Estrogenic activity in sediments contaminated by nonylphenol in Tokyo Bay (Japan) evaluated by vitellogenin induction in male mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus)     

Kurihara R  Watanabe E  Ueda Y  Kakuno A  Fujii K  Shiraishi F  Hashimoto S 《Marine pollution bulletin》2007,54(9):1315-1320

Estrogenic activity was determined in sediments collected from Tokyo Bay. Sampling was performed at five stations including the site near the sewage treatment plant. The most estrogenic sediment collected near the sewage treatment plant was fractionated into ten fractions using normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Chemical analysis was carried out for each fraction and nonylphenol (NP, 20,700 ng g⁻¹ dry wt) was detected at a higher concentration than estron (2.39 ng g⁻¹ dry wt) and 17β-estradiol (<0.7 ng g⁻¹ dry wt). Furthermore, each fraction was administered to male mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus), and vitellogenin (Vtg) was measured after two weeks. The induction of Vtg was observed; this estrogenic potency could be attributed to the NP content in this fraction. This is the first report to suggest that the high NP concentration in the sediments from Tokyo Bay has the potential to induce Vtg in wild fish.  相似文献   

Compaction and fragmentation of porous gypsum targets from low-velocity impacts     

Yuichi Fujii 《Icarus》2009,201(2):795-801

We performed low-velocity impact experiments of gypsum spheres with porosity ranging from 0 to 61% and diameter ranging from 25 to 83 mm. The impact velocity was from 0.2 to 22 m/s. The target was an iron plate. The outcome of gypsum spheres with porosity 31-61% was different from those of non-porous ice [Higa M., Arakawa, M., Maeno, N., 1996. Planet. Space Sci. 44, 917-925; Higa M., Arakawa, M., Maeno, N., 1998. Icarus 133, 310-320] and non-porous gypsum. In between the intact and fragmentation modes, the outcome of the non-porous ice and gypsum was crack growth at the impact point. However, the outcome of the porous gypsum was compaction. We found that the restitution coefficients of the porous gypsum spheres were all in a similar range, in spite of the difference of the porosity and size at impact velocities up to about 10 m/s where they begin to be fragmented in pieces. Moreover, there is not a large difference between the restitution coefficient of porous and non-porous gypsum. These results collectively indicate that restitution coefficient of gypsum spheres of cm-size is not strongly dependent upon the porosity and compaction process.  相似文献   

Nuclear field shift effect as a possible cause of Te isotopic anomalies in the early solar system—An alternative explanation of Fehr et al. (2006 and 2009)     

Frédéric Moynier  Toshiyuki Fujii  Francis Albarède 《Meteoritics & planetary science》2009,44(11):1735-1742

Abstract— We explore the possibility that Te isotopic anomalies measured in Ca‐Al‐rich inclusions (Fehr et al. 2009) and in leachates of carbonaceous chondrites (Fehr et al. 2006) may be due to mass‐independent effects controlled by nuclear field shift rather than to nucleosynthetic processes. Fehr et al.'s spectrum of mass‐independent anomalies of Te isotopes shows a smooth correlation with mass number and nuclear charge distribution. Ratios of even to odd isotopes, as the ¹²⁵Te/¹²⁶Te ratio used by these authors for normalization are particularly prone to nuclear field shift effects. We show that the alternative normalization of isotopic ratios to ¹³⁰Te/¹²⁶Te strongly reduces the trend of isotopic fractionation with mass number, leaving only ¹²⁵Te as truly anomalous. For both normalizations (¹²⁵Te/¹²⁶Te and ¹³⁰Te/¹²⁶Te), Fehr et al.'s results fit the theory of Bigeleisen (1996), which suggests that the nuclear field shift effect can potentially account for the observed Te isotope abundances, as an alternative to nucleosynthetic processes. We propose that these mass‐independent effects may be acquired during accretion of sulfides from the solar nebula.  相似文献   

Simple monitoring method for precaution of landslides watching tilting and water contents on slopes surface   总被引：2，自引：2，他引：0  

Taro Uchimura  Ikuo Towhata  Trinh Thi Lan Anh  Jou Fukuda  Carlos J. B. Bautista  Lin Wang  Ichiro Seko  Taro Uchida  Akira Matsuoka  Yosuke Ito  Yuichi Onda  Sho Iwagami  Min-Seok Kim  Naoki Sakai 《Landslides》2010,7(3):351-357

