The impact of the risk environment and energy prices to the budget of Korean households

Energy is closely related to environmental risk. A rising fuel price in the 1970s had hurt consumers and caused disturbance to the natural environment. Households could not afford high imported energy prices and thus resorted to fuel wood. Land competed for fuel wood and agricultural crops, and thus high fuel prices strained the environment with respect to the use of land. If human health and safe housing were included in environmental risk, a high energy price would induce broader environmental risk. Households with limited income would not be able to use expensive fossil energy to warm their houses and would depend on only electric mats or blankets to keep warm. Such insufficient warming methods would not only threaten their health but would also worsen the condition of their houses. The abrupt increase in energy prices in 2007 and 2008 had significantly impacted environmental risk. It forced low income households to spend more on energy, leaving less for other expenditure segments, but had left high income households generally intact. This contrasting effect between different income groups had increased the sustainability of the energy risks at the high prices. This study shows how risks associated with the household economy have increased in response to the recent dramatic increases in energy prices. We develop a method for assessing risk by using the variance of ratios of energy expenditure to current income. We then examine how differently the economic change has increased risk across expenditure segments. We find energy expenditure as the biggest contributor to the risk. In addition, we illustrate how energy expenditure has changed the risk profile for each income group, with the first group (i.e., the lowest income group) experiencing the greatest increase. This group hurts the most during days of high energy prices.     

Detection of surface change in complex topography using terrestrial laser scanning: application to the Illgraben debris‐flow channel

Detection of surface change is a fundamental task in geomorphology. Terrestrial laser scanners are increasingly used for monitoring surface change resulting from a variety of geomorphic processes, as they allow the rapid generation of high‐resolution digital elevation models. Irrespective of instrument specifics, survey design or data processing, such data are subject to a finite level of ambiguity in position measurement, a consideration of which must be taken into account when deriving change. The propagation of errors is crucial in change detection because even very small uncertainties in elevation can produce large uncertainties in volume when extrapolated over an area of interest. In this study we propose a methodology to detect surface change and to quantify the resultant volumetric errors in areas of complex topography such as channels, where data from multiple scan stations must be combined. We find that a commonly proposed source of error – laser point elongation at low incidence angles – has a negligible effect on the quality of the final registered point cloud. Instead, ambiguities in elevation inherent to registered datasets have a strong effect on our ability to detect and measure surface change. Similarly, we find that changes in surface roughness between surveys also reduce our ability to detect change. Explicit consideration of these ambiguities, when propagated through to volume calculations, allows us to detect volume change of 87 ± 5 m³, over an area of ～ ?4900 m², due to passage of a debris flow down a 300 m reach of the Illgraben channel in Switzerland. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The mineralogic transformation of ferrihydrite induced by heterogeneous reaction with bioreduced anthraquinone disulfonate (AQDS) and the role of phosphate

Bioreduced anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AH₂DS; dihydro-anthraquinone) was reacted with a 2-line, Si-substituted ferrihydrite under anoxic conditions at neutral pH in PIPES buffer. Phosphate (P) and bicarbonate (C); common adsorptive oxyanions and media/buffer components known to effect ferrihydrite mineralization; and Fe(II)_aq (as a catalytic mineralization agent) were used in comparative experiments. Heterogeneous AH₂DS oxidation coupled with Fe(III) reduction occurred within 0.13-1 day, with mineralogic transformation occurring thereafter. The product suite included lepidocrocite, goethite, and/or magnetite, with proportions varing with reductant:oxidant ratio (r:o) and the presence of P or C. Lepidocrocite was the primary product at low r:o in the absence of P or C, with evidence for multiple formation pathways. Phosphate inhibited reductive recrystallization, while C promoted goethite formation. Stoichiometric magnetite was the sole product at higher r:o in the absence and presence of P. Lepidocrocite was the primary mineralization product in the Fe(II)_aq system, with magnetite observed at near equal amounts when Fe(II) was high [Fe(II)/Fe(III)] = 0.5 and P was absent. P had a greater effect on reductive mineralization in the Fe(II)_aq system, while AQDS was more effective than Fe(II)_aq in promoting magnetite formation. The mineral products of the direct AH₂DS-driven reductive reaction are different from those observed in AH₂DS-ferrihydite systems with metal reducing bacteria, particularly in presence of P.     

The NEAR‐Shoemaker x‐ray/gamma‐ray spectrometer experiment: Overview and lessons learned

Abstract— The near‐Earth asteroid rendezvous (NEAR)‐Shoemaker remote‐sensing x‐ray/gamma‐ray spectrometer (XGRS) completed more than a year of operation in orbit and on the surface of 433 Eros. Elemental compositions for a number of regions on the surface of Eros have been derived from analyses of the characteristic x‐ray and gamma‐ray emission spectra. The NEAR XGRS detection system was included as part of the interplanetary network (IPN) for the detection and localization of gamma‐ray bursts (GRBs). Preliminary results for both the elemental composition of the surface of Eros and the detection of GRBs have been obtained. In addition to the science results, the design and operation of the NEAR XGRS is considered. Significant information important for the design of future remote sensing XGRS systems has been obtained and evaluated. We focus on four factors that became particularly critical during NEAR: (1) overall spacecraft design, (2) selection of materials, (3) increase of the signal‐to‐noise ratio and (4) knowledge of the incident solar x‐ray spectrum.     

