According to The Australian Financial Review, scientists in Australia are examining the possibility of enlarging and brightening the clouds around the Great Barrier Reef to save the delicate coral reefs from bleaching.
Making the low-lying clouds off the coast of north-east Australia larger and more reflective would potentially cool the waters below and help to stem the widespread coral bleaching that is occurring with growing intensity across vast swathes of the 1,500-mile stretch of reefs.
Daniel Harrison, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Sydney, said preliminary testing indicated that cloud brightening was a "plausible" solution.
"If you're in a hot sunny day and a cloud comes across overhead, you can feel right away there's quite a lot less heat coming through."
Cloud brightening was first proposed as a way to address global warming by British physicist John Latham in a short article in the journal Nature almost 30 years ago.
He proposed deploying fleets of ships to spray tiny particles of salt at low-lying clouds above the ocean. The particles would cause additional droplets to form, producing larger, denser and whiter clouds, which would reflect more heat back into space.
Australian scientists at The Sydney Institute of Marine Science believe cloud brightening could prove to be the most feasible and "environmentally benign" way to try to save the reef. The institute has awarded a fellowship to Dr Harrison to explore the scheme. The scientists have been meeting for the last six months to discuss the options.
"If we can make just a little bit less heat over the reef for a few months during say an El Nino year, when it's at most risk of getting bleached, we should be able to cool the water a degree or two, which is enough to prevent most of the damage," he said. "All of our preliminary calculations so far suggest that it is plausible."
Scientists last month released research which found widespread damage to coral in the Great Barrier Reef, with about two-thirds of the famous marine reserve suffering bleaching.

Ref:http://www.afr.com/technology/manmade-clouds-could-save-bleached-barrier-reef-say-scientists-20170425-gvsdwb
 
​If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/8405032

According to The Asahi Shimbun, Kirin Co. developed the system with NTT Data Corp to ensure that customers are served with fresh draft beer at every restaurant it services.
The system, based on the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, can remotely check whether dispensers are cleaned regularly so that the flavour of beer will not be spoiled.
According to Kirin officials, beer dispensers should ideally be cleaned daily, but small eateries are not always that vigilant.
In instances where dispensers are found to be lacking, the beer brewer will contact the restaurants and offer them advice.
With a sensor installed in the hose beer passes through, the new system can determine whether beer or cleaning water is flowing through it, as well as the volume of liquid, so that the frequency of cleaning can be estimated.
Kirin began test operations at several “izakaya” Japanese-style pubs and other restaurants in Tokyo earlier this month.
The company will decide whether to commercialize the system after confirming its effectiveness through the test, which will continue through the end of May.
The system can also accurately measure how much beer is poured.
A barrel of beer should ideally be consumed within three days after it is opened.
Based on data sent from the system, Kirin will deliver barrels of the right size to restaurants to ensure that fresh draft beer will not be served.

Ref: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201704260004.html
 
If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/iot-ntt
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According to The Australian Financial Review, the gaping delta between the prices paid for high grade and lower grade iron ores should ease in coming months as Chinese steel mills increase their use of lower grade products, according to analysts.
During the three months to March, the price for 62 per cent iron ore averaged $US85.52 per tonne, compared to an average price of $US52.96 per tonne for 58 per cent iron ore. On Thursday the delta was $US29, with the products at $US65 and $US36 respectively.
Chinese steel mills have been motivated to buy higher grade iron ore to maximise production as the price for coking coal, also used to make steel, soared and regulators restricted steel production during winter due to pollution concerns.
A stronger-than-expected report card for China's economy in the first quarter should have provided a boost to the iron ore industry but instead it had the opposite effect, with prices dropping to their lowest in five months.
Record levels of crude steel production, iron ore imports and stockpiles have focused investors' minds on the outlook and there are significant concerns about oversupply and ongoing demand.
Investors are concerned the strong result for the first three months of the year has reduced pressure on the government to buttress the economy with increased infrastructure spending.
Li Xinchuang, vice-president of the China Iron and Steel Association, predicts the average price for iron ore this year will be around $US65 a tonne (On Friday it was $US86.22).
"We saw first-quarter GDP rise by 6.9 per cent but the government's target is 6.5 per cent for the full year so this means that we won't see stronger growth over the rest of the year," he said.

