In this study, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite films containing various content of GO were prepared using solution casting method. The effect of GO content on Young’s modulus and dispersion of GO in PHBV matrix was investigated. Also, the thermomechanical properties, oxygen transmission rates and hydrolytic degradation of PHBV/GO nanocomposite films were studied. The addition of GO into PHBV improves the Young’s modulus and decreases thermal expansion coefficient. The improvement can be mainly attributed to good dispersion of GO and interfacial interactions between PHBV and GO. Furthermore, PHBV/GO nanocomposite films show good oxygen barrier properties. PHBV/GO nanocomposites show lower hydrolytic degradation rates with increasing content of GO.
In this study, bacterial growth was assessed by flow cytometry analysis of fluorescent probes-stained bacteria. Flow cytometry has many advantages of rapid analytical time, a low standard deviation, and highly sensitive detection of live and Dead E.coli over colony forming assay. When untreated bacteria were stained by using Thiazole Orange (TO) and Propidium Iodide (PI), double staining had a short analytical time as compared with that of single staining while its error rate was similar to that of single staining. Through double staining experiments, it was determined that optimal concentrations for TO and PI staining were 420 nM and 9.6 μM, respectively.
This study was aimed at determining the changes in heavy metal removal efficiency at different acid concentrations in a micro-nanobubble soil washing system and pickling process that is used to dispose of heavy metals. For this purpose, the initial and final heavy metal concentrations were measured to calculate the heavy metal removal efficiency 5, 10, 20, 30, 60, and 120 min into the experiment. Soil contaminated by heavy metals and extracted from 0~15 cm below the surface of a vehicle junkyard in the city of U was used in the experiment. The extracted soil was air-dried for 24 h, after which a No. 10 (2 mm) was used as a filter to remove large particles and other substances from the soil as well as to even out the samples. As for the operating conditions, the air inflow rate in the micro-nano bubble soil washing system was fixed at 2 L/min,; with the concentration of hydrogen peroxide being adjusted to 5%, 10%, or 15%. The treatment lasted 120 min. The results showed that when the concentration of hydrogen peroxide was 5%, the efficiency of Zn removal was 27.4%, whereas those of Ni and Pb were 28.7% and 22.8%, respectively. When the concentration of hydrogen peroxide was 10%, the efficiency of Zn removal was 38.7%, whereas those of Ni and Pb were 42.6% and 28.6%, respectively. When the concentration of hydrogen peroxide was 15%, the efficiency of Zn removal was 49.7%, whereas those of Ni and Pb were 57.1% and 42.6%, respectively. Therefore, the efficiency of removal of all three heavy metals was the highest when the hydrogen peroxide concentration was 15%.
Aerosol mass size distributions were investigated at 865 m high the of Jirisan national park. A nanosampler cascade impactor was used to collect aerosols. The atmospheric aerosol particles had a unimodal mass size distribution, which peaked at 0.5–1.0 μm, and a mass aerodynamic diameter of 1.13 μm. The annual average concentrations of TSP, PM10, PM2.5, PM1, PM0.5 and PM0.1 were 20.9 μg/m3, 19.3 μg/m3, 14.9 μg/m3, 10.7 μg/m3, 5.3 μg/m3, 1.2 μg/m3, respectively. TSP concentrations were below 30 μg/m3 during the sampling period. On average PM10, PM2.5, PM1, PM0.5 and PM0.1 made up 0.91, 0.70, 0.41, 0.19 and 0.07 of TSP, respectively. The annual average of PM2.5/PM10 ratio was 0.77.
As a result of broadcasters' websites, there were more reports during the typhoon Bolaven/Tembin in 2012 than in 2002 and 2003. Checking related press releases of each broadcaster on NAVER, YTN reports are 3 times more than KBS. Considering great technology progress in the Internet and smart phone user environment compared to the past, it is thought to be rather regretful in that KBS has been the supervising broadcaster over Korean disaster. As a result of daily reports, the year 2002 typhoon Rusa was reported from the date of its arrival on Korean Peninsular to 3 days, but the information required to be provided for disaster prevention before its arrival was too scarce. 2003 typhoon Maemi was reported as many times as the 2002 typhoon, but its information was provided before its arrival. This is meaningful because the information provision was intended for disaster prevention unlike the past. In 2012, the number of weather forecast broadcast on the typhoon Bolaven/Tembin increased greatly compared to 2002 and 2003. This was also determined to be due to abundant information provided by broadcasters and the Internet portal sites as a result of great progress in Korea internet industry.
