Stemflow chemistry of urban street trees

pH and ion concentrations (Na(+), K(+), Mg(2+), Ca(2+), NO(-)(3)) in the stemflow of the evergreen broad-leaved tree, Ilex rotunda, planted in the median strip of a highway and nitrogen oxides concentration in the air in an urban site were compared with a suburban site in Fukuoka city, Japan. The annual average of the nitrogen oxides concentration in the air was higher and NO(-)(3) concentration in the stemflow at the urban site was higher or similar compared with the suburban site. However, the annual average of pH in the stemflow at the urban site was higher than at the suburban. The annual average cation concentrations in the stemflow at the urban site were higher than at the suburban except Na(+). In particular, K(+) and Ca(2+) were higher throughout the measurement period. Therefore, higher pH in the urban stemflow was probably due to neutralization by higher concentrations of K(+), Mg(2+) and Ca(2+).     

Involvement of quinones and phenoloxidase in the allorejection reaction in a colonial ascidian, Botrylloides simodensis: histochemical and immunohistochemical study

When incompatible colonies of Botrylloides simodensis were brought into contact at their artificially cut surfaces, allorejection occurred and a black line was formed along the contact border. Morula cells (MCs), a type of hemocytes, are the major effector in the allorejection reaction and are known to possess phenoloxidase (PO) that generates quinones. In this rejection reaction, MCs infiltrate the tunic and break down, discharging their vacuolar contents. Ascorbic acid (antioxidant) and benzamidine (protease inhibitor) showed inhibitory effects on MC breakdown, black line formation and new tunic cuticle formation, whereas tropolone (metal chelator) and sodium benzoate (substrate analog) did not. MCs probably store some amount of quinones, as well as PO; oxidants derived from the quinones appear to disintegrate the tissue to form a black line and promote MC breakdown. Histochemical and immunohistochemical studies revealed that MCs contain eosinophilic materials, PO and quinones. Quinones that are stored in MCs and produced by PO probably have a destructive function, forming rejection lesions.     

Atmospheric Budget of Non-Seasalt Chlorine in the Kanto District,Japan

To evaluate the influence of anthropogenic emission of HCl on the air quality in the Kanto district of Japan, the atmospheric budgetof non-seasalt Cl (nssCl) was analyzed. The Kanto district, which consists of the Tokyo metropolis and the six surrounding prefectures, is the most densely populated region in Japan. The emission intensity of HCl is extremely high compared with those in other regions and most western countries. In this study, the annual wet and dry depositions of nssClwere estimated on a 0.25 × 0.25° grid over the Kanto district based on the concentration monitoring resultsand meteorological data. The budget analysis was conducted by comparing the estimated deposition with the emission of HCl. As a result, the annual total (wet + dry) deposition of nssCl was estimated to be 32 kt yr^-1, which closely agreed with HCl emission (36 kt yr^-1) from waste incineration in this area. The result suggested that the anthropogenic emission of HCl had a significant influence on the air quality and the deposition of acidity in this area.     

Concentrations of various elements and inorganic ions in rice straw and ash

Various elements and inorganic ions in rice straw and ash samples were analyzed by using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP‐AES) and ion chromatography (IC). Five major elements: Mg, Mn, Al, Ca, and Fe and eight minor and trace elements: Cr, Cu, Ti, Zn, La, Sr, Ba, and Hg were detected in these samples, at more than ppm‐level. In ash samples the trace elements such as Y, As, V, Se, and Sc were also identified. The concentrations of SO₄, PO₄, Cl, Na, and K ions in these samples were higher than those of other ions measured. These elements and inorganic ion concentrations were approximately one order of magnitude higher in the ash than in the straw samples. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and library search showed the presence of fatty‐, carboxylic‐ and nicotinic acids, and their derivatives in small quantities in the straw samples.     

Removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions by the culm of bamboo grass treated with concentrated sulfuric acid

We prepared a carbonaceous sorbent for Cr(VI) from the culm of Sasa kurilensis by dehydration with concentrated H₂SO₄. The removal of Cr(VI) by the sorbent was highly solution pH dependent and mainly governed by physicochemical sorption. The equilibrium data fit well in the Langmuir isotherm model and indicate the endothermic nature of the Cr(VI) sorption. The desorption experiments suggest that the Cr(VI) sorption is generally irreversible, owing to strong interaction of HCrO₄⁻ with the active sites of the sorbent.     

