Characterization of iron elution for seaweed bed restoration using a steelmaking slag and compost method

Coastal areas in Japan and other parts of the world have serious problems with barren grounds. A method has been developed that uses a mixture of steelmaking slag and compost including humic substances supplied in seawater, for restoring seaweed beds. The effects of this method have been previously confirmed in field tests. It was found that the mixture of steelmaking slag and compost was effective for extending the lifetime of iron elution as well as increasing iron concentrations in seawater. In this study, the effect of the mixing composts with steelmaking slag was evaluated additionally for increasing dissolved iron concentrations in seawater. The characteristics of iron elution were also studied using this method. In particular, the mechanism of Fe elution and dissolved Fe oxidation was examined in detail. The iron elution of actual seawaters was tested using three kinds of samples which involved steelmaking slag, compost, and a mixture of steelmaking slag and compost. These samples were used to understand the mechanism of Fe elution and oxidation in seawater. It was found that the mixture of steelmaking slag and compost was the most effective, which also confirmed the validity of the proposed Fe elution process in seawater.     

Female mate preference for a costly ornament in male guppies

Female mate preference for dorsal fin length in male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) was investigated. In a dichotomous choice experiment using live males, females preferred males with longer dorsal fins to those with shorter dorsal fins. When the dorsal fin lengths of the two males were reversed by surgical manipulation, the females reversed their preference. To further examine this preference behaviour, a second dichotomous choice experiment was conducted using digitally modified male images that differed only in dorsal fin lengths. In this next experiment, females preferred male images with a longer dorsal fin than those with a shorter dorsal fin. In order to clarify the cost of possessing a long dorsal fin for males, the effect of dorsal fin length on swimming performance of males was also examined with a flow chamber. Male swimming performance was enhanced by surgically shortening the dorsal fin. The result of this study suggests that the long dorsal fin of male guppies is a costly handicap that may have evolved due to female mate choice.     

Negative correlation between male ornament size and female preference intensity in a wild guppy population

Although traditional sexual selection theories for the evolution of ornamental male traits often assume consistency in female preferences for the traits over time, recent theories predict plasticity in female mate preferences and the contribution of plastic female preferences to the maintenance of polymorphism in male sexual ornaments. However, the plasticity of female preferences and its influences on male ornaments are almost unknown in natural populations. Here we examined both the intensity of female preferences and the exaggeration of a male ornament (relative area of orange spots) in a wild population of the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) every few months over a period of 3 years. Results indicated that female preference intensity was negatively correlated with the relative area of orange spots of males. In addition, we found a positive correlation between female preference intensity and the relative area of orange spots of males of their offspring generation. Because the relative area of orange spots of male guppies is a heritable trait, female preferences might have a strong influence on male orange spot size in the next generation. This study provides the first evidence of plastic female preferences depending on the scarcity of males with large ornaments in a natural population. Results of this study imply a possible contribution of female preferences for the maintenance of variation in male ornamentation.     

Synchronized development of gonad and bioluminescent light organ in a highly sexually dimorphic leiognathid fish, Photoplagios rivulatus

In order to investigate the possible coupling between sexual maturation and the light organ system (LOS) development in leiognathid fish, we determined the seasonal changes in the gonad maturation and the light organ enlargement in Photoplagios rivulatus, one of the leiognathid species possessing highly sexually dimorphic LOS. The fish specimens collected from March 2001 to August 2002 were assessed for standard length (SL), body weight (BW), sex, gonad weight (GW) and the light organ weight (LW). Gonadosomatic index (GSI = 10²GW/BW) and percent weight of the light organ to body weight (PLW = 10² LW/BW) were used to demonstrate the extent of development of gonad and the LOS, respectively. Mean GSIs in both male and female increased in June through August. The mean PLW in males showed a similar trend to that of the GSI, while PLW in females showed no clear seasonal trends. A significant positive correlation was found between the GSI and the PLW in males but not in females. The onset of sexual maturity in males (55 mm SL) coincided with that of the light organ enlargement. These results strongly support the functional coupling between reproduction and bioluminescence in this species of leiognathid. From an evolutionary perspective, sexual dimorphism in the LOS is likely to have evolved through sexual selection for reproductive success in leiognathid fishes.     

