Distribution and abundance of copepod nauplii in southern part of the East China Sea: implications for prey availability to jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus larvae

In the southern part of the East China Sea (ECS), a large spawning ground of jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus has recently been found: Larval survival during the period of transport from the spawning ground along the shelf break is potentially a critical stage prior to recruitment. As such, the distribution of copepod nauplii in this region was investigated during the main spawning period in 2003–2006. The average naupliar density in 2003 was significantly higher than the other years along the shelf break, which is a major transport pathway for jack mackerel larvae (sea-surface temperature 20–23°C). Estimated egg production rates for Paracalanus spp., one of the most dominant genera of copepods in the southern ECS, based on temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration could not fully explain the spatial and annual variation in naupliar distribution and abundance. Although naupliar densities showed significant positive correlations with chlorophyll-a concentration for all years, an analysis of covariance revealed that naupliar density in 2003 was high even if the effect of chlorophyll-a concentration was excluded. This suggests that apart from copepod production, adult female distribution plays an important role in variability of the naupliar distribution and abundance in the southern ECS.     

Copper and zinc balance in soils,rice plants and aquatic systems in an area along the fuchu precipice line,Tokyo, Japan

The abundance and distribution of Cu and Zn in spring water, irrigation water and sediment from the Fuchu Irrigation Canals, ground water for irrigation, rice plants and paddy soil at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology's Hommachi Farm were studied. The balance of Cu and Zn in the paddy field at the Hommachi Farm was investigated. The discharge of Cu and Zn influenced by human activities was observed in sediment of the Fuchu Irrigation Canal, and rice plants and paddy soil at the Hommachi Farm where irrigation water from the Fuchu Irrigation Canal was used until 1970. From Cu and Zn balance calculated, several hundred years are needed to decrease by half the present level of these metals at the Hommachi Farm.     

Heavy metal accumulations in a semi-enclosed hypereutrophic system: Lake Teganuma,Japan

Heavy metal concentrations and other physical and chemical properties were studied so as to assess the heavy metal accumulation process in the sediments of a hypereutrophic lake, Lake Teganuma, Japan. The accumulations were most evident near the inflow inlets of two main inflow rivers in Kaminuma (the west part of Lake Teganuma) with the significant Zn accumulation. Except for Fe, the vertical distributions of heavy metals showed the highest concentrations in the surface 10 cm and decreased gradually with the sediment depth. The high concentrations in the upper layer was caused by an increase in the non-residual fractions. The large influx of heavy metal to Lake Teganuma seems to be due to the domestic effluents via the two rivers in last decades.     

A comparison of polypeptides and restriction endonuclease sites of BHV-1 isolates and identification of IPV virus in Japan

Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) isolates from respiratory tract and from vagina of bovine in Japan were analyzed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and the DNA restriction endonuclease cleavage pattern, and compared with European BHV-1 strains. Both protein profile and DNA cleavaged pattern of BHV-1 isolates from respiratory tract were the same as those of European infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus, whereas the protein profile and DNA cleavage patterns of one isolate (M1) from vagina was the same as those of the European infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IPV) virus. The facts indicate that IPV virus has existed in Japan.     

Background Data for General Toxicology Parameters in RccHan:WIST Rats at 8, 10, 19 and 32 Weeks of Age

Recently, RccHan(TM):WIST (Wistar Hannover) rats were introduced to toxicity studies in Japan. The present study was performed to obtain control data for general toxicological parameters as an aid for interpretation of results in toxicity studies using this strain of rats. Four test groups comprising of 25 male and 25 female RccHan(TM):WIST rats were housed for 2, 4, 13 or 26 weeks from 6 weeks of age and observed and examined for clinical observation, body weight, food consumption, urinalysis, hematology, blood chemistry, organ weight, necropsy and/or histopathology. Ophthalmological examination was not conducted in this study, and the data in this report were obtained from an ongoing 104-week background study in RccHan(TM):WIST rats. These data were compared with the historical control data of CD(SD) (Sprague-Dawley) and/or F344 (Fischer) rats. The body weights of RccHan(TM):WIST rats were lower than those of CD(SD) rats and higher than those of F344 rats. The ophthalmological examination revealed a greater incidence of focal corneal opacity. Histopathology revealed focal mineralization of the cornea and Berlin blue-positive pigmentation in the epididymal interstitium as well as hepatocytes. Other than the above, some minor differences were found in urinalysis, hematology, blood chemistry and organ weights as compared with CD(SD) rats.     

