Speciation of the radioactive nuclides in incinerator fly ash of municipal solid waste using sequential extractions

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The radioactive nuclides in the incinerator fly ashes from municipal solid waste sampled in June 2006 were analyzed with γ-ray spectrometry....     

Do corals select zooxanthellae by alternative discharge?

Loss of zooxanthellae (dinoflagellate Symbiodinium) from corals will sometimes lead to mass mortality of corals. To detect and quantify Symbiodinium released from corals, we developed a zooxanthellae “trap” and a quantitative PCR (qPCR) system with Symbiodinium clades A–F-specific primer sets. The trap was attached to a branch or the surface of several wild stony corals, and the water samples within the traps, including released Symbiodinium, were subjected to qPCR. All tested corals released clade C Symbiodinium at estimates of ~5,900 cells h⁻¹ cm⁻² of coral surface. Although all tested Pocillopora eydouxi harboured both clades C and D, some of these colonies released only clade C or released a lesser amount of clade D than that in the tissues. Our Symbiodinium quantification system revealed that wild hermatypic corals constantly release Symbiodinium to the environment. Our result suggests that some corals may discharge certain clades of Symbiodinium alternatively.     

PBDEs in leachates from municipal solid waste dumping sites in tropical Asian countries: phase distribution and debromination

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are extensively used as flame retardants in many consumer products, and leachates from landfills have been identified as one of the possible sources of PBDEs in the environment. Meanwhile, the unprecedented economic and population growths of some Asian countries over the last decade have led to significant increases in the amount of waste containing PBDEs in that region. This study investigates the status of PBDEs in leachates from municipal solid waste dumping sites (MSWDS) in tropical Asian countries. A total of 46 PBDE congeners were measured, both in the adsorbed (n?=?24) and dissolved (n?=?16) phases, in leachate samples collected, from 2002 to 2010, from ten MSWDS distributed among the eight countries of Lao PDR, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia. PBDEs were predominantly found in the adsorbed phase. Partitioning of PBDEs in the dissolved phase was associated with the presence of dissolved organic matter; the apparent organic carbon-normalized partition coefficients (K′_oc) of the BDE congeners were lower by two to four orders of magnitude than the K _oc predicted from the octanol–water partition coefficients (K _ow). The total PBDE concentrations from mono- to deca-BDEs ranged from 3.7 to 133,000 ng/L, and showed a trend toward higher concentrations in the more populous and industrialized Asian countries. The congener profiles in the leachates basically reflected the composition of PBDE technical mixtures. The occurrence of congeners not contained, or in trace concentrations, in technical products (e.g., BDEs 208, 207, 206, 202, 188, 179, 49, 17/25, 8, 1) was observed in most of the leachate samples, suggesting the debromination of technical mixtures, including BDE-209, in the MSWDS of tropical Asian countries. Moreover, the temporal trend indicated the reduction of BDE-209 over time, with a corresponding increase in and/or emergence of lower brominated PBDE congeners. The results indicated that MSWDS of tropical Asian countries are potential sources of environmental PBDEs, which may be transported to the aquatic environment via dissolution with dissolved organic matter. MSWDS could be amplifiers of PBDE toxicity in the environment, possibly through debromination.     

Soil respiration in model plantations under conditions of elevated CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> in the atmosphere (Hokkaido Island,Japan)

The influence of long-term exposure of model plantations at elevated atmospheric CO₂ (550 ppm) on soil respiration under natural conditions has been studied using an automated Free-Air CO₂ Enrichment (FACE) system at the Hokkaido University, Japan. In the course of the experiment, an attempt has been made to simulate the effect of forthcoming climate change on the process of CO₂ emission from different soil types.     

Development of a technique for the measurement of the radon exhalation rate using an activated charcoal collector

A simple system to evaluate the 222Rn (radon) exhalation rate from soil has been improved. A sampling cuvette of 2.1 L is placed so that it covers the targeted ground soil, and radon emanating from the soil accumulates within the cuvette for 24 h. Its internal radon concentration is measured by the combination of an activated charcoal (PICO-RAD) and a liquid scintillation counting system. This study shows variations of the conversion factor (CF: unit Bq m(-3)/cpm) of PICO-RAD. The range of CF due to temperature (10-30 degrees C) was between -21% and +69%, and this due to humidity (30-90%) was between 0% and -15%. Humidity and radon concentration in the cuvette covering soil tended to saturate in a few hours. The above information was used to correct the CF for the evaluation. The improved system shows high reliability and can be easily applied to natural environments.     

