Depth-related shift in life history strategies of a brooding and broadcasting deep-sea asteroid

Combining field and laboratory work, this study investigated the reproductive cycle, aggregative behavior, spawning periodicity, development and early growth of the sea star Henricia lisa living at bathyal depths off eastern Canada. Marked differences were found between individuals from ~1,300 and ~600 m deep. The former had a male biased sex ratio and an aperiodic reproductive cycle, whereas the latter displayed an equal sex ratio and a biannual breeding pattern. Furthermore, the maximum size was larger and female fecundity roughly five times higher in shallower compared to deeper populations. In the tanks, aggregative behavior was recorded twice a year during the summer and winter breeding periods. The onset of aggregations and spawning coincided with a temperature of 3–4°C. Males spawned first and females typically responded inside 30–60 min. Between 12 and 20 eggs were retained to be brooded under the arched arms of the female, whereas the remainder were broadcasted and developed without parental care. The fertilized eggs underwent a first cleavage after 12 h, reached the brachiolaria stage in 1 month, became juveniles within 3–4 months and reached ~ 4 mm in diameter after 14–17 months of growth. The embryos and juveniles developed at the same rate whether brooded or not, and development of winter cohorts was typically slower due to lower prevailing temperatures. This study of H. lisa provides the first evidence of lecithotrophy in a seasonally breeding deep-sea echinoderm and of brooding in a deep-sea asteroid.     

Bioluminescence in the high Arctic during the polar night

This study examines the composition and activity of the planktonic community during the polar night in the high Arctic Kongsfjord, Svalbard. Our results are the first published evidence of bioluminescence among zooplankton during the Arctic polar night. The observations were collected by a bathyphotometer detecting bioluminescence, integrated into an autonomous underwater vehicle, to determine the concentration and intensity of bioluminescent flashes as a function of time of day and depth. To further understand community dynamics and composition, plankton nets were used to collect organisms passing through the bathyphotometer along with traditional vertical net tows. Additionally, using a moored bathyphotometer closed to the sampling site, the bioluminescence potential itself was shown not to have a diurnal or circadian rhythm. Rather, our results provide evidence for a diel vertical migration of bioluminescent zooplankton that does not correspond to any externally detectable changes in illumination.     

The semiochemically mediated interactions between bacteria and insects

In natural environment, semiochemicals are involved in many interactions between the different trophic levels involving insects, plants and hosts for parasitoids or prey for predators. These volatile compounds act as messengers within or between insect species, inducing particular behaviours, such as the localisation of a source of food, the orientation to an adequate oviposition site, the selection of a suitable breeding site and the localisation of hosts or prey. In this sense, bacteria have been shown to play an important role in the production of volatile compounds which ones act as semiochemicals. This review, focusing on the semiochemically mediated interactions between bacteria and insects, highlights that bacterial semiochemicals act as important messengers for insects. Indeed, in most of the studies reported here, insects respond to specific volatiles emitted by specific bacteria hosted by the insect itself (gut, mouthparts, etc.) or present in the natural environment where the insect evolves. Particularly, bacteria from the families Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonaceae and Bacillaceae are involved in many interactions with insects. Because semiochemicals naturally produced by bacteria could be a very interesting option for pest management, advances in this field are discussed in the context of biological control against insect pests.     

Characterization and Properties of Hydrophilic Cellulose Acetate Propionate Derivative

The chemical modification of Acrylamidomethyl Cellulose Acetate Propionate (AMCAP) was carried out by radical addition of acrylic acid. The structural modification was confirmed with the aid of FTIR, MS and NMR techniques. Thermal properties of hydrophilic cellulose derivative (AMCAP–H₂O₂) such as glass transition (T_g 153 °C) and thermal stability (372.7 °C) were determined by DSC and TGA techniques, respectively. These thermal properties confirmed the introduction of carboxylic groups into AMCAP structure, which causes an impact in their properties. The AMCAP–H₂O₂ shows minor contact angle compared to AMCAP, giving a more hydrophilic characteristic, due to acrylic acid addition into the side chains of AMCAP polymer.     