Development of waste gasification and gas reforming system for municipal solid waste (MSW)

To achieve both high-efficiency power generation and high detoxification performance, advanced-type waste power generation plants such as pyrolysis and gas reforming plants are suggested. Further surveys on actual operational data of these plants are required in terms of reliability of the system when it is introduced to waste disposal sites. To verify the technical effectiveness of advanced-type waste power generation using the pyrolysis and gas reforming method, we evaluated 10?tons/day of municipal solid wastes (MSW) treated in a demonstration plant. A demonstration test was conducted over 100?days including 35?consecutive days of operation treating MSWs. The test results show high recycling performance and harmless nature of the plant which proves it to be an excellent waste recycling system. Major test results are as follows: (1) stabilization of waste treatment is possible with the wastes of various qualities, (2) clean gas is produced from the waste whose energy recovery ratio is approximately 40?%. (3) 99.3?% weight % of dried waste are recovered as valuable materials such as clean gas, char and metal, (4) total amount of dioxin emission to the outside of the plant is very small, down to 0.0051–0.018?μg?TEQ per ton waste.     

An overlooked side effect of nest-scattering behavior to decrease predation risk (Acari: Tetranychidae,Stigmaeidae)

The number of nests containing egg masses a female makes over her lifetime and the pattern of scattering nests vary among species in a genus of nest-weaving spider mites (Stigmaeopsis). We hypothesized that the scattered nests of small nest builders have a previously overlooked indirect effect in that the void nests created after predation take on a new role as hindering devices that effectively decrease predator searching efficiency. First, we demonstrated that the experimental design used in this study is a good reflection of the nest distribution pattern of Stigmaeopsis takahashii (an intermediate-sized nest builder) in the field. Using this species as a model, we tested how different nest-scattering patterns affect the predator to examine how scattering may indirectly provide an anti-predation strategy by increasing a predators searching time. Next, we observed how artificially arranged void nests disturb predatory behavior in both starved and fully fed predator females and showed that void nests have a strong hindering effect on predators. Thus, we concluded that the nesting behavior of this mite species not only has anti-predator effects but must also have a stabilizing effect on predator–prey interaction systems at the population level.     

Apportionment of TEQs from four major dioxin sources in Japan on the basis of five indicative congeners

The major sources of dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs)) in the environment in Japan have been considered to be combustion by-products, pentachlorophenol (PCP) formulations, chlornitrofen (CNP, 4-nitrophenyl-2,4,6-trichlorophenyl ether) formulations, and PCB products. Data on PCDDs, PCDFs and DL-PCBs from the four sources were analyzed, and indicative congeners whose concentrations were highly correlated with WHO-2006 toxic equivalencies (TEQs) were identified for each source sample. The indicative congeners for combustion by-products, PCP formulations, and CNP formulations were 2,3,4,7,8-pentachlorodibenzofuran, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, and 1,2,3,7,8-pentachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, respectively; for PCB products, the indicative congeners were IUPAC Nos. #126- and #105-pentachlorobiphenyls. Moreover, using the data on PCDDs, PCDFs and DL-PCBs, we developed a set of equations for estimating the apportionment of TEQs from the four sources by using only the concentrations of the above-mentioned five indicative congeners. The equations were used along with the analysis results of different types of environmental samples collected from Japan, to determine the TEQ contributions of the four sources. The obtained values of TEQ contributions seemed to be reasonable. The estimation method was developed by using the data on major dioxin sources in Japan, and therefore, it is generally adaptable to environmental samples from any part of Japan. The method may be usable for regions outside Japan if source identification is carried out and the estimation equations are modified appropriately.     

Effects of parabens on apoptosis induced by serum-free medium

Alkyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acids (parabens), an endocrine disrupter, are used as preservatives in cosmetics and foods. In this study, to understand the relationship between parabens and differentiation in infants, the effects of parabens on apoptosis induced by serum deprivation in PC12 cells were investigated. In addition, apoptosis-related factors were assayed. As results, a tendency toward enhancement of apoptosis was observed in the cells cultured in the serum-free medium with methylparaben, and this tendency was suggested to be related to the contents of BAD, a pro-apoptotic protein. Butylparaben did not show any tendency to enhance apoptosis.