Tritium and iodine-129 concentrations in precipitation at Tsukuba, Japan, after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

The earthquake off the Pacific coast of Japan and the subsequent tsunami on March 11, 2011, triggered a series of accidents in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP1). The accidents caused the release of a mixture of radioactive substances into the environment. This study measured the concentration of tritium (3H) and iodine-129 (129I) in rainwater samples collected at Tsukuba, 170 km southwest of the plant, during the year following the accident. High 3H concentrations were observed in the rainwater samples collected within one month after the FNPP1 accident. 3H concentrations decreased steadily over time and returned to the levels before the accident. Concentrations of 129I also decreased over time. However, pulses of high 129I concentrations were observed at several other times following the accident. The 129I concentrations were found to be correlated with iron concentrations in rainwater. It is likely that iron oxide, which can absorb iodate ions (IO3–), was the carrier of radiogenic iodine. This study concludes that 129I and also 131I, which is one of the most harmful radionuclides produced in nuclear reactors, can be redistributed to the atmosphere in the months following the deposition of radiogenic iodine on the ground

Comparison of Postoperative Complications after Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection: Differences of Insufflations and Anesthesias

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has enabled the collective resection and increased the accuracy of pathological diagnosis. However, ESD requires a long operation time, which results in increased doses of analgesics/sedatives, and causes worsening of respiratory and hemodynamic statuses. To reduce postoperative complications, we have applied ESD with CO2 insufflation and general anesthesia. This study included 50 patients who underwent ESD for early gastric cancer, 25 with air insufflation and intravenous anesthesia (Air/IV group), and the remaining 25 with CO2 insufflation and general anesthesia (CO2/GA group). Postoperative enlarged feeling of the abdomen was observed only in 1 of 25 patients in the CO2/GA group (P = 0.0416). Postoperative severe unrest was observed in none of the patients in the CO2/GA group and in 4 of 25 (16%) patients in the Air/IV group (P = 0.0371). CO2 insufflation and general anesthesia are useful in stabilizing intraoperative conditions and reducing postoperative complications

Cosmogenic beryllium 10 in ice cores and cosmic-ray stratigraphy

第2回極域科学シンポジウム　氷床コアセッション 11月16日（水） 国立極地研究所 2階大会議

Emission of volatile halogenated compounds, speciation and localization of bromine and iodine in the brown algal genome model Ectocarpus siliculosus

This study explores key features of bromine and iodine metabolism in the filamentous brown alga and genomics model Ectocarpus siliculosus. Both elements are accumulated in Ectocarpus, albeit at much lower concentration factors (2-3 orders of magnitude for iodine, and < 1 order of magnitude for bromine) than e.g. in the kelp Laminaria digitata. Iodide competitively reduces the accumulation of bromide. Both iodide and bromide are accumulated in the cell wall (apoplast) of Ectocarpus, with minor amounts of bromine also detectable in the cytosol. Ectocarpus emits a range of volatile halogenated compounds, the most prominent of which by far is methyl iodide. Interestingly, biosynthesis of this compound cannot be accounted for by vanadium haloperoxidase since the latter have not been found to catalyze direct halogenation of an unactivated methyl group or hydrocarbon so a methyl halide transferase-type production mechanism is proposed