• Title/Summary/Keyword: Environmental Degradation

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Evaluation of Intrinsic Bioremediation of Methyl Tert-butyl Ether (MTBE) Contaminated Groundwater

  • Chen, Colin S.;Tien, Chien-Jun;Zhan, Kai-Van
    • Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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    • v.19 no.5
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    • pp.9-17
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    • 2014
  • This paper reported the use of real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and the culture-based method in the intrinsic bioremediation study at a petroleum contaminated site. The study showed that phenol hydroxylase gene was detected in groundwater contaminated with benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene isomers (BTEX) and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). This indicated that intrinsic bioremediation occurred at the site. DGGE analyses revealed that the petroleum-hydrocarbon plume caused the variation in microbial communities. MTBE degraders including Pseudomonas sp. NKNU01, Bacillus sp. NKNU01, Klebsiella sp. NKNU01, Enterobacter sp. NKNU01, and Enterobacter sp. NKNU02 were isolated from the contaminated groundwater using the cultured-based method. Among these five strains, Enterobacter sp. NKNU02 is the most effective stain at degrading MTBE without the addition of pentane. The MTBE biodegradation experiment indicated that the isolated bacteria were affected by propane. Biodegradation of MTBE was decreased but not totally inhibited in the mixtures of BTEX. Enterobacter sp. NKNU02 degraded about 60% of MTBE in the bioreactor study. Tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), acetic acid, 2-propanol, and propenoic acid were detected using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry during MTBE degraded by the rest cells of Enterobacter sp. NKNU02. The effectiveness of bioremediation of MTBE was assessed for potential field-scale application.

A Numerical Model for the Freeze-Thaw Damages in Concrete Structures

  • Cho Tae-Jun
    • Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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    • v.17 no.5 s.89
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    • pp.857-868
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    • 2005
  • This paper deals with the accumulated damage in concrete structures due to the cyclic freeze-thaw as an environmental load. The cyclic ice body nucleation and growth processes in porous systems are affected by the thermo-physical and mass transport properties, and gradients of temperature and chemical potentials. Furthermore, the diffusivity of deicing chemicals shows significantly higher value under cyclic freeze-thaw conditions. Consequently, the disintegration of concrete structures is aggravated at marine environments, higher altitudes, and northern areas. However, the properties of cyclic freeze-thaw with crack growth and diffusion of chloride ion effects are hard to be identified in tests, and there has been no analytic model for the combined degradations. The main objective is to determine the driving force and evaluate the reduced strength and stiffness by freeze-thaw. For the development of computational model of those coupled deterioration, micro-pore structure characterization, pore pressure based on the thermodynamic equilibrium, time and temperature dependent super-cooling with or without deicing salts, nonlinear-fracture constitutive relation for the evaluation of internal damage, and the effect of entrained air pores (EA) has been modeled numerically. As a result, the amount of ice volume with temperature dependent surface tensions, freezing pressure and resulting deformations, and cycle and temperature dependent pore volume has been calculated and compared with available test results. The developed computational program can be combined with DuCOM, which can calculate the early aged strength, heat of hydration, micro-pore volume, shrinkage, transportation of free water in concrete. Therefore, the developed model can be applied to evaluate those various practical degradation cases as well.

