Ambient air monitoring of PCDD/Fs and co-PCBs in Gyeonggi-do, Korea

We started the monitoring for PCDD/Fs in ambient air and soil in August 2001, and co-PCBs in January 2002. Decreasing of PCDD/Fs and co-PCBs levels in ambient air were observed. The higher PCDD/Fs levels were found in winter and lower in autumn. We found that the industrial incinerators influenced the PCDD/Fs levels in ambient air. In the 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDD/Fs concentration profiles, the three major congeners occupied 67% of the total mass. In case of co-PCBs, PCB#118, #105 and #77 were observed as the main congeners. Five cluster groups discriminated by ratio of four components, O(8)CDD, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-H(7)CDD, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-H(7)CDF and O(8)CDF, were obtained from HCA (hierarchical cluster analysis).     

QSARs for the toxicity of polychlorinated dibenzofurans through DFT-calculated descriptors of polarizabilities, hyperpolarizabilities and hyper-order electric moments

DFT-B3LYP method with 6-31G(**) basis set was employed to fully optimize the electronic structures of 135 polychlorinated dibenzofurans and parent compound, namely dibenzofuran. It was demonstrated that polarizability anisotropy and mean polarizability could change sensitively and systematically with chlorine number and substitution pattern. And new quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) focused on the binding affinities of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) and 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) induction potencies of PCDFs were developed. It was concluded that polarizability anisotropy in conjunction with hyperpolarizabilties and hyper-order electric moments, e.g. octupole moments could well interpret the variation of toxicity of different congeners and dispersion interaction should be the leading form among various interactions. Although the terms of hyperpolarizabilities and hyper-order electric moments were not the same significant ones as polarizability anisotropy, the long-range interactions characterized by them should not be ignored in explaining the toxicity.     

Optimizing mixture properties of biodiesel production using genetic algorithm-based evolutionary support vector machine

Nowadays, biodiesel is used as one of the alternative renewable energy due to the increasing energy demand. However, optimum production of biodiesel still requires a huge number of expensive and time-consuming laboratory tests. To address the problem, this research develops a novel Genetic Algorithm-based Evolutionary Support Vector Machine (GA-ESIM). The GA-ESIM is an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based tool that combines K-means Chaotic Genetic Algorithm (KCGA) and Evolutionary Support Vector Machine Inference Model (ESIM). The ESIM is utilized as a supervised learning technique to establish a highly accurate prediction model between the input--output of biodiesel mixture properties; and the KCGA is used to perform the simulation to obtain the optimum mixture properties based on the prediction model. A real biodiesel experimental data is provided to validate the GA-ESIM performance. Our simulation results demonstrate that the GA-ESIM establishes a prediction model with better accuracy than other AI-based tool and thus obtains the mixture properties with the biodiesel yield of 99.9%, higher than the best experimental data record, 97.4%.     

我国排污权交易制度的建立和实施

针对我国日益严重的环境问题,分析了建立和实施排污权交易制度的必要性和可行性,并进一步提出建立和实施排污权交易制度的措施：确定排污权发放总量,奠定排污权交易基础;引入环境合同制度,规范排污权交易形式;确认排污单位排污权,监管排污权转让;制定并完善法律法规,保障排污权交易制度的顺利实施。     

城市危险化学品事故统计分析与对策

通过对2002-2004年发生在中国内地12个主要城市的435起非爆炸品类危险化学品事故统计分析,发现:(1)危险化学品事故总体呈进一步发展趋势;(2)处于城市生活区的化工企业发生危险化学品事故对城市的影响最大;(3)危险化学品在运输阶段,发生事故的比例最高;(4)民用燃气是造成使用阶段危险化学品事故的主要危险源,而人为失误和违规操作是民用燃气类危险化学品事故的主要原因.在统计分析基础上提出了相应的对策.     

