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Although green vegetables are valuable sources of essential elements, and are safe in that they lack harmful elements, they are high in oxalic acid, increasing the risk of urolithiasis. We performed elemental analyses on spinach (Spinacia oleracea L), Malabar nightshade (Basella alba), and water Morning Glory (Ipomoea aquatica), which contain large amounts of oxalic acid, and compared the data to those of Japanese mustard spinach (Brassica rapa var. perviridis), which is the second most commonly consumed green vegetable (after spinach) in Japan. We focused on concentrations of Ca, Mg, and Sr that suppress the formation of ureteral stones (calculi). The calcium concentration in spinach was 6 , 8 8 3 ± 3 6 7 μ g/g in leaves and 2 , 1 9 0 ± 1 5 9. 2 μ g/g in stalks, and the level in Japanese mustard spinach were 1 6 , 3 6 0 ± 9 5 7 μ g/g in leaves and 2 0 , 1 2 0 ± 1 , 2 2 6 μ g/g in stalks. The overall Sr concentration in Japanese mustard spinach was thus 10-fold higher than in spinach, but the Mg concentration was lower than that in spinach. The concentrations of Ca and Sr in Malabar nightshade and water Morning Glory were 3- to 5-fold higher than in spinach. As the former vegetables are consumed much less often than spinach, the risk of urolithiasis is low. We explored how the concentrations of these elements changed after boiling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trace element content of single fluid inclusions in quartz from Tsushima granite in Japan was determined with particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) to investigate the chemical features of Ti in hydrothermal fluids derived from granites. Most of the fluid inclusions were polyphase and vapor-rich fluid inclusions, and both types contained Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ge, Br, Rb, Sr, Ba, and Pb. Concentrations of Ti were of up to a few tens ppm wt Ti for polyphase inclusions and up to one hundred ppm for vapor-rich fluid inclusions. The Ti content indicated the possibility of transportation of a certain amount of Ti by granitic hydrothermal fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the contamination of marine products with heavy toxic elements has become a problem in Japan, as the Japanese coastal sea water is confirmed to be highly contaminated with heavy elements. In this study, parts of scallops and ascidians, which are the main foods of the people living in the Sanriku District, including hijiki and the fatty meal of whale, were analyzed. We also analyzed some parts that are not commonly eaten in general but are often consumed by some local populations, such as the mantle, mid-gut gland, ovary and spermary of scallops, and the internal organs and pharyngeal basket of ascidians. Dangerous quantities were detected for mercury in fatty meal of whale and for arsenic in hijiki, the mid-gut gland and mantle of scallops and the internal organs and pharyngeal basket of ascidians. In addition, concentrations of cadmium in the mid-gut gland and mantle of scallops as well as in the internal organs and pharyngeal basket of ascidians also showed high values. These results suggested that, even in the daily diet, it is possible to consume arsenic and cadmium in greater-than-tolerable quantities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A standard-free method for untreated hairs has been applied to quantitative analysis of the hairs taken from 1256 healthy people living in the Iwate prefecture, Japan. It was found that there are clear sex-specific differences in the concentration of some elements. Concentrations of many essential elements, such as calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc and bromine, are clearly higher for female. In particular, calcium concentration is 2.6 times higher for female in comparison with that for male. Contrarily, concentrations of some toxic elements such as chromium, arsenic and mercury are higher for male. On the other hand, concentrations of many elements vary with age. Those of calcium, magnesium and zinc start to increase in the middle of teens and reach maximum in the middle of twenties for female. Mercury concentration increases as the ages advance, while those of chromium, arsenic and lead show no clear changes with age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a standard-free method for untreated hairs and the method has been applied to quantitative analysis of more than 30,000 hairs taken from the people concerned in order to evaluate exposure to some toxic elements and intakes of essential elements. Besides these analyses, we have measured nearly 2000 hairs collected from healthy people in Japan over the past 20 years. It was found that concentrations of some elements, such as vanadium, chromium, manganese, copper and mercury, keep increasing up to the present. Such tendencies were particularly notable for female, while not clearly observed for male. Concentrations of some essential elements, such as calcium, magnesium and zinc, show no obvious long-term variations. On the other hand, iron and selenium show slightly decreasing tendencies. With regard to toxic elements, it was found that arsenic, chromium and mercury are tending to increase year by year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of spraying mineral water onto agricultural crops on their yields and mineral contents were examined. We sprayed a solution