开放式臭氧浓度升高对2个冬小麦品种光合损伤的研究

在开放式臭氧浓度升高（ozone-free air controlled enrichment,O₃-FACE）平台上,观测了高浓度臭氧（正常大气臭氧浓度的基础上增加50%）对2个冬小麦(Tritcium aestivum L.)品种（烟农19和扬麦16）在灌浆期内功能叶片光合损伤的情况．观测显示,整个灌浆期内2个小麦品种有关参数响应的趋势表现一致:①净光合速率（P_n）逐渐下降,在臭氧处理35 d时,烟农19和扬麦16降幅分别达到56.21%和21.82%．②荧光动力学参数F_v/F_m（最大光化学量子产量）、q_p（光化学淬灭系数）、Φ_exc（PSⅡ有效光化学量子产量）、Φ_PSⅡ（PSⅡ实际光化学量子产量）呈下降趋势,NPQ（非光化学淬灭系数）逐渐上升;在能量分配方面,吸收的光能在PSⅡ天线色素的耗散部分（%D）升高、用于PSⅡ光化学反应的部分（%P）降低,而不属于前两者的其它消耗部分（%X）变化不明显．在臭氧处理35　d时,烟农19和扬麦16的Φ_PSⅡ分别下降24.42%和9.97%.③光合色素参数Chla/Chlb(叶绿素a/叶绿素b）比值上升,而Chlt/Car(叶绿素/叶黄素)的比值下降.④叶绿体内依赖Mg²⁺、Ca²⁺的ATP_ase(ATP酶)活性和ATP含量均增加．上述参数随臭氧处理时间延长,变化幅度和品种间的差异趋于显著,当臭氧处理35 d时,变幅最大,且烟农19变幅显著大于扬麦16．结果表明,在臭氧浓度升高环境下,作物通过增加热耗散、改变色素含量和结构、提高ATP_ase活性等进行防御和损伤修复．随着处理时间的增加,臭氧对冬小麦的光合损伤具有累积效应,且2个品种表现出较大的差异性．     

Do we need to examine the quantitative data obtained from toxicity studies for both normality and homogeneity of variance?

Most of the statistical techniques used to evaluate the data obtained from toxicity studies are based on the assumption that the data show a normal distribution and homogeneity of variance. Literature review on toxicity studies on laboratory animals reveals that in most of the cases homogeneity of variance alone is examined for the data obtained from these studies. But the data that show homogeneity of variance need not always show a normal distribution. In fact, most of the data derived from toxicity studies, including hematological and biochemical parameters show a non-normal distribution. On examining normality of data obtained from various toxicity studies using different normality tests, we observed that Shapiro-Wilk test is more appropriate than Kolmogorov-Smimov test, Lilliefors test, the normal probability paper analysis and Chi square test. But there are situations, especially in the long-term toxicity studies, where normality is not shown by one or more than one of the dosage groups. In this situation, we propose that the data maybe analyzed using Dunnett multiple comparison test after excluding the data of the groups that do not show normality However, the biological relevance of the excluded data has to be carefully scrutinized. We also observed that the tendency of the data to show a normal distribution seems to be related to the age of the animals. Present paper describes various tests commonly used to test normality and their power, and also emphasizes the need of subjecting the data obtained from toxicity studies to both normality and homogeneity tests. A flow chart suggesting the statistical techniques that maybe used for both the types of data showing a normal or non-normal distribution is also proposed.     

Control of Mercury Emissions from a Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator in Japan

Abstract

The control of Hg emissions from a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) is very important, because more than 78% of municipal solid waste (MSW) is incinerated. The Hg content of coal used in utility boilers is relatively low in Japan. In this study, recent trends in the Hg content of MSW in Japan and activated carbon (AC) injection as a control technology of Hg emission from an MSWI are discussed. The effect of AC injection on Hg removal from flue gas in an MSWI was investigated by pilot-scale experiments using a bag filter (BF). The injection of AC increases the Hg reduction ratio by 20–30% compared with cases without AC injection. The Hg reduction ratio increases as the flue gas temperature decreases. The Hg reduction ratio is closely related to the inlet Hg concentration and was expressed with a Langmuir-type adsorption isotherm.     

Emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitro-PAHs from heavy-duty diesel vehicles with DPF and SCR

In total, 24 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in both gas and particle phases and 35 nitro-PAHs in particle phase were analyzed in the exhaust from heavy-duty diesel vehicles equipped with after-treatment for particulate matter (PM) and NO_X control. The test vehicles were carried out using a chassis dynamometer under highway cruise, transient Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS), and idle operation. The after-treatment efficiently abated more than 90% of the total PAHs. Indeed, the particle-bound PAHs were reduced by >99%, and the gaseous PAHs were removed at various extents depending on the type of after-treatment and the test cycles. The PAHs in gas phase dominated the total PAH (gas + particle phases) emissions for all the test vehicles and for all cycles; that is, 99% of the two-ring and 98% of the three-ring and 97% of the four-ring and 95% of the carcinogenic PAHs were in the gas-phase after a diesel particle filter (DPF) and not bound to the very small amount of particulate matter left after a DPF. Consequently, an evaluation of the toxicity of DPF exhaust must include this volatile fraction and cannot be based on the particle fraction only. The selective catalytic reduction (SCR) did not appear to promote nitration of the PAHs in general, although there might be some selective nitration of phenanthrene. Importantly the after-treatmtent reduced the equivalent B[a]P (B[a]Peq) emissions by >95%, suggesting a substantial health benefit.

Implications: This study demonstrated that after-treatments, including diesel particulate filters (DPF), diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC), and selective catalytic reduction (SCR), significantly reduce the emissions of PAHs from heavy-duty diesel engines. The gas-phase PAHs dominate the total PAH (gas + particle phases) emissions from heavy-duty diesel vehicles retrofitted with various DPFs and not bound to the very small amount of particulate matter left after a DPF. Consequently, an evaluation of the toxicity of DPF exhaust must also include this volatile fraction and cannot be based on the particle fraction only.

Supplemental Materials: Supplemental materials are available for this paper. Go to the publisher's online edition of the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association.     

Demonstration study of high temperature melting for asbestos-containing waste (ACW)

The service life of many buildings and houses built using asbestos-containing materials is coming to an end and their demolition will lead to a great deal of asbestos-containing waste (ACW). Conventionally, the disposal of such waste is conducted by isolation under controlled landfill procedures; however problems with this method exist, such as the risk at the time of re-utilization of landfill sites and the depletion of lands to be reclaimed. Melting treatment is a promising technology that could be used to solve these problems; a thermal process involving temperatures exceeding the melting points of asbestos, it transforms them into non-hazardous minerals. This technology may be applicable not only for friable ACW but also for nonfriable ACW. We performed a demonstration test of melting treatment of nonfriable ACW using a gasification and melting furnace of the shaft furnace type, which is a typical method for high temperature melting. Detailed observation using transmission electron microscopy as well as general analyses verified that the same level of asbestos remained in the slag obtained by high temperature melting as that of the background soil. In addition, the asbestos concentration in the exhaust gas and the dust from the facility were at sufficiently low levels, and it was thus verified that the asbestos concentration in the atmosphere in the vicinity of the facility during the melting treatment was comparable to that of Japan’s background level reported by the Ministry of the Environment in 2007.     

Total OH reactivity and VOC analyses for gasoline vehicular exhaust with a chassis dynamometer

Total OH reactivity for the exhaust gas of gasoline vehicles was measured for the first time under nine different driving conditions with a chassis dynamometer at the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES). Along with the total OH reactivity measurements, analysis of trace species such as CH₄, CO, NO, NO₂, and 56 kinds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including two aldehydes, was carried out. The ratio of alkanes to alkenes in the exhaust gas turned out to depend on the condition of the driving cycles. There were a considerable number of unidentified peaks obtained during GC analysis. About 15–30% of the total carbon was unidentified species. The chemical compositions of vehicular exhaust were found to depend on the temperature of the engine or catalysts. The contribution of OH reactivity to the species obtained depended on the temperature condition for the engine. The calculated total OH reactivity for VOCs was compared with ozone formation potential (OFP) and it turned out that there are in good correlation, while the correlation for “Cold” start deviates from that for “Hot” start. The measured and calculated OH reactivities were compared with each other. For all driving cycles, the calculated OH reactivity was confirmed to be an underestimation, implying the existence of unknown species in the exhaust gas. The percentage contribution of OH reactivity to the unknown species during “Cold” start was about 17.5%, which was almost the same as that for “Hot” start at 17.0%. However, the absolute value of OH reactivity for “Cold” start was about ten times higher than that for “Hot” start.     

