Carbon Molecular Sieving Membranes Derived from Lignin-Based Materials

Carbon molecular sieving membranes were prepared by pyrolysis of lignocresol derived from lignin by the phase-separation method. Lignocresol membranes formed by a dip process on a porous -alumina tubing were carbonized at 400–800°C under nitrogen atmosphere. The thickness of the membrane formed on the outer surface of the substrate was about 400 nm judging from SEM observation. Gas-evolving behavior of lignocresol was measured using thermogravimetry-mass spectrometry (TG-MS). The gaseous products evolved from lignocresol included a number of fragments with higher molecular weights; whereas those from phenolic resin are mainly due to phenol and methylphenol. These evolved pyrolysis fragments effectively contribute to micropore formation of carbonized lignocresol membranes. Gas permeation rates through the membrane decreased in the order of increasing kinetic molecular diameter of the penetrant gas, and the membrane behaved like a molecular sieve. The permeation properties were dependent on heating conditions, and a pyrolysis temperature of 600°C gave the best membrane performance. Gas selectivities of the membrane prepared at 600°C were 50, 8, 290, and 87 for CO₂/N₂, O₂/N₂, H₂/CH₄, and CO₂/CH₄ at 35°C, respectively.     

Radiographic and genetic diagnosis of sporadic hypochondroplasia early in the neonatal period

Hypochondroplasia is an autosomal dominant skeletal dysplasia expressing postnatal onset of short stature with mild rhizomelic shortening of the limbs. This manifestation leads to restricted prenatal diagnosis of the disorder. We report here on a sporadic case of a hypochondroplastic baby, whose prenatal sonographic measurements were serially recorded from 19 weeks of gestation. Mild shortening of the limbs became manifest after 26 weeks of gestation. Biparietal diameter was within the normal range throughout gestation. Both parents were of average stature. A tentative diagnosis of a nonlethal short-limb skeletal dysplasia was made. At birth, the clinical manifestations of the neonate were not characteristic, but the radiographic features raised the possibility of hypochondroplasia. Molecular analyses revealed a C to G mutation at nucleotide 1659 of the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) gene, a common mutation in hypochondroplasia. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sex mosaics in a male dimorphic ant Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi

Gynandromorphy, or the development of organisms with a combination of male and female morphological features, is common in Hymenoptera. The underlying mechanism is likely associated with the sex-determination system, and studying this phenomenon should lead to a deeper understanding of both embryonic development and sex determination. The reproductive capabilities of gynandromorphs (hereafter, sex mosaics) remain unclear. We studied gynandromorphy in the Malaysian ant Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi, which has sex mosaics of queens (gynandromorphs; mosaic of queens and winged male) and workers (ergatandromorphs; mosaic of worker and wingless ergatoid male). These sex mosaics were classified into seven morphological categories. Most individuals had more male than female body areas. Behavioral observations revealed that sex mosaics behave more in accordance with the “sex” of their brain than that of the reproductive organs (gaster). Relative DNA quantities showed that both female and male regions contained haploid and diploid nuclei, irrespective of their phenotypic appearance, indicating that external appearance did not reflect internal tissues. Nearly one third of the adults were sex mosaics and they were not infected with Wolbachia. Our results suggest that the production of sex mosaics in this species does not pose a substantial cost to colonies and that the underlying causes are therefore not strongly selected against.     

Potential increase in mating frequency of queens in feral colonies of Bombus terrestris introduced into Japan

With the exception of several species, bumblebees are monandrous. We examined mating frequency in feral colonies of the introduced bumblebee Bombus terrestris in Japan. Using microsatellite markers, genotyping of sperm DNA stored in the spermatheca of nine queens detected multiple insemination paternities in one queen; the others were singly mated. The average effective paternity frequency estimated from the genotypes of queens and workers was 1.23; that estimated from the workers’ genotype alone was 2.12. These values were greater than those of laboratory-reared colonies in the native ranges of B. terrestris. The genotypes of one or two workers did not match those of their queens or showed paternities different from those of their nestmates; this may have arisen from either queen takeover or drifting of workers. These alien workers were responsible for the heterogeneous genotype distribution within each B. terrestris colony, resulting in higher estimates of paternity frequency than of insemination frequency. The high mating frequency of introduced B. terrestris may have occurred by artificial selection through mass breeding for commercialization. Moreover, polyandrous queens may be selectively advantageous, because reproduction by such queens is less likely to be disturbed by interspecific mating than that by monandrous queens.     