Carbon black nanoparticles promote the maturation and function of mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells

Particulate matter including carbon black (CB) nanoparticles can enhance antigen-related inflammation and immunoglobulin production in vivo. Dendritic cells (DC) as antigen-presenting cells (APC) are the most capable inducers of immune responses. The present study was designed to determine whether CB nanoparticles affect the maturation/activation and function of DC in vitro. DC were differentiated from bone marrow (BM) cells of BALB/c mice by culture with granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). At day 8 of culture, BM-derived DC (BMDC) were exposed to CB nanoparticles with a diameter of 14nm or 56nm for 24h. The expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II, DEC205, CD80, and CD86 (maturation/activation markers of BMDC) was measured by flow cytometry. BMDC function was evaluated by an allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assay. CB nanoparticles significantly increased the expression of DEC205 and CD86 in BMDC and tended to increase MHC class II and CD80 expression; however, a size-dependent effect was not observed. On the other hand, BMDC-mediated MLR was significantly enhanced by the CB nanoparticles and the enhancement was greater by 14nm CB nanoparticles than by 56nm CB nanoparticles. Taken together, CB nanoparticles can promote the maturation/activation and function of BMDC, which could be related to their effects on allergic diseases and/or responses. In addition, BMDC-mediated MLR might be useful assay for in vitro screening for adjuvant activity of environmental toxicants.     

Chemical and biological oxidative effects of carbon black nanoparticles

Several studies show that ultrafine particles have a larger surface area than coarse particles, thus causing a greater inflammatory response. In this study, we investigated chemical and biological oxidative effects of nanoparticles in vitro. Carbon black (CB) nanoparticles with mean aerodynamic diameters of 14, 56, and 95nm were examined. The innate oxidative capacity of the CB nanoparticles was measured by consumption of dithiothreitol (DTT) in cell-free system. The expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in rat alveolar type II epithelial cell line (SV40T2) and alveolar macrophages (AM) exposed to CB nanoparticles was measured by ELISA. DTT consumption of 14nm CB was higher than that of other CB nanoparticles having the same particle weight. However, DTT consumption was directly proportional to the particle surface area. HO-1 protein in SV40T2 cells was significantly increased by the 14nm and 56nm CB, however, 95nm CB did not affect. HO-1 protein in AM was significantly increased by the 14, 56, and 95nm CB. The increase in HO-1 expression was diminished by N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) treatment of each CB nanoparticles before exposure although the difference between the effects of NAC-treated and untreated 14nm CB did not achieve significant. In conclusion, CB nanoparticles have innate oxidative capacity that may be dependent on the surface area. CB nanoparticles can induce oxidative stress in alveolar epithelial cells and AM that is more prominent with smaller particles. The oxidative stress may, at least partially, be mediated by surface function of particles.     

Nitrate metabolism in abyssal waters

Activities of nitrate assimilation and nitrate reduction were measured 50 cm above the ocean floor (5,845 m and 5,207 m) by an in situ ¹⁵N tracer technique at stations in the subtropical (28°29.8′N; 144°58′E) and subarctic (44°10.2′N; 154°03′E) western North Pacific Ocean. Nitrate assimilation ranged from 0.009 to 0.11 μg-at N/1/day, and nitrate reduction from 0 to 0.42 μg-at N/1/day in the presence of added peptone and yeast extract. Nitrate assimilation was higher than nitrite formation at the southern station, but the reverse was the case at the subarctic station. No correlation was observed between bacterial growth and nitrate metabolizing activities. Data are also presented on the effect of hydrostatic pressures upon nitrate metabolism by microbial populations in the surface waters.     

Photochemical decomposition of environmentally persistent short-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids in water mediated by iron(II)/(III) redox reactions

The photochemical decomposition of short-chain (C(3)-C(5)) perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) was investigated. Direct photolysis in water proceeded slowly with the 220- to 460-nm light emission from a xenon-mercury lamp to form F(-), CO(2), and shorter-chain PFCAs. Addition of a small amount of Fe(3+) to the aqueous solutions of the PFCAs dramatically enhanced their photochemical decomposition under an oxygen atmosphere: when the (initial PFCA)/(initial Fe(3+)) molar ratio was 13.5 (initial PFCA concentration=67.3mM), the pseudo-first-order rate constants for the PFCA decomposition were 3.6-5.3 times those with photolysis alone, and the turnover number for the catalytic PFCA decomposition [i.e., (moles of decomposed PFCA)/(moles of initial Fe(3+))] reached 6.71-8.68 after 24h of irradiation. The catalysis can be explained by photoredox reactions between PFCA, Fe(3+)/Fe(2+) and oxygen via photo-induced complexation of Fe(3+) with the PFCAs.     

Resource management for sustainable development: a community- and GIS-based approach

A combined approach utilizing GIS, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) has been developed for resource mapping in a rural poverty-prone area of Bangladesh. This model integrated GIS and participatory tools to include the voices of the stakeholders in assessing available resources and needs. The resource mapping framework, developed using PRA with local community people and community gatekeepers, was aimed at sustainable resource management, and ArcView GIS was used to digitize the resource maps as a Decision Support System (DSS). A detailed assessment and analysis of the quality, quantity and physical status of resources was first mapped in the field and then digitized using GIS. FGD-based interaction with community people at each union in a subdistrict of Bangladesh revealed stakeholders’ opinions on land and water body management. The present paper demonstrates the power of this model as a policy-making tool for sustainable development and poverty eradication. It also recognized the need for collaboration between interdisciplinary policy planners and researchers to develop and implement a policy on agricultural resource management for poverty-prone areas.