Sorptive behavior of nitro-PAHs in street runoff and their potential as indicators of diesel vehicle exhaust particles

This is the first report to reveal the particle-water distribution of nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) and to discuss their potential risks and utility as indicators of diesel vehicle exhaust particles (DEP). Time-series samples of runoff were collected from a highway, and NPAHs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to study their dynamic behavior. The concentrations of total NPAHs ranged from 11 to 73 ng/L in particulate phase (>0.7 mcirom) and from 2.3 to 4.9 ng/L in dissolved phase (<0.7 microm). Like their PAH analogs, most (81-97%) NPAHs were associated with particulate matter. The organic carbon-normalized in situ partition coefficients (Koc') of NPAHs observed in runoff events (10(5.8-6.3) for 2-nitrofluoranthene and 10(5.8-6.2) for 1-nitropyrene [1-NP]) were more than 1 order of magnitude higher than those expected from their Kow, indicating great affinity for particulate matter such as soot. Concentrations of PAHs and NPAHs adjusted by potency equivalency factors and induction equivalency factors showed that the potential risks of NPAHs were smaller than those of PAHs by a factor of more than a hundred for the particulate phase and morethan fourforthe dissolved phase. Comparison of concentrations and compositions of NPAHs and PAHs among runoff, DEP, gasoline vehicle exhaust particles, boiler exhaust particles, and aerosols suggested that the ratio of 1-NP to total PAHs (1-NP/PAH) is a useful indicator of DEP for source apportionment of PAHs among traffic-related sources. Source-apportionment of PAHs in the runoff by 1-NP/PAH and methylphenanthrene/phenanthrene ratios suggested that most PAHs in the runoff except the second flush peak were derived from DEP but that other pyrogenic sources contributed to the particles at the second flush and thus to the overall runoff particles.     

Additive-Free Enzymatic Phosphorylation and Ligation of Artificial Oligonucleotides with C-Nucleosides at the Reaction Points

We report enzymatic phosphorylation and additive-free ligation of DNAs containing unnatural C-nucleotide residues through the action of T4 polynucleotide kinase and T4 DNA ligase. The artificial units are each made up of an alkynyl deoxyribose component and one of the unnatural nucleobases D * , T * , G * , and C * , corresponding—from a viewpoint of hydrogen-bonding patterns—to natural A, T, G, and C, respectively. Phosphorylation progressed quantitatively at the 5′-end in the cases of all of the artificial units in the chimeric DNAs. Ligation also smoothly progressed at the 5′-end in the cases of the D* and G* nucleotide residues, but only negligibly in those of their T* and C* counterparts. Chemical redesign of the last two units successfully improved the ligation efficiency, so that enzymatic ligation worked well for all of the artificial units in every 3′-natural ⋅ 5′-artificial, 3′-artificial ⋅ 5′-natural, and 3′-artificial ⋅ 5′-artificial terminal combination at the nicks.     

Development of a new model for representing elastoplastic deformation and fracture behaviors of solid fats

A new simulation model, namely, ADEM Ductile Fracture model (ADF model) is developed to represent elastoplastic deformation and fracture behaviors of solid fats. Experimental measurement of the coefficient of plastic starting distance and the yield point affecting the deformation behavior has been obtained by compression test. The fracture distance affecting the fracture behavior has been measured by cutting test. The ADF model shows a good match with the experimentally determined compression and cutting behaviors of the solid fats, and load–strain curves as a function of plate thickness. This confirms that the ADF model could represent the elastoplastic deformation and fracture behaviors of the solid fats.     

快速在线分布式对偶平均优化算法

为提高分布式在线优化算法的收敛速度,对底层网络拓扑依次添边,提出一种快速的一阶分布式在线对偶平均优化（FODD）算法。首先,对于分布式在线优化问题,运用添边方法使所选的边与网络模型快速混合,进而建立数学模型并设计FODD算法对其进行优化求解。其次,揭示了网络拓扑和在线分布式对偶平均收敛速度之间的关系,通过提高底层拓扑网络的代数连通度改进了Regret界,将在线分布式对偶平均（ODDA）算法从静态网络拓展到时变网络拓扑上,并证明了FODD算法的收敛性,同时解析地给出了收敛速度。最后的数值仿真表明:和ODDA算法相比,所提出的FODD算法具有更快的收敛速度。     

Improving SAR data processing with polarimetric reference functions in the range Doppler algorithm

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a form of radar that can be used to create images of objects and landscapes. The main important application of the polarimetric SAR can be found in surface and target decomposition process of its image processing. In this article, we propose a method of polarimetric SAR data processing using two new polarimetric reference functions of canonical targets with the intention to apply in coherent decompositions. Our experiment uses polarimetric backscatter characteristics of the dihedral and trihedral reflectors as the targets under a ground-based SAR geometry to create the polarimetric reference functions for azimuth compression in the SAR data processing. We process the data using Pauli decomposition to investigate the effect of our functions on the RGB (red, green, and blue) properties of the processed images. The results show that Pauli decomposition using our functions produces images with different distribution and intensity of RGB colours in the image pixels with some signs of improvement over the traditional range Doppler algorithm. This demonstrates that our polarimetric reference function can be used in the decomposition steps of the traditional SAR data processing and can potentially be used to reveal some useful quantitative physical information of target points of interest and improve image and surface classification.     