Long-term Trends in Surface Water Quality of Five Lakes in Japan

Since 1983, the Ministry of the Environment of Japan has conducted nation-wide acid deposition surveys. To investigate the effects of acid deposition on surface water, we used the nonparametric Mann–Kendall test to find temporal trends in pH, alkalinity, and electrical conductivity (EC) in more than 10 years of data collected from five lakes and their catchments (Lake Kuttara: northernmost; Lake Kamakita: near Tokyo; Lake Ijira: central; Lake Banryu: western; and Lake Unagiike: southernmost). The pH of Lake Ijira water has declined slightly since the mid-1990s, corresponding with the downward trends seen in the pH and alkalinity of the river water flowing into the lake. There were significant upward trends in the EC of both the lake and stream water; the same trends were also found for concentrations. These trends show evidence of acidification due to atmospheric deposition, and this is the first such finding in Japan based on significant long-term trends. Lake Ijira is located about 40 km north of the Chukyo industrial area near Nagoya. The annual depositions of H⁺, nss-, and in Lake Ijira were among the highest of all deposition monitoring sites, suggesting that this is the main cause of the significant acidification observed in Lake Ijira. No significant trends suggesting acidification were observed in any of the other lake catchments in spite of the significant upward trends in EC. Upward trends in pH and alkalinity at Lake Banryu and upward trends in alkalinity at Lake Kamakita were detected, but no change in pH or alkalinity at Lake Kuttara and Lake Unagiike was observed.     

Functional morphology and phylogeny of the rock-boring bivalves <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leiosolenus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lithophaga</Emphasis> (Bivalvia: Mytilidae): a third functional clade

The functional morphology of the shell of rock-boring mytilids (especially Leiosolenus and Lithophaga) is analyzed and compared with that of several epifaunal and semi-infaunal mytilids. Semi-infaunal species are generally intermediate between epifaunal and rock-boring ones both in terms of shell form and the magnitude of forces pulling the shells against the substratum. A molecular phylogenetic analyses using 18s rDNA sequence data strongly suggests that Leiosolenus and Lithophaga are monophyletic genera but that the so-called Lithophaginae (or Leiosolenus plus Lithophaga) is a paraphyletic group. The common cylindrical shell form of rock-boring species, which is here called “lithophagiform” as a third functional mytilid clade, may be due to convergence, as is the case with ‘mytiliform’ and ‘modioliform’.     

The chemical characteristics of ashes from cattle, swine and poultry manure

Animal manure is waste that contains large amounts of fertilizer resources. Incineration technology is effective in decreasing the volume of animal manure and concentrating the nutrients. In this study, the nutrient concentration and chemical compounds of several types of animal manure ash were examined to promote their recycling for agriculture. The nutrient concentration of manure ash was dependent on the reduction rate of solid materials by incineration. The phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) of cattle and layer manure were not concentrated greatly because of high silicon (Si) and calcium (Ca) concentrations, respectively. On the other hand, the P concentration of swine manure and broiler litter was increased to 10.1–12.0 % (3.6–4.6 times compared with original materials), equivalent to that of phosphate rock used as fertilizer material. The K concentration of broiler litter ash (16.1 %) was highest of all. The phosphate compounds of cattle and swine manure ashes were determined as Ca₉Fe(PO₄)₇ or Ca₉MgK(PO₄)₇. Hydroxyapatite (Ca₅(PO₄)₃(OH)) was detected in layer manure and broiler litter ashes. By acid treatment of ash, P and K availability of the fertilizer made from layer manure ash (33 % of materials) was equivalent to that of conventional chemical fertilizer.