern of a cohort demonstrates slow growth for at least a week during the early larval stage. July 10, 20, and 30 are the inferred dates when spawnings started to produce the three cohorts in 2001. Favorable temperature range for spawning was 21–23°C. Bias in population structure due to advection can be assumed to be negligible; therefore the length increment of the cohort, about 0.05 mm day⁻¹, is regarded as the larval growth rate after the initial slow-growth stage. The planktonic stage of the first cohort in 2001 is estimated to have lasted around 55 days. The relative proportions of the second and third cohorts in samples from surface and mid-depth waters suggest downward migration of the planktonic larvae, as they age.     

Vanadium contamination and the relation between vanadium and other elements in wild birds

There is little information on vanadium (V) contamination in wildlife. In the present study, the mean V contents in liver and kidney from 41 wild Japanese water birds were less than 3.69 and 8.11 microg/g dry wt, respectively. The V contents in the liver and kidney of the spotbill duck were more than two times higher than those of other species in Japan. Spotbill ducks obtained in a residential district had a strong correlation between the V contents in the kidneys and those in the livers (R=0.924), and also between V and Ti, Cd, and Li contents in the liver (R>0.8). These results suggest that V accumulation in wild birds reflects the degree of environmental contamination.