盐渍土环境中RC桥墩柱地震损伤试验研究与计算分析∗

为了研究盐渍土环境中RC桥墩柱的地震损伤,设计制作了10根RC桥墩柱,对其进行了电化学快速锈蚀试验及低周反复加载试验。试验中的主要设计参数为轴压比和锈蚀率。观察和记录了试件的开裂过程及破坏形态,通过实测数据绘制了构件的荷载—位移滞回曲线。在已有基础上提出了锈蚀RC桥墩柱在低周反复荷载作用下的双参数损伤模型,并对其进行了对比分析。试验结果表明:锈蚀率越大,滞回曲线捏缩现象越明显,滞回环面积逐渐减小,峰值荷载和极限位移也逐渐减小,试件耗能能力和延性明显降低,其损伤越来越严重;轴压比越大时,试件极限变形越差,耗能能力越低,其损伤越严重。通过与Mccabe损伤模型及Park-Ang损伤模型进行比较分析,得知该损伤模型更能准确反应构件的实际破坏程度,可为盐渍土环境中RC构件的损伤评估提供参考依据。     

Rapid detection of toxic metals in non-crushed oyster shells by portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

The aim of this study was the multi-elemental detection of toxic metals such as lead (Pb) in non-crushed oyster shells by using a portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer. A rapid, simultaneous multi-element analytical methodology for non-crushed oyster shells has been developed using a portable XRF which provides a quick, quantitative, non-destructive, and cost-effective mean for assessment of oyster shell contamination from Pb. Pb contamination in oyster shells was further confirmed by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The results indicated that Pb is distributed in-homogeneously in contaminated shells. Oyster shells have a lamellar structure that could contribute to the high accumulation of Pb on oyster shells.     

Distribution features of biological hazardous pollutants in residential environments in Korea

This research has been conducted continuously since 2009 as part of a cohort of studies examining relationships between asthma and genetic factors, dietary habits, and environmental factors. Based on data from environmental research on house dust mites and endotoxins, which are widely known as pollutants in bedding that cause asthma in pregnant women and children, this work was conducted to obtain basic data that can be used in future cohort studies that analyze links between distribution of biological hazards and physical features of residential environments. The detection rates of house dust mite allergens, Der p1 and Der f1, were 52.7 and 86.5 %, respectively, indicating that Der f1 is a dominant species in domestic indoor environments. According to comparisons between concentrations of house dust mites and endotoxins in bedding of pregnant women and children, Der p1 and endotoxins showed significantly lower concentrations in bedding of pregnant women compared with those in bedding of children, whereas Der f1 showed no significant difference in concentration according to bedding.     

A Model for Pulse Jet Fabric Filters

ABSTRACT

A new model for pulse jet fabric filtration is proposed. In contrast to the earlier model of Ravin and Humphries,¹ which was formulated on the steady state assumption, the present study is aimed at developing a predictive capability for both transient and steady state operations, taking into account the compression effect of filter cakes. The model's relative simplicity allows frequent updating of the model parameter values, thus improving the accuracy of predictions. As a result, the model is particularly useful in developing control algorithms and designing controllers of pulse jet fabric filtration systems.     

Trade-offs between elimination and detoxification in rainbow trout and common bivalve molluscs exposed to metal stressors

The purpose of this paper was to examine trade-offs between elimination and detoxification in rainbow trout and three common bivalve molluscs (clam, oyster, and scallop) exposed to cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) based on recent reported experimental data. We incorporated metal influx threshold with subcellular partitioning to estimate rate constants of detoxification (k_d) and elimination (k₂). We found that the relationships between k₂ and k_d were negative for rainbow trout and positive for bivalve molluscs. However, the relationships between k_d and % metal in metabolically detoxified pool were found positive for rainbow trout and negative for bivalve molluscs. Our results also indicated that rainbow trout had higher accumulation (∼60-90%) in metabolically active pool when exposed to essential metals of Cu and Zn and had only 10-50% accumulation in response to non-essential metal of Cd. Based on a cluster analysis, this study indicated that similarity of physiological regulations among study species was found between Cd and Zn. Our study suggested that detoxification can be predicted by an elimination-detoxification scheme with the known elimination rate constant. We concluded that quantification of trade-offs between subcellular partitioning and detoxification provides valuable insights into the ecotoxicology of aquatic organisms and enhances our understanding of the subcellular biology of trace metals.