Microplastic pollution is occurring in most ecosystem, yet their presence in high altitude clouds and their influence on cloud formation and climate change are poorly known. Here we analyzed microplastics in cloud water sampled at the summits of Japan mountains at 1300–3776 m altitude by attenuated total reflection imaging and micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. We observed nine microplastics including polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate, polyamide 6, polycarbonate, ethylene–propylene copolymer or polyethylene–polypropylene alloy, polyurethane, and epoxy resin. Microplastic were fragmented, with mean concentrations ranging from 6.7 to 13.9 pieces per liter, and with Feret diameters ranging from 7.1 to 94.6 μm. Microplastics bearing hydrophilic groups such as carbonyl and/or hydroxyl groups were abundant, suggesting that they might have acted as condensation nuclei of cloud ice and water. Overall, our finding suggest that high-altitude microplastics cloud influence cloud formation and, in turn, might modify the climate.
Summary. Males of the German cockroach, Blattella
germanica, secrete a pheromonal substance from the abdominal tergal glands,
which elicits a feeding response in females during the sequential courtship behavior.
The nuptial secretion consists predominantly of a synergistic mixture of sugars
and phospholipids. Cholesterol and a series of amino acids, which are also
components of the males glandular secretion, significantly enhanced the phagostimulant
activity of the sugar components. The nuptial feeding behavior of the female cockroach
is therefore elicited by a complex assortment of nutritive components in the male
tergal secretion, including sugars, phospholipids, cholesterol, and amino acids. These
results indicate that a mixture of primary metabolites, and not of specific secondary
metabolites, serves as a pheromonal cue that appeals to the females gustatory sense
and effectively brings her to the precopulatory position. Although the
male secretion consists of nutrients, we suggest that these compounds probably do not
represent a significant nutrient investment in females and their progeny but rather
function as a signal in the mating sequence of B. germanica. 相似文献
A survey for leptocephali around Sulawesi Island in the central Indonesian Seas during May 2001 found that the leptocephali
of the congrid eel, Ariosoma scheelei, were present in all seven areas that were sampled. A total of 551 leptocephali (22–166 mm TL) were collected, and A. scheelei was by far the most abundant species of leptocephali collected during the survey. The wide range of sizes in most areas indicated
that spawning had occurred during a period of several months in many different areas, although the exact spawning locations
were not determined. The larger size classes were more abundant in all areas except in Tomini Bay on the northeast side of
Sulawesi Island. The highest catch rates were observed at the eastern edge of the Java Sea and to the north in the Celebes
Sea near Makassar Strait. Premetamorphic leptocephali were also collected in surface samples at 11 stations (N=62), but metamorphosing leptocephali (N=86) were only caught in IKMT tows that fished from the surface to about 200 m. Metamorphosing leptocephali were collected
primarily at two stations in the Java Sea and Makassar Strait where a surface layer of lower-salinity water was detected.
Their total lengths (105.3–153.3 mm) and the largest premetamorphic individuals suggested that this species can reach maximum
sizes of about 165 mm before beginning to metamorphose. It is hypothesized that this species may be abundant in the Indonesian
Seas region and that it has ecological traits such as large size at recruitment and a small size at reproduction that have
made it successful in many regions of the Indo-Pacific. 相似文献
Prodigiosin is a reddish antibiotic pigment that plays an important role in the biocontrol of plant diseases by the bacterium
Serratia marcescens. However, its activity is unstable under agricultural conditions; further, it can be degraded by various environmental factors.
