• Title/Summary/Keyword: life cycle of plants

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THE FUKUSHIMA DISASTER - SYSTEMIC FAILURES AS THE LACK OF RESILIENCE

  • Hollnagel, Erik;Fujita, Yushi
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.45 no.1
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    • pp.13-20
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    • 2013
  • This paper looks at the Fukushima disaster from the perspective of resilience engineering, which replaces a search for causes with an understanding of how the system failed in its performance. Referring to the four resilience abilities of responding, monitoring, learning, and anticipating, the paper focuses on how inadequate engineering anticipation or risk assessment during the design, in combination with inadequate response capabilities, precipitated the disaster. One lesson is that systems such as nuclear power plants are complicated, not only in how they function during everyday or exceptional conditions, but also during their whole life cycle. System functions are intrinsically coupled synchronically and diachronically in ways that may affect the ability to respond to extreme conditions.

Wind and solar energy: a comparison of costs and environmental impacts

  • Carnevale, Ennio A.;Lombardi, Lidia;Zanchi, Laura
    • Advances in Energy Research
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    • v.4 no.2
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    • pp.121-146
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    • 2016
  • This study is concerned with the analysis of two renewable technologies for electric energy production: wind energy and photovoltaic energy. The two technologies were assessed and compared by economic point of view, by using selected indicators characterized by a clear calculation approach, requirement of information easy to be collected, clear, but even complete, interpretation of results. The used economic indicators are Levelized Cost of Energy, $CO_2$ abatement cost and fossil fuel saving specific cost; these last two specifically aimed at evaluating the different capabilities that renewable technologies have to cut down direct $CO_2$ emissions and to avoid fossil fuel extraction. The two technologies were compared also from the environmental point of view by applying Life Cycle Assessment approach and using the environmental impact categories from the Eco-indicator'95 method. The economic analysis was developed by taking into account different energy system sizes and different geographic areas in order to compare different European conditions (Italy, Germany and Denmark) in term of renewable resource availability and market trend. The environmental analysis was developed comparing two particular types of PV and wind plants, respectively residential and micro-wind turbine, located in Italy. According to the three calculated economic indicators, the wind energy emerged as more favorable than PV energy. From the environmental point of view, both the technologies are able to provide savings for almost all the considered environmental impact categories. The proposed approach, based on the use of economic and environmental indicators may be useful in supporting the policies and the decision making procedures concerned with the promotion and use of renewables, in reference to the specific geographic, economic and temporal conditions.

Characteristics of Naturalized Plants in the Wetland Protection Areas of Inland Wetlands (내륙습지 습지보호지역의 귀화식물 특성)

  • Cho, Kwang-Jin;Lim, Jeoncheol;Lee, Changsu;Yoon, Jungdo;Kim, Mijeong;Chu, Yeounsu
    • Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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    • v.7 no.4
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    • pp.374-387
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    • 2020
  • This study was conducted to provide basic data for monitoring the trend of ecosystem change and establishing management plans for wetland protection areas by understanding the status of naturalized plants. In 21 wetland protection areas, 129 taxa, including 10 invasive alien species, were recorded. The naturalized plants appeared mostly as 71 taxa in the Chimsil wetland and were not observed in the Moojechineup and Sumeunmulbaengdui wetlands. Among the naturalized plants, 42 taxa (32.6%) originated from North America. Annual and biennial plants accounted for 68.2% (88 taxa). The frequencies of occurrence of naturalized plants growing in dry secondary grasses such as Erigeron annuus and Trifolium repens were high, and clonal plants that propagated by making stolons and struck roots accounted for 19.4% (25 taxa). The naturalized and urbanization indices showed positive correlations with location factors such as wetland, agricultural land, and used area. However, a negative correlation was found between altitude and forest. Therefore, a management plan that synthetically considers the occurrence frequency and growth characteristics of naturalized plants as well as the locational characteristics of wetland protection areas is required.

