TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident of March 2011 caused the discharge of a considerable quantity of radionuclides, including (137)Cs. Because of its long half-life (30.17 years), the fate of (137)Cs in the marine biota is of great interest. This study aims to evaluate, using food monitoring data, ecological half-lives (Teco) of (137)Cs in marine biota caught offshore of Fukushima. The data were categorized into two regional groups (north and south) with respect to the FDNPP site, and the regional (137)Cs concentration trend and estimated Teco in the marine biota were appraised. Although the (137)Cs concentration in the seawater in the south was higher than that in the north, Teco values remained relatively consistent among common species of both regions. Teco was then compared to biological half-life (Tb) estimated in laboratory settings. The ratios of Teco/Tb were inconsistent among different groups of marine species. The ratios of Teco/Tb for brown seaweed and bivalves were approximately 1, and the ratios of Teco/Tb for demersal fish ranged from 4.4 to 16.1. The reasons for different ratios of Teco and Tb values may be attributed to environmental and ecological factors, such as different trophic levels.

Discarded vehicle tire casings are an important artificial habitat for the developmental stages of numerous vector mosquitoes. Discarded vehicle tires degrade under ultraviolet light and leach numerous soluble metals (e.g., barium, cadmium, zinc) and organic substances (e.g., benzothiazole and its derivatives [BZTs], polyaromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs]) that could affect mosquito larvae that inhabit the tire casing. This study examined the relationship between soluble zinc, a common marker of tire leachate, on mosquito densities in tire habitats in the field, and tested the effects of tire leachate on the survival and development of newly hatched Aedes albopictus and Aedes triseriatus larvae in a controlled laboratory dose-response experiment. In the field, zinc concentrations were as high as 7.26 mg/L in a single tire and averaged as high as 2.39 (SE ± 1.17) mg/L among tires at a single site. Aedes albopictus (37/42 tires, 81.1%) and A. triseriatus (23/42, 54.8%) were the most widespread mosquito species, co-occurred in over half (22/42, 52.4%) of all tires, and A. triseriatus was only collected without A. albopictus in one tire. Aedes triseriatus was more strongly negatively associated with zinc concentration than A. albopictus, and another common mosquito, C. pipiens, which was found in 17 tires. In the laboratory experiment, A. albopictus per capita rate of population change (λ′) was over 1.0, indicating positive population growth, from 0–8.9 mg/L zinc concentration (0–10,000 mg/L tire leachate), but steeply declined to zero from 44.50–89.00 mg/L zinc (50,000–100,000 mg/L tire leachate). In contrast, A. triseriatus λ′ declined at the lower concentration of 0.05 mg/L zinc (100 mg/L tire leachate), and was zero at 0.45, 8.90, 44.50, and 89.00 mg/L zinc (500, 10,000, 50,000 and 100,000 mg/L tire leachate). These results indicate that tire leachate can have severe negative effects on populations of container-utilizing mosquitoes at concentrations commonly found in the field. Superior tolerance to tire leachate of A. albopictus compared to A. triseriatus, and possibly other native mosquito species, may have facilitated the replacement of these native species as A. albopictus has invaded North America and other regions around the world.

a b s t r a c tThere is a great need for decentralized anaerobic digestion (AD) that utilizes wastewater for energy generation. The biochemical methane potential (BMP) of Haitian latrine waste was determined and compared to other waste streams, such as grey water, septage, and dairy manure. Average methane (CH 4 ) production for the latrine waste (13.6 ml ml À1 substrate) was 23 times greater than septage (0.58 ml ml À1 substrate), and 151 times greater than grey water (0.09 ml ml À1 substrate), illustrating the larger potential when waste is source separated using the decentralized sanitation and reuse (DESAR) concept for more appropriate treatment of each waste stream. Using the BMP results, methane production based on various AD configurations was calculated, and compared with the full-scale field AD design. Methane potential from the BMP testing was calculated as 0.006e0.017 m 3 person À1 day À1 using the lowest and highest latrine BMP results, which was similar to the values from the full-scale system (0.011 m 3 person À1 day À1 ), illustrating the ability of BMPs to be used to predict biogas production from sanitation digesters in a smaller-scale setting.

Abstract. We have developed a simple and effective method for everyday measurement of translucency with a handy spectral reflectometer using edge loss. Edge loss can be used to quantify the translucency index in terms of changes in reflectance under two types of measurement conditions. Here, a measurement condition represents the pairing of an illumination area and a measurement area. As a measure of the degree of lateral spread of reflected light, the translucency index can influence the appearance of human skin because this index represents eventual translucency. First, we estimated how edge loss changes when measurement conditions are varied. We then selected the combination of two measurement conditions of large and small edge loss to minimize errors. Finally, we estimated actual skin translucency changes before and after treatments comprising acetone-ether immersion and ultraviolet irradiation. The results were qualitatively consistent with the expectations under variations in absorbance and scattering capacity, indicating the effectiveness of this method in evaluating translucency. This method allows simultaneous measurement of translucency and reflectance as a spectrum, and also appears applicable for daily use, although common optical parameters cannot be derived using this method alone.

These results indicate that skin barrier function, cutaneous microcirculatory function and autonomic nervous activity are mutually associated in healthy adults.