Study on application of kriging to evaluation of radioactivity concentration for ensuring compliance with the criterion of site release

In the field of safety regulation systems for the decommissioning of nuclear facilities, a reliable method for ensuring compliance with the criterion of site release is an important technical issue to be resolved in Japan. Considering that kriging can consider the spatial correlation of radioactivity concentrations between different points, we propose a method of applying kriging to ensure compliance with the site release criterion. Estimated radioactivity concentrations exhibit uncertainty, which results in a certain probability of the occurrence of decision errors regarding site release. We describe a method for calculating the uncertainty as a function of the number of measurement points and establish a minimum number of measurement points required for a given error probability. We applied the proposed method and a conventional statistical method to two sample cases. It was observed that the proposed method appropriately estimated the mean radioactivity concentration even if the measurement points were distributed inhomogeneously. This method was observed to lead to an efficient measurement requiring fewer measurement points relative to the conventional statistical method when spatial correlation existed.     

Niche Differentiation of Phenol-Degrading Microorganisms in UASB Granular Sludge as Revealed by Fluorescence in situ Hybridization

A microbial community structure of granules harvested from an anaerobic sludge blanket reactor treating phenolic wastewater was investigated using fluorescence ...     

Operating results and simulations on a fuel cell for residential energy systems

This paper describes the performance evaluation of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) prototype and demonstration experiments of the electric power and domestic hot water system using it from a pragmatic view-point. Three types of demonstration experiments were carried out applying standard electric power and hot water demands. It was shown that the primary energy reduction rate of this system as compared to the conventional system reached up to 24% under double daily start and stop (DSS) operation. The amount of primary energy reduction in experiments using the energy demand of a household in Sapporo in winter exceeded the experimental results of the standard energy demand, demonstrating that the effects of the introduction of a fuel cell in cold regions could be considerable, in particular, during the winter season.     

Density functional study of alkylpyridine–iodine interaction and its implications in the open-circuit photovoltage of dye-sensitized solar cell

A density functional theory (DFT) method was used to study the monomer and intermolecular charge-transfer complexes of 22 different alkylpyridines with diiodine. DFT calculations revealed that the σ* orbital of iodine interacts with the nitrogen lone pair in pyridines. The open-circuit photovoltage (V_oc) values of a bis(tetrabutylammonium)cis-bis(thiocyanato)bis(2,2′-bipyridine-4-carboxylic acid, 4′-carboxylate)ruthenium(II) (N719) dye-sensitized nanocrystalline TiO₂ solar cell with an I⁻/I₃⁻ redox electrolyte in acetonitrile using alkylpyridines additive were compared to computational calculations on the interaction between pyridines and I₂ by a DFT method. The optimized geometries, frequency analyses, Mulliken population analyses, and interaction energies suggest that the V_oc value of the solar cell is higher, the more alkylpyridine complexes with I₂.     

Extraction of β–glucan by hydrothermal liquidization of barley grain in a semi-batch reactor

Subcritical water is a natural and green way for extraction of plant biomass components. Here, subcritical water was employed as a media to extract β–glucan from barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) at 130–170°C and 10 MPa. MALDI TOF–MS revealed that main massed peaks of water soluble products were distributed at 500-2900 m/z with a peak to peak mass difference of 162 m/z, consistent with the repeating unit of β–glucan. At 170°C, all amount of water soluble β–glucan has been extracted. Next, the liquid fraction products were atomized directly to produce microsphere particles.     

Combination of Thiol‐Additive‐Free Native Chemical Ligation/Desulfurization and Intentional Replacement of Alanine with Cysteine

We report a novel strategy for native chemical ligation (NCL). Alanines not located at a ligation site are temporarily replaced with cysteines, and this enables efficient thiol‐additive‐free NCL, with subsequent desulfurization to regenerate the target peptide. We synthesized stresscopin‐related peptide and neuroendocrine regulatory peptide‐2 (NERP‐2) by this method. We confirmed that both conventional alkyl thioester and thioester‐equivalent N‐acyl‐N′‐methyl‐benzimidazolinone (MeNbz) can be adopted as thioester components for thiol‐additive‐free NCL of multi‐Cys‐containing peptides.     

