Cracking styrene derivative polymers in decalin solvent with metal-supported carbon catalysts

The cracking of styrene derivative polymers dissolved in decalin was conducted with metal-supported carbon catalysts under an inert gas atmosphere to recover monosubstituted styrene or monosubstituted ethylbenzene in higher yields than is obtained by pyrolysis, and to elucidate the detailed reaction mechanisms in the solvent. Poly-(4-methylstyrene), poly-(4-t-butylstyrene), poly-(α-methylstyrene), and polystyrene were used. In decalin without a catalyst, each polymer was decomposed into the monomer, dimer, and trimer derived from the corresponding polymer except for poly-(α-methylstyrene), which was decomposed into the monomer and styrene. By using metal-supported carbon, the olefinic compounds derived from the corresponding polymer were thoroughly hydrogenated to the saturated form in a nitrogen atmosphere by a hydrogen transfer reaction from decalin, which was simultaneously dehydrogenated to tetralin and naphthalene with the evolution of hydrogen gas. In comparison with metal species, Pd- and Ru-supported carbon catalysts maintained the hydrogenation activity for a longer time and with a lower evolution of hydrogen than Pt or Rh. The dehydrogenation of decalin was mainly observed not on the metal surfaces, but on the carbon surfaces over Pd-supported carbon. Stabilization of the monomers will be able to suppress the coking which occurs with repolymerization in long running process. Received: July 19, 2000 / Accepted: March 16, 2001     

Effectiveness of the mating plug in Atrophaneura alcinous (Lepidoptera : Papilionidae)

Summary At mating, males of Atrophaneura alcinous plug the female copulatory duct with a secretory material, but some females copulate several times and can receive spermatophores from different males up to three times. Remating by plugged females mostly takes place shortly after the first mating, when the freshly formed first plug has not completely hardened. A freshly formed plug can be pressed aside or tunneled by the male aedeagus, and thus intromission and subsequent spermatophore transfer are sometimes possible. This is not always the case, however, and larger plugs are more likely to prevent aedeagus intrusion even if they are not completely hardened. Also, a few females remated a day after the first mating or later, when the first plug is already very hard. Completely hardened plugs are more effective than freshly formed ones; later mating males can thrust the aedeagus into the ductus bursae only when the plug is less than ca 1.2 mg (dry weight). The occurrence of female re-mating in plug-forming species thus does not necessarily mean that the plug is ineffective. Offprint requests to: K. Matsumoto     

Amniotic fluid-AFP in Down syndrome and other chromosome abnormalities

80·2 Per cent of 111 Down syndrome pregnancies had amniotic fluid (AF) alpha fetoprotein (AFP) levels on or below the median and 10·8 per cent at or below 0·5 MoM compared with 41·9 and 1·4 per cent of controls. These differences were even more striking when the gestational age was < 18 weeks compared with ⩾ 18 weeks. No such association was seen for other chromosome abnormalities including trisomy 18,45,X and mosaics, 47,XXY, 47,XXX, and other structural abnormalities and triploidy, even when high levels due to defects such as omphalocele and cystic hygroma were excluded. All cases of trisomy 13 and 80 per cent with 47,XYY had AF-AFP levels above the median. Selection of cases for karyotyping by a low level of AF-AFP would clearly fail to detect aneuploidies other than Down syndrome and is not recommended. A possible weak association between low maternal serum (MS) and AF-AFPs in Down syndrome was most evident at < 18 weeks, suggesting that MS screening between 16 and 18 weeks may be the most informative time.     

Evaluating multiple emission pathways for fixed cumulative carbon dioxide emissions from global-scale socioeconomic perspectives

Recent climate modeling studies have concluded that cumulative carbon emissions determine temperature increase, regardless of emission pathways. Accordingly, the optimal emission pathway can be determined from a socioeconomic standpoint. To access the path dependence of socioeconomic impacts for cumulative carbon emissions, we used a computable general equilibrium model to analyze impacts on major socioeconomic indicators on a global scale for 30–50 pathways with different emission reduction starting years, different subsequent emission pathways, and three different cumulative 2100 emission scenarios (emissions that meet the 2 °C target, the 2 °C target emissions plus 10 %, and emissions producing radiative forcing of 4.5 W/m²). The results show that even with identical cumulative emission figures, the resulting socioeconomic impacts vary by the pathway realized. For the United Nations 2 °C target, for example, (a) the 95 % confidence interval of cumulative global gross domestic product (GDP) is 1355–1363 trillion US dollars (2010–2100, discount rate = 5 %), (b) the cumulative GDP of pathways with later emission reduction starting years grows weaker (5 % significance level), and (c) emissions in 2100 have a moderate negative correlation with cumulative GDP. These results suggest that GDP loss is minimized with pathways with earlier emission reduction followed by more moderate reduction rates to achieve lower emission levels. Consequently, we suggest an early emission peak to meet the stringent target. In our model setting, it is desirable for emissions to peak by 2020 to reduce mitigation cost and by 2030 at the latest to meet the 2 °C target.     

