Characteristics of pebble shape and the amount of pebble abrasion measured with a replica reproduced on a curling rink.

The shape of pebbles on a curling rink was measured using a replica of the ice surface of the rink to understand the characteristics of pebbles after being in contact with stones. We focused on pebbles with flat tops for which the average shape was 3.81 mm in diameter at the lower base, 1.16 mm in diameter at the upper surface, 0.12 mm in maximum height, and 5.4° in contact angle. A scratch of about 1 µm in depth and 40 µm in width (traces of pebbles cut by a running band at the bottom of the stone) was observed on the upper surface. The pebbles were also found to have a moderate lower base diameter that preferentially contacted the nipper or stone due to its large maximum height value immediately after formation. Experiments to determine the amount of pebble abrasion associated with the passing of stones revealed that the average height of their upper surface decreased by 1 µm and the area of the upper surface increased by 0.21 mm2 for each stone passing as the stone cut the pebbles.

Remediation of cadmium-contaminated soil: GLDA-assisted extraction and sequential FeCl3-CaO-based post-stabilization.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination of farmland soils is a growing concern because of its highly toxic impact on ecosystems and human health. Chelator-assisted washing and chemical immobilization are effective remediation strategies for Cd-contaminated soils. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) has traditionally been used for soil washing, but its persistence in the environment and subsequent toxicity have raised significant ecological concerns. Consequently, biodegradable chelators have gained increasing attention as eco-friendly alternatives to the persistent chelator, EDTA. Therefore, this study evaluated the performance and efficacy of three biodegradable chelators: L-glutamate-N,N'-diacetic acid (GLDA), methylglycine-diacetic acid (MGDA), and 3-hydroxy-2,2'-iminodisuccinic acid (HIDS) in comparison to EDTA for remediating a real Cd-contaminated agricultural soil. The influence of treatment parameters, including chelator variants, washing time, chelator concentration, solution pH, and liquid-to-soil ratio (L/S) on Cd extraction was studied and optimized to attain the maximum removal rate. Following chelator-assisted washing, the efficacy of a stabilization preference combining FeCl3 and CaO in reducing the leaching potential of residual Cd in chelator-washed soil residues was also investigated. GLDA demonstrated comparable Cd extraction efficiency to EDTA, and the Cd extraction efficiency was found to be positively correlated with the soil washing parameters. However, under the optimized conditions (chelator concentration: 10 mmol L-1; washing time: 3 h; solution pH: 3; L/S ratio: 10:1), GLDA exhibited a higher Cd extraction rate than EDTA or the other chelators. Furthermore, a post-treatment process incorporating FeCl3 and CaO substantially diminished the water-leachable Cd content in the resultant soil residues. The proposed remediation strategy, which combines chemically assisted washing and stabilization, could be a practical option for extracting bulk Cd from soil and reducing the leaching potential of residual Cd.

Enhanced remediation of arsenic-contaminated excavated soil using a binary blend of biodegradable surfactant and chelator.

The reclamation of geogenic As-contaminated excavated soils as construction additives can reduce the post-disposal impact on the ecosystem and space. Although retaining soil characteristics while reducing contaminant load is a challenging task, washing remediation with biodegradable surfactants or chelators is a promising alternative to non-biodegradable counterparts. In this study, newly synthesized biodegradable surfactants (SDG: sodium N-dodecanoyl-glycinate, SDBA: sodium N-dodecanoyl-ß-alaninate, SDGBH: sodium N-dodecanoyl-α,γ-glutamyl-bis-hydroxyprolinate, SDT: sodium N-dodecanoyl-taurinate, and DCPC: N-dodecyl-3-carbamoyl-pyridinium-chloride) and biodegradable chelators (EDDS: ethylenediamine N,N'-disuccinic acid, GLDA: L-glutamate-N, N'-diacetic acid, and HIDS: 3-hydroxy-2,2'-imino disuccinic acid) are evaluated for the remediation of As-contaminated soil. The operating variables, such as washing duration, solution pH, and surfactant or chelator concentration, are optimized for maximum As extraction. SDT shows the highest As-extraction efficiency irrespective of solution pH and surfactant variants, while HIDS is the superior chelator under acidic or alkaline conditions. A binary blend of SDT and HIDS is evaluated for As extraction under varying operating conditions. The SDT-HIDS binary blend demonstrates 6.9 and 1.6-times higher As-extraction rates than the SDT and HIDS-only washing, respectively, under acidic conditions. The proposed approach with a binary blend of a biodegradable surfactant and chelator is a green solution for recycling As-contaminated excavated soils for geotechnical applications.

The importance of the surface roughness and running band area on the bottom of a stone for the curling phenomenon.

Curling is a sport in which players deliver a cylindrical granite stone on an ice sheet in a curling hall toward a circular target located 28.35 m away. The stone gradually moves laterally, or curls, as it slides on ice. Although several papers have been published to propose a mechanism of the curling phenomenon for the last 100 years, no established theory exists on the subject, because detailed measurements on a pebbled ice surface and a curling stone sliding on ice and detailed theoretical model calculations have yet to be available. Here we show using our precise experimental data that the curl distance is primarily determined by the surface roughness and the surface area of the running band on the bottom of a stone and that the ice surface condition has smaller effects on the curl distance. We also propose a possible mechanism affecting the curling phenomena of a curing stone based on our results. We expect that our findings will form the basis of future curling theories and model calculations regarding the curling phenomenon of curling stones. Using the relation between the curl distance and the surface roughness of the running band in this study, the curl distance of a stone sliding on ice in every curling hall can be adjusted to an appropriate value by changing the surface roughness of the running band on the bottom of a stone.

