Guarana improves behavior and inflammatory alterations triggered by methylmercury exposure: an in vivo fruit fly and in vitro neural cells study

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Methylmercury (MeHg) is a well-known environmental pollutant associated with neurological and developmental deficits in animals and humans. However,...     

Mixed land-use planning on the periphery of large Asian cities: the case of Nonthaburi Province, Thailand

Throughout Asia, rapid and uncontrolled urbanization has created serious environmental problems, and the development of sustainable urban–rural planning methods is of critical importance. To improve our understanding of mixed urban–rural land uses and provide future practical visions for regional planning, we conducted a case study of the urban fringe of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Thailand. After identifying local irrigation districts as the basic spatial unit for resource circulation, we quantified current material flows of organic wastes generated by households within each district. We then developed two different land-use scenarios for 2020: (1) a high-rise compact and (2) a low-story sprawl development scenario. These scenarios were compared in terms of efficiency of material flows and energy consumption. We found that, based on current infrastructure and technology, the latter scenario was more advantageous in terms of both material input and energy consumption than the former, thereby, identifying positive aspects of urban–rural land-use mixture. Based on these results, we propose that planners should focus on density control measures that take into account bioresource circulation within irrigation districts rather than simply drawing arbitrary land-use zoning lines. To this end, we suggest that the division between agricultural and urban planning departments must be bridged, and that research should take an interdisciplinary approach.     

Initial design process of the sustainability science ontology for knowledge-sharing to support co-deliberation

Implementation of the sustainability science (SS) approach is often difficult because of poor communication between experts from different academic fields. We focused on ontology engineering as a method of knowledge structuring that supports the co-deliberation process. However, SS is too broad for a few experts to construct an ontology because SS targets and covers almost all existing research fields from the viewpoint of problem-solving. The N-iteration process is required for completing an SS ontology. In the present paper, we discuss the initial design process for constructing an ontology on SS from the aspect of a knowledge-sharing tool to support co-deliberation. First, we identified the SS ontology by referring to the existing literature. Second, we traced the structuring process of the SS ontology, which is independent of the existing research domain. Third, we compared the SS ontology with existing ontologies or concept structures on SS. Fourth, we assessed the SS ontology produced in the initial process in terms of relevance and coverage and addressed areas for improvement in order to facilitate co-deliberation among researchers from different domains. As a result of developing the SS ontology and applying it to the mapping tool that we developed based on the ontology, we found the following three points: the SS ontology enables us to define concepts relevant to SS without overlapping by distinguishing part-of and attribute-of relationships at the upper level of the ontology; the SS-based mapping tool successfully represents the potential countermeasures required by the targeted problem for all scientific fields except experimental engineering; however, the SS ontology requires further improvement in order to represent the conceptual linkage arising from compound and secondary problems and the fulfillment of classes at the lower hierarchy of Shortage problem, and requires slots for the entire hierarchy. In addition, based on the discussion of the areas for improvement, we found that missing slots and classes should be added in the process in which we use or improve tools corresponding to a variety of requirements for supporting co-deliberation. In this way, we are able to propose an incremental process for constructing the SS ontology from the aspect of a knowledge-sharing tool to support co-deliberation.     

Ionic imbalance due to hydrogen carbonate from Asian dust

In an attempt to identify the ionic imbalance, hydrogen carbonate, HCO₃⁻ (bicarbonate), was determined together with the commonly determined nine major ions because the imbalance was frequently encountered in the chemical analysis of samples with high pHs. Titration method was applied for the determination of the samples with pH higher than 5.6. These samples amounted to 102 of the 1536 samples collected in Hokkaido, Northern Japan, from April 1998 to December 2002. Of the 102 samples, 74 (Group A) showed an acceptable ion balance without including HCO₃⁻. In the other 28 (Group B), however, inclusion of HCO₃⁻ successfully improved the ion balance. These results suggested that hydrogen carbonate was a potential candidate for explaining the imbalance. The hydrogen carbonate concentrations showed a strong correlation with the corresponding non-sea salt calcium (nss-Ca²⁺) concentrations, which implied that hydrogen carbonate was derived from calcium carbonate particles incorporated into falling raindrops or cloud droplets. For Group A, the relationship between hydrogen carbonate and the nss-calcium ion concentration was very similar to that for commonly suspended particles in Hokkaido. On the other hand, Group B exhibited a stronger but significantly different correlation. To the samples of Group B, a back-trajectory analysis was applied to demonstrate that the samples were associated with aerosol travelling from Northern China or Mongolia, which indicated that alkaline aerosol affected the chemistry. In consideration of these findings, the current standard of the ion balance should be critically reviewed for modification in regard to the contribution of hydrogen carbonate not only in source areas but also in receptor areas of alkaline aerosol.     