Ref:http://www.afr.com/business/mining/iron-ore/the-price-gap-between-iron-ore-grades-will-narrow-analysts-20170420-gvovf1
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If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/6515528
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According to The Nikkei Asian Review, Bridgestone Cycle could have cyclists walking on air with the announcement of its punctureless tires. Developed jointly with parent company Bridgestone, the new bicycle tire does not need air, thus never punctures.
The Japanese bicycle maker said the nonpneumatic tire employs an "air-free concept" that Bridgestone has been developing for automobiles.
The company plans to start commercial production of the tires by 2019 after developing bicycles that can use them.
The air-free tire has a unique spoke structure that serves as a cushion, eliminating the need for inflated tubes used in traditional pneumatic tires. The wavy, flexible plastic spokes are designed to absorb impact and vibration from the ground.
Thanks to the use of plastic, which can be easily produced in different shapes and colors, the new tire also creates endless design possibilities, the company said. The company is also considering the use of different color spokes in front and rear tires.
Bridgestone Cycle plans to invite the public to try out the tires at events hosted by Bridgestone. One event will be in the southern prefecture of Fukuoka on April 30 and another in Yokohama on June 4. Feedback from users will help the company tweak development of the tire before its official release, the company said.

Ref: http://asia.nikkei.com/Tech-Science/Tech/Bridgestone-Cycle-announces-punctureless-bicycle-tires
 
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https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/3244881 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, BHP Billiton and its Japanese partner will spend $US204 million ($271 million) on an 11-kilometre conveyor that will carry coking coal from its Peak Downs mine in Queensland to its Caval Ridge mine, lifting output by 4 million tonnes a year and creating 400 jobs.
The conveyor is designed to take advantage of the excess capacity at the miner's Caval Ridge coal handling plant; in the last year BHP has been trucking coal between the two mines at a rate of 1 million to 2 million tonnes per annum, but the overland conveyor will slash the costs of moving the coal.
The project was one of several highlighted last year by BHP chief executive Andrew Mackenzie as an example of the "latent capacity" that the miner could unlock across its operations with relatively small amounts of investment. BHP will stump up half the capital.
Coking coal prices have spiked to record levels above $US300 a tonne in recent weeks following what has been described as "panic buying" in the wake of Cyclone Debbie, which slammed Queensland's coal fields.
But Mike Henry, the chief executive of BHP Australian mining operations, emphasised that BHP did not expect the price spike to last, and high prices were not needed to make the conveyor investment economic.
"Even at the long run [price] level … we are long to have a very high-returning business here."
Construction work on the conveyor will start soon and it is expected to be commissioned in the March quarter of 2018. It will ramp up to full capacity by 2019.

Ref: http://www.afr.com/business/mining/coal/bhp-billiton-to-spend-271m-on-conveyor-to-boost-coal-production-20170421-gvphs1
 
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https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/bhpqld27100 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Toyota Australia has hitched its wagon to Melbourne's boom in high-rise living with plans for a massive four-tower apartment project over its dealership just outside the CBD.
The proposed development – with more than 1000 apartments earmarked for residents and student accommodation – has taken a step forward, winning endorsement from Melbourne's city council this week.
That backing will add weight to the plan which now goes to the state government for a final decision.
Toyota has appointed Sydney-based developer Lefta Corporation to handle the project which has an estimated construction cost of $208 million. Its end value as developed real estate would be considerably higher.
According to plans considered by council, the four towers – the tallest has 19 levels – will comprise 310 apartments, 698 student units, gym and 5200 square metres of commercial space.

Ref: http://www.afr.com/real-estate/toyota-accelerates-plan-for-melbourne-highrise-20170418-gvmnr7
 
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https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/4807547
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According to The Australian Financial Review, after declining for much of the last two decades, the number of Japanese tourists coming to Australia is once again growing strongly, even outpacing arrivals from neighbouring China.
Despite being less than half the peak reached in the late 1990s, official figures show arrivals from Japan grew by 24 per cent to 382,000 last year and the federal government is now seeking to nearly double the value of this market by 2020.
But the Japanese are notoriously fickle and in an effort to consolidate this new found growth, Trade, Tourism and Investment and Minister Steve Ciobo is in Tokyo this week meeting with airlines and tour operators.
He's hopeful of new airline capacity being added this year out of Japan, as the economy enjoys a moderate pick-up, fuelled by a construction boom ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, strong exports and an increase in consumer spending.
The strong growth has continued in 2017 with arrivals up 19 per cent in the year to February, ahead of the peak travel period in May.
The recent uptick in arrivals has made Japan, along with South Korea, Australia's fasting-growing major tourism market, ahead of China which saw arrivals grow by 17 per cent to 1.2 million last year.
The strong growth in Japanese arrivals had been attributed to a 20 per cent increase in inbound airline seating during 2016.
The 382,000 Japanese visitors to Australia last year spent more than $1.7 billion and as more inbound seats are added, the government is looking to increase this figure to $3 billion by 2020.

