Simultaneous Measurement of Hydrogen Peroxide and Fe Species (Fe(II) and Fe<Subscript>(tot)</Subscript>) in Okinawa Island Seawater: Impacts of Red Soil Pollution

The northern part of Okinawa Island suffers from red soil pollution—runoff of red soil into coastal seawater—which damages coastal ecosystems and scenery. To elucidate the impacts of red soil pollution on the oxidizing power of seawater, hydrogen peroxide (HOOH) and iron species including Fe(II) and total iron (Fe_(tot), defined as the sum of Fe(II) and Fe(III)) were measured simultaneously in seawater from Taira Bay (red-soil-polluted sea) and Sesoko Island (unpolluted sea), off the northern part of Okinawa Island, Japan. We performed simultaneous measurements of HOOH and Fe(II) because the reaction between HOOH and Fe(II) forms hydroxyl radical (•OH), the most potent environmental oxidant. Gas-phase HOOH concentrations were also measured to better understand the sources of HOOH in seawater. Both HOOH and Fe(II) in seawater showed a clear diurnal variation, i.e. higher in the daytime and lower at night, while Fe_(tot) concentrations were relatively constant throughout the sampling period. Fe(II) and Fe_(tot) concentrations were approximately 58% and 19% higher in red-soil-polluted seawater than in unpolluted seawater. Gas-phase HOOH and seawater HOOH concentrations were comparable at both sampling sites, ranging from 1.4 to 5.4 ppbv in air and 30 to 160 nM in seawater. Since Fe(II) concentrations were higher in red-soil-polluted seawater while concentrations of HOOH were similar, •OH would form faster in red-soil-polluted seawater than in unpolluted seawater. Since the major scavenger of •OH, Br⁻, is expected to have similar concentrations at both sites, red-soil-polluted seawater is expected to have higher steady-state •OH concentrations.     

Extracellular release of β-lactamase by osmotic shock inSynechococcus transformant

A unicellular cyanobacteriumSynechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002 was transformed with plasmid pQL1, on which β-lactamase gene (bla) and β-galactosidase gene (lacZ) were encoded. The transformant cells released β-lactamase into medium by an abrupt drop of osmotic pressure. This result indicates that this cyanobacterium recognizes and processes the signal sequence of β-lactamase, and accumulates the enzyme in periplasm. Repeated release of β-lactamase was possible by repeated osmotic shocks wihout, impairing cell viability. On the other hand, most of the β-galactosidase remained in cytoplasm under the osmotic shock.

     

Detailed Observation of Spatial Abundance of Clam Larva Ruditapes philippinarum in Tokyo Bay, Central Japan

The spatial distribution of the larval abundance of the clam Ruditapes philippinarum has been investigated at 65 stations throughout Tokyo Bay on August 2, 2001. The large number of small D-shaped larvae that were found shortly after hatching in the waters around the Banzu, Futtu, and Sanmaizu-Haneda areas indicates that spawning populations in these areas probably contribute greatly to the larval supply in the bay. Small larvae also occurred abundantly around the Yokohama and Ichihara port areas, suggesting that these port regions play a role in the transport of larvae into Tokyo Bay. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Storage-efficient reconstruction framework for planar contours

A storage-efficient reconstruction framework for cartographic planar contours is developed. With a smaller number of control points, we aim to calculate the area and perimeter as well as to reconstruct a smooth curve. The input data forms an oriented contour, each control point of which consists of three values: the Cartesian coordinates (x, y) and tangent angle θ. Two types of interpolation methods are developed, one of which is based on an arc spline while the other one is on a cubic Hermite spline. The arc spline-based method reconstructs a G¹ continuous curve, with which the exact area and perimeter can be calculated. The benefit of using the Hermite spline-based method is that it can achieve G² continuity on most control points and can obtain the exact area, whereas the resulting perimeter is approximate. In a numerical experiment for analytically defined curves, more accurate computation of the area and perimeter was achieved with a smaller number of control points. In another experiment using a digital elevation model data, the reconstructed contours were smoother than those by a conventional method.     

Landslide Hazard and Risk Assessment on the Northern Slope of Mt. Changbai, China

Landslide hazard and risk assessment on the northern slope of Mt. Changbai, a well-known tourist attraction near the North Korean-Chinese border, are assessed. This study is divided into two parts, namely, landslide hazard zonation and risk assessment. The 1992 Anbalagan and Singh method of landslide hazard zonation （LHZ） was modified and used in this area. In this way, an Associative Analysis Method was used in representative areas to get a measure for controlling factors （slope gradient, relative relief, vegetation, geology, discontinuity development, weak layer thickness and ground water）. For the membership degree of factor to slope failure, the middle range of limited values was used to calculate LHZ. Based on an estimation of the potential damage from slope failure, a reasonable risk assessment map was obtained using the relationship of potential damage and probable hazard to aid future planning and prediction and to avert loss of life.