Allergenic potential and enzymatic resistance of buckwheat

  • Lee, Sujin;Han, Youngshin;Do, Jeong-Ryong;Oh, Sangsuk
    • Nutrition Research and Practice
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    • v.7 no.1
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    • pp.3-8
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    • 2013
  • Buckwheat is known as a health food but is one of the major food allergens triggering potentially fatal anaphylaxis in Asia, especially in Japan and Korea. This study was conducted to investigate the characteristic of enzymatic resistance of buckwheat protein and allergenic potential. Enzymatic resistance of buckwheat protein was performed with in vitro digestibility test in simulated gastric fluid (SGF), pH 1.2, using pepsin and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) using chymotrypsin. Reactivity of buckwheat proteins to human IgE was performed using six allergic patients sensitized to buckwheat. Buckwheat's IgE levels were measured using the Phadia UniCAP-system. Buckwheat protein, 16 kDa, still remained after 30 min treatment of pepsin on SDS-PAGE. Even though 16 kDa almost disappeared after 60 min treatment, two out of the six buckwheat patients' sera showed reactivity to hydrolysate after 60 min treatment, indicating that allergenicity still remained. In simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) using chymotrypsin, buckwheat protein, 24 kDa, showed resistance to hydrolysis with chymotrypsin on SDS-PAGE, and still had allergenicity based on the result of ELISA. Our results suggest that buckwheat proteins have strong resistance to enzyme degradation. This may be attributed in part to the allergenic potential of buckwheat. Further study should be continued regarding buckwheat allergy.

Two - Dimensional analysis in Dam Downstream due Spill Condition (방류조건에 따른 댐 하류부의 2차원 수치해석)

  • Lee, Jong-Hyeong
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.14 no.2
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    • pp.911-918
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    • 2013
  • Two - dimensional numerical analysis model(RMA2), is mainly applied to analyze the flood water levels, velocities and change of river bed at the downstream of Dam. The analysis result be able to influence to Gwangchon bridge from Juam dam, freeboard be insufficient 0.7m to left bank 300m section of dam downstream. Bank overflow is appear to all section of Bosung river to PMF spill condition. Inundated district is appear to river confluence to 200year frequency and is expand to bank overflow to PMF spill condition. Velocity in the channel was simulated high velocity to the bridge and narrow reach and appear to riverbed degradation.

A Study for Macro-Environment of Japanese School Libraries (일본 학교도서관 발전을 위한 거시적 환경에 관한 고찰)

  • Lee, Won-Sook
    • Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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    • v.42 no.4
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    • pp.111-136
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    • 2011
  • In the 90s, due the Japanese students' degradation in reading comprehension from literacy escape, it was serious social phenomenon that brought reading crisis in Japan. However, school libraries and related institutions regarded this as a turning point and started to reset revise their legislations and focused on environmental improvement of children's reading activities from various aspects by conduction reading related activities. This study is to help understanding macro-environment of Japanese school libraries by introducing and summarizing all the efforts from each fields for restructuring reading environment mainly around the school libraries from 90's in Japan.

Photodegradation of VOCs by Using TiO$_2$-Coated POF (광촉매가 코팅된 플라스틱 광섬유을 이용한 VOC 광분해반응)

  • Ha, Jin-Wook;Joo, Hyun-Ku
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.4 no.3
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    • pp.199-203
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    • 2003
  • In this study plastic optical fibers (POFs) were considered as light-transmitting media and substrates for the potential use in photocatalytic environmental purification system. After the characteristics of POFs in terms of light transmittance and absorption were determined at the beginning, the further investigation was performed through the photocatalytic degradation of trichloroethylene (TCE), iso-propanol and etc. with TiO$_2$-coated optical fiber reactor systems (POFR). It is concluded that the use of POFs is preferred to quartz optical fibers (QOFs) since the advantages such as ease of handling, lower cost, relatively reasonable light attenuation at the wavelength of near 400nm can be obtained. Various geometrical reactor shapes have been constructed and applied for the last one and half years. For the use of POF in water phase treatment, however, more detailed scientific and engineering aspects should be envisaged. This case requires a suitable mixture to obtain more stable and innocuous immobilization of photocatalyst on POF. To overcome this disadvantage, metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) was conducted in a fluidized bed to deposit thin films of titania on glass and alumina beads. Those can be used as photocatalysis for the removal of pollutants especially in liquid phases.