To examine the effect of epiphytic microbes on the stability of prodigiosin used for biological control processes, we collected
a total of 1,280 bacterial isolates from the phylloplane of cyclamen and tomato plants. Approximately 72% of the bacterial
strains isolated from the cyclamen plants and 66% of those isolated from the tomato plants grew on minimal agar medium containing
100 μg ml−1 prodigiosin. Certain isolates obtained from both plant species exhibited prodigiosin-degrading activity. We compared the
16S rRNA gene sequences derived from the isolates with sequences in a database. The comparison revealed that the sequences
determined for the prodigiosin-degrading isolates were homologous to those of the genera Pseudomonas, Caulobacter, Rhizobium, Sphingomonas, Janthinobacterium, Novosphingobium, and Rathayibacter. These results indicate that indigenous epiphytic microorganisms may interfere with the interaction between plant pathogens
and biocontrol agents by degrading the antibiotics produced by the agents. 相似文献
The photo-Fenton reactions, which could yield hydroxyl radicals via the catalytic degradation of H2O2 by Fe(II), were focused as one of the abiotic degradation processes of bisphenol A (BPA) in surface waters. At pH 6, in the presence of H2O2 only, 32% of BPA was degraded after 120?min of irradiation. However, 97% of BPA was degraded in the presence of both H2O2 and Fe(II). Without light irradiation, no BPA degradation was observed even in the presence of Fe(II) and H2O2. These results show that photo-Fenton processes are effective in the natural attenuation of BPA in surface water. In addition, the presence of humic acids (HAs), which were of more aliphatic nature, resulted in enhancing BPA degradation via the photo-Fenton processes. Therefore, HAs can be one of the important factors in enhancing the degradation of BPA in surface water via the photo-Fenton processes. 相似文献
Previously, we developed a model to predict lean flammability limit L and flame propagation velocity Sb for pulverized coal. In the present paper, we have extended the model to apply it in development of oxy-fuel combustion systems. The basic model consists of two particles. One of the two particles burns first, then, the other particle is ignited by the heat of combustion of the one burning particle. We analyzed at what distance the first burning particle could ignite the next particle, and how fast the first burning particle could ignite the next particle. The model was verified both for air and oxy-fuel combustion conditions. Next, a method to support burner development was examined by using the model. Local Sb and L near the ignition points of the burner could be analyzed from the concentration and temperature profiles of CFD results. Flame stability was judged by the calculated Sb and L profiles, and past results of blow-off limits obtained with actual- and pilot-scale experiments. A DS®T-burner was developed by Hitachi Power Europe, and installed at the Schwarze Pumpe pilot plant. Combination of the technique and large eddy simulation was applied to confirmation of the system. 相似文献
The functional safety requirement is widely applied in the process plant industry in accordance with the international standards, such as IEC and ISA. The requirement is defined as safety integrity level (SIL) based on the risk reduction concept for protection layers, from original process risk to tolerable risk level. Although the standards specify both, the Prevention System and the Emergency System, as level of protection layers, the standards specify in detail only the use of the Prevention System (i.e., Safety Instrumented System (SIS)). The safety integrity level is not commonly allocated to the Emergency System (e.g., Fire and Gas System, Emergency Shutdown System and Emergency Depressuring System). This is because the required risk reduction can be normally achieved by only the Prevention System (i.e., SIS and Pressure Safety Valve (PSV)). Further, the risk reduction level for the Emergency System is very difficult to be quantified by the actual SIL application (i.e., evaluated based on the single accident scenario, such as an accident from process control deviation), since the escalation scenarios after Loss of Containment (LOC) greatly vary depending on the plant design and equipment. Consequently, there are no clear criteria for evaluating the Emergency System design. This paper aims to provide the functional safety requirement (i.e., required risk reduction level based on IEC 61508 and 61511) as design criteria for the Emergency System.In order to provide clear criteria for the Emergency System evaluation, a risk reduction concept integrated with public’s perception of acceptable risk criteria is proposed and is applied to identify the required safety integrity level for the Emergency System design. Further, to verify the safety integrity levels for the Emergency Systems, the probabilistic model of the Emergency Systems was established considering each Emergency System (e.g., Fire and Gas System, Emergency Shutdown System and Emergency Depressuring System) relation as the Overall Emergency System. This is because the Overall Emergency System can achieve its goal by the combined action of each individual system, including inherent safe design, such as separation distance.The proposed approach applicability was verified by conducting a case study using actual onshore Liquefied Natural Gas Plant data. Further, the design criteria for Emergency Systems for LNG plants are also evaluated by sensitivity analysis. 相似文献
Leptocephali of the widely distributed tropical marine eels of the genus Kaupichthys (family Chlopsidae) were collected around Sulawesi Island during a sampling survey in the Indonesian Seas in late September
and early October 2002, and the otolith microstructure of 24 of the 59 specimens captured was examined to learn about the
larval growth rates and spawning times of these small sized eels. Leptocephali ranging in size from 25 to 60 mm were collected
in Makassar Strait and the Celebes Sea, but they were most abundant in the semi-enclosed Tomini Bay of northeast Sulawesi
Island. The Kaupichthys leptocephali examined had 39–161 otolith growth increments. Their back-calculated hatching dates indicated that five age
groups were present and each group appeared to have been spawned around the full moon of previous months. Average growth rate
estimates of the first two age groups were 0.65 and 0.54 mm/day for the 27.4–30.4 and 37.6–45.6 mm age classes. The growth
rates of the oldest three age groups (52.0–60.8 mm) appeared to have slowed down after they reached their approximate maximum
size. An increase in increment widths at the outer margin of the otoliths of those larger than 53 mm suggested that the process
of metamorphosis had begun even though there were few external morphological changes indicating metamorphosis. It is hypothesized
that chlopsid leptocephali have an unusually short gut that may not need to move forward during early metamorphosis. The presence
of four age classes in Tomini Bay suggests that the Togian Islands region may be productive habitats for Kaupichthys juveniles and adults. 相似文献