EMF effects on microcirculatory system

Authors review the importance of studying the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on microcirculatory system, especially in respect of possibility that vasculature may have direct and indirect role in interaction of static magnetic fields (SMF). We outline the physiological importance of microcirculation and relatively new methods of evaluation technique in vivo and explain in details the local and/or whole body exposure effects of SMF with␣range of 0.3–180 mT, power frequency EMF with range of 0.1–30 mT and microwaves at 1.5 GHz with range 0.08–8 W/kg brain average specific absorption rate (SAR) on microcirculatory systems in different tissues in experimental animals.     

Japanese carbon storage in materials

The NEAT model (Nonenergy-use Emission Accounting Tables) has been developed in order to estimate CO2 emissions caused by so-called nonenergy use of fossil fuels. The model is based on material flow accounting. The model has been applied to a number of countries in order to validate and improve its use. This paper discusses the case study for Japan. The NEAT analysis suggests that emissions in 1996 were 23 Mt higher than previously estimated based on the guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This quantity equals 1.9% of the total Japanese greenhouse gas emission. It is recommended to adjust the Japanese emission accounting practice and to apply more detailed emission estimation methods in future years. Given similar results for other countries it is also recommended to improve the IPCC guidelines.     

Investing in safety an analytical precautionary principle

PROBLEM: Governments and businesses must respond to increasing safety requirements and balance the associated costs with productivity and competing pressures. METHOD: A real options approach has been introduced for decision making in the private sector; this approach is adapted for regulatory decisions that can involve irreversible and uncertain safety impacts, social costs that differ from private costs, and differences in perception among the stakeholders. RESULT AND IMPACT ON INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT: The outcome is an economic decision gage that determines if it is optimal to invest in safety even if the estimated costs significantly exceed the estimated benefits. Applications potentially include safety decisions related to aviation, ground transportation, pipelines, nuclear facilities, natural disaster planning, and terrorism, among others.     

Evaluation and comparison of multimedia mass balance models of chemical fate: application of EUSES and ChemCAN to 68 chemicals in Japan

The European Union System for Evaluation of Substances (EUSES) and the ChemCAN chemical fate model are applied to describe the fate of 68 chemicals on two spatial scales in Japan. Emission information on the chemicals has been obtained from Japan's Pollutant Release and Transfer Registry and available monitoring data gathered from government reports. Environmental concentrations calculated by the two models for the four primary environmental media of air, water, soil and sediment agree within a factor of 3 for over 70% of the data, and within a factor of 10 for over 87% of the data. Reasons for certain large discrepancies are discussed. Concentrations calculated by the models are generally consistent with the lower range of concentrations that are observed in the environment. Agreement between modeled and observed concentrations is considerably improved by including an estimate of the advective input of chemicals in air from outside Japan. The agreement between the EUSES and ChemCAN models suggests that results of individual chemical assessments are not likely to be significantly affected by the choice of chemical fate model. Primary sources of discrepancy between modeled and observed concentrations are believed to be uncertainties in emission rates, degradation half-lives, and the lack of data on advective inflow of contaminants in air.     

壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚在MBR 与CASR 中的行为

对比研究了壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚(NPnEO, n 为1~4)在膜-生物反应器(MBR)和传统活性污泥反应器(CASR)中的去除效果和迁移行为.结果表明,在相同NPnEO 污泥负荷的条件下,采用不主动排泥的运行模式,2 种反应器均能有效去除NPnEO,去除率分别为99.2%和97.1%,MBR 的去除效果更稳定.前21d 中,2 种反应器中混合液NPnEO 浓度均呈现先增大后减小的趋势,但MBR 出水NPnEO 浓度小于其混合液浓度,而CASR 出水浓度则高于其混合液浓度;21d 后,2 种反应器混合液与出水浓度均趋于一致.活性污泥对NPnEO 具有吸附作用,但对去除NPnEO 的贡献很小;推测生物降解是去除NPnEO 的主导作用.     