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Mathematical Hysteretic Model of RC Frame Elements (철근 콘크리트 프레임 요소의 수리적(數理的)인 이역(履歷)모델)

  • Chung, Young Soo;Kim, Se Yoll
    • KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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    • v.12 no.1
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    • pp.19-27
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    • 1992
  • An enhanced version of the Roufaiel and Meyer model is developed for the simulation of the hysteretic response of reinforced concrete members. This model takes into account the finite size of plastic regions and considers the effects of stiffness degradation, strength deterioration, shear and axial force. A significant improvement is the way in which strength deterioration is simulated during inelastic cyclic loadings. The accuracy of this model has been demonstrated by analytically reproducing numerous laboratory experimental load-deformation curves.

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Inhibition of the Induction of Nitric Oxide Synthase by Kobusin

  • Kim, Sang-Kyum;Pokharel, Yuba-Raj;Kim, Ok;Woo, Eun-Rhan;Kang, Keon-Wook
    • Toxicological Research
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    • v.23 no.2
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    • pp.123-126
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    • 2007
  • We isolated a lignan, kobusin from Geranium thunbergii and studied its effect on the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene in a monocyte/macrophage cell line, RAW264.7 cells. Kobusin inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated NO production and the expression of iNOS in a concentration-dependent manner. To identify the mechanistic basis for its inhibition of iNOS induction, we examined the effect of kobusin on both the luciferase reporter activity using $NF-{\kappa}B$ minimal promoter and the nuclear translocation of p65. Kobusin suppressed the reporter gene activity and the LPS-induced movement of p65 in to nucleus. $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation is controlled by the phosphorylation and subsequent degradation of $I-{\kappa}B{\alpha}$, and in the present study, we found that $I-{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ phosphorylation was also inhibited by kobusin. Our findings indicate that kobusin may provide a developmental basis for an agent against inflammatory diseases.

High Temperature Flexural Strengths of the Ceramic-Metal Brazed Joints (세라믹-금속 브레이징 접합조인트의 고온 접합강도에 관한 연구)

  • Lee, Su-Jeong;Jeong, Myung-Yeong;Lee, Dai-Gil;Goo, Hyung-Hoi
    • Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.520-528
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    • 1996
  • Four point bending tests of the brazed joint composed of sintered silicon nitride and 0.2% carbon steel with Cusil ABA filler which were fabricated at 86$0^{\circ}C$ were performed at temperatures, 25, 100, 200, 300, 400, 50$0^{\circ}C$ From the experiments, the maximum bending strength was measured at 30$0^{\circ}C$ From the 3D FE analysis of the residual stress of the brazed joint, it was revealed that the thermally induced residual stresses were minimized when the environmental temperature was 35$0^{\circ}C$ Considering the degradation of the filler material at high temperatures, it was calculated that the maximum bending strength of the brazed joint occured just below the temperature of the minimum thermal residual stress and the thermal residual stress was the dominative parameter of the brazed joint.

A Study on the Remanufacturing of Used Machine Tools (노후된 공작기계의 재제조에 관한 연구)

  • Roh, Young-Hwa
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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    • v.23 no.3
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    • pp.403-410
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    • 2020
  • Continuous industrial development has led to a better quality of life for everyone, even further accelerating industrial growth. Industrial development, however, has also caused environmental degradation, which is posing a serious threat to humanity. It has also encouraged the indiscriminate use of limited resources, causing resource depletion. Efficient resource management based on resource circulation is critical to saving resources. Resource circulation methods are as follows: reducing the use of resources in the manufacturing process, recycling used or reprocessed products and reusing used resources without being reprocessed, remanufacturing with end-of-life products with disassembled parts. Furthermore, remanufacturing process including cleaning, inspection, repairing, and reassembling facilitate performance level as well as new typical products. It is noteworthy that the remanufacturing of machine tools can significantly save resources because their structural parts are substantially large in size. Machine tools have served as a foundation for the manufacturing industry, which has driven Korea's industrial development. Nevertheless, a few research has been reported for remanufacturing technology with used machine tools. Relevant research of developing a remanufacturing process chart and method is prerequisite for saving the resource and environments.