Biological Clock and Ultradian Metabolic Oscillation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Saccharomyces cerevisiae의 생물시계와 초단기 대사진동)

  • Kwon, Chong Suk;Sohn, Ho-Yong
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.28 no.8
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    • pp.985-991
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    • 2018
  • Biological clocks are the basis of temporal control of metabolism and behavior. These clocks are characterized by autonomous free-running oscillation and temperature compensation and are found in animals, plants, and microorganisms. To date, various biological clocks have been reported. These include clocks governing hibernation, sleep/wake, heartbeat, and courtship song. These clocks can be differentiated by the period of rhythms, for example, infradian rhythms (> 24-hr period), circadian rhythms (24-hr period), and ultradian rhythms (< 24-hr period). In yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), at least five different autonomous oscillations have been reported; (1) glycolytic oscillations (T = 1~30 min), (2) cell cycle-dependent oscillations (T = 2~16 hr), (3) ultradian metabolic oscillations (T = 15~50 min), (4) yeast colony oscillations (T = a few hours), and (5) circadian oscillations (T = 24 hr). In this review, we discuss studies on oscillators, pacemakers, and synchronizers, in addition to the application of biological clocks, to demonstrate the nature of autonomous oscillations, especially ultradian metabolic oscillations of S. cerevisiae.

A Process Model for the Systematic Development of Safety-Critical Systems (안전중시 시스템을 위한 체계적인 설계 프로세스에 관한 연구)

  • Yoon, Jae-Han;Lee, Jae-Chon
    • Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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    • v.11 no.3
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    • pp.19-26
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    • 2009
  • It is becoming more and more important to develop safety-critical systems with special attention. Examples of the safety-critical systems include the mass transportation systems such as high speed trains, airplanes, ships and so forth. Safety critical issues can also exist in the development of atomic power plants that are attracting a great deal of attention recently as oil prices are sky-rocketing. Note that the safety-critical systems are in general large-scale and very complex for which case the effects of adopting the systems engineering (SE) approach has been quite phenomenal. Furthermore, safety-critical requirements should necessarily be realized in the design phase and be effectively maintained thereafter. In light of these comments, we have considered our approach to developing safety-critical systems to be based on the method combining the systems engineering and safety management processes. To do so, we have developed a design environment by constructing a whole life cycle model in two steps. In the first step, the integrated process model was developed by integrating the SE (ISO/IEC 15283) and systems safety (e.g., hazard analysis) activities and implemented in a computer-aided SE tool environment. The model was represented by three hierarchical levels: the life-cycle level, the process level, and the activity level. As a result, one can see from the model when and how the required SE and safety processes have to be carried out concurrently and iterately. Finally, the design environment was verified by the computer simulation.

Trends and Prospects for information standards of chemical process plants (화학 공정 플랜트 정보 표준의 동향 및 전망)

  • Suh, Min-ho;Yoo, Jaeyoung
    • Proceedings of the Korea Contents Association Conference
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    • 2007.11a
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    • pp.487-489
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    • 2007
  • In this paper chemical process plant information is addressed to be standardized. The chemical process plant information has complexities in the context of its various types such as functions, shapes, connectivity etc. as well as its usages such as design, construction, operation, maintenance and so on. It was well known that the standard should be made by its users themselves to be used widely. The chemical process industry oriented ISO 15926 RDL (Systems and integration of life-cycle data for oil and gas production facilities : Reference Data Library) can provide the methodology for exchanging and sharing of plant equipment information, which will be developed through integrating existing standards such as ISO 10303 AP221, AP231, AP227. The PCA (Posc Caesar Association) which is located in Oslo, Norway, has the initiative in developing ISO 15926. Korea is a member of PCA and takes part in proposing and reviewing the new standard. The trends and prospects for the standard of chemical process plant information are addressed.

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Study on Effective Arrangement of Mooring Lines of Floating-Type Combined Renewable Energy Platform (부유식 복합 재생에너지 플랫폼 계류선의 효과적 배치에 관한 연구)

  • Choung, Joonmo;Jeon, Gi-Young;Kim, Yooil
    • Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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    • v.27 no.4
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    • pp.22-32
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    • 2013
  • This paper presents the conceptual design procedure for the taut-leg mooring lines of a floating-type combined renewable energy platform. The basic configuration of the platform is determined based on an understanding of floating offshore plants. The main dimensions and mass distribution are determined based on a hydrostatic calculation. To identify the motion history of the floating platform and the tension history of the mooring lines, a hydrodynamic analysis is executed using Ansys.Aqwa. This helps in the selection of the best configuration for the mooring system such as the number of mooring lines, wire types, anchored positions, etc. In addition, the fatigue life of the mooring lines can be predicted from the tension history using the rain-flow cycle counting method.

