2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Does KOSA (Yellow Sand) work as a long-distance carrier of pathogens?
Project/Area Number |
23658270
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Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
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Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
Research Field |
Boundary agriculture
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Research Institution | University of Tsukuba |
Principal Investigator |
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Project Period (FY) |
2011 – 2012
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Keywords | 黄砂 / 病原体 / 微環境 / 大気汚染物質 / 緩衝作用 |
Research Abstract |
In order to investigate whether KOSA (Yellow Sand) can keep infectivity and pathogenicity of pathogenic bacteria and viruses which stick on the surface of the sand particles during their long trip from the continent to Japan, I tried to make an apparatus which reproduces the conditions to which the KOSA is exposed during its trip. The apparatus consisted of a round flask in which sand sample is put and whirled up by magnetic stirrer, small freezer and heater unit which control the temperature, connection to vacuum pump to reduce atmospheric pressure and injector through which chemicals are put into the flask. In the period of the project, I made some prototypes of the apparatus and investigated the environmental condition to which the sand particles are exposed on the way from the continent to Japan. Based on the results, I will put some model bacteria and viruses with no pathogenicity into the apparatus to investigate whether they are 'alive' after the long journey.
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