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In Japan, Cryptomeria japonica pollen (with diameter ~30 μm) is scattered during each spring season. Daughter allergenic particles, which are smaller in size than their parent pollen grain and are abundant in fine particles (the particle sizes < 1.1 μm, PM1.1), are released in the atmosphere. The daughter allergenic particles of pollen can be transported in the urban atmosphere for a long period of time after their release. In particular, the daily variation delays in the peaks of allergenic Cry j 1 concentrations compared with the peaks of airborne parent pollen counts were observed in high levels during 1 or 2 sunny days after rainfall. In addition, long range transportation of Asian dusts (ADS) from the East Asian continent was also found during the pollen scattering seasons in Japan. Therefore, the interaction between pollen and air pollutants, including ADS, should be of concern. Thus, in this study, the morphological change of Cryptomeria japonica pollen and the elution behavior of its allergenic contents (Cry j 1) were investigated. Our results confirmed the existence of fine daughter allergen particles, which are clearly differ from the parent pollen grains in size. Fine allergenic particles in atmosphere were increased, while coarse allergenic particles were decreased on sunny days after rainfall. However, the correlation between the mass concentrations of fine particles and mass levels of Cry j 1 in coarse particles (the particle sizes > 7.0 μm) was poor. The possible reason may be pollen burst at high humidity before rainfall. Additionally, Cry j 1 contents were emitted from the so-called Ubisch body, which contains allergenic Cry j 1 abundantly when pollen was in contact with rainfall. In particular, we found that 60% of allergenic Cry j 1 contents released in air polluted rainfall contained Ca2+ ion derived from road dust and ADS. Therefore, rainfall should be a main factor to induce transition of pollen allergenic contents to fine particles. In conclusion, allergenic particles which are small sized and translated into fine particles by rainfall can be inhaled into the lower respiratory tract and contribute to the hypersensitivity of asthma.

There exists large quantities of waste rice husk and around 3 million tons is estimated as biomass waste every year in Japan. In this study, we investigated the possibility of the substitution of fossil fuel by waste rice husk in laboratory model combustion experiments. We evaluated the emission behavior of harmful air pollutants emitted from rice husk combustion by measuring carbonaceous and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in suspended fine particulate matter caused from the exhaust gases. From the analytical results we found that particulate mass concentrations reducedsubstantially at high temperature combustion. From the results of our study, it can be suggested that stable combustion performance under suitable conditions in order to control less air pollutants emitted from biomass fuel although small size combustors are still not regulated. However, it is very necessary to develop appropriate exhaust gas treatment technology for the small combustion equipment.

PAH generation behaviors in carbonization were compared, using cypress, chestnut, and bamboo as samples. Generation of tarry matter was almost completed by the time the temperature reached 400°C, while generation of PAHs continued until the temperature reached 1,000°C. The weight of tarry matter per unit sample weight was large with bamboo, while the amount of PAHs was large with cypress. Of the 15 types of PAHs measured this time, the largest amount collected was fluorene, followed by phenanthrene and anthracene. The amount of PAHs generated accounted for 6 x 10-⁶ to 16 x 10-⁶ of the weight of the wood samples.

The size-segregated distribution and seasonal concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in urban suspended particulate matter (SPM) at the Japan national route 463 in the urban of Saitama city, Japan were investigated using an Andersen high-volume air sampler. Air sampling was carried out from June 2013 to January 2014. 37 species of toxic PAHs such as benzo[j]aceanthrylene, dibenzo[a,h]anthracene, benzo[c]fluorene and dibenzo[a,l]pyrene were measured. It was found that the average concentration of 37 species of particulate PAHs including methyl-PAHs, benzothiophenes and oxy-PAHs from atmospheric oxidation of PAHs collected in the urban of Saitama city was 3.42 to 6.51 ng/m3 during 2013 sampling campaign periods. 1,8-naphthalic anhydride (1,8-NA) showed the highest concentration among 37 species of PAHs. The concentrations of high molecular PAHs, which were found in all seasons, followed different size distribution, especially with the highest peak in fine particle sizes around 1.1 mu m. The concentrations of low-molecular PAHs were not much different with particle sizes. The toxicity analysis indicated that the carcinogenic potency of particulate PAHs primarily existed in the particle size below 1.1 mu m. 37 species of PAHs in urban atmospheric fine particles were not only derived from vehicle emission with long range transportation, but also produced by local other anthropogenic sources.

