Investigation of air pollution concentration in Kathmandu valley during winter season

The monthly concentrations of NO2, NOx, SO2 and O3 measured by a passive sampler from February 2003 to January 2004 showed that the air pollution during the winter season in Kathmandu valley was higher than the summer season. The O3 level was found the highest during April, May and June due to strong radiation. The hourly concentrations of NO2, NOx, O3 and suspended particulate matter（SPM） were also measured by automatic instruments on December 2003. Temperature at the height of 60 m and 400 m at Raniban Mountain in the northwest of Kathmandu valley was measured on February 2001 in the winter season and the average potential temperature gradient was estimated from observed temperature. Wind speed was also measured at the department of hydrology, airport section, from 18 February to 6 March 2001. It was found that the stable layer and the calm condition in the atmosphere strongly affected the appearance of the maximum concentrations of NO2 and SPM in the morning, and that the unstable layer and the windy condition in the atmosphere was considerably relevant to the decrease of air pollution concentrations at daytime. The emission amounts of NOx, HCs and total suspended particle（TSP） from transport sector in 2003 were estimated from the increasing rate of vehicles on the basis of the emission amounts in 1993 to be 3751 t/a, 30570 t/a and 1317 t/a, respectively. The diurnal concentrations in 2003 calculated by the two-layers box model reproduced the characteristics of air pollution in Kathmandu valley such as the maximum value of O3 and its time, the maximum value of NO in the morning, and the decrease of NO and NO2 at daytime. The comparison with the concentrations in 1993 calculated suggested that the main cause of air pollution was the emission from transport sector.

Visualization of endoplasmic reticulum viscosity in the liver of mice with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by a near-infrared fluorescence probe

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)can cause serious liver damage.Early diagnosis and effective treatment of NAFLD can greatly improve treatment rates.The initiation and development of NAFLD has been closely linked to endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress,which might cause ER viscosity variations.Therefore,if the internal relationship between ER viscosity and NAFLD is clarified,an effective approach for early diagnosis may result.Herein,we fabricated a novel near-infrared(NIR)fluorescence imaging probe,Er-V,for monitoring ER viscosity through a molecular rotor strategy.Er-V exhibited a strong NIR fluorescence signal(at 626 nm)when the environmental viscosity hindered the rotation of the malononitrile group.Using Er-V,we successfully observed a significant enhancement in viscosity in the liver of mice with NAFLD.Therefore,this imaging method based on Er-V is expected to provide a new approach for early detection and diagnosis of NAFLD.