Measurement of Static Lateral Stability Angle and Roll Moment of Inertia for Agricultural Tractors with Attached Implements.

Each year, many fatalities result from rollovers of agricultural tractors in Japan. In addition to rollover protective structures (ROPS) and seat belts, a warning device that alerts the operator of impending rollover based on the tractor stability index is a measure used to prevent rollovers. The stability index requires inertial parameters, which have been measured only for the single body of the tractor, to calculate the warning threshold. In this study, the center of gravity (CoG) and lateral stability angles of three agricultural tractors were measured, and lateral stability angles were also calculated and compared with measured values for three tractor-tiller combinations to analyze the effect of the attached implement on the tractor stability as well as to verify the accuracy of the calculation methods. The roll moment of inertia (RMI) was also measured for two tractors and two rotary tillers, and RMI values for tractor-tiller combinations were calculated. The measurement and calculation results show that the attached implement increased the lateral stability angle of tractors in phase I rollover and decreased the lateral stability angle in phase II rollover, and for a certain tractor-tiller combination, there was no transition from phase I to phase II rollover. The difference between the measured and calculated lateral stability angles in phase I ranged from -3.5° to 2.5°, while that in phase II ranged from 0.2° to 5.2°. The RMI about the longitudinal axis through the CoG was 203 and 433 kg m-2 for tractors A and B, respectively, and 52 and 94 kg m-2 for rotary tillers D and F, respectively. The calculated RMI values were 265 and 540 kg m-2 for tractor-tiller combinations A-D and B-E, respectively.

Development of a Filtration-Based Bioluminescence Assay for Detection of Microorganisms in Tea Beverages.

The market for tea drinks as healthy beverages has been steadily expanding, and ready-to-drink beverages in polyethylene terephthalate bottles have been popular. To more rapidly and accurately test tea beverages bottled in polyethylene terephthalate for microbial contamination, a newly developed filtration device and a washing method with a commercial bioluminescence assay were combined to detect low numbers of bacterial spores, fungal conidia, and ascospores. Washing buffers were formulated with nonionic detergents from the Tween series. Commercially available tea beverages were used to evaluate the filtration capacity of the filtration device, the effect of washing buffers, and the performance of the assay. The assay was tested with serially diluted suspensions of colonies of two bacterial strains, spores of three Bacillus strains, conidia of five fungal strains, and ascospores of four fungal strains. The filtration device enabled filtration of a large sample volume (100 to 500 ml), and the washing buffer significantly decreased the background bioluminescence intensity of tea samples when compared with the no-washing method. Low numbers (1 to 10 CFU/100 ml) of the tested strains of bacteria were detected within 8 to 18 h of cultivation, and fungi were detected within 24 to 48 h. Furthermore, a whole bottle (500 ml) of mixed tea was filtered through the filtration device and microbes were detected. This method could be used for quality control of bottled beverages without preincubation.

Rapid detection of bacteria in green tea using a novel pretreatment method in a bioluminescence assay.

Tea is one of the most popular beverages consumed in the world, and green tea has become a popular beverage in Western as well as Asian countries. A novel pretreatment method for a commercial bioluminescence assay to detect bacteria in green tea was developed and evaluated in this study. Pretreatment buffers with pH levels ranging from 6.0 to 9.0 were selected from MES (morpholineethanesulfonic acid), HEPES (N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid), or Tricine buffers. To evaluate the effect of pretreatment and the performance of the assay, serially diluted cultures of Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus were tested. The improved methods, which consisted of a pretreatment of the sample in alkaline buffer, significantly decreased the background bioluminescence intensity of green tea samples when compared with the conventional method. Pretreatment with alkaline buffers with pH levels ranging from 8.0 to 9.0 increased the bioluminescence intensities of cultures of E. cloacae and S. aureus. Strong log-linear relationships between the bioluminescence intensities and plate counts emerged for the tested strains. Furthermore, the microbial detection limit was 15 CFU in 500 ml of bottled green tea after an 8-h incubation at 35°C and an assay time of 1 h. The results showed that contaminated samples could be detected within 1 h of operation using our improved bioluminescence assay. This method could be used to test for contamination during the manufacturing process as well as for statistical sampling for quality control.

Evaluation of an improved bioluminescence assay for the detection of bacteria in soy milk.

Because soy milk is nutrient rich and nearly neutral in pH, it favors the growth of microbial contaminants. To ensure that soy milk meets food-safety standards, it must be pasteurized and have its sterility confirmed. ATP bioluminescence assay has become a widely accepted means of detecting food microorganisms. However, the high background bioluminescence intensity of soy milk has rendered it unsuitable for ATP analysis. Here, we tested the efficacy of an improved pre-treated bioluminescence assay on soy milk. By comparing background bioluminescence intensities obtained by the conventional and improved methods, we demonstrated that our method significantly reduces soy milk background bioluminescence. The dose-response curve of the assay was tested with serial dilutions of Bacillus sp. culture. An extremely strong log-linear relation between the bioluminescence intensity relative light units and colony formation units CFU/ml emerged for the tested strain. The detection limit of the assay was estimated as 5.2×10(3) CFU/ml from the dose-response curve and an imposed signal limit was three times the background level. The results showed that contaminated samples could be easily detected within 24 h using our improved bioluminescence assay.