In early April 2011, radiostrontium was accidentally released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to the Pacific coast of eastern Japan. We developed a simple procedure to analyze radiostrontium levels in marine mussels (Septifer virgatus) and seawater using crown ether (Sr Resin; Eichrom). Then, we used our method to describe the spatial and temporal distribution of radiostrontium in mussels and seawater on the Pacific coast of eastern Japan from 2011 to 2013 and for 2015. Activity of 90Sr in mussels and seawater decreased with distance from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and between 2011 and 2013 tended to be higher in areas south of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant than to the north of it. Activity in mussels and seawater also tended to decrease from 2011 to 2013 and by 2015 had reached levels experienced prior to the Fukushima accident. Our results suggest that radiostrontium discharged from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was dispersed by coastal currents in a southerly direction along the Pacific coast of eastern Japan from 2011 to 2013, following which its activity decreased to background levels by 2015. 相似文献
A larval medaka (Oryzias latipes) assay was proposed to evaluate the fish safety level of river waters and wastewaters. Organic toxicants were 10-100 times concentrated with adsorption cartridges from 4 l of river water or 1-10 times concentrated from 400 ml of wastewater. Toxicity of these concentrated solutions was determined by exposing 48-72 h post-hatch age larvae for 48 h. The method effectively revealed a variation of the median lethal concentration ratio (LCR50) from 13 to >100 in 125 river water samples, and from <1 to >10 in five typical wastewater samples. Ayase River, which takes water mostly from agricultural or household discharge, showed significantly (P<0.001) lower LCR50 than Sagami River that takes natural water as the source. Safety Levels in both Sagami River and Ayase River were influenced by the irrigation activity, LCR50 at some sites showing a seasonal-specific decrease in winter. Pollution from pulp and paper industries contributed to the low LCR50 in several tributaries of Ayase River. Required little manpower in sampling, pretreatment and testing, the proposed larval medaka assay was proved as an efficient tool for screening those high risk sites for priority management. 相似文献
A survey of methyl chloride (CH3Cl)-emitting plants was performed at a subtropical island in Japan (Iriomote Island). Among the 187 species of tropical/subtropical plants investigated, 33 species from a variety of families were identified as CH3Cl-emitting plants. The strongest emitters were Osmunda banksiifolia, Cibotium balometz, Angiopteris palmiformis, Vitex rotundifolia, Vitex trifolia, and Excoecaria agalloch, each with CH3Cl emission rates exceeding 1microg (gdrywt)(-1)h(-1). The first three species are ferns, and the last three are halophilous plants. Based on our results, the character of CH3Cl emission is likely to be shared at the genus level but not always at the family level. The atmospheric CH3Cl distribution measured on Iriomote Island showed significant enhancement in forested sites (up to 2750 ppt) and a higher concentration on the downwind shore than on the upwind shore. As previously reported, our findings provide strong evidence for the high emission of CH3Cl from tropical/subtropical forests. 相似文献
This article serves as a position paper of a consortium of universities in the Asia–Pacific region working to address challenges of sustainable development and rapidly changing social, economic and natural environments. Member universities of ProSPER.Net (Promotion of Sustainability in Postgraduate Education and Research Network) have embarked on a project to develop an alternative university appraisal system that would potentially become a viable alternative to the existing higher education ranking and assessment systems perceived as constraining, yet, powerful. The article discusses the changing landscape for knowledge creation and the need for universities to assume new roles in a new kind of modernity—variously termed as “liquid modernity” (Z. Bauman), “reflexive modernization” (U. Beck) or other neologisms. It recognises that the mainstream ranking and assessment systems are powerful guiding systems for higher education institutions (HEIs) and, if modified, could be a significant force for transformation towards a more sustainable future. Recognising the need for HEIs to address societal challenges and needs, the Alternative University Appraisal (AUA) project of ProSPER.Net starts by reviewing existing models of recognition and appraisal of various aspects of HEIs’ work and aims at creating space for individual and collective reflection on HEI practices and outcomes. In addition to extensive consultations among ProSPER.Net members, as well as with other higher education actors and international organisations addressing higher education for sustainability, cross-sectoral consultations, assessments of the uncertainties and pertinent trends, and engagement with policy-making processes would be required for the AUA system to become a guiding force that shapes higher education of today and tomorrow. 相似文献