日本企业安全培训现状及对中国的启示

依据中日合作项目<加强中国国家安全生产科学技术能力计划>成果,系统介绍了日本企业安全培训相关法规要求、班组长培训讲师培养、安全培训指导方案编制等.同时,分析了中国安全培训现状,提出了开展企业内安全培训讲师培养,加强中国企业安全培训能力的建议,并对堵训目的、培训对象、培训讲师主要工作、培训主要内容等要点进行了阐述.本文对完善和提高中国企业安全培训具有重要的指导和参考意义.     

Sizing and Costing of Electrostatic Precipitators

This is the second of a two-part article that reviews electrostatic precipitation theory, presents size estimating methods, and gives costing procedures for a variety of electrostatic precipitator (ESP) types and sizes. Part I of the article, which appeared in the April 1988 issue of JAPCA, discussed theory and sizing; this part presents costing. Information is given for estimating total capital investment including separate costs for the bare ESP (five types) and auxiliaries. Factors are given for installation and for indirect costs. Direct and indirect annual costs are discussed. An example problem is given.     

我国安全生产法制对策研究

分析了国内外安全生产法制现状，总结提出了我国存在的职业安全与健康分离、没有系统和规划、适用和衔接性差等特点和问题。阐述了安全生产法规体系建设的指导思想、基本原则以及基本框架，并提出了定期制定安全生产法规规划、梳理与评估法规体系实施效果、制定统一的劳动安全与健康法、编制安全生产计划、健全职业健康配套规定、保险与安全生产互动、以明确综合监管和专项监管以及安全生产规划、完善隐患治理、安全使用机械、健全企业自主管理体制等为重点对《安全生产法》进行修订的对策。     

Dissolution kinetics of high explosives particles in a saturated sandy soil

Solid phase high explosive (HE) residues from munitions detonation may be a persistent source of soil and groundwater contamination at military training ranges. Saturated soil column tests were conducted to observe the dissolution behavior of individual components (RDX, HMX, and TNT) from two HE formulations (Comp B and C4). HE particles dissolved readily, with higher velocities yielding higher dissolution rates, higher mass transfer coefficients, and lower effluent concentrations. Effluent concentrations were below solubility limits for all components at superficial velocities of 10-50 cm day(-1). Under continuous flow at 50 cm day(-1), RDX dissolution rates from Comp B and C4 were 34.6 and 97.6 microg h(-1) cm(-2) (based on initial RDX surface area), respectively, significantly lower than previously reported dissolution rates. Cycling between flow and no-flow conditions had a small effect on the dissolution rates and effluent concentrations; however, TNT dissolution from Comp B was enhanced under intermittent-flow conditions. A model that includes advection, dispersion, and film transfer resistance was developed to estimate the steady-state effluent concentrations.     

The relative contribution of dinoflagellate photosynthesis and stored lipids to the survivorship of symbiotic larvae of the reef-building corals

The long-distance dispersal of larvae provides important linkages between populations of reef-building corals and is a critical part of coral biology. Some coral planulae have symbiotic dinoflagellates (Symbiodinium spp.) that probably provide energy in addition to the lipids provisioned within the egg. However, our understanding of the influence of symbionts on the energy metabolism and survivorship of planulae remains limited. This study examines the relative roles of symbiotic dinoflagellate photosynthesis and stored lipid content in the survivorship of the developing stages of the corals Pocillopora damicornis and Montipora digitata. We found that survivorship decreased under dark conditions (i.e. no photosynthetic activity) for P. damicornis and M. digitata at 31 and 22 days after release/spawning, respectively. The lipid content of P. damicornis and M. digitata planulae showed a significant decrease, at a higher rate, under dark conditions, when compared with light conditions. When converted to energy equivalents, the available energy provided by the depletion of lipids could account for 41.9 and 84.7% of larval metabolism for P. damicornis (by day 31) and 38.4 and 90.1% for M. digitata (by day 21) under light and dark conditions, respectively. This finding indicates that not all energy requirements of the larvae are met by lipids: energy is also sourced from the photosynthetic activities of the symbiotic dinoflagellates within these larvae, especially under light conditions. In addition, the amounts of three main lipid classes (wax esters, triglycerides, and phospholipids) decreased throughout the experiment in the planulae of both species, with the wax ester content decreasing more rapidly under dark conditions than under light conditions. The observations that the planulae of both species derive considerable amounts of energy from wax esters, and that symbiotic dinoflagellates enable larvae to use their stores at lower rates, suggested that symbiotic dinoflagellates have the potential to extend larval life under light conditions.