In recent years, pollinosis has been considered a \"national disease\" with the big social problems in urban areas of Japan. In this study, the airborne behavior of cedar pollen in the Kanto plain of Japan was observed by a real time pollen automatic measuring instrument during the 2014 pollination season. For calculating cedar pollen source contribution, the backward trajectory analysis was used for calculating 72 hours of trajectories of air mass with the altitude of 500 m from the urban of Saitama city to different areas. It was found that cedar pollen grains transported to Saitama city were mainly derived from the forest of Gunma prefecture located on the north side of Saitama city and the forest of Kanagawa prefecture located on the south side of the city. Transportation of cedar pollen grains depends on the weather conditions, habitat density of cedar trees and transportation distance. The variations in daily pollen counts among different transporting times showed three pollen dispersal peaks observed in the morning, the day time and the night time, while these occurrence rates were different in each month. The peak pollen counts in the day time correlated positively with the daily maximum temperature. The highest pollen counts were observed in the night time within three pollen dispersal peaks. At the same time, the size-segregated allergenic particles were also collected using Andersen high-volume air samplers at the roadside of urban residential zones of Saitama city and on the 10th floor of the research building in Saitama University. Allergenic concentrations were measured by the surface plasmon resonance method with a Biacore J system. The highest airborne allergenic concentrations were observed in fine particles below 1.1 [mu]m. Moreover, the forward trajectory analysis was used for calculating 72 hours of trajectories of air mass with the altitude of 500 m from different cedar pollen source areas including the rainfall events. It was suggested that not only cedar pollen grains but also its allergenic particles were transported from different cedar forests as the source areas.

Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollinosis is the most popular pollinosis in Japan. In recent years, it was reported that the most Cryptomeria japonica pollen allergenic species were scattered as fine particles in the urban atmosphere. It is thought that allergenic fine particles are responsible for inducing asthma by breaking into lower respiratory tract; this phenomenon was observed in field investigations during sunny days after rainfall. Hence, it is considered that the release of fine allergenic species derived from pollen grains may be induced during rainfall events. For this reason, we investigated the releasing behaviour of Cryptomeria japonica pollen allergenic species in rainwater containing air pollutants, through rainwater sampling and laboratory experiments. The pollen grain counts, pollen burst ratios, ionic concentrations and pH in each rainwater sample were measured, when rainwater samples were separately collected in Saitama City, a suburban area north of Tokyo metropolis. Additionally, three simulated rainwater (SR) samples were prepared to investigate the releasing behaviour of pollen allergenic species. In the samplings, the most pollen grains were trapped into initial rainwater (IR). Moreover, burst pollen grains were observed in many rainwater samples. Burst ratio of pollen grains were positively correlated with pH and ionic concentrations in rainwater. Therefore, it was thought that pollen grains were washed out by IR containing air pollutants. On the other hand, for the laboratory experiments, the elution of allergenic Cry j 1 and Cry j 2 was observed when pollen grains were exposed to different SR samples. A time-dependent increase of Cry j 1 was observed, but the elution of Cry j 2 was not observed from pollen grains exposed to SR samples. In particular, the elution of Cry j 1 increased by contact with SR samples under conditions of Asian dust events. The results demonstrated that the burst of pollen grains is associated with the production of fine particles containing pollen allergenic species, and that the release of allergenic species was induced by rainwater containing air pollutants.

The HypHI Phase 0 experiment with 6 Li projectiles at 2 A GeV on a carbon target has been performed at GSI in order to demonstrate the feasibility of hypernuclear spectroscopy with induced reaction of heavy ion beams. Current data analyses have shown peaks in invariant mass distributions of p + π − for Λ ,  3 He+ π − for 3 Λ H and 4 He + π − for 4 Λ H. Lifetime values for the corresponding peaks have been also deduced, which are in good agreement with the former known values.