Efficient depolymerization and chemical conversion of polyamide 66 to 1,6-hexanediol

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Polyamide 66 was efficiently depolymerized and chemically converted by treatment with supercritical MeOH in the presence of glycolic acid. The...     

Highly efficient polishing technology for glass substrates using tribo-chemical polishing with electrically controlled slurry

The outstanding advantage of the novel polishing technology developed by the authors is a considerable reduction in cerium oxide consumption for polishing of glass substrates. This has been realized by introducing tribo-chemical polishing method along with a technique to control the movement of abrasives using an AC electric field. In this paper, we have analyzed the characteristics of the new polishing technique from the viewpoint of slurry distribution in the polishing area under various electric field conditions using a digital image processing and its influence on polishing performance using the experimental setup consisting of high speed polishing method under AC electric field. The results confirmed the increase of slurry distribution in the polishing area under appropriate AC electric field conditions and consequently led to enhanced removal rate, which was 2.5 times higher than that of the conventional CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) method. Furthermore, in spite of enhanced removal rate the surface roughness was comparable to CMP method.     

Feasible conditions for Japanese woody biomass utilization

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - There is an abundance of woody biomass in Japan. However, its economic feasibility is limited. There have been several discussions on whether...     

Detection of Rotavirus Strains in Freshwater Clams in Japan

Bivalve molluscan shellfish like clams and oysters, etc., are capable to bioaccumulate surrounding contaminants from waters into their digestive systems and posing serious threats of food poisoning. Detection of rotaviruses (RVs) in shellfish is of particular importance because RVs are prone to genome reassortment resulting in the emergence of new RV variants that may compromise vaccine safety. Herein, we have detected the wild-type RVs and Rotarix/RotaTeq vaccine strains in freshwater clams collected on the riverside, Kawasaki city, from July 2019 to January 2020 and correlated the detected genotypes with that of gastroenteritis cases of nearby clinics to understand the transmission of RVs in the environment. The wild-type RVs were detected in 62 (64.6%) out of 96 freshwater clams in every study month: July, September, November, and January that are considered as off-season for RV infections. The most frequent genotypes were G2 (42.9%), G8 (28.6%), G3 (14.3%), G1 (7.1%), and G10 (7.1%), which remained comparable with genotypic distribution found in the clinical samples over the last few years indicating that these RVs may accumulate in clams since a long time. However, G10 genotype was detected in clam but not in clinical samples suggesting the presence of asymptomatic infection or RVs could be carried out from a long distance. Importantly, vaccine strains, RotaTeq (1%) but not Rotarix (0%), were also detected in a clam. Attention must be paid to monitoring the potential transmission of wild-type and vaccine RV strains in the environment to prevent the emergence of new variants generated from genome reassortment with vaccine strains.

     

Temporal trends in organophosphorus pesticides use and concentrations in river water in Japan, and risk assessment

We reviewed organophosphorus pesticide use in Japan between 1982 and 2016 using data from the National Institute of Environmental Studies. Organophosphorus pesticide concentrations in river water throughout Japan were taken from the literature, and risk assessments were performed for some organophosphorus pesticides based on risk quotients and hazard quotients. Assessments were performed for 20 common pesticides, including insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides. The amounts used decreased in the order: insecticides?>?herbicides?>?fungicides. Organophosphorus insecticide and fungicide use have decreased over the last four decades, but organophosphorus herbicide use has increased. During this period, annual organophosphorus pesticide use was the highest for chlorpyrifos (105,263?tons/year) and the lowest for glyphosate-sodium (8?tons/year). The ecotoxicological risk assessment indicated that diazinon and fenitrothion posed strong risks to the Japanese aquatic environment, and chlorpyrifos and malathion have moderate risks. None of the pesticides that were assessed posed significant risks to humans. Continued use of organophosphorus pesticides in Japan may cause strong risks to aquatic environments. These risks should be reassessed periodically.