Investigation of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic and sulfonic acids in leachates from industrial and municipal solid waste landfills,and their treated waters and effluents from their closest leachate treatment plants

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are used in products, such as aqueous film-forming foam and fluorochemical surfactants, because of...     

Sustainability and the measurement of future paths in genuine savings: case studies

This paper extrapolates future paths of genuine savings (GS) by using our integrated assessment model. The results with the base case (BC) indicate that both GS without population change (GS) and GS with population change (GSn) are almost positive in OECD countries in the twenty-first century (satisfying the necessary but insufficient condition for sustainability); those numbers are projected to be negative in 2100. Asia (ASIA), the Middle East and Africa (MEAF), the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe (FSEE), and the world show upward trends for both values, showing negative signs in 2010 and positive signs after 2050 (in ASIA, MEAF, and the world) and in 2100 (in FSEE). The values in Latin America (LAMR) remain negative throughout. We examine additional following three cases: demand reduction (DR), carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions reduction (CR), and population reduction (PR). The GSn results compared to the BC indicate that (1) GSn in DR is similar to that of BC, (2) GSn in PR is slightly higher than that of BC, and (3) GSn in CR is unexpectedly lower than that of BC. This GSn reduction in the CR case derives from the fact that the term for calculating resource depletion (especially resource rent, which equals the difference between price and cost) in GS and GSn increased, leading to a greater term being subtracted from gross savings. The resource price increases with the marginal price of natural gas, given the energy-source shift in reducing CO₂ emissions, from cheap coal to expensive natural gas.     

Core self‐evaluations in Japan: relative effects on job satisfaction,life satisfaction,and happiness

The present study tested, in a non‐Western culture (Japan), the relative validity in predicting job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and happiness of core self‐evaluations (CSE), positive and negative affectivity (PA/NA), and the Neutral Objects Satisfaction Questionnaire (NOSQ). Consistent with previous results in primarily Western cultures, the four lower‐order traits that comprise CSE—self‐esteem, generalized self‐efficacy, locus of control, and neuroticism—indicated a higher‐order factor. While each lower‐order trait was itself related to the study's criteria, the CSE concept displayed in general, higher correlations with the dependent variables, and explained incremental variance in two of the study's three outcomes beyond PA, NA, and the NOSQ. These results indicate initial support for the generalizability of CSE in a culture that differs in many respects from Western cultures, and suggest that judgments of satisfaction and happiness in a non‐Western culture have a dispositional source. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impacts of Asian dust storm associated with the stratosphere-to-troposphere transport in the spring of 2001 and 2002 on dust and tritium variations in Mount Wrangell ice core,Alaska

The relation of interannual connection between Asian dust outbreaks and stratosphere-to-troposphere transport (STT) in spring was suggested by the dust and tritium variations in the Mount Wrangell ice core, Alaska in [Yasunari, T.J., Shiraiwa, T., Kanamori, S., Fujii, Y., Igarashi, M., Yamazaki, K., Benson, C.S., Hondoh, T., 2007. Intra-annual variations in atmospheric dust and tritium in the North Pacific region detected from an ice core from Mount Wrangell, Alaska. J. Geophys. Res., 112, D10208. doi: 10.1029/2006JD008121]. However, these impacts on the ice core site in each event scale have not been investigated. Hence, the present paper focuses on the material transport and deposition processes for further understanding these impacts on the ice core. The variations in dust and tritium concentrations in spring in an ice core taken at Mt. Wrangell, Alaska are explained by meteorological analysis and simulation of trajectories associated with Asian dust outbreaks and STT. Material transport and deposition at Mt. Wrangell are examined in two contrasting years (2001 and 2002). Dust and tritium concentrations both reached peak values in the early spring of 2002, while the dust peak occurred in early spring and the tritium peak occurred in late spring in 2001. Six severe East Asian transpacific dust storms over this period are modeled by forward trajectory and meteorologically analyzed. It is found that 5 of 6 events contributed to the ice core record in Alaska. Stratospheric air is also transported to the ice core site in most cases. Tritium deposition is found to have been suppressed in the cases of the 2001 dust storms due to lack of snowfall at appropriate times. Taken the detailed transport and deposition processes after the severe dust storms with atmospheric circulations into account, we can well explain spring dust and tritium variations in the Mount Wrangell ice core.     

Studies on automated survey system of environmental chemicals by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-computer I. Retrieval system of mass spectra

A retrieval system of mass spectra based upon the Probability Based Matching method was studied in order to apply it to survey the chemicals in environments by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-computer system. As retrieval indices, peak missing probability and relative confidence value were proposed.