containing a large quantity of essential minerals onto the leaves of various agricultural crops every other week for a few months. The mineral concentrations in the agricultural crops and of the sprayed solution were measured by particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE). It was found that the effect of spraying mineral water on the crops was remarkable, especially for rice and soybeans, for which the yields became nearly three times higher and the concentrations of many essential minerals increased in their stems and leaves. However, no clear increase in the mineral contents was observed for polished rice. In addition, not all of the farm products showed positive effects. This indicates that an effective method and timing of spraying mineral water should be examined depending on the conditions of each individual agricultural crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Japan, air pollution due to atmospheric particulate matter has been a serious problem, especially at roadsides in megacity areas. However, it is difficult to widely cover roadside areas with a limited number of air pollution monitoring stations. Therefore we focused on a biomonitoring technique by using leaves of roadside trees. We sampled leaves of ginkgo ( G. biloba) along major arteria roads in Osaka City, which is the third largest city in Japan. The particles retained on the surfaces of the sampled leaves were removed by ultrasonic cleaning in ethanol solution. The ethanol solution including particles was suctioned by an aspirator and particles were collected on a PTFE filter. Elements collected on the filter were quantified by particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis. It was found that the mass of traffic-related elements on the surfaces of sampled leaves correlated with the traffic density of large vehicles and the distance from the end of roadside to the sampling point. The ratios of mass of road dust-related elements on sampled leaves were almost similar to those of the road dust profile data. These results suggest the biomonitoring technique is an effective method to assess roadside air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the Great East Japan Earthquake on 11 March 2011, we have seen a rapid increase of requests for soil analysis by PIXE. In the Nishina Memorial Cyclotron Center (NMCC), a powdered internal standard method with palladium on carbon powder has been adopted for soil sample preparation. However, the method can be heavily laborious when many samples need to be handled in a limited time. Here, we report an alternative to the method which takes a standard in the liquid form with a few drops of acetone to be homogenized with soil sample in an agate mortar. The applicability of the moist method was examined using some standard reference materials by comparing the analyzed results with those from the conventional method and with the certified values. The results were generally satisfactory, although further examination is needed to improve the accuracy and reliability of the new method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a part that, an epidemiological study on the effects of physicochemical characterization of airborne particulate matter (PM) and ozone on asthma attacks, we carried out size-resolved sampling of PM in Himeji City, and elemental and ionic composition analyses of the PM sample. Size-resolved PM was collected using a 3-stage NLAS impactor (Tokyo Dylec Co., Ltd.; particle cut size at sampling stages was 10, 2.5 and 1.0 μm for a flow rate of 3 L/min) with a one-week base sampling interval, and the PM sampling was begun in November, 2009. Concentrations of several elemental and ionic species in the PM sample were determined by PIXE and ion chromatography analysis, respectively. The research results are important for the physicochemical characterization of PM in atmosphere, enabling detailed analysis of the year-round behavior. Of particular note, is that the PM10 was mainly NO3- and SO42- and PM2.5 was only SO42-. This is believed to suggest the different formation processes of NO3- and SO42-. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluid inclusions in quartz from miarolitic cavities, pegmatites, and quartz veins in Miocene biotite-granite plutons, Kofu, Japan, were analyzed by particle-induced X-ray emission to examine chemistries and behaviors of granite-derived fluids in island-arc granite. Most inclusions are aqueous two-phase inclusions, and halite-bearing polyphase inclusions are also observed in quartz veins in the upper part of the plutons. From element contents of fluid inclusions in the miarolitic cavities, the original fluid released from the granite plutons during solidification is inferred to have concentrations of Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ge, Br, Rb, Pb, and Ba of several tens to hundreds of parts per million by weight (ppm) and a salinity of about 10 wt% NaCl equivalent. We estimated the formation conditions of the fluid to have been at about 1.3–1.9 kb and 530–600°C on the basis of the homogenization temperatures of the inclusions and the solidification conditions of the plutons. The polyphase inclusions probably originated from hypersaline fluid by boiling of part of the released fluid during its ascent in the plutons. The polyphase inclusions contain several hundreds to tens of thousands of ppm of Fe and Mn, and tens to several hundreds of ppm of