A low-cost and simple monitoring method for early warning of landslides is proposed. To detect abnormal deformation of a slope, this method employs a tilt sensor in place of an extensometer on the slope surface. In order to examine the relevance of measuring rotation angle on a slope surface by tilt sensor, model tests were conducted, and rotation on the slope surface was observed together with slide displacement along the surface. The rotation data responded 30 min before failure in a model test, which could be useful as a signal for early warning. However, the behavior of rotation before failure varies from case to case, and thus, criteria to issue warning should be defined more carefully. For a model slope made of uniform loose sand, measurement of slide displacement along the slope surface is sensitive to failure at the toe, while the measurement of rotation on the slope surface is useful to detect the development of progressive failure upward along the slope. Wireless sensor units with microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) tilt sensor and volumetric water content sensor were also examined on a real slope in Kobe City, and a long-term monitoring was attempted. A simple but possible way to define the criteria of judgment to issue warning can be proposed based on combination of data obtained by the tilt sensors and volumetric water content sensors.  相似文献   

A heating process of Kuchi-erabu-jima volcano,Japan, as inferred from geomagnetic field variations and electrical structure     

Wataru Kanda  Mitsuru Utsugi  Yoshikazu Tanaka  Takeshi Hashimoto  Ikuko Fujii  Toshiaki Hasenaka  Nobuaki Shigeno 《Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research》2010,189(1-2):158-171

Since August 2000, we have recorded the total intensity of the geomagnetic field at the summit area of Kuchi-erabu-jima volcano, where phreatic eruptions have repeatedly occurred. A time series analysis has shown that the variations in the geomagnetic field since 2001 have a strong relationship to an increase in volcanic activity. These variations indicate thermal demagnetization of the subsurface around the presently active crater. The demagnetization source for the early variations, until summer 2002, was estimated at about 200 m below sea level. For the variations since 2003, the source was modeled on the basis of the expansion of a uniformly magnetized ellipsoid. The modeling result showed that the source is located at 300 m above sea level beneath the crater. We carried out an audio-frequency magnetotelluric survey with the aim of obtaining a relation between the demagnetization source and the shallow structure of the volcano. A two-dimensional inversion applied to the data detected two good conductors, a shallow thin one which is restricted to a region around the summit area, while the other extends over the edifice at depths between 200 and 800 m. These conductors are regarded as clay-rich layers with low permeability, which were assumed to be generated through hydrothermal alteration. The demagnetization source for the early variations was possibly located at the lower part of the deep conductor and the source after 2003 lies between the two conductors, where groundwater is considered to be abundant. Based on these results, as well as on seismological, geodetic, and geochemical information, we propose a heating process of the Kuchi-erabu-jima volcano. In the initial stage, high-temperature volcanic gases supplied from the deep-seated magma remained temporarily at the level around the lower part of the less permeable deep conductor since the ascent path had not yet been established. Then, when the pathway developed as a result of repeated earthquakes, it became possible for a massive flux of volcanic gases to ascend through the conductor. The high temperature gases reached the aquifer located above the conductor and the heat was efficiently transported to the surrounding rocks through the groundwater. As a consequence, an abrupt increase of the gas flux and diffusion of the heat through the aquifer occurred and the high-temperature zone expanded. Since the high-temperature zone is located beneath another conductor, which acts as caprock, we assume that the energy of the phreatic explosion is accumulated there.  相似文献   

Preliminary report on the activity at Unzen Volcano (Japan), November 1990-November 1991: Dacite lava domes and pyroclastic flows     

Setsuya Nakada  Toshitsugu Fujii 《Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research》1993,54(3-4)

The eruption of Unzen Volcano commenced on 17 November 1990. Phreatic and phreatomagmatic eruptions occurred by early May 1991. No large-scale explosive eruptions preceded the extrusion of lava domes. Lava domes appeared in a summit crater on 20 May 1991, and they grew on the steep slope of Mt. Fugen at Unzen Volcano. Rockfalls from the margins of the domes frequently generated pyroclastic flows. Major pyroclastic flows occurred on 3 June, 8 June, and 15 September 1991. The 3 June pyroclastic flow killed forty-three persons. Many of the pyroclastic flows seem to have resulted from the simple rockfalls, except one flow on 8 June, which was accompanied by an explosion from the crater. Many of the rockfalls that generated pyroclastic flows were witnessed. As of November 1991. Unzen Volcano was still active with a nearly constant magma-supply rate of about 0.3 × 10⁶ m³/d. The total magma output exceeded 45 × 10⁶ m³ by the beginning of November 1991. The volume of the lava domes is more than 23 × 10⁶ m³.  相似文献   

