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Be pebble, as a neutron multiplier material, is being explored for the development of a Water-Cooled Ceramic Breeder Test Blanket Module (WCCB-TBM) in Japan for the International Thermonuclear Experiment Reactor (ITER) project. The Be pebbles were fabricated by the rotating electrode process (REP). However, as the safety of the test blanket module (TBM) could be compromised by hydrogen generation via Be–H2O reaction owing to the leakage of pressurized water from the cooling pipes inside TBM, the safety assessment of TBM must be conducted using the Be–H2O reactivity data for the Be pebbles whose fabrication method is the same as that for TBM (i.e., REP). Thus, in this study, a Be–H2O reactivity test was conducted using Be pebbles that were fabricated by REP to characterize the generated hydrogen and evaluate the hydrogen generation (HG) rates toward WCCB-TBM safety assessment. First, the Be–H2O reactivity data were obtained at ≥ 300 °C (the coolant temperature for the TBM). The experimental results and oxidation rate of the Be pebbles revealed that only the Be surface may have been oxidized at 300 °C–600 °C, although its inside was oxidized at 700 °C–1000 °C. Further, the experimental data–derived HG rates at 300 °C–1000 °C increased with the temperature and the tendency changed in the three temperature regions. The HG rates did not contradict those reported by previous studies. Additionally, these regions corresponded to each expected Be–H2O reaction behavior at 300 °C–1000 °C. At a Be temperature of

Background: Autoantibodies (AAbs) against immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies (Abs) and their high-affinity receptor alpha subunits (FcεRIα) are key factors in the elicitation of type IIb autoimmune chronic spontaneous urticaria (type IIb aiCSU). In this study, we aimed to develop a new method to detect functional anti-FcεRIα and anti-IgE AAbs, which can crosslink the plural FcεRІα molecules and IgE Abs on the surface of mast cells and basophils, in sera from aiCSU patients using the amplified luminescence proximity homogeneous assay (Alpha). Methods: Sera were obtained from 14 aiCSU patients, as diagnosed by recurrent chronic spontaneous urticaria episodes and positive results for the autologous serum skin test and/or histamine release test (HRT). The AAbs to FcεRIα and IgE Abs were determined in sera from aiCSU patients using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Alpha by cross-linking (AlphaCL) of IgE Abs and/or FcεRІα. Results: Serum anti-FcεRIα and anti-IgE AAb levels were not significantly different between aiCSU patients and healthy subjects in ELISA. Anti-FcεRIα AAbs were detected in 10 of 14 aiCSU patients who displayed positive (5/5) and negative (5/9) results in the HRT for anti-FcεRIα AAbs by AlphaCL, whereas no signals were observed in healthy subjects. Additionally, anti-IgE AAbs were detected in two of four aiCSU patients who displayed positive results in the HRT for anti-IgE AAbs. Conclusions: A new assay method using AlphaCL can detect anti-FcεRIα and anti-IgE AAbs with FcεRIα- and IgE-crosslinking abilities in sera from aiCSU patients. This simple and practical assay method may be available as a diagnostic tool for urticaria patients.

The environmental monitoring survey using this organisms was called “Caddisfly Watch” and this activity has involved both scientists and local people for collecting them.A simple method is needed for the continuous monitoring of radiocesium (137Cs) contamination in riverine environments after the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) in Japan. In a program called “Caddisfly Watch”, we used larvae of the caddisfly Stenopsyche marmorata (Trichoptera: Stenopsychidae) to monitor the spatial distribution and estimate effective half-life (Teff) of 137Cs pollution in riverine environments. Caddisfly larvae showed that the highest concentration of 137Cs among several aquatic organisms and no apparent variation between growth stage. In addition, caddisfly larvae reflected 137Cs concentrations in suspended particulate matter in their gut, and that showed no seasonal variation, better reproducibility, and significant correlation with those in sediment. Results indicate that caddisfly larvae can be used as a biological sampler of suspended particulate matters. The Teff values of 137Cs concentrations in caddisfly larvae estimated by single component decay function model showed significant fit. The Teff values in Kuma, Maeda, downstream Niida, upstream Niida, Ohkawa, and Ukedo river showed 2.8, 5.7, 3.1, 6.7, 0.6, and 4.8 years (34, 68, 38, 80, 6.9, and 58 months), respectively. The results of declining trend in this study were similar to those in previous reported in Fukushima. Further continuous observations using this simple approach of “Caddisfly Watch” make it possible to predict the future of the contamination with radioactive Cs in the river environment.