Growth and Nitrogen Availability of Red Pine Seedlings under High Nitrogen Load and Elevated Ozone

To evaluate the effect of increasing nitrogen (N) deposition and tropospheric ozone (O₃) concentrations on N-saturated forest ecosystems, we investigated the response of Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora), an N-saturation sensitive tree species, to increasing N load under elevated O₃ concentrations. One-year-old seedlings of red pine were treated with three levels of N supply (0, 50 and 100 mg N L^-1 fresh soil volume) under two levels of atmospheric O₃ concentration (< 5 and 60 ppb) for two growing seasons. Nitrogen treatment did not stimulate dry matter production of the seedlings. Growth inhibition was observed in the highest N treatment under low O₃ and in the two higher N treatments under elevated O₃. Irrespective of the O₃ concentration, increasing N supply negatively affected root growth and mycorrhizal development in fine roots, resulting in a reduction in P and Mg uptake from the soil. Net photosynthetic rate was significantly reduced by both the highest N treatment under low O₃ and the two higher N treatments under elevated O₃, together with decreased N-availability to Rubisco. Nitrogen assimilated from NO₃ ^- to amino acid in the needles was not affected by the treatments. However, needle protein concentration was reduced by the highest N-treatment under low O₃ and by the two higher N-treatments under elevated O₃. These results suggest that elevated O₃ potentially disturbs the N-availability in the form of protein including Rubisco, and may advance the negative effects of excessive N-deposition on N-sensitive plant species in N-saturated forests.     

The Influence of Synoptic-scale Air Flow and Local Circulation on the Dust Layer Height in the North of the Taklimakan Desert

The present study investigates the influences of synoptic-scale air flows and local wind circulations on the dust layer height (DLH) in the Taklimakan Desert, based on lidar observations performed in the north of the desert in March 2003. The DLH fluctuates approximately every three days between 2500 m (above sea level) and 5000 m, including diurnal variations. Meteorological analyses and numerical simulations show that the three-day fluctuation of DLH corresponds with variations in synoptic-scale air flows over the Taklimakan Desert, and the diurnal variations are linked to downdrafts and updrafts that are formed over the north of the desert as part of local circulations. When strong northerly winds prevail in the upper troposphere and a developed valley wind blows toward the Tienshan Mountains in the lower troposphere, the downdrafts strengthen in the middle troposphere over the north of the desert, lowering the DLH to about 2500 m. In contrast, the DLH rises to about 5000 m when the updrafts develop between strong southerly winds in the upper troposphere and a developed mountain wind blowing from the Tienshan Mountains. Simulations for the local circulation behavior without the presence of the Tienshan Mountains demonstrate that the valley and mountain winds on the southern slope of the Tienshan Mountains control the intensity of the downdrafts and updrafts, thereby influencing the DLH over the north of the Taklimakan Desert.     

Time allocation and recycling activities

Recycling is time consuming and the time available for housework may determine the intensity of recycling activities. In this study, we conducted a survey of 546 Japanese households and asked them their daily practice of five varieties of recycling activities: (1) choice of refill products, (2) use of own shopping bags, (3) sorting of recycled papers from burnable waste, (4) use of own drinking bottles when going out, and (5) use of recycle boxes prepared at the grocery store. We also asked households to record their behavior for two successive days. By combining recycling activity data and diary data, we estimate a multivariate probit model to empirically examine whether time available for housework determines the intensity of five varieties of recycling activities. The empirical result demonstrates that an individual that can allocate sufficient time for housework tends to purchase refill products. He or she also tends to bring their own shopping bags for grocery shopping. We also find that the size of house and the number of family members determine the likelihood of recycling. A housewife living with many family members in a large house is more likely to engage in time-consuming recycling activities.     

Polychlorinated biphenyl (118) activates osteoclasts and induces bone resorption in goldfish

To analyze the effect of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 118 on fish bone metabolism, we examined osteoclastic and osteoblastic activities, as well as plasma calcium levels, in the scales of PCB (118)-injected goldfish. In addition, effect of PCB (118) on osteoclasts and osteoblasts was investigated in vitro. Immature goldfish, in which the endogenous effects of sex steroids are negligible, were used. PCB (118) was solubilized in dimethyl sulfoxide at a concentration of 10 ppm. At 1 and 2 days after PCB (118) injection (100 ng/g body weight), both osteoclastic and osteoblastic activities, and plasma calcium levels were measured. In an in vitro study, then, both osteoclastic and osteoblastic activities as well as each marker mRNA expression were examined. At 2 days, scale osteoclastic activity in PCB (118)-injected goldfish increased significantly, while osteoblastic activity did not change significantly. Corresponding to osteoclastic activity, plasma calcium levels increased significantly at 2 days after PCB (118) administration. Osteoclastic activation also occurred in the marker enzyme activities and mRNA expressions in vitro. Thus, we conclude that PCB (118) disrupts bone metabolism in goldfish both in vivo and in vitro experiments.     

Aromatization of waste polyolefin pyrolysate over H-ZSM-5 zeolite-supported gallium oxide catalysts

H-ZSM-5 zeolite-supported gallium oxides were studied as aromatization catalysts for polyolefin pyrolysate. The catalysts were prepared by a conventional physical mixing method with a gallium content of 1.0 and 4.5 wt% and were reduced in flowing hydrogen at 585°C. To test their activity, a polyolefin sample was pyrolyzed and passed over a heated catalyst layer; the product was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. A continuous-flow fixed-bed reactor was used for aromatization of a model gas of polyolefin pyrolysate. For chlorine-free sources at 450°C, the catalyst with only 1.0 wt% gallium exhibited activity comparable to a gallium silicate catalyst. For chlorine-contaminated sources, the catalyst with 4.5 wt% gallium sustained catalytic activity for long periods. From the activity test results, it was found that zeolite-supported gallium catalysts prepared by the physical mixing method are suitable for converting polyolefin into aromatic hydrocarbons.