Crude oil bioremediation field experiment in the Sea of Japan

Experimental bioremediation of crude oil was conducted for approximately 3 months in the intertidal zone of the Sea of Japan, Hyogo Prefecture. Artificial mixtures of weathered Arabian light crude oil and sand taken from the experimental site were wrapped in polyester net envelopes. The envelopes were placed in drum-shaped acrylic vessels with perforated sides to facilitate seawater exchange. The vessels were laid in the intertidal area. Slow release nitrogen and phosphorus synthetic fertilizer granules were added to the oil-sand mixtures in three different amounts. Some oil-sand mixtures were unfertilized controls. The oil-sand mixtures were periodically sampled and changes in the composition of the residual oils were monitored. Oil samples were subjected to gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry for analysis of some representative semi-volatile aliphatic and aromatic compounds. All values for each analyte were normalized against that of hopane to evaluate the extent of oil biodegradation. Significant increases in the concentrations of both nitrogen and phosphorus were found in the fertilized sections in accordance with the amounts of added fertilizers. Although significant natural attenuation of oil was observed in the unfertilized sections, fertilization stimulated the degradation rate of the oil in the early stage of the experimental term. The extent of the oil biodegradation increased as the amount of added fertilizer increased. However, the final degradation efficiencies for each oil component in the fertilized sections were not significantly different from those in the unfertilized sections, and the degradation of each oil component had almost ceased after 6 weeks. We conclude that excessive amounts of macronutrients are required to accelerate oil biodegradation and that fertilization is only effective in the early stages.     

The relationships between rheological properties and structural changes of chilled abalone meat

The quantitative correlation between rheological properties and structural characteristic values of chilled abalone meat was studied. Structural changes were observed, and these values were enumerated using image processing and analysis technique. Structural changes in the myofibrils and collagen fibrils were the greatest in chilling for 24 h. After chilling for 48h, similar structures of vertical and cross sections were observed. For chilling from 0h to 72h, the instantaneous modulus E0 of the both section meat decreases gradually with time, but no significant differences were observed after chilling for 48h. The relaxation time and viscosity of both sections attained the same values for the same chilling time, but increased gradually with increasing chilling time. Meanwhile, a negative correlation between the structural characteristic values (Dm, Am, Rvm), and rheological properties (E1, τ1 , η1) clearly exists. Some logarithmic expressions have been obtained for these negative correlations. These r     

Erratum

The online version of the original article can be found at     

The isolation of prophyra-334 from marine algae and its UV-absorption behavior

1 INTRODUCTIONSolar ultraviolet radiation on the earth's surfaceincreases with the depletion of stratospheric ozone(Crutzen, 1992; Kerr and McElroy, 1993; Mad-ronich et al., 1998). Ultraviolet radiation is a highlyactive component of solar spectrum. The excessiveUV radiation has deleterious effects on all plant,animal and microbial groups exposed to solar radia-tion, including the destruction of DNA, proteins andother molecules (Harm, 1980), inhibition of photo-synthesis and growth (W…     

Magnetic detection of heated soils at paleolithic sites in Japan

We present a methodological approach to detect heated soil on ancient sites, using magnetic measurements. The method is based on changes in magnetic signals of soil by heating. The following three types of soil were used for testing the method: silty soil (SS), weathered volcanic ash (WVA, = loam) and fairly fresh volcanic ash (VA) called Odori tephra. On heating above 250–600°C, the magnetic susceptibility and remanent magnetization intensity increased for the SS and WVA samples, reflecting chemical alteration of magnetic minerals (from goethites to magnetites through hematites). The VA sample showed no susceptibility change suggesting the absence of goethites within it. On heating below 250°C, only the intensities of all the samples increased. This is possibly due to acquisition of thermal remanent magnetization. The largest change of the magnetic signals was identified for the SS sample and the smallest one was seen for the VA sample. Therefore, the in situ susceptibility measurement, which is the nondestructive and indirect method, seems to be effective to detect heated soil for sites of aqueous deposits as the SS. On the other hand, for sites of aeolian deposits as the WVA (loam) and VA, the intensity measurement of collected soils seems to be the most reliable method to detect evidence of heating. The degree of the magnetic stability (coercivity) against progressive alternating-field demagnetization was also an important parameter, indicating whether the investigated soils were heated or unheated. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.