Objective The perioperative outcome of lung transplantation (LTx) for patients with severe pulmonary hypertension (PH) remains poor due to the occurrence of primary graft dysfunction (PGD) from left ventricular failure. We hypothesized that tapering pretransplant use of epoprostenol rather than abrupt discontinuation after transplantation might improve perioperative outcomes. Methods We performed 23 LTxs for patients with severe PH who received epoprostenol therapy from 2008 until 2021. In the discontinued group ( n  = 6), epoprostenol was discontinued after the establishment of extracorporeal circulation. In the tapered group ( n  = 17), epoprostenol was discontinued and resumed after reperfusion, and then gradually tapered over the following 2 weeks. We assessed survival, bleeding, blood transfusion, re-opening of the chest, oxygenation, PGD score, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) requirement for recovery after transplantation, and duration of mechanical ventilation. Results The PGD score was significantly lower in the tapered group than in the discontinued group at 0 h, 24 h, and 48 h after LTx. In addition, the discontinued group required longer mechanical ventilation than the tapered group. Delayed chest closure and post-transplant ECMO use for recovery occurred significantly more frequently in the discontinued group. Conclusions To resume and taper epoprostenol administration after reperfusion in patients with severe PH may be a valuable new strategy associated with better perioperative outcomes.

High airborne concentrations of fine allergenic particles of Cryptomeria japonica pollen were determined during the pollen scattering spring seasons in Japan. In particular, this phenomenon was observed in field investigations during sunny days after rainfall. It is considered that the release of daughter allergenic species derived from pollen grains may be induced during urban rainfall events. Hence, it is necessary to do research in order to find the evidence of this phenomenon. There are two major daughter allergenic species produced by pollen in Japan, which are called Cry j 1 and Cry j 2 of Cryptomeria japonica pollen. Allergenic Cry j 1 mainly exists in the pollen wall surface (Ubisch body), while allergenic Cry j 2 is present as a starch granule in the pollen grain, it can be thought that the release mechanism of allergenic Cry j 1 and Cry j 2 species in rainfall should be different. Since the release mechanisms are still not clear, therefore, the aim of this study is to clarify the important mechanisms of elution rate of two kinds of daughter allergenic species when pollen grains are washed out by rainfall and exposed to polluted air. From the analytical results of rainwater samples and model laboratory experiments of simulated rainfall, it was indicated that a great number of pollen grains were trapped in initial rainfall. At the same time, many bursts of pollen grains were also observed in the rainwater. Thus, it is possible that the two daughter allergenic species will be released from the fractions of cell wall, burst

The reclamation of resources from wastes, through such activities as recycling various kinds of wastes and finding more ways to use them, is an important part of changing to a sustainable society. It is also important to ensure the safety of products by, for example, removing hazardous substances from recycled items. Wood is a type of demolition waste. The reuse and recycling of wood from demolition have not progressed much. To increase the number of ways of using wood wastes we have examined methods of making carbonized materials from them and using these carbonized materials to control indoor air pollution (Shibano et al., 2002). Research currently underway on ensuring the safety of recycled items includes investigating the behavior and other characteristics of hazardous substances that are, or may very well be, found in recycled items. It is known that the smoke arising from the process of carbonizing wood wastes is mutagenic. However, such mutagenic components become smoke and separate from carbonized materials, and, especially at temperatures of 800°C and higher, they hardly remain in carbonized materials at all (Nakajima et al., 2003, 2004). In the carbonization of wood wastes containing hazardous metals such as CCA (Cr, Cu, As)-treated wood, substances that readily vaporize separate from the carbonized materials. One cannot expect, however, the same removal effect on metals that vaporize with difficulty, such as Cu, making it likely that they remain in the carbonized material (Takahashi et al., 2004). To examine methods of removing hazardous metals which may well remain in carbonized wood wastes, we investigated the removal and recovery of copper from charcoal with a high copper content by applying electricity (direct current) to it.