Petrogenesis of Yamato-75032 type diogenites

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Special session: [OA] Antarctic meteorites, Thur. 5 Dec. / 3F Multipurpose conference room, National Institute of Polar Researc

Characteristics of leachate from selected MSW landfills and relationships with river water chemistry.

Leachate from three different landfills was characterized and its relationship with river water chemistry was evaluated to gain information for further improvement of current leachate management. The leachate from both active uncontrolled and closed controlled landfills was in methanogenic phase, while active controlled landfill was in acidic phase. There could be a relationship between leachate from uncontrolled landfill and river water chemistry, mainly as NH3-N, TOC and Fe. Whereas treatment of organic NH3-N and metals such as Fe, Mn, Cu, Cd and Cr was necessary as leachate in active controlled landfill high in organics, ammonia and pyrite oxidation was expected in the nearby stream. In addition denitrification of leachate might be required at closed controlled landfill. Management of landfill leachate is considered complicated and challenging due to the variation in its composition and the environmental problems associated with the pollutants produced. This variation is often attributed to the age of the landfill, amount and type of waste disposed, biological decomposition of waste, solubilization of soluble salts in waste, climate and moisture content in waste itself (Tchobanogolous et al., 1993). Moreover, leachate in Malaysia is highly heterogeneous due to the fact that wastes are not separated at source. Thus, leachate characteristics could be specific for each landfill and its information is very important in determining a suitable treatment method. Unfortunately, this basic information is still scarce in the country as monitoring of leachate characteristics are expensive and time-consuming

Measuring organic carbon, nutrients and heavy metals in rivers receiving leachate from controlled and uncontrolled municipal solid waste landfills

Since landfilling is the common method of waste disposal in Malaysia, river water is greatly exposed to the risk of contamination from leachate unless proper leachate management is carried out. In this study, leachates from three different types of landfills, namely active uncontrolled, active controlled and closed controlled, were characterized, and their relationships with river water chemistry were examined monthly for a year. The influence of leachate on river water chemistry from each type of landfill depended on many factors, including the presence of a leachate control mechanism, leachate characteristics, precipitation, surface runoff and the applied treatment. The impact of leachate from an active uncontrolled landfill was the highest, as the organic content, NH(4)(+)-N, Cd and Mn levels appeared high in the river. At the same time, influences of leachate were also observed from both types of controlled landfills in the form of inorganic nitrogen (NH(4)(+)-N, NO(3)(-)-N and NO(2)(-)-N) and heavy metals (Fe, Cr, Ni and Mn). Improper treatment practice led to high levels of some contaminants in the stream near the closed controlled landfill. Meanwhile, the active controlled landfill, which was located near the coastline, was exposed to the risk of contamination resulting from the pyrite oxidation of the surrounding area

The Stretcher Operation of KSR (NUCLEAR SCIENCE RESEARCH FACILITY-Particle and Photon Beams)

The electron ring KSR has been utilized as a pulse stretcher of the 100 MeV S-band electron linac. The duty factor of the electron beam has been increased drastically more than 90% from 2 10-5

Increased serum HO-1 in hemophagocytic syndrome and adult-onset Still's disease: use in the differential diagnosis of hyperferritinemia

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an inducible heme-degrading enzyme, is expressed by macrophages and endothelial cells in response to various stresses. Because ferritin synthesis is stimulated by Fe(2+), which is a product of heme degradation, we examined the relation between HO-1 and ferritin levels in the serum of patients with hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS), adult-onset Still's disease (ASD), and other diseases that may cause hyperferritinemia. Seven patients with HPS, 10 with ASD, 73 with other rheumatic diseases, 20 with liver diseases, 10 recipients of repeated blood transfusion because of hematological disorders, and 22 healthy volunteers were enrolled. Serum HO-1 and ferritin levels were determined by ELISA. Expression of HO-1 mRNA and protein by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was determined by real-time PCR and immunocytochemical techniques, respectively. Serum levels of HO-1 were significantly higher in patients with active HPS and ASD than in the other groups (P < 0.01). HO-1 levels were not elevated in patients with other causes of hyperferritinemia but were moderately elevated in patients with dermatomyositis/polymyositis. Among patients with HPS and ASD, serum HO-1 levels correlated closely with serum ferritin levels, and the levels of both returned to normal after therapy had induced remission. Increased expression of HO-1 mRNA was confirmed in PBMCs from some patients with HPS and ASD. Hyperferritinemia correlated closely with increased serum HO-1 in patients with HPS and ASD but not other conditions, indicating that measurement of serum HO-1 and ferritin levels would be useful in the differential diagnosis of hyperferritinemia and perhaps also in monitoring disease activity in HPS and ASD

Observing and modeling the sequential pairwise reactions that drive solid-state ceramic synthesis

Solid-state synthesis from powder precursors is the primary processing route to advanced multicomponent ceramic materials. Designing ceramic synthesis routes is usually a laborious, trial-and-error process, as heterogeneous mixtures of powder precursors often evolve through a complicated series of reaction intermediates. Here, we show that phase evolution from multiple precursors can be modeled as a sequence of pairwise interfacial reactions, with thermodynamic driving forces that can be efficiently calculated using ab initio methods. Using the synthesis of the classic high-temperature superconductor YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$ (YBCO) as a representative system, we rationalize how replacing the common BaCO$_3$ precursor with BaO$_2$ redirects phase evolution through a kinetically-facile pathway. Our model is validated from in situ X-ray diffraction and in situ microscopy observations, which show rapid YBCO formation from BaO$_2$ in only 30 minutes. By combining thermodynamic modeling with in situ characterization, we introduce a new computable framework to interpret and ultimately design synthesis pathways to complex ceramic materials

河川砂の教材化とその実践例 ―特にプレパラート作成法の工夫について―

小中学校理科の地学分野では，実感を伴った理解を図る授業を行うために岩石標本や岩石薄片，火山灰などの観察を行うことが多い。これらの中で火山灰の観察は授業で取り入れられることが多いが，試料の入手等に課題がある。本研究は火山灰の代わりとなる教材としてより入手の容易な河川砂の活用を提案した。生徒の多くは普段何気なく見ている身近な河川砂がさまざまな構成物からなることに驚きと大いなる興味をもち，火山灰と同じ学習成果を上げることができた。さらに河川砂にはさまざまな活用が可能であり，その発展性も指摘した。また，従来その作成に課題のあったプレパラート作成による構成物の保管法について，牛乳パック表面にコーティングされたプラスチック膜の熱可塑性を利用した簡便なプレパラート作成法を示した