Effect of depithing on the safety and environmental aspects of bagasse stockpiling

Large scale sugarcane bagasse storage in uncovered stockpiles has the potential to result in adverse impacts on the environment and surrounding communities through hazards associated with nuisance dust, groundwater seepage, spontaneous combustion and generation of contaminated leachates. Managing these hazards will assist in improved health and safety outcomes for factory staff and reduced potential environmental impacts on surrounding communities. Removal of the smaller fibres (pith) from bagasse prior to stockpiling reduced the dust number of bagasse by 50% and modelling suggests peak ground level PM₁₀ dust emissions would reduce by 70%. Depithed bagasse has much lower water holding capacity (～43%) than whole bagasse.This experimental and modelling study investigated the physical properties of depithed and whole bagasse. Dust dispersion modelling was undertaken to determine the likely effects associated with storage of whole and depithed sugarcane bagasse.     

Effectiveness of resistivity monitoring for interpreting temporal changes in landfill properties

It is always possible for impermeable layers to exist in landfills. When they do, the properties of the solution at the exit of the leachate-collection system might not accurately reflect the overall properties of the landfill. This study examines whether resistivity monitoring is effective for determining the influence of impermeable layers on the leachate. The test cell used in this study was filled with waste made up mainly of incinerator ash and shredded incombustible material. Three lines of resistivity sensors were laid in the uppermost layer of the fill. A resistivity profile was recorded periodically from each of these lines. The water-table level and leachate properties were measured concurrently. Leachate conductivity was mainly controlled by concentrations of the main ions, and it correlated inversely to variations in resistivity. Temporal changes in the resistivity of the fills are an excellent means of assessing the leaching in fills. Monitoring the properties of leachate, combined with resistivity profiling, is extremely useful for interpreting the temporal changes of properties in landfills containing impermeable layers.     

Validation studies of turbulence closure schemes for high resolutions in mesoscale meteorological models – A case of gas dispersion at the local scale

This work is a contribution to a large project, aimed at the development of an advanced environmental assessment modelling system to be used in Japan. The modelling system here considered consisted of the RAMS and HYPACT coupled models. The RAMS code was modified to properly simulate local scale phenomena using a fine mesh size of 250 m. In this direction, the main aim here was to investigate the effect of the choice of the turbulence closure scheme on the dispersion of pollutants. Our modified version of the RAMS/HYPACT model chain was validated using field experiments which were carried out by the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) in the area of Mt. Tsukuba (Japan). The mean flow, turbulence and concentration fields obtained using two alternative turbulence closure schemes are compared. A discussion on the different performances of the turbulence closures is presented and the influence of the closure schemes over the plume dispersion is investigated.     

Thermal cracking of oils from waste plastics

Thermal cracking of decomposed waste plastic oil produces a good yield of olefins. The solvent extraction of such waste plastic oil seems to be efficient for increasing gas yields and recycling monomers. To assess the potential of monomer recovery from municipal waste plastics, the oils were cracked using a laboratory-scale quartz-tube reactor. The waste plastic oils were provided by two commercial plants of the Sapporo Plastic Recycle Co. and the Dohoh Recycle Center Co. in Japan. A model waste plastic oil made in a laboratory was also examined. Yields of ethene, propene, and other products were measured at different temperatures. Two-step pyrolysis reduces coking compared with the direct thermal degradation of plastics. The raffinates from waste plastic oils extracted by sulfolane were also cracked. The primary products were almost the same as those from nontreated oils. The maximum total gas yield was 78wt%–85wt% at 750°C, an increase of about 20wt% compared with that of nonextracted oil. Solvent extraction removes stable aromatic hydrocarbons such as styrene, which is more coked than cracked.     

The effect of oxygen on chemical dechlorination of dieldrin using iron sulphides

The degradation of dieldrin by ferric sulphide (FeS₂) in aqueous solution was investigated when shielded against sunlight. An oxidative dechlorination process was observed under aerobic and anaerobic conditions; oxygen volume changed the degradation rate of dieldrin and the generation rate of reaction products. The dechlorination rate under microaerophilic conditions was fastest among the anaerobic to air oxygen concentrations. For this experiment, over 99% of the dieldrin was degraded, and 90% of the released chloride was detected after 30 d under 10 μmol oxygen. The major reaction products were different depending on the dose of oxygen. In the case of aerobic conditions, low molecular weight organic acids, such as formic acid, lactic acid, and oxalic acid, were generated as major reaction products. However, under anaerobic conditions, C₁₆H₂₂O₄ (dibutyl phthalate) and C₆H₁₃ClO (3-chloro-4-methyl-2-pentanol) were detected as reaction intermediates, and small amounts of succinic acid, malonic acid, and formic acid were also generated. These reactions proceed by FeS₂ interface reactions with H₂O under anaerobic condition, or O₂ under aerobic condition.