The Genus Martensia Hering (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta) with M. albida sp. nov. and M. flammifolia sp. nov. on Jeju Island, Korea

  • Lee, Yong-Pil
    • ALGAE
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    • v.21 no.1
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    • pp.15-48
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    • 2006
  • The genus Martensia (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta) is characterized by thalli composed of one to several blades that consist of proximal membranous sections and distal latticework. Nerves or veins are absent in the membranous sections. The life cycle of Martensia is accomplished by isomorphic alternation of generations. The gametophytes of Martensia are dioecious, and the male and female gametangial plants are morphologically similar. The type species of Martensia is M. elegans Hering. In this study, nine species were confirmed to occur in the subtidal regions of Jeju Island, Korea: M. albida sp. nov., M. australis Harvey, M. bibarii Y. Lee, M. elegans Hering, M. flammifolia sp. nov, M. fragilis Harvey, M. jejuensis Y. Lee, M. palmata Y. Lee, and M. projecta Y. Lee. Three of these, M. australis, M. fragilis, and M. elegans, are new records in the flora of Korea. The results of molecular analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1 region in the nrDNA showed that M. elegans is identical to M. australis, and M. fragilis coincides with M. bibarii. It may be a less effective tool for the species discrimination in Martensia.

The Crucial Role of Chloroplast-Related Proteins in Viral Genome Replication and Host Defense against Positive-Sense Single-Stranded RNA Viruses

  • John, Bwalya;Kook-Hyung, Kim
    • The Plant Pathology Journal
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    • v.39 no.1
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    • pp.28-38
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    • 2023
  • Plant viruses are responsible for worldwide production losses of numerous economically important crops. The most common plant RNA viruses are positivesense single-stranded RNA viruses [(+)ss RNA viruses]. These viruses have small genomes that encode a limited number of proteins. The viruses depend on their host's machinery for the replication of their RNA genome, assembly, movement, and attraction to the vectors for dispersal. Recently researchers have reported that chloroplast proteins are crucial for replicating (+)ss plant RNA viruses. Some chloroplast proteins, including translation initiation factor [eIF(iso)4E] and 75 DEAD-box RNA helicase RH8, help viruses fulfill their infection cycle in plants. In contrast, other chloroplast proteins such as PAP2.1, PSaC, and ATPsyn-α play active roles in plant defense against viruses. This is also consistent with the idea that reactive oxygen species, salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and abscisic acid are produced in chloroplast. However, knowledge of molecular mechanisms and functions underlying these chloroplast host factors during the virus infection is still scarce and remains largely unknown. Our review briefly summarizes the latest knowledge regarding the possible role of chloroplast in plant virus replication, emphasizing chloroplast-related proteins. We have highlighted current advances regarding chloroplast-related proteins' role in replicating plant (+)ss RNA viruses.

DEVELOPMENT OF GREEN'S FUNCTION APPROACH CONSIDERING TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT MATERIAL PROPERTIES AND ITS APPLICATION

  • Ko, Han-Ok;Jhung, Myung Jo;Choi, Jae-Boong
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.46 no.1
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    • pp.101-108
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    • 2014
  • About 40% of reactors in the world are being operated beyond design life or are approaching the end of their life cycle. During long-term operation, various degradation mechanisms occur. Fatigue caused by alternating operational stresses in terms of temperature or pressure change is an important damage mechanism in continued operation of nuclear power plants. To monitor the fatigue damage of components, Fatigue Monitoring System (FMS) has been installed. Most FMSs have used Green's Function Approach (GFA) to calculate the thermal stresses rapidly. However, if temperature-dependent material properties are used in a detailed FEM, there is a maximum peak stress discrepancy between a conventional GFA and a detailed FEM because constant material properties are used in a conventional method. Therefore, if a conventional method is used in the fatigue evaluation, thermal stresses for various operating cycles may be calculated incorrectly and it may lead to an unreliable estimation. So, in this paper, the modified GFA which can consider temperature-dependent material properties is proposed by using an artificial neural network and weight factor. To verify the proposed method, thermal stresses by the new method are compared with those by FEM. Finally, pros and cons of the new method as well as technical findings from the assessment are discussed.