Ref:http://www.afr.com/business/tourism/japanese-tourists-are-back-and-growing-more-quickly-than-chinese-arrivals-20170418-gvmuya
 
If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/9026027 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, the Turnbull government has launched a major crackdown on the use of foreign workers by abolishing the 457 visa scheme and replacing it with a new program with much tighter restrictions and available to hundreds less occupations.
In a move welcomed by major business groups but slammed by political rivals as kowtowing to One Nation, the Prime Minister announced the abolition of the 457 visa scheme for temporary skilled workers, saying it was time to put Australian workers first.
In a move that outbids Labor leader Bill Shorten, who promised a clamp down on the visa scheme as part of his "Australia first" push after Donald Trump's election victory, Mr Turnbull said 457s had lost credibility would be replaced by "a new visa that better targets skills shortage" and will be much more tightly targeted.
The new scheme will involve a two-year visa with no prospect of permanent residency at the end and available to 200 fewer occupations than the 457 visa. There will also be a new four-year visa available to just 183 high-end occupations
Both will have stricter requirements including the areas of previous work experience, English language proficiency and a greater onus on employers to fill to jobs locally first. The cost to employers of the four-year visa will be $2400 a worker, more than twice the cost of a 457 visa application. The two-year visa will cost $1150.
"It will require a full - a proper police record, a criminal check, which is not the case at the moment. It will require in almost all cases - the majority of cases - mandatory labour market testing. Again, a very significant change," Mr Turnbull said.
"Now, these new visas will ensure that Australian businesses have access to the workers from overseas they need to fill real skill gaps, but not otherwise, and that Australians, wherever possible, where jobs are - vacancies are there, where opportunities are there, Australians will be able to fill them. This is critically important."
The new rules will not apply to the 95,000 people already in the country on existing 457 visas.

Ref: http://www.afr.com/news/politics/malcolm-turnbull-axes-457-visas-in-aussie-jobs-first-pitch-20170417-gvmlha
 
​If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
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According to The Asahi Shimbun, Japanese scientists have created a "dream molecule."
It is called a nanobelt, and comprises a connection of ring-shaped molecules consisting of six carbon atoms.
Sixty years ago it was just a dream, or a theory, but there were whoops of joy and high fives galore when a research team looked up at its LCD screen recently to see the hexagonal grid stringed up there.
“We have finally succeeded in forming a molecule that many scientists have dreamed of,” said Kenichiro Itami, professor of synthetic chemistry at Nagoya University and leader of the team. “There is a possibility that unknown functions of carbon nanobelt may be found.”
The team said the carbon nanobelt could be applied in various fields including semiconductors and luminescence material.
The findings, published in the online edition of the journal Science on April 14, show a circular-shaped carbon nanobelt with a diameter of about one-millionth of a millimeter formed by 12 connected hexagonal structures.
Although studies on forming the carbon nanobelt by rolling regular hexagonal structures that are connected in the shape of a strip have been conducted, nobody had achieved the elusive goal until now due to the difficulties of fixing the hexagonal structures in a circular pattern.
The key to the team’s success was in making the molecule structure circular in advance when the regular hexagonal structures had not yet formed.
A carbon nanotube can be formed by repeatedly adding carbon atoms to the carbon nanobelt.
Although the carbon nanotube has been widely applied to various fields, the problem is currently making the thickness equal, and also the properties can vary.
The team said it’s possible to form carbon nanotubes with an equal thickness by using carbon nanobelts as seeds for the game-changing molecules.

Ref: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201704140052.html
 
If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/-603599392
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Australian soil tech is creating internet solutions for managing irrigation of farms through sophisticated cloud-based programs for struggling farmers.
"The fruit grower was in tears … he had tried everything to make his Lockyer Valley farm flourish, but to no avail due to lack of water," says Karri, now CEO of IT firm Expert 365.
"I looked around and said to him that I didn't think he was irrigating properly and no amount of fertiliser was going to help if he couldn't get the right quantity of moisture at the right time into his soil.
"That was the turning point for me … the inspiration I needed to use my experience over years in several universities around the world to actually benefit the wider community."
Thus, Expert 365 was founded by Karri two years ago with computer science graduate John Pham. "Ours is a plant-centred approach to irrigation. We look at the soil type, its moisture content and electrical conductivity, the age of the plant, root depths, solar radiation and humidity to determine the precise amount of water needed to irrigate that specific site," he says.
Such precision control allows water savings of up to 10 per cent as well as increased yield.

Ref:http://www.afr.com/news/special-reports/businesses-of-tomorrow/soil-tech-harnesses-cloud-power-20170411-gvig1n
 
​If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/1370685