Allelopathy of oats. II. Allelochemical effect ofl-Tryptophan and its concentration in oat root exudates

l-Tryptophan caused growth inhibition of roots and hypocotyls (or coleoptiles) of cockscomb (Amaranthus caudatus L.), lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), cress (Lepidium sativum L.), timothy (Phleum pratense L.), rice (Oryza sativa L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and oat (Avena sativa L.), increasing the dose ofl-tryptophan increased the inhibition. The concentrations for 50% inhibition of the root growth were 0.14, 0.15, 0.21, 0.79, 0.95, 1.7, and 2.4 mM for cockscomb, cress, lettuce, timothy, rice, wheat, and oat, respectively; the concentrations for 40% inhibition of the hypocotyl (or coleoptile) growth were 0.28, 0.33, 0.43, 2.7, 4.5, 7.2, and 15 mM for cockscomb, cress, lettuce, timothy, rice, wheat and oat, respectively. The levels ofl-tryptophan in oat seedlings and in its root exudates were 29.3 mg/kg fresh wt and 0.25 mM under light conditions, and 21.1 mg/kg fresh wt and 0.18 mM under dark conditions, respectively. The presence ofl-tryptophan in the root exudates coupled with its effect on growth suggested thatl-tryptophan may play an important role in the growth inhibition of other plants in nature.     

Leaching behavior of heat-treated waste ash

The leaching behavior of heat-treated waste ash was studied to verify the possibility of the thermal treatment of waste incineration ash in existing incinerators and boiler combustion chambers. The influence of temperature, oxygen concentration and treatment time on the leaching behaviors of harmful heavy metals, especially lead (Pb) and chromium(VI) (Cr (VI)) were studied to clarify effective treatment conditions to suppress leaching. By examining the leaching behavior of Pb and Cr from ash heat-treated under various conditions, it was found that leaching can be suppressed by heat-treating the ash under conventional combustion conditions of around 900-1000 °C at 5-10% oxygen concentration. The leaching behaviors of Pb and Cr (VI) from real ash with different particle sizes and from model samples were also investigated in detail to find an effective method to suppress Pb leaching. It was found that the formation and growth of gehlenite (SiO₂·2CaO·Al₂O₃) in the ashes led to the decrease in the amount of Pb leaching. Therefore it was considered that the addition of an inorganic matrix with a high silica content that can promote gehlenite growth in the ash, for example, coal ash or waste glass is effective to suppress of Pb leaching.     

Long-term field survey on thermal adaptation in office buildings in Japan

A long-term field survey was conducted with six buildings in order to investigate how the occupants adapt to the indoor climate in office buildings in Japan. More than 5000 questionnaires and corresponding indoor temperatures were collected. Clothing adjustment was observed to be related to outdoor temperature and indoor temperature, as well as dress codes. No considerable differences were found on the thermal perceptions between two groups of buildings, which provided different levels of opportunity for controlling indoor climate. With both groups, the preferred SET* was always close to 26 °C. The comfort temperature was estimated from the results of clothing adjustment and the preferred SET*. The gradient of the comfort temperature to outdoor temperature was found to be between the adaptive model for centralized HVAC and for natural ventilation. It could be caused by that the major part of the occupants in the present study had more opportunity to control their thermal conditions than in the centralized HVAC buildings (i.e. operable windows, controllable HVAC or personal fans).     

Possible Roles of Calreticulin in Uterine Decidualization and Receptivity in Rats and Humans

Previous in vitro studies have suggested that calreticulin (CALR), which is responsible for the folding and quality control of glycoproteins, may be associated with decidualization. However, its precise role in regulating decidualization has not been explored in vivo. Here, we used pregnant rat models to examine endometrial CALR expression during the peri-implantation period. We also examined whether polypectomy, a procedure that could ameliorate infertility, alters the endometrial expression levels of CALR and several implantation factors in women diagnosed as infertile. In rats, uterine CALR was expressed at a high level at the implantation site, and a marked increase in CALR expression was observed in decidual cells of normal pregnancy. In addition, endometrial CALR expression was enhanced by either administration of estradiol-17β in the delayed implantation rat model or the artificial induction of decidualization in the pseudopregnant rat. In cultured stromal cells, siRNA-mediated silencing of CALR inhibited the decidual stimulus-induced expression of prolactin, decidual/trophoblast prolactin-related protein, and connexin 43. In humans, the endometrial expression levels of the mRNAs encoding CALR and the implantation-related factor insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-7 tended to increase after polypectomy. The strongest positive correlation between expression levels before polypectomy was observed for IGFBP-7 and CALR, and the strength of this correlation increased after the surgery. Thus, endometrial CALR may play a role in the formation of decidua, and the polypectomy of infertile patients may result in the co-operative expression of endometrial factors, including CALR, that could enhance endometrial receptivity.     

Loop current characteristics of a thyristor-controlled series capacitor

This paper presents the results of an investigation on the loop current of a thyristor-controlled series capacitor (TCSC). The knowledge of loop current characteristics is important for understanding analytically the equivalent impedance of TCSC, estimating harmonics produced by TCSC, and determining ratings of the TCSC circuit components. However, little has been written on the loop current of TCSC circuit. Therefore, using a laboratory-scale TCSC installed on a laboratory power system, the TCSC currents and voltages were measured and analyzed to investigate the behavior of loop current. A mathematical model of TCSC was also developed to compare to the experimental results and further clarify the relationship between loop current and steady-state impedance characteristics, including effects of TCSC circuit component size on the characteristics. Capacitor voltage harmonics and their impact on the power system were also investigated. ©1998 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 125(1): 37–46, 1998