To produce ethanol from seaweed, it must be available mannitol to the substrate.

One hundred fifty-five strains of yeast currently stored in Riken Bio Resource Center were investigated to whether they are possible to produce ethanol from mannitol.

As a result, 116 strains produced not less than 0.01% ethanol from 1% of mannitol.

Twenty-three strains produced ethanol of 0.05% or more. Five strains produced more than 0.1% ethanol. The strains with high yield and their ethanol yields were Candida silvanorum and 0.64 (mol-ethanol/mol-mannitol), Ambrosiozyma kamigamensis and 0.56 (mol-ethanol/mol-mannitol), Ambrosiozyma cicatricosa and 0.48 (mol-ethanol/mol-mannitol), Ogataea methanolica and 0.45 (mol-ethanol/mol-mannitol), and Lachancea waltii and 0.42 (mol-ethanol/mol-mannitol), respectively. Because the ethanol yield of the S. cerevisiae BB1 was 0.40 (mol-ethanol/mol-mannitol), the abilities to produce ethanol from mannitol of these strains are probably higher than strain BB1.

抄録全体を表示

 The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) established pursuant to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea issued its recommendations on Japan's extended continental shelf in April 2012, confirming Japan's rights over the vast areas within the Philippine Sea and Pacific Plates. Japan submitted information on the limits of its continental shelf beyond the EEZ to the CLCS in November 2008, which was the result of a 25-year continental shelf survey project begun in1983, involving all of Japan's agencies related to geosciences (Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department of Japan Coast Guard, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, and Geological Survey of Japan) . The huge volume of geological and geophysical data obtained by the project gives the scientists an unprecedented opportunity to study the geology and tectonics of the Philippine Sea and Pacific Plates. In this contribution, we review the results of these studies, summarizing the following seven main themes: (1) Extensive and high-density mapping of the Philippine Sea, establishing a precise evolutionary history of the plate; (2) Discovery of oceanic core complexes within the Philippine Sea Plate; (3) Dense bottom sampling of the Philippine Sea Plate, establishing a precise tectono-magmatic history of the plate; (4) Understanding the crustal structure of ridges and basins within the Philippine Sea Plate; (5) Understanding the collision tectonics of the Ogasawara Plateau; (6) Understanding the crustal structure of seamounts and basins within the Pacific Plate; (7) Discovery of hydrothermal field within the Okinawa Trough and Izu-Ogasawara Arc.

抄録全体を表示

The purpose of this study is to analyze the Safety Management Systems (SMSs) for oil exploitation on continental shelves. Prevention of accidents during oil exploitation is critical for the safety of life of those engaged in the operations at sea. Additionally, shipping has become increasingly important for oil exploitation on continental shelves due to development of deep water drilling using Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs) and shuttle tankers, rather than pipelines, for transporting oil. On the other hand, the international and domestic legal schemes to regulate oil exploitation on continental shelves have not been fully developed and limited to those in specific fields such as protection of marine environment. This study, therefore, aims to specify the needs for safety regulations for oil exploitation by comparing the legally binding multilateral treaties on SMSs applied to shipping and navigation with non-binding Codes and Guidelines on MODUs.
In conclusion, safety regulations by flag state jurisdiction, port state control, and coastal state jurisdiction should be implemented in order to prevent accidents during oil exploitation on continental shelves. A multilateral convention on this issue would be a leitmotif in the near future.

抄録全体を表示