Social Integration and Acceptance of Emerging Sanitation Infrastructure in Japan

Part of the Global Environmental Studies book series (GENVST)Availability and sustainable management of the sewerage system are extremely important as sanitation infrastructure to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6. Japan has become a depopulated society since 2010, and therefore sewerage systems in Japan will face difficulties because of the decrease in human resources, deterioration of the facilities, and limited budgets. Although innovative sanitation technologies to overcome these issues are strongly required, various barriers inhibit the development, implementation, and technology diffusion. The author and his research group have developed “dual dissolved oxygen control system in oxidation ditch process” through three-way university–industry–government partnerships. This chapter summarizes the history of the development, social acceptance, and expansion to other cities of the technology and analyzes the social integration and acceptance process. The key elements behind the success of this project are as follows: (1) enthusiasm of all stakeholders toward the shared goal, (2) win-win relationships among stakeholders and respect for each other, (3) research and development considering future applications and technology diffusion, (4) participation of local governments as important stakeholders, (5) agreement of the municipal parliament of Konan City, and (6) registration of the technology to “JS Innovation Program, ” by Japan Sewage Works Agency

Applications of technology and innovation for a sustainable future

Sustainable future depends on ways in which we keep upgrading our living style. The goals and targets set by Sustainable Development Goals will definitely help us to protect all types of ecosystems and their biodiversity. Still, much more complementary advances in technology and innovation and their applications are essential in realising realizing a sustainable future. The aims and scope of Environmental Technology & Innovation is well geared to contribute to such ambition. Thus, this virtual special issue (VSI) contains 23 articles from the presentations made at the international conference on the Challenges in Environmental Science and Engineering, CESE-2021. A brief description of the topics and the articles in this VSI are given below

FACILE SYNTHESIS OF 2,3-DISUBSTITUTED PYRROLES FROM 2-SUBSTITUTED 1-PYRROLINES

2-Substituted-1-pyrrolines react with various arylaldehyde acetals in the presence of a Lewis acid and base to give 2-substituted 3-arylmethylidene-1-pyrrolines, which are transformed to 2,3-disubstituted pyrroles by base-catalyzed double-bond isomerization.ArticleHETEROCYCLES. 85(5):1187-1195 (2012)journal articl

Inactivation of plant pathogenic bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum in drainage solution from hydroponic system by a rotating advanced oxidation contactor equipped with TiO₂/zeolite composite sheets

A rotating advanced oxidation contactor (RAOC) equipped with TiO₂/zeolite composite sheets was developed to inactivate the plant pathogenic bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum in drainage solution (DS) from a hydroponic system. The inactivation efficiency of R. solanacearum in DS and pure culture solution (PS) by the RAOC was compared with that achieved by a submerged composite sheet photocatalysis reactor (SSPR). The initial number of living bacteria (N₀) was adjusted to around 10⁶–10⁷ CFU mL⁻¹. The inactivation efficiency of R. solanacearum by the SSPR at 4.0 × 10⁷ CFU mL⁻¹ of N₀ significantly decreased compared with that at 1.8 × 10⁶ CFU mL⁻¹ of N₀ owing to the attenuation of UV intensity by light absorption and scattering by solids derived from R. solanacearum, while the RAOC achieved >2-log inactivation during 24 h of treatment regardless of N₀. The inactivation of R. solanacearum by the RAOC decelerated after 6h, possibly because of competition for reactive oxygen species between R. solanacearum and products accumulated by inactivation of R. solanacearum. The ratio of rate constants for inactivation of R. solanacearum in DS to that in PS by the RAOC was 8 times that for the SSPR. This shows that the RAOC greatly mitigates the light attenuation and inhibitory effects of coexisting substances on inactivation of R. solanacearum in the DS. The RAOC is therefore a promising and upscalable photocatalytic reactor for efficient inactivation of R. solanacearum in DS

Magnetic properties of the Ag-In-rare-earth 1/1 approximants

We have performed magnetic susceptibility and neutron scattering measurements on polycrystalline Ag-In-RE (RE: rare-earth) 1/1 approximants. In the magnetic susceptibility measurements, for most of the RE elements, inverse susceptibility shows linear behaviour in a wide temperature range, confirming well localized isotropic moments for the RE$^{3+}$ ions. Exceptionally for the light RE elements, such as Ce and Pr, non-linear behaviour was observed, possibly due to significant crystalline field splitting or valence fluctuation. For RE = Tb, the susceptibility measurement clearly shows a bifurcation of the field-cooled and zero-field-cooled susceptibility at $T_{\rm f} = 3.7$~K, suggesting a spin-glass-like freezing. On the other hand, neutron scattering measurements detect significant development of short-range antiferromagnetic spin correlations in elastic channel, which accompanied by a broad peak at $\hbar\omega = 4$~meV in inelastic scattering spectrum. These features have striking similarity to those in the Zn-Mg-Tb quasicrystals, suggesting that the short-range spin freezing behaviour is due to local high symmetry clusters commonly seen in both the systems.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figure

Molecular contribution to cleft palate production in cleft lip mice

Cleft palate following cleft lip may include a developmental disorder during palatogenesis. CL/Fr mice fetuses, which develop cleft lip and palate spontaneously, have less capability for in vivo cell proliferation in palatal mesenchyme compared with CL/Fr normal fetuses. In order to know the changes of signaling molecules contributing to cleft palate morphogenesis following cleft lip, the mRNA expression profiles were compared in palatal shelves oriented vertically (before elevation) in CL/Fr fetuses with or without cleft lip. The changes in mRNA profile of cleft palate morphogenesis were presented in a microarray analysis, and genes were restricted to lists contributing to cleft palate development in CL/Fr fetuses with cleft lip. Four candidate genes (Ywhab, Nek2, Tacc1 and Frk) were linked in a gene network that associates with cell proliferation (cell cycle, MAPK, Wnt and Tgf beta pathways). Quantitative real-time RT-PCR highlighted the candidate genes that significantly changed in CL/Fr fetuses with cleft lip (Ywhab, Nek2 and Tacc1). The results of these molecular contributions will provide useful information for a better understanding of palatogenesis in cleft palate following cleft lip. Our data indicated the genetic contribution to cleft palate morphogenesis following cleft lip

Dealkylation of alkyl polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon over silica monolayer solid acid catalyst

Dealkylation of alkylnaphthalene, as a model of alkyl polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds in heavy oils, proceeded selectively on a silica monolayer solid acid catalyst. The activity was generated by the deposition of silica on alumina with generation of Brønsted acidity. The activity and Brønsted acid amount showed the maximum where the monolayer covered the surface, indicating that the Brønsted acid site generated on the silica monolayer was the active species. The activity and selectivity on the silica monolayer were high compared to other aluminosilicate catalysts, and high activity was observed even after calcination at 973–1173K

Draft Genome Sequence of a Clinical Isolate of Streptococcus mutans Strain HM

We report the draft genome sequence of Streptococcus mutans strain HM isolated from a 4-year-old girl with infective endocarditis. The genomics information will provide information on the genetic diversity and virulence potential of S. mutans strain HM