We analyzed the variation in occurrence time and intensity of attacks by the rice stem borer (Chilo suppressalis Walker) on several crops. This study aimed to understand how C. suppressalis damages crops and to utilize this basic data for the establishment of environment-friendly control methods like pheromone traps. This study surveyed the changes in occurrence patterns of C. suppressalis, biological characteristics of overwintering larvae, and the efficacy of different types of pheromone traps the years. We found similar occurrence patterns of C. suppressalis in different crops. In addition, occurrence time of the first generation was advanced. Overwintering larvae showed no difference in pupal period and weight compared to the non-overwintering ones. However, the larval period was reduced to 19.1 days in Miscanthus field, in contrast to that in the paddy fields. It was confirmed that larvae of C. suppressalis generally prefer the lower part of the stems of Miscanthus. Efficiency of the emergence trap was confirmed to be greater than that of the delta trap for capturing C. suppressalis adults. However, it is necessary to adjust the control period because of the advancement in occurring time of C. suppressalis in recent years. The larvae of C. suppressalis experience favorable environmental conditions for overwintering in Miscanthus fields. The major Miscanthus fields are generally located in the areas protected for sources of drinking water, owing to which spraying of chemical pesticides is very limited. The results of this study provide important inputs for the development of environment-friendly control methods.
Average concentration of PM in Seoul metropolitan area satisfied the Korean air quality standard in 2010. Furthermore, concentration of PM in all boroughs across Seoul met the air environment standard in 2012. PM10 concentration was relatively higher in center of Seoul in comparison to the rest, while PM2.5 concentration showed exactly the contrary result. We analyzed the effect that PM emissions from vehicles would have on PM concentrations across Seoul. The results showed that average annual PM concentration recently decreased in Seoul although the number of vehicles registered annually continued its upward trend. By contrast, average fine dust concentrations in Seoul showed a decline which suggested that correlation between annual average PM concentrations and number of registered vehicles remained low. However, year-on-year vehicle registration rate recently showed a declining tendency in the same way as the trend of changes in average PM concentrations. Particularly, the upward trend in annual average PM concentrations in 2002 and 2007 was consistent with the increase in vehicle registration rate, suggesting that vehicle registration rate was closely associated with changes in PM concentrations.
Combustion of ethanol (EtOH) at low temperatures has been studied using titania- and silica-supported platinum nanocrystallites with different sizes in a wide range of 1~25 nm, to see if EtOH can be used as a clean, alternative fuel, i.e., one that does not emit sulfur oxides, fine particulates and nitrogen oxides, and if the combustion flue gas can be used for directly heating the interior of greenhouses. The results of H2-N2O titration on the supported Pt catalysts with no calcination indicate a metal dispersion of 0.97±0.1, corresponding to ca. 1.2 nm, while the calcination of 0.65% Pt/SiO2 at 600 and 900℃ gives the respective sizes of 13.7 and 24.6 nm when using X-ray diffraction technique, as expected. A comparison of EtOH combustion using Pt/TiO2 and Pt/SiO2 catalysts with the same metal content, dispersion and nanoparticle size discloses that the former is better at all temperatures up to 200℃, suggesting that some acid sites can play a role for the combustion. There is a noticeable difference in the combustion characteristics of EtOH at 80~200℃ between samples of 0.65% Pt/SiO2 consisting of different metal particle sizes; the catalyst with larger platinum nanoparticles shows higher intrinsic activity. Besides the formation of CO2, low-temperature combustion of EtOH can lead to many other pathways that generate undesired byproducts, such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetic acid, diethyl ether, and ethylene, depending strongly on the catalyst and reaction conditions. A 0.65% Pt/SiO2 catalyst with a Pt crystallite size of 24.6 nm shows stable performances in EtOH combustion at 120℃ even for 12 h, regardless of the space velocity allowed.
Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) were modified with epoxy and aminosilane diethanolamine (DEA), and nanocomposites of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and the modified MWCNTs were prepared with the aim of improving the physical properties of biodegradable PBAT. The physical and the thermal properties of the PBAT/MWCNT nanocomposites were investigated using various techniques. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements revealed that the MWCNTs were efficiently modified with DEA. Scanning electron micrographs of the nanocomposites indicated that the modified MWCNTs were dispersed homogeneously in PBAT. The thermal stability of the nanocomposite decreased with increase in the content of epoxy-MWCNT-DEA due to the poor thermal stabilities of epoxy and amino silane DEA. However, the surface hydrophobicity of the nanocomposite increased. The highest stress (170% of PBAT) was observed when the content of epoxy-MWCNT-DEA in the nanocomposite was 2 wt%.
In the present study, we investigated the effects of artificial removal of corolla and calyx lobes from open flowers on fruit development and fruit quality of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.). Removing the corolla had no significant effect on fruit weight, hardness, length, and diameter, Hunter L, a, b values, sugar content and acidity. However, removing the calyx lobes significantly inhibited longitudinal and transverse growth of the fruits, resulting in diminished fruit size. In addition, merchantable fruit quality significantly decreased upon removing the calyx lobes, and this tendency was increased as more calyx lobes were removed. Nonetheless, removal of the calyx lobes had no effects on fruit color, sugar content, or acidity, similar to the effect of corolla removal.
In the recent trend where crime types are being diversified along with urban expansion, we are facing the reality of a ‘taking-it-out-on-somebody’ crime, which targets the public rather than a specific person with criminal intent, like a ‘random target crime.’ A park, which is a public space for urban dwellers’ and residents’ leisure and rest in the midst of social changes, can be called the spot where various crimes occur. This is because it is a space without boundaries, available for the influx of many and unspecified persons, thus making it difficult to specify users. For the purpose of keeping a park safe from crime and providing users with psychological stability, this study carried out its research to get basic knowledge of the introduction of CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) concept in park development. The park development guideline contents are analyzed based on the six principles of CPTED theory as per the space composition element of a park. As a result, this study found out a problem was that most guidelines applied to the space composition element of a park were fragmentary in applying the six principles of CPTED theory, and were focused on arrangement and installation of facilities.
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of intermittent plasma and electrolysis treatments on lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. oak-leaf.), nutrient solution components (NO3- -N, NH4 +-N, PO4 3--P, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+) and environmental parameters (electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids and pH). The recirculating hydroponic cultivation system consisted of planting port, LED lamp, water reservoir and circulating pump. Nutrient solution was circulated in the following order: reservoir→ filtration-plasma or filtration-electrolysis→ planting port → reservoir. The results showed that nutrient solution components and environmental parameters were changed by plasma or electrolysis treatment. Lettuce growth was not affected by the intermittent plasma or electrolysis treatment with 30 minutes or 90 minutes, respectively. The roots of the lettuce was damaged by excessive plasma and electrolysis treatment. Electrolysis treatment had greater effect on than plasma treatment because of the accumulation of high levels of TRO (Total Residual Oxidants).
This study evaluated the feasibility of recovering and recycling nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from livestock excreta as struvite (MgNH4PO4·6H2O) in South Korea. Our experimental results showed that struvite precipitation was a very effective way to recover N and P from livestock excreta. Moreover, our study demonstrated that struvite precipitates from livestock excreta (SPL) contain higher concentrations of N, P, and magnesium (Mg) as compared to compost and liquid manure from livestock excreta. In addition, although SPL contain high concentrations of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), they meet the fertilizer criteria for concentrations of heavy metals. In South Korea, SPL cannot currently be used as a fertilizer due to legal constraints. Legal permission for SPL use would offer greater choice in livestock excreta management. In conclusion, recovery and recycling of N and P from livestock excreta as struvite can be an effective tool for managing nutrients in livestock excreta.