The possibility of sustainable pest management by introducing bio-diversity: simulations of pest mite outbreak and regulation

Since the late 1980s, spider mite pests have caused serious damage to many moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) forests in China’s Fujian province. The culms of this plant are an essential component of the building and handicraft industries, and the shoots are a prized food item in many Asian countries. Furthermore, bamboo forests play an important soil conservation role in mountainous areas. We examined pest mite outbreaks in several moso bamboo plantations in Fujian, and could show that a change in cultivation style from polyculture (a kind of mixed forest) to monoculture (all plants other than bamboo were removed) was primarily responsible for the local extinction of an important predaceous mite species. This phenomenon is due to the periodic shedding of leaves by the bamboo, which forces the predator mites occurring on bamboo to switch to prey mite species that occur on other plants. We then tried to elucidate the factors that resulted from such a cultivation change. Adopting a computer simulation approach, we could successfully show that at least two plants, moso bamboo and Chinese silvergrass, are necessary to maintain stable predator–prey interactions in moso forests. That is, systems consisting of one common predator and two host-specific pest mites on different host plant species frequently became stable when the pest mites were at low density. This finding indicates clearly that bio-diversity, even when it consists of only two plants and three mite species as in this study, is necessary for the sustainable regulation of large-scale forests, such as moso bamboo plantations.     

Evaluation of entanglement properties of crushed automobile shredded residue and detachment of entrapped particles

Automobile shredded residue is a potential solid fuel when its metal and chlorine-containing parts have been removed. The authors have investigated physical separation of automobile shredded residue to obtain the components that may be used in solid fuel and found that agglomerates of entangling fiber-like components are formed during crushing, making removal of metals and chlorine-containing parts difficult. In this paper, a reattachment ratio, entrapment ratio, and disentanglement ratio are proposed to evaluate the entanglement properties of crushed automobile shredded residue. It is found that products smaller than 16 mm were not reattached easily in the sieving process, and an index based on entanglement properties proposed here is useful to predict suitable crushing conditions. Wet detachment of entrapped particles from agglomerates of entangling materials was also applied to separate particulate matter from crushed ASR.     

Concentrations of various elements and inorganic ions in rice straw and ash

Various elements and inorganic ions in rice straw and ash samples were analyzed by using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP‐AES) and ion chromatography (IC). Five major elements: Mg, Mn, Al, Ca, and Fe and eight minor and trace elements: Cr, Cu, Ti, Zn, La, Sr, Ba, and Hg were detected in these samples, at more than ppm‐level. In ash samples the trace elements such as Y, As, V, Se, and Sc were also identified. The concentrations of SO₄, PO₄, Cl, Na, and K ions in these samples were higher than those of other ions measured. These elements and inorganic ion concentrations were approximately one order of magnitude higher in the ash than in the straw samples. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and library search showed the presence of fatty‐, carboxylic‐ and nicotinic acids, and their derivatives in small quantities in the straw samples.     

Removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions by the culm of bamboo grass treated with concentrated sulfuric acid

We prepared a carbonaceous sorbent for Cr(VI) from the culm of Sasa kurilensis by dehydration with concentrated H₂SO₄. The removal of Cr(VI) by the sorbent was highly solution pH dependent and mainly governed by physicochemical sorption. The equilibrium data fit well in the Langmuir isotherm model and indicate the endothermic nature of the Cr(VI) sorption. The desorption experiments suggest that the Cr(VI) sorption is generally irreversible, owing to strong interaction of HCrO₄⁻ with the active sites of the sorbent.     

Comparison of general water quality of rivers in Indonesia and Japan

In Java and Kalimantan in Indonesia, river water plays important roles in human life; for example, for transportation, and economic activities of the inhabitants. However, industrial, agricultural and domestic water is discarded into rivers directly in many developing countries, including Indonesia, since drainage systems have not been completely constructed. In this study, to evaluate the water quality and to compare those levels of environmental contaminants in developing and developed countries, water quality and contents of endocrine disrupters were measured in a total of 64 water samples (Indonesia; 28 samples and Japan; 36 samples) from 53 sites. The results indicated that, rivers in both capital cities, Jakarta and Tokyo, were contaminated. Water in rivers in Indonesia was not so heavily polluted as in Japan. Pollution in the river water in Indonesia appeared to be caused by the lack of sewerage systems. In addition, the findings on endocrine disrupters indicated that the concentration of alkylphenol in water samples was large enough to affect living organisms.     

