Effects of resource availability,predators, conspecifics and heterospecifics on decorating behaviour by the majid crab <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tiarinia cornigera</Emphasis>

Utilization of algae for decorating by the intertidal majid crab Tiarinia cornigera was examined by laboratory experiments in relation to availability of algae, presence of a predator, and the presence of conspecific and heterospecific crabs. Different availabilities of decorating materials had a positive correlation on decorating amount by juveniles, while the correlation was not so clear in subadults. The amount of decorating decreased with increasing density of conspecific crabs in the presence of a predator, but there was so clear relationship in the absence of a predator. The decrease in decorating under high density could be due to intraspecific aggression, because the superior crab, in fighting, was found to be decorated with more algae. Tiarinia cornigera was found to be superior to the co-occurring different majid species Micippa platipes in fighting. When T. cornigera and M. platipes were housed together, the former was decorated with more algae than the latter in the presence of a predator, but in the absence of a predator, the amount of algae was not different. Thus, presence of a predator may motivate intraspecific competition in T. cornigera as well as interspecific competition between T. cornigera and M. platipes for decorating materials.     

Pathways and Kinetics on Photocatalytic Destruction of Aqueous Phenol

In this study, the TiO₂ photocatalytic decomposition process of aqueous phenol was investigated. The intermediate products generated in the elementary reaction steps in the mineralization process were experimentally identified as hydroquinone, catechol and hydroxyhydroquinone. The concentration variations of these intermediate products with time passage were traced by high performance liquid chromatograph. The pathways of the decomposition process were given. Based on Langmuir isothermal theory and Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism, the multi-compounds competition kinetic model was established. In this model, the observed time-dependent concentrations of phenol and the intermediate products were simulated.     

An ex post cost-benefit analysis of the nitrogen dioxide air pollution control program in Tokyo

The benefits and costs of past nitrogen dioxide (NO2) control policies were calculated for Tokyo, Japan, using environmental, economic, political, demographic, and medical data from 1973 to 1994. The benefits of NO2 control were estimated as medical expenses and lost work time due to hypothetical no-control air concentrations of NO2. Direct costs were calculated as annualized capital expenditures and 1 year's operating costs for regulated industries plus governmental agency expenses. The major findings were as follows: (1) Using Tokyo's average medical cost of pollution-related illness, the best net estimate of the avoided medical costs due to incidence of phlegm and sputum in adults was 730 billion yen ($6.08 billion; 1 U.S. dollar = 120 yen). (2) The best net estimate of the avoided medical costs due to incidence of lower respiratory illness in children was 93 billion yen ($775 million). (3) Using Tokyo's average duration of pollution-related illness and average wages, the best net estimate of the avoided costs of lost wages in workers was 760 billion yen ($6.33 billion). (4) The best net estimate of the avoided costs of lost wages in mothers caring for their sick children was 100 billion yen ($833 million). (5) Using Tokyo-specific data, the best net costs were estimated as 280 billion yen ($2.33 billion). (6) Using human health and productivity benefits, and annualized capital cost and operating cost estimates, the best net benefits-to-costs ratio was 6:1 (upper limit 44:1; lower limit 0.3:1). Benefit calculations were sensitive to assumptions of mobile source emissions and certain health impacts that were not included. Cost calculations were highly dependent on assumptions of flue gas volume and fuel use. For comparative purposes, we identified other studies for air pollution-related illness. Assumptions that formed the basis for most of the inputs in the present study, such as duration of illness, medical treatment costs, per person illness in children, and lost wages for working mothers, were similar to those recommended in the literature. Lost wages in sick workers and per capita illness incidence in adults were higher than numbers reported elsewhere. Further advances in cost-benefit analysis (CBA) procedures to evaluate the economic effectiveness of NO2 controls in Tokyo are recommended to estimate impacts and values for additional human health benefits, ecosystem health and productivity effects, and nonliving system effects, as well as benefits of ancillary reductions in other pollutants. The present study suggests that Tokyo's past NO2 control policies in total were economically quite effective.     

