Life cycle CO2 analysis of LNG and city gas

An analysis was conducted on greenhouse gas emissions from the liquified natural gas (LNG) chain and life cycle of City Gas 13A [caloric value: 46 MJ/Nm3(11,000 kcal/Nm3)], which is produced from LNG. The analysis was based on highly reliable data which are qualified in terms of source and representativeness. Actually, the latest data for CO2 and CH4 emissions from the natural gas field and liquefaction plant were obtained from field studies. Moreover, the analysis includes CO2 emissions during the LNG transportation from exporting countries to Japan, city gas production and distribution stage in Japan and the manufacturing of facilities associated with the production of natural gas overseas to final domestic consumption. The reduction effect of CO2 using LNG cryogenic energy was also considered. The evaluation showed that the level of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumptions in the modern natural gas production and liquefaction plants were lower than those previously reported due to improvements in the production process. The results of the analysis also provide basic data essential for conducting life cycle analyses in many fields using natural gas.

Temporal Changes in Post-Infectious Glomerulonephritis in Japan (1976-2009).

The incidence of post-infectious glomerulonephritis (PIGN) in developed countries has decreased over the last 50 years. Here we identified the trends of the incidence of PIGN in Japan during the past four decades.We explored the frequency, clinicopathological findings, and prognosis of PIGN based on 6,369 cases from the Renal Biopsy Database of our institute in the Kanto region of Japan, diagnosed histologically from 1976 to 2009.The numbers of PIGN cases were 131 (2.1%) in total, and 2.4%, 1.1%, 2.6% and 2.1% identified in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, respectively. Acute glomerulonephritis (AGN), including post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN), accounted for almost all of the PIGN cases in the 1970s, but decreased to approx. 40%-50% since the 1990s. In the 1990s, Staphylococcus aureus infection-related nephritis (SARN) showed a rapid increase in rate, reaching 30%. The incidence of hepatitis C virus infection-associated GN (HCVGN) has increased since the 1990s. The average age at onset rose from 33 to 51 years over the study period. These transitions can be summarized as increases in SARN and HCVGN and decreases in PSGN and other types of AGN, since SARN and HCVGN have older onsets compared to PSGN and other AGN types. The clinicopathological features were marked for each PIGN. Regarding the prognosis, the renal death rates of both the SARN and HCVGN groups were significantly higher than those of other PIGN.Based on our analysis of the Renal Biopsy Database, the incidence of PIGN in Japan reached its peak in the 1990s. The temporal changes in the incidence of PIGN reflected the trends in infectious diseases of each decade and the continual aging of the population, with a related higher susceptibility to infections

The temporal changes in the age of the onset of PIGN over the four decades.

<p>Average age ± standard variation.</p

The temporal change of the age in each PIGN over the four decades.

<p>The temporal change of the age in each PIGN over the four decades.</p