Application of crosswell seismic tomography using difference analysis with data normalization to monitor CO2 flooding in an aquifer

A pilot-scale experiment for carbon dioxide (CO₂) sequestration was undertaken at the Nagaoka test field in Japan. Time-lapse crosswell seismic tomography was conducted to detect and monitor the movement of CO₂ injected into an aquifer. We applied difference analysis with data normalization (DADN) to the time-lapse data to eliminate false images that were apparent in a conventionally processed difference section. Conventional difference analysis calculates travel-time delays after inversion, whereas the DADN method calculates them from raw travel-time records before inversion. Thus, fewer errors are generated with the DADN method compared to a conventional inversion analysis. We applied the DADN method to time-lapse tomography data recorded before and after the injection of CO₂ and computed the velocity variation in a subsurface section, which clearly showed the distribution of CO₂ flooding within a high permeability zone in the aquifer and showed no CO₂ leakage into the caprock. Our results also show the maximum velocity decrease as a result of CO₂ injection was about 9%, which is close to the results obtained in laboratory experiments. Finally, numerical simulations were inverted to test the effectiveness of the conventional and DADN methods in dealing with noise. These tests showed that the DADN method effectively reduces unique coherent noise for particular receiver and source combinations. We concluded that the DADN method provides useful data for monitoring the flow of CO₂ sequestered in underground aquifers.     

膜采样离线分析与在线测定大气细粒子中元素碳和有机碳的比较

针对普遍采用的膜采样离线分析与在线测定大气细粒子中元素碳和有机碳的方法进行了比较分析. 2006年1月～2007年4月期间在北京大学校园内应用膜采样离线分析和在线分析分季节同时测定了PM_2.5中元素碳（EC）和有机碳（OC）,并将结果进行对比.结果显示,膜采样法测得的OC约为在线仪器测得的OC的2倍, 2种方法差别主要体现在对OC的测量上.不加平行板有机物扩散吸收管引入OC比较大的正误差,而加平行板有机物扩散吸收管又将引入OC的负误差,约10%.同时采用平行板有机物扩散吸收管和后置膜的离线分析方法同在线观测的结果具有比较好的一致性.     

Two clinal trends in male-male aggressiveness in a subsocial spider mite (Schizotetranychus miscanthi)

We studied the correlation between male-male aggressive behavior of the spider mite, Schizotetranychus miscanthi and winter coldness, a factor hypothesized to correlate with the degree of relatedness of the interacting males through the frequent occurrence of mother-son mating in the spring. Thirty-one samples from various populations throughout Japan were added to previous data. A cluster analysis revealed two clinal trends for male-male aggression in S. miscanthi in regions of light or no snowfall. The two clines may represent a dimorphism within the species, each having a similar clinal trend within Japan. Further support for the hypothesis that male overwintering survival affects male-male aggressiveness came from a comparison between regions of heavy snowfall and those of light or no snowfall. In regions with heavy snow insulation, overwintering survival may not be as high as in other areas, and there was no correlation between male aggressiveness and the minimum winter temperature. However, there was a significant correlation in regions of light snow. Received: 26 May 1998 / Received in revised form: 16 December 1998 / Accepted: 30 December 1998     

Comparison of air pollutant emissions among mega-cities

Ambient measurements of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides from three mega-cities (Beijing, Mexico City, Tokyo) are compared with similar measurements from US cities in the mid-1980s and the early 2000s. The common hydrocarbon pattern seen in all data sets suggests that emissions associated with gasoline-fueled vehicles dominate in all of these cities. This commonality suggests that it will be efficient and, ultimately, cost effective to proceed with vehicular emission controls in most emerging mega-cities, while proceeding with development of more locally appropriate air quality control strategies through emissions inventory development and ambient air monitoring. Over the three decades covered by the US data sets, the hydrocarbon emissions decreased by a significant factor (something like an order of magnitude), which is greater than suggested by emission inventories, particularly the EDGAR international inventory. The ambient hydrocarbon and CO concentrations reported for the three non-US mega-cities are higher than present US ambient concentrations, but lower than those observed in the 1980s in the US. The one exception to the preceding statement is the high concentrations of CO observed in Beijing, which apparently have a large regional contribution.