Cu, Zn, Br, Rb, and Pb. The salinities are about 35 wt% NaCl equivalent. Compositional variations in two-phase inclusions from the miarolitic cavities and quartz veins are primarily explained by mineral precipitation with dilution by surface water exerting a secondary influence. Thus, chemistries and behaviors of the granite-derived fluids in the plutons can be explained by mineral precipitation, boiling, and dilution of the originally released fluid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We have investigated shellfish called Japanese littleneck clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) which were collected from Uranouchi bay (Kochi, Japan) for analysis of elemental concentration by Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE). A 4MeV He++ ion beam was used to analyze shellfish in the ion beam laboratory of Kochi University of Technology (Japan). In the present study, shellfish have been chosen as a representative of the biological bodies in the Uranouchi bay. The concentration of heavy metals in shellfish has been quantified and the results are compared with those obtained by analyzing Market shellfish. Analyzing shellfish collected from three different places in the bay Cu, Zn, Br, Sr and Zr are detected as heavy metals. Our results suggest that in comparison with Market shellfish the Uranouchi bay shellfish contain more heavy metals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Recently, Nutrition Support Teams (NSTs) has been spreading throughout Japan. Nutritional assessment is important as an initial step among NST activities, since the patients can be identified based on this assessment whether they needs supports by NST or not. Serum trace element is one of the most useful and convenient nutritional indices. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationships between serum trace element values and clinical backgrounds in NST patients by data mining. The subjects of this study consisted of 29 NST patients who were admitted to our hospital between January 2005 and October 2006. Serum trace elements in patients were analyzed by PIXE method. The data were analyzed by a data mining software, i.e. "ICONS Miner" (Koden Industry Co., Ltd.). The significant "if-then rules" were extracted from the decision trees. The target variable of the decision trees is whether nutritional conditions of the patients are improved or not (Yes/No). The explanatory variables of the decision trees are the values in serum trace elements (Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Mn) and TTR (transthyretin). The analyses demonstrated that the first node of the decision tree was Zn. Therefore, serum Zn value might be the most significant factor among these trace elements in estimating the improvement of nutritional conditions of the patients. In the decision, the second branch was the Fe value, and the Cu the third. The following significant "If-then rules" were extracted from the decision trees. If-then rule 1: If serum Zn value >758.6 µg/l, then improvement of nutritional condition = Y. (1.00 = 9/9) If-then rule 2: If serum Zn value ≤758.6 µg/l and Fe ≤653.2 µg/l and Cu ≤682.5 µg/l, then improvement of nutritional condition = Y. (1.00 = 5/5) If-then rule 3: If serum Zn value ≤758.6 µg/l and Fe ≤653.2 µg/l and Cu >682.5 µg/l and Se >119.8 µg/l, then improvement of nutritional condition = Y. (1.00 = 3/3) In conclusion, data mining analysis of serum trace elements was found to be an effective method in assessing the nutritional conditions in NST patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to shed light on the problem of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) pollution of roadside atmosphere in the Tokyo metropolitan area, we carried out high time-resolution and size-resolved sampling of PM at the Ikegami-Shincho crossing in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Elemental and ionic composition analysis of those samples was then conducted. The research results are important for the physicochemical characterization of nano- to micrometer-size particles in roadside atmosphere, enabling detailed analysis of the various roadside emission sources and atmospheric processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contamination of heavy metals in food becomes a serious problem. We analyzed oolong tea from different production areas by PIXE using very simple sample preparation and examined trace elements contained in these samples. From the results of this experiment, we could know oolong tea which analyzed in this experiment contains various minerals such as K, Ca, P, S, Cl, Fe, Mn, Cu and Cr but not toxic element of As which detection limit of PIXE was lower than the standard values given by the food hygiene law in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total suspended particulate (TSP) samples were collected from three areas (commercial, residential and agricultural) in and near Akita City in northern Japan, October 1996 (rice straw burning period), over three days with a one-hour sampling interval for each area. The elemental composition and particle shape of TSP samples were determined and/or observed by PIXE and a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) combined with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. In the hourly TSP samples collected during the rice straw burning period, values of 24 elements were determined for each