A method for measuring the concentration of methyl chloride (CH3Cl) in air trapped in an ice core was developed. The method combines the air extraction by milling the ice core samples under vacuum and the analysis of the extracted air with a cryogenic preconcentration/gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry system. The method was applied to air from Antarctic ice core samples estimated to have been formed in the pre-industrial and/or early industrial periods. The overall precision of the method deduced from duplicate ice core analyses was estimated to be better than +/-20 pptv. The measured CH3Cl concentration of 528+/-26 pptv was similar to the present-day concentration in the remote atmosphere as well as the CH3Cl concentration over the past 300 years obtained from Antarctic firn air and ice core analyses. 相似文献
Microplastic pollution is occurring in most ecosystem, yet their presence in high altitude clouds and their influence on cloud formation and climate change are poorly known. Here we analyzed microplastics in cloud water sampled at the summits of Japan mountains at 1300–3776 m altitude by attenuated total reflection imaging and micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. We observed nine microplastics including polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate, polyamide 6, polycarbonate, ethylene–propylene copolymer or polyethylene–polypropylene alloy, polyurethane, and epoxy resin. Microplastic were fragmented, with mean concentrations ranging from 6.7 to 13.9 pieces per liter, and with Feret diameters ranging from 7.1 to 94.6 μm. Microplastics bearing hydrophilic groups such as carbonyl and/or hydroxyl groups were abundant, suggesting that they might have acted as condensation nuclei of cloud ice and water. Overall, our finding suggest that high-altitude microplastics cloud influence cloud formation and, in turn, might modify the climate.
A poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) depolymerase was purified from a fungus, Penicillium funiculosum (IFO6345), with phenyl-Toyopearl and its properties were compared with those of other PHB depolymerases. The molecular mass of the purified enzyme was estimated at about 33 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The pH optimum and pI were 6.5 and 6.5, respectively. The purified protein showed affinity to Con A-Sepharose, indicating that it is a glycoprotein. Diisopropylfluorophosphate and dithiothreitol inhibited the depolymerase activity completely. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified enzyme was TALPAFNVNPNSVSVSGLSSGGYMAAQL, which contained a lipase box sequence. This purified enzyme is one of the extracellular PHB depolymerase which belong to serine esterase. The purified enzyme showed relatively strong hydrolytic activity against 3-hydroxybutyrate oligomers compared with its PHB-degrading activity. PHB-binding experiments showed that P. funiculosum depolymerase has the weakest affinity for PHB of all the depolymerases examined. 相似文献
Acroporid corals are the main reef-building corals that provide three-dimensional habitats for other reef organisms, but are
decreasing on many reefs worldwide due to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. In this study, temporal patterns of larval
settlement and survivorship of two broadcast-spawning acroporid coral species, Acropora muricata and A. valida, were examined through laboratory rearing experiments to better understand the potential for larval dispersal of this important
coral group. Many larvae were attached (but not metamorphosed) to settlement tiles on the first examination 3–4 days after
spawning (AS). The first permanent larval settlement (i.e. metamorphosed and permanently settled juvenile polyps) occurred
at 5–6 days AS, and most larval settlement (85–97% of total) occurred within 9–10 days AS. Larval survivorship decreased substantially
to around 50% by the first week of the experiment and to approximately 10% by the second to third week. The rates of larval
attachment, settlement, and the initial drop in survivorship of larvae suggest that effective dispersal of some acroporid
species may largely be completed within the first few weeks AS. 相似文献