Evaluation of Pulmonary Toxicity of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Following Inhalation and Intratracheal Instillation

We conducted inhalation and intratracheal instillation studies of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles in order to examine their pulmonary toxicity. F344 rats were received intratracheal instillation at 0.2 or 1 mg of ZnO nanoparticles with a primary diameter of 35 nm that were well-dispersed in distilled water. Cell analysis and chemokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were analyzed at three days, one week, one month, three months, and six months after the instillation. As the inhalation study, rats were exposed to a concentration of inhaled ZnO nanoparticles (2 and 10 mg/m³) for four weeks (6 h/day, 5 days/week). The same endpoints as in the intratracheal instillation study were analyzed at three days, one month, and three months after the end of the exposure. In the intratracheal instillation study, both the 0.2 and the 1.0 mg ZnO groups had a transient increase in the total cell and neutrophil count in the BALF and in the expression of cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC)-1, CINC-2, chemokine for neutrophil, and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an oxidative stress marker, in the BALF. In the inhalation study, transient increases in total cell and neutrophil count, CINC-1,-2 and HO-1 in the BALF were observed in the high concentration groups. Neither of the studies of ZnO nanoparticles showed persistent inflammation in the rat lung, suggesting that well-dispersed ZnO nanoparticles have low toxicity.     

Structure Control of Calcium Silicate Hydrate Gels for Dye Removal Applications

The structure of calcium silicate hydrate (C‐S‐H) gels was modified by hydrothermal reaction with aqueous acetic acid solvent, and then the C‐S‐H gels were used for dye removal from aqueous solution. With increasing acetic acid concentration, the Ca:Si molar ratio decreased and the length of the silicate anion chain structure of the C‐S‐H gels increased. The silicate anion chain length affects the number of available silanol groups on the surface of the C‐S‐H gel: the longer the silicate anion chain length, the greater the number of negative charges and the higher the surface potential. C‐S‐H gels with a long silicate anion structure exhibited higher adsorption capacity for methylene blue than gels with a short silicate anion structure. The enhanced adsorption capacity of the C‐S‐H gels is related to the higher number of silanol groups in the bridging silica tetrahedra of the intermediate anion chain structure compared with those in the end units of silica tetrahedra.     

Pharmacological Evaluation and Preliminary Pharmacokinetics Studies of a New Diclofenac Prodrug without Gastric Ulceration Effect

Long-term nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) therapy has been associated with several adverse effects such as gastric ulceration and cardiovascular events. Among the molecular modifications strategies, the prodrug approach is a useful tool to discover new safe NSAIDs. The 1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)indolin-2-one is a diclofenac prodrug which demonstrated relevant anti-inflammatory properties without gastro ulceration effect. In addition, the prodrug decreases PGE₂ levels, COX-2 expression and cellular influx into peritoneal cavity induced by carrageenan treatment. Preliminary pharmacokinetic studies have shown in vivo bioconversion of prodrug to diclofenac. This prodrug is a new nonulcerogenic NSAID useful to treat inflammatory events by long-term therapy.     

Use of a highly sensitive latex reagent with amino acid spacer for determination of C-reactive protein concentration in a variety of liver diseases

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a major acute-phase protein, which is extremely important in inflammatory disease diagnosis. CRP is rapidly elevated in various diseases as a result of tissue injury, infection and inflammation. Recently, many reports have shown its usefulness as a risk marker for arteriosclerosis and metabolic syndrome. However, the lack of sensitivity of existing CRP assays has hampered CRP testing in conditions associated with viral infections, where CRP levels typically elevate only marginally. In this report, we prepared a novel, ultra-sensitive latex-based CRP test using amino acid spacers with a high sensitivity and a wider assay range. Our method of conjugating latex beads enabled us to measure CRP in the range of 5-500?ng/mL in patient sera. Furthermore, we studied CRP levels in patients with various liver diseases, such as chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatic carcinoma, in order to examine the correlation between severity of liver dysfunction and CRP levels, and to examine the likelihood of recurrence of liver dysfunction. The reagent was simple to prepare and sensitive during clinical investigation, where it discriminated clearly between normal subjects and those with liver diseases. Therefore, we conclude that our ultra-sensitive CRP assay will contribute greatly to the clinical study of hepatic disorders.