area, and Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, K, Ca and Fe were the major components. Comparing the arithmetic means of elemental concentrations in TSP for the rice straw burning and non-snow-clad period (May – June 1996), in the residential and agricultural areas the Si concentration in the rice straw burning period was approximately two times that in the non-snow-clad period, and K and Ca concentrations in the rice straw burning period were a little higher than those in the non-snow-clad period. In the residential and agricultural areas, change in SPM concentration and change in Si, K and Ca concentrations were in relative agreement during the hours that smoke from rice straw burning was present in the atmospheric space. With the aid of SEM- EDX analysis, many cubic particles were observed for almost all hourly TSP samples. The cubic particles were of the silicon-rich type, and their morphology was rice straw fragments or aggregation of fragments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elemental analyses were carried out for the seabed sludge collected from Uranouchi bay (Kochi, Japan) using Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE). Seabed-sludge contamination with heavy metals as well as toxic elements becomes one of the most serious environmental problems. The aim of the present study is to investigate the polluted areas in the bay by heavy and toxic elements. As a results of analyses of samples collected from eleven different places in the bay, seventeen elements including toxic ones were detected. The results suggest that the center region of the bay is seriously contaminated by heavy and toxic elements in comparison with the other areas in the bay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to shed light on the long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants in the Northeast Asian regions, we studied the chemical components in rime and fresh surface snow on Mt. Moriyoshi (altitude: 1454 m), located on the Sea of Japan side of northern Honshu, Japan, near Northwest China and Southwest Russia. Rime and fresh surface snow samples were collected at Juhyou-Daira (near the summit; altitude: 1200 m) in February 2004. The pH range of rime samples was 4.2 – 4.9, and the electric conductivity (EC) range was 52 – 282 μS/cm. On the other hand, the pH range of snow samples was 4.5 – 4.9, and the EC range was 17 – 77 μS/cm. The elemental compositions, ionic species and particle shapes of these samples were determined and/or observed by PIXE, ion chromatography and SEM-EDX analysis. PIXE analysis of the rime and snow samples revealed 24 elements, of which Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti and Fe were found to be the major components. Comparing the determined values of rime and snow sample elements, rime samples were several times to several dozen times higher than snow samples for almost all the elements. For determined values of ionic species, rime samples were several times to several dozen times higher than snow samples. With the aid of SEM-EDX analysis, many small silicon-rich spherical particles were observed in the rime samples. Small silicon-rich spherical particles were also found in the snow samples. The existent forms of chemical components in rime will be an important factor when we consider the origin of air pollutants transported over long distances in the Northeast Asian regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental samples (rice, soil, river soil and water, running water, pine needle, milk and grass) are collected from the area surrounding Kaya Memorial Takizawa Laboratory (radioisotope waste management laboratory) neighboring Nishina Memorial Cyclotron Center for detection of radionuclides in them. Rice, which is the most important diet for Japanese, was prepared using a nitric acid ashing and analyzed using ordinary vacuum PIXE for detection of the elemental concentration. Comparison of potassium-40 between the detected value using Ge radiation detector and the analyzed value using PIXE was carried out for accuracy. We examine the change of elemental concentration in rice samples harvested in the different rice paddies in 2001 and in the same rice paddy during 13-year period. There is little change in those. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have measured concentration of multi elements including fluorine in mushrooms collected in Iwate prefecture, Japan. As a result, it was confirmed that the sample preparation method, which was established for the plant samples, is applicable to the mushroom samples and the elemental concentration was obtained in good accuracy and reproducibility. Moreover, it becomes clear that the mushroom takes a specific element selectively depending on its species, and it is found that to analyze various kinds of mushrooms is of great use as a way of monitoring environmental pollution. Fluorine concentration is found to be 7-68 ppm in the mushroom samples. However, clear correlation of fluorine and other elements was not observed in each sample in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A microbeam analysis system at Tohoku University has been improved in detection efficiency for application to single cell analysis. The system is applicable to STIM analysis and to simultaneous PIXE and RBS analysis. Sample preparation methods suitable for non-adhesive single cell analysis were developed and first results with the improved analysis system are shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The samples of common sails available in Japan and Mongolia were analyzed for the presence of heavy elements by PIXE spectrometry using 2.5 McV proton beam at the Tokyo Institute of Technology Van de Gruff Laboratory. The samples were dissolved in water and insoluble and soluble fractions welt determined separately. The soluble constituents were treated with pre-concentration method by using DBDTC to form the complexes appropriate to percolation through a Nuclepore Track - etch Membrane. insoluble pazticles were precipitated on the filter surface for subsequent direct irradiation. Combined As and Pb concentrations in insoluble portion of saks were found in the range of 7.2 - 102 ppm based on mass analysis of Soluble materials collected on Nuclepore Track - etch Membrane of the pore diameter O.4μm. This level of toxic heavy metals makes a caution from the view-point of their safe intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An intensive measurement of particulate matter and gaseous materials was made to assess the characteristics of wintertime atmospheric pollutants in an urban area of Kansai, Japan. Sampling was performed by a combination of filter pack sampler and low-pressure Andersen impactor (LPAI). Particle-induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Thermal/Optical Reflectance (TOR®) methods were employed in analyzing element and carbon, respectively. The concentrations of SO2, NOx, and PM2.5 monitored during our intensive measurement show a strong time serial variation. PM2.5 levels are higher in the daytime with an average level of 21.3 μg m-3. Most of the peaks for NOx were regularly found in the morning throughout the campaign duration. The number concentration of particles larger than 0.3 μm appears dominated by the ultrafine particles ranged between 0.3 and 0.5 μm. The size distribution of elemental concentration as a function of water solubility was investigated. Organic carbon (OC) concentration shows the strong size distribution with the main peak formed in a range of 0.29–0.67 μm, while elemental carbon (EC) is principally enriched in a range of 0.12–0.29 μm ultra fine fraction. TC (OC+EC) fraction accounts for 42.5% and 26.2% of the mass concentration in fine particle fraction (<1.17 μm ) and coarse particle fraction (>1.17 μm), respectively. The simulated backward aerosol dispersion with the surface wind roses for three events of high PM2.5 mass concentration indicates that aerosol dispersions might be originated from the emission sources of Osaka and Shiga. Also the possibility of long-range transportation of fine particulate matter from the domestic areas of Japan, Taiwan, and Pacific Ocean was still raised. The result of factor analysis indicates that automobile exhaust, fossil fuel combustion, refuse incineration, iron industry, and soil originated particles contribute the major portion of PM2.5 in our sampling area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Two microbeam lines for an ion microprobe and a cell irradiation have been installed in a 5 MV tandem accelerator at the Wakasa Wan Energy Research Center (WERC), Japan. In the ion microprobe beam line, a magnetic quadrupole doublet is equipped for focus of the ion beam on the target point in a scattering chamber. It is utilized for the ion microprobe analysis such as particle induced X-ray emission and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. The beam spot size was obtained to be 0.8 μm (x) × 0.6 μm (y) (FWHM) for a beam current of 1 pA, and to be 2.0 μm (x) × 2.5 μm (y) (FWHM) for a beam current of 140 pA. In the cell irradiation beam line, a beam is extracted in air through a glass capillary with a 10 μm inner diameter in the vertical direction. A total dose to the cell is measured with a silicon surface barrier detector mounted under the sample stage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Microhabitats of bacteria (biomat) and lower plants, such as lichen and mosses, are known to accumulate hazardous elements. Since the concentration of hazardous elements in the environment is quite low, we have applied the in-air μ-PIXE (particle induced X-ray emission) system developed in the TIARA facility of JAERI, which has low concentration detection limit of ppm, to measure As, one of the hazardous elements, distributions in biomat, lichen and mosses observed around an abandoned As mine site in Gunma, Japan to elucidate the applicability of these biomat and lower plants as bio-indicators of As. Spatial distributions of As, Fe, Si and S in all biomat, lichen and moss collected within 3 m from the mine entrance indicate that As is localized, and is associated with silicate and Fe-containing compounds. In addition, the intensity ratio of peak area for As to Fe in μ-PIXE spectrum of the moss collected from the concrete wall at 3 m downstream of the mine water discharge position is different from those of the lower plants on the rock near the closed entrance, but is the same as that of biomat formed at the mine water discharge position. This indicates that As trapped by the moss on the concrete wall probably has the same origin as the biomat. It is concluded that application of μ-PIXE analysis to the measurement of As in the lower plants and biomat gives not only the distribution of the hazardous element of As, but also the information of the origin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]