Radiocarbon dates of elevated shorelines,Indonesia and Malaysia. Part 1     

H.D. Tjia  Shoji Fujii  Kunihiko Kigoshi  Arata Sugimura  Thomas Zakaria 《Quaternary Research》1972

Four new radiocarbon dates of elevated strandlines in tectonically active areas of eastern Indonesia and East Malaysia indicate average rates of uplift that range between 4.5 and 9 mm annually during the past 24,000 yr. These values are at least three times higher than former estimates from eastern Indonesia. Another radiocarbon date from the south arm of Sulawesi—also tectonically mobile—indicates a rate of uplift of 1.4–2.5 mm per year which corresponds with earlier determinations. This particular case, however, suggests that the sample was probably located close to a north-south axis about which southern Sulawesi was tilted during the Quaternary.  相似文献   

Short-range prediction experiments of the Kuroshio path variabilities south of Japan   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Norihisa Usui  Hiroyuki Tsujino  Yosuke Fujii  Masafumi Kamachi 《Ocean Dynamics》2006,56(5-6):607-623

Assimilation and prediction experiments of the Kuroshio path variability south of Japan were conducted to investigate the predictability of the Kuroshio path. The assimilation and prediction system is composed of an eddy-resolving model and a three-dimensional variational analysis scheme with vertical coupled temperature–salinity empirical orthogonal function modes. The sea surface height (SSH) variability and the variations of the Kuroshio path of the assimilation fields are in good agreement with those observed. The results of the assimilation are then used as the initial conditions for 138 cases of 90-day prediction experiments conducted from 1993 to 2004. The predictive limit of our system is assessed by the SSH anomaly in the assimilation field and is found to be around 40–60 days, which is much longer than that of the persistence. The prediction results show good performance in the transition stage from a straight to a meandering path. For example, a large meandering event that occurred in August 2004 is successfully predicted in a 2-month forecast. Two types of failure cases are investigated. One is a case where the eastward propagation speed of the meander is faster than a real state. The dynamical response of the model to the assimilation revealed that an initial shock, caused by the dynamically unbalanced initial condition, induces the fast eastward propagation of the meander. The other case exhibits an unrealistic meander. In this case, a cold anomaly at an intermediate layer in the initial condition grows rapidly and results in the unrealistic meander. This implies that the Kuroshio path south of Japan has a chaotic nature. These facts revealed by the failure cases give us some insight for improving the predictive skill of the Kuroshio path variability.  相似文献   

Composition of liquids coexisting with spinel lherzolite at 10 kbar and the genesis of MORBs     

Toshitsugu Fujii  Christopher M. Scarfe 《Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology》1985,90(1):18-28

Because of the controversy over the nature of the parental magma for MORBs, experiments have been performed at 10 kbar in order to assess the effect of modal variations in the source peridotite and the effect of temperature (degree of partial melting) on the composition of partial melts. A peridotite-basalt sandwich method was used and a run duration of 72 h was found to be necessary to equilibrate basalt and peridotite. A range of melt compositions, coexisting with olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel, was produced at 10 kbar, indicating that partial melting of peridotite cannot be regarded as isobarically pseudoinvariant. On projections in the normative tetrahedron OL-PL-CPX-SIL, the liquids obtained in this study define an area, rather than a point or narrow band. The compositions of some liquids in this study are similar to magnesian MORBs (MgO>9.5 wt%), providing evidence in support of the derivation of magnesian MORBs by partial melting of mantle lherzolite at about 10 kbar.  相似文献   

Nonlinear surface ground analysis via statistical approach     

Izuru Takewaki  Nobuyoshi Fujii  Koji Uetani 《Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering》2002,22(6)

A statistical approach is proposed for nonlinear surface ground analysis. In contrast to the conventional method which deals with only a single ground motion for equivalent linearization of soil properties, a design response spectrum defined at the upper level (bottom of the surface ground) of an engineering bedrock can be handled as the target design earthquake in the present paper. The effective shear strain in each soil layer is evaluated by means of a statistical procedure in which the mean peak shear strain is computed in terms of its standard deviation and the corresponding peak factor. The stiffness and damping ratio of each soil layer are obtained iteratively from the nonlinear relation of stiffness reduction factors and damping ratios with respect to the strain level. After the evaluation of the equivalent stiffness and damping ratio of every soil layer, the ground surface response spectrum is transformed from the design response spectrum defined at the upper level of the engineering bedrock via the one-dimensional wave propagation theory. The reliability and accuracy of the proposed analysis method is examined through the comparison with the results by the conventional method (represented by the program) for many simulated spectrum-compatible ground motions.  相似文献