Rotational symmetry breaking in the hidden-order phase of URu2Si2

A second-order phase transition is characterized by spontaneous symmetry breaking. The nature of the broken symmetry in the so-called "hidden-order" phase transition in the heavy-fermion compound URu(2)Si(2), at transition temperature T(h) = 17.5 K, has posed a long-standing mystery. We report the emergence of an in-plane anisotropy of the magnetic susceptibility below T(h), which breaks the four-fold rotational symmetry of the tetragonal URu(2)Si(2). Two-fold oscillations in the magnetic torque under in-plane field rotation were sensitively detected in small pure crystals. Our findings suggest that the hidden-order phase is an electronic "nematic" phase, a translationally invariant metallic phase with spontaneous breaking of rotational symmetry.     

Proton consumption with phosphate adsorption on amorphous fe(iii) hydroxide

Proton consumption with phosphate adsorption on amorphous Fe (III) hydroxide (am-Fe(OH)₃) was compared between two different pH-controlled conditions in a 0.1 mol dm^-3 NaClO₄ solution at initial pH values of 5.50 and 4.50, at 298±0.005 K.

The number of protons caused by phosphate dissociation was subtracted from the total number of protons consumed, then the amount of surface OH groups released by the ligand exchange reaction were determined. When a sequential acid titration by a pH-stat maintained pH values of the systems at initial pH values, the percentage of OH groups released during the ligand exchange reaction was almost constant, 29–37%. When the pH values of the systems increased with phosphate adsorption, the percentage of OH groups released by the ligand exchange reaction varied from -4.3 to 33%. The difference in the proton migration between the two pH-controlled conditions not only depended on the phosphate dissociation, but on the difference in the adsorption mechanism, i.e. the ratio of ligand exchange with OH groups to total phosphate adsorption.     

Changes in aluminum pools of andisols due to soil acidification

Abstract

Aluminum concentrations in soil solutions are not only controlled by inorganic clay minerals but also by organically bound aluminum. The objective of this study was to determine which pools contribute to Al dissolution. Soil samples were taken at various distances from tree trunks and at various depths at the Rolling Land Laboratory (RLL), Hachioji, Tokyo. Selective dissolution techniques were used to analyze the changes in pools of solid-phase aluminum. Soil pH values around Hinoki cypresses were in the aluminum buffer range. Exchangeable aluminum contents in soils under Hinoki cypresses were 104 mmol_c kg-^?1 on the average. This value was similar to that of the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of Andisols at RLL at a soil pH of 4. The relationship between the soil pH and exchangeable, organically bound, and amorphous aluminum pools showed that dissolved aluminum ions in the soil solution were primarily derived from the amorphous Al pool. Dissolved aluminum ions were substituted with base cations of soils, resulting in the increase of the content of exchangeable Al and/or the formation of complexes with organic matter which increased the proportion of organically bound Al pools. Increase in the proportion of organically bound Al pools indicated the importance of complexation with soil organic matter for controlling the aluminum concentration in the soil solution.     

Tin concentrations in river / bay sediments of Tokyo in 1984 and 2000

Abstract

To analyze in greater detail the fate and behavior of toxic organotin compounds in the environment, total tin (Sn) concentrations were determined for sediments of the Arakawa River, the Sumida River, and Tokyo Bay by using a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer (GFAAS). Sn concentrations in 2000 were compared with those of 1984 (8 years before the regulation on tributyltin-based antifouling paint) as well as with other heavy metals (Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn). The Sn concentrations ranged from 1.04 to 4.43 mg kg^?1 for sediments sampled in 2000. Although the average concentration of Sn in the sediments was low compared with that of 1984, the concentration tended to increase at several sites in 2000. Moreover, the Sn concentration showed significant correlations with the Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations. These results suggest that a significant proportion of the overall Sn content in these sediments was probably introduced from the sources other than antifouling paint. The metals extracted from air-dried sediments with 0.1 m HCl showed that the mobility and bioavailability of Sn was low compared with those of other heavy metals.     

Effect of volcanic fumes from Mt. Oyama,Miyakejima Island,on atmospheric deposition,soil solution,and soil properties in Kumagaya,central Japan

Abstract

The chemical nature of Mn in the leaves of Acanthopanax seiadophylloides, Ilex crenata var. paludosa and Kalopanax pictus was investigated.

Successive extraction of freeze-dried and fresh leaf sam pies with various solvents showed that the major portion of Mn (>90%) was extractable with water and 0.2 M HCl.

Electron probe X-ray microanalysis was performed with the fresh leaf tissues of Mn hyper accumulator A. seiadophylloides, before and after shaking with distilled water, 80% methanol and 1 M HCl. Water removed large parts of Mn in the tissue as a whole except in the region of the epidermis. A negligible amount of Mn was removed by 80% methanol; on the other hand, 1 M HCl removed almost all of the Mn in the tissues.

Paper electrophoretic experiments conducted with water and 0.2 M HCl extracts using pyridine-acetic acid buffer (pH 6.5) indicated that Mn in the extracts behaved similarly to Mn²⁺, presumably due to the labile nature of Mn components in the tissues.