Multiple evaluations of the removal of pollutants in road runoff by soil infiltration

Groundwater replenishment by infiltration of road runoff is expected to be a promising option for ensuring a sustainable urban water cycle. In this study, we performed a soil infiltration column test using artificial road runoff equivalent to approximately 11-12 years of rainfall to evaluate the removal of pollutants by using various chemical analyses and bioassay tests. These results indicated that soil infiltration treatment works effectively to remove most of the pollutants such as organic matter (chemical oxygen demand (CODMn) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC)), P species, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), numerous heavy metals and oestrogenic activities. Bioassay tests, including algal growth inhibition test, Microtox and mutagen formation potential (MFP) test, also revealed effective removal of toxicities by the soils. However, limited amounts of NO3, Mn, Ni, alkaline earth metals, perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctane sulphonamide (FOSA) were removed by the soils and they possibly reach the groundwater and cause contamination.     

Kinetic Study of the Prooxidant Effect of α-Tocopherol. Hydrogen Abstraction from Lipids by α-Tocopheroxyl Radical

A kinetic study of the prooxidant effect of α-tocopherol was performed. The rates of allylic hydrogen abstraction from various unsaturated fatty acid esters (ethyl stearate 1, ethyl oleate 2, ethyl linoleate 3, ethyl linolenate 4, and ethyl arachidonate 5) by α-tocopheroxyl radical in toluene were determined, using a double-mixing stopped-flow spectrophotometer. The second-order rate constants (k _p) obtained are <1 × 10⁻² M⁻¹ s⁻¹ for 1, 1.90 × 10⁻² M⁻¹ s⁻¹ for 2, 8.33 × 10⁻² M⁻¹ s⁻¹ for 3, 1.92 × 10⁻¹ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ for 4, and 2.43 × 10⁻¹ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ for 5 at 25.0 °C. Fatty acid esters 3, 4, and 5 contain two, four, and six –CH₂– hydrogen atoms activated by two π-electron systems (–C=C–CH₂–C=C–). On the other hand, fatty acid ester 2 has four –CH₂– hydrogen atoms activated by a single π-electron system (–CH₂–C=C–CH₂–). Thus, the rate constants, k _abstr/H, given on an available hydrogen basis are k _p/4 = 4.75 × 10⁻³ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ for 2, k _p/2 = 4.16 × 10⁻² M⁻¹ s⁻¹ for 3, k _p/4 = 4.79 × 10⁻² M⁻¹ s⁻¹ for 4, and k _p/6 = 4.05 × 10⁻² M⁻¹ s⁻¹ for 5. The k _abstr/H values obtained for 3, 4, and 5 are similar to each other, and are by about one order of magnitude higher than that for 2. From these results, it is suggested that the prooxidant effect of α-tocopherol in edible oils, fats, and low-density lipoproteins may be induced by the above hydrogen abstraction reaction.     

Antioxidation mechanism of rosmarinic acid, identification of an unstable quinone derivative by the addition of odourless thiol

The antioxidation mechanism of rosmarinic acid was investigated. An AIBN-induced oxidation reaction of linoleate in the presence of rosmarinic acid produced one main product. The DPPH reaction of rosmarinic acid also gave two products, one of which corresponded to the product of the lipid system. Direct isolation of the products failed because of their instability. To the DPPH reaction, the addition of 1-dodecanethiol afforded three isolable adducts. Their structures revealed that the reaction produced quinone derivatives on either the caffeoyl or 2-oxyphenylpropanoyl moieties. However, the lipid oxidation afforded one quinone, which could convert to a thiol adduct. The HPLC of the reaction clarified that the antioxidation product of rosmarinic acid was the unstable quinone on the 2-oxyphenylpropanoyl moiety. This quinone formation was the first stage of the antioxidation of rosmarinic acid in the lipid system. The odourless 1-dodecanethiol is a useful reagent to identify the unstable quinone from polyphenol oxidation.     

An analysis of the length of hospital stay for cataract patients in Japan using the discrete-type proportional hazard model

We analyze the length of hospital stays of patients hospitalized for cataract and related diseases (Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG) 2041) in Japan, utilizing the data pertaining to 3436 patients on whom one-eye lens operations are performed. We use the discrete-type proportional hazard model to analyze variables that may affect the length of stay.     

An integrated approach to concept evaluation in a new product development

A new product development (NPD) process can be thought as a comprehensive process in which the design is progressively detailed through a series of phases. At the end of each phase a design review is held to approve the design and release or not it to the next level. As one of these phases, concept selection aiming to select the most appropriate concept for further development, is conducted earlier in the process. As the further development progresses on a selected concept, it becomes more difficult to make design changes in terms of cost and schedule dimensions, and therefore, selecting the best concept among a set of available alternatives has been an important issue for companies. On the other hand, in the presence of many alternatives and selection criteria, the selection problem becomes a multiple-criteria decision making concept selection problem. To solve this problem, in this work, an integrated approach bringing two popular methods together: the modified technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) and the analytical network process (ANP). The ANP method is used to determine the relative weights of a set of quantitative and qualitative evaluation criteria, as the modified TOPSIS method utilized to rank competing concept alternatives. In addition, a real example is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed approach for potential practitioners and readers.     

城市局地-建筑耦合气候评价模型的开发应用

利用数值计算方法研究建筑内部气候与城市局地气候之间的能量及物质传递关系,寻找热舒适与节能和环保之间的平衡点具有重要的意义.介绍了改进后生成的城市局地-建筑耦合气候评价模型的主要内容和计算方法,以上海地区为例,计算了一个理想化的高层办公楼区的局地气候参数,空调系统排热及室内外新标准有效温度TS*E等.结果表明,空调时间段内室外平均TS*E值受空调设定温度的强烈影响.当空调设定温度从28℃降至22℃时,空调排热平均值增加了193 W/m2,这个增值造成室外平均TS*E提高了约0.23℃.