Mass spectrometric study of secondary organic aerosol formed from the photo-oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons

From measurements by an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS), secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed in laboratory chambers is believed to be less oxidized than well-oxidized ambient organic aerosol (OA). However, the mass spectrum of SOA formed from the photo-oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons has not been sufficiently studied by using AMS though these reactions are potential sources of urban SOA. In this study, we studied SOA formed from the photo-oxidation of seven aromatic hydrocarbons by using Time-of-Flight AMS. Strong mass signals from SOA were found at m/z 43 (m43) and 44 (m44) in all the experiments. The m44 to total organic aerosol mass ratio (m44/OA) increased with irradiation time. For example, the m44/OA ratio increased from 10.6% to 13.3% during irradiation for 11 h in an experiment with toluene. The average m44/OA ratios were determined to be 5.8–17.1% for all the experiments. The m44/OA decreased and the m43/OA increased with increasing number of alkyl substituents of precursor aromatic hydrocarbons. This is because low-reactive ketones are preferentially produced rather than aldehydes with increasing number of alkyl substituents. The m44/OA ratios of the benzene and monoalkylbenzene oxidation were 12.2–17.1% and were close to those of well-oxidized ambient OA. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the photo-oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons is a potential source of urban SOA. In addition to oxygenated organic compounds, organic nitrogen oxides were also shown to be present in SOA by high-resolution mass spectra.     

Blue carbon in human-dominated estuarine and shallow coastal systems

Estuarine and shallow coastal systems (ESCS) are recognized as not only significant organic carbon reservoirs but also emitters of CO₂ to the atmosphere through air–sea CO₂ gas exchange, thus posing a dilemma on ESCS’s role in climate change mitigation measures. However, some studies have shown that coastal waters take up atmospheric CO₂ (C_atm), although the magnitude and determinants remain unclear. We argue that the phenomenon of net uptake of C_atm by ESCS is not unusual under a given set of terrestrial inputs and geophysical conditions. We assessed the key properties of systems that show the net C_atm uptake and found that they are often characteristic of human-dominated systems: (1) input of high terrestrial nutrients, (2) input of treated wastewater in which labile carbon is highly removed, and (3) presence of hypoxia. We propose that human-dominated ESCS are worthy of investigation as a contributor to climate change mitigation.     

Prenatal diagnosis of triple X using fetal cells obtained by endocervical lavage

Prenatal diagnosis of aneuploidies currently relies on invasive procedures such as chorionic villous sampling and amniocentesis. These methods can provide an accurate diagnosis of the fetal karyotype but are relatively invasive. Here, we report a case of the prenatal detection of triple X using fetal cells obtained by lavage of the endocervical canal prior to amniocentesis, following ultrasound diagnosis of hydrops fetalis. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Benefits of tropical forest management under the new climate change agreement—a case study in Cambodia

Promoting sustainable forest management as part of the reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation in developing countries (REDD)-plus mechanism in the Copenhagen Accord of December 2009 implies that tropical forests will no longer be ignored in the new climate change agreement. As new financial incentives are pledged, costs and revenues on a 1-ha tract of tropical forestland being managed or cleared for other land use options need to be assessed so that appropriate compensation measures can be proposed. Cambodia's highly stocked evergreen forest, which has experienced rapid degradation and deforestation, will be the first priority forest to be managed if financial incentives through a carbon payment scheme are available. By analyzing forest inventory data, we assessed the revenues and costs for managing a hypothetical 1 ha of forestland against six land use options: business-as-usual timber harvesting (BAU-timber), forest management under the REDD-plus mechanism, forest-to-teak plantation, forest-to-acacia plantation, forest-to-rubber plantation, and forest-to-oil palm plantation. We determined annual equivalent values for each option, and the BAU-timber and REDD-plus management options were the highest, with both options influenced by logging costs and timber price. Financial incentives should be provided at a level that would allow continuation of sustainable logging and be attractive to REDD-plus project developers.     

Methane dehydroaromatization over Mo-modified H-MFI for gas to liquid catalysts

For direct gas to liquid (GTL),a novel process producing energy sources for methane dehydroaromatization is needed.Supporting MoO3 on H-MFI zeolite shows the high catalytic capacity and a selective activity for dehydroaromatization of methane to benzene at 973 K in a fixed bed reactor.On the other hand,deactivation by coke on the active sites in all the catalysts is formed during the reaction.H2 co-feed suppressed the deactivation,which is probably due to the decrease in coking amount.Mo K-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) results showed the formation of dispersed Mo2C species with low crystallinity after dehydroaromatization.Mo L-edge XANES (X-ray absorption near-edge structure) indicated the formation of active Mo species including Mo2C and Mo-oxycarbide (MoOxCy),where the red-ox state should be independent in the absence/presence of H2.It is concluded that Mo-oxycarbide species act as highly active species,and their stability affected the durable activity in the presence of H2.