Noise disturbance caused by outdoor activities�� a simulated-environment study for Ali Sami Yen Stadium, ?stanbul

Negative effects of noise on individuals, the inevitable result of urbanization, have become a significant urban problem in our day. Introduction of an approach to the noise problem on an urban-planning scale lightens the burden of measures required to be taken against noise at the stages of regional and developmental planning. Stadiums, which should be also evaluated from the point of noise problem when planning decisions are made on the urban planning scale, may cause very serious problems differing depending on the region they are located in. In this article, various dimensions of the noise problem caused by stadiums have been exemplified by making an assessment on Ali Sami Yen football stadium located in Mecidiyeköy district which is among important residential and commercial centres of ?stanbul or Turkey. When the simulation results obtained for ordinary days and match days are evaluated, it has been found out that the people living in the area are exposed to noise levels substantially exceeding the acceptable values. Results of the survey conducted in the area have clearly revealed the existence of noise problem, too.     

BAYESIAN MODELS OF FORECASTED TIME SERIES1

Bayesian Processor of Forecasts (BPF) combines a prior distribution, which describes the natural uncertainty about the realization of a hydrologic process, with a likelihood function, which describes the uncertainty in categorical forecasts of that process, and outputs a posterior distribution of the process, conditional upon the forecasts. The posterior distribution provides a means of incorporating uncertain forecasts into optimal decision models. We present fundamentals of building BPF for time series. They include a general formulation, stochastic independence assumptions and their interpretation, computationally tractable models for forecasts of an independent process and a first-order Markov process, and parametric representations for normal-linear processes. An example is shown of an application to the annual time series of seasonal snowmelt runoff volume forecasts.     

MULTICRITERIA PROGRAMMING OF WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS FOR RURAL AREAS1

ABSTRACT: The aim of this paper is to present a multicriteria methodology for decision aid at the stage of programming a water supply system (WSS) for a rural area. The programming stage is an intermediate one between planning and designing water supply facilities, and can be decomposed into two problems: (a) setting up a priority order of water users, taking into account socio-economic criteria; and (b) choosing the best technical variant of the WSS. Among the criteria considered for the latter problem, there is a criterion of distance between the socio-economic priorities of users and the precedence orders of users according to the technical programming, which plays a coordinating role between problems (a) and (b). All steps of the presented methodology are illustrated by a real case study.     

Analysis of the recycling system for aluminum cans,focusing on collection,transportation, and the intermediate processing methods

In this article, the systems for the collection and intermediate processing of used beverage cans (UBCs) are compared and analyzed, focusing on the time taken and the cost of processing, the energy consumption, and the emissions of CO₂, SO _x , and NO _x , during the process. We found that cases where the UBCs were crushed in the discharging process gave better results, and how the UBCs were collected was the most important factor. It was more desirable to treat UBCs in one place than in two places. When the transportation distance was longer, the pressed form of UBCs was more convenient. When the transportation distance was short, the original form, the crushed form, and the shredded form of UBCs were all suitable. That is, the contribution of the transportation process to the evaluation was large when the transport distance was long, and the contribution of the treatment process was large when the transport distance was short.     

Material cycles in Asia: especially the recycling loop between Japan and China

In this article, we clarify the current status of Japanese exports and Chinese imports of secondary resources. A total of around 10 million metric tons (t) of secondary resources are exported annually from Japan to China, Hong Kong, and Korea. Hong Kong plays the role of a transshipment point, especially regarding the trade in plastic waste, and China imports much from the USA and Japan, often through Hong Kong. The secondary resources exported from Japan include both byproducts from manufacturing processes and end-of-life products or materials. The great demand in China, and the difference in prices between countries, drive this transboundary shipment, although Japan has enacted various recycling laws that were implicitly intended to promote domestic recycling. In China, the imported secondary resources are recycled, usually by means of primitive and low-cost hand labor. The greatest concern is whether there are still improper (illegal or polluting) recycling activities in China. International material cycles should prevent environmental pollution and ensure efficient resource utilization. To that end, the following measures are needed: cooperative control of the trade of secondary resources between countries, the alignment of domestic laws with the regulations in other countries based on the actual trade activities, and the realization of sound practices for global resources management.