Strain localization analysis by elasto-viscoplastic softening model for frozen sand

The aim of the present paper is to numerically analyse the behaviour of frozen sand by using a viscoplastic constitutive model with strain softening. A constitutive model has been developed introducing the stress history tensor which is a functional of the stress history, with respect to a generalized time measure. It is shown that Adachi and Oka's model is applicable to the results of triaxial tests on a frozen Toyoura sand at different strain rates. First, the instability of the model is discussed within the framework of bifurcation theory. The model is then implemented into a FEM code to numerically simulate the behaviour under plane strain conditions. From the numerical results, it is revealed that the formation of shear bands is possible and the characteristics of strain localization, such as shear banding, depend on the strain rates.     

Source and fractionation controls on subduction-related plutons and dike swarms in southern Patagonia (Torres del Paine area) and the low Nb/Ta of upper crustal igneous rocks

The subduction system in southern Patagonia provides direct evidence for the variability of the position of an active continental arc with respect to the subducting plate through time, but the consequences on the arc magmatic record are less well studied. Here we present a geochemical and geochronological study on small plutons and dykes from the upper crust of the southern Patagonian Andes at ~?51°S, which formed as a result of the subduction of the Nazca and Antarctic plates beneath the South American continent. In situ U–Pb geochronology on zircons and bulk rock geochemical data of plutonic and dyke rocks are used to constrain the magmatic evolution of the retro-arc over the last 30 Ma. We demonstrate that these combined U–Pb and geochemical data for magmatic rocks track the temporal and spatial migration of the active arc, and associated retro-arc magmatism. Our dataset indicates that the rear-arc area is characterized by small volumes of alkaline basaltic magmas at 29–30 Ma that are characterized by low La/Nb and Th/Nb ratios with negligible arc signatures. Subsequent progressive eastward migration of the active arc culminated with the emplacement of calc-alkaline plutons and dikes?~?17–16 Ma with elevated La/Nb and Th/Nb ratios and typical subduction signatures constraining the easternmost position of the southern Patagonian batholith at that time. Geochemical data on the post-16 Ma igneous rocks including the Torres del Paine laccolith indicate an evolution to transitional K-rich calc-alkaline magmatism at 12.5?±?0.2 Ma. We show that trace element ratios such as Nb/Ta and Dy/Yb systematically decrease with increasing SiO₂, for both the 17–16 Ma calc-alkaline and the 12–13 Ma K-rich transitional magmatism. In contrast, Th/Nb and La/Nb monitor the changes in the source composition of these magmas. We suggest that the transition from the common calc-alkaline to K-rich transitional magmatism involves a change in the source component, while the trace element ratios, such as Nb/Ta and Dy/Yb, of derivative higher silica content liquids are controlled by similar fractionating mineral assemblages. Analysis of a global compilation of Nb/Ta ratios of arc magmatic rocks and simple geochemical models indicate that amphibole and variable amounts of biotite exert a major control on the low Dy/Yb and Nb/Ta of derivative granitic liquids. Lastly, we suggest that the low Nb/Ta ratio of silica-rich magmas is a natural consequence of biotite fractionation and that alternative models such as amphibolite melting in subduction zones and diffusive fractionation are not required to explain the Nb/Ta ratio of the upper continental crust.     

Evaluation of heavy metal contamination in groundwater samples from Kapas Island,Terengganu, Malaysia

An attempt has been made to delineate the hydrochemistry for a small island based on the major ions and heavy metal concentrations. In this investigation, six sampling campaigns were conducted to measure the concentrations of major ions (Ca, Mg, Na, K, HCO₃, Cl, and SO₄) and heavy metals (Zn, Cr, Pb, Mn, As, and Cu) in groundwater samples collected from seven sampling stations (boreholes) located on Kapas Island, Terengganu, Malaysia. The distribution of major ions is illustrated by a piper plot where Ca–HCO₃ is the dominant type. In addition, the concentrations of heavy metals demonstrate that Mn shows as being the highest concentrated heavy metal in the groundwater sampled in the sampling campaigns; the average Mn content in groundwater sampled was 54.05 μg/L. However, a comparison of the heavy metal (Mn, Cr, Zn, As, Pb, and Cu) concentrations in groundwater samples with the Drinking Water Quality Standard prescribed by World Health Organization reveals that none of these heavy metals exceeded the recommended threshold limits. The principal component analyses (PCA) extracted four components that control the groundwater chemistry. Components 1 and 2 from the PCA analyses extracted approximately 52.11 % of the total variance, which represent the heavy metals (As and Mn) and physical parameters (pH, redox potential, electrical conductivity, temperature, and total dissolved solids). Based on the output of the PHREEQC hydrogeochemical software, several species of heavy metals exist, in which the dominant species found are Mn²⁺, PbCO₃, Cu(OH)₂, and Zn⁺.     

Effect of land cover change and elevation on decadal trend of land surface temperature: a linear model with sum contrast analysis

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - Land surface temperature (LST) is a significant factor in surface energy balance and global climatology studies. Land cover (LC) and elevation are two factors...     

Material screening and selection for XENON100

Results of the extensive radioactivity screening campaign to identify materials for the construction of XENON100 are reported. This dark matter search experiment is operated underground at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), Italy. Several ultra sensitive High Purity Germanium detectors (HPGe) have been used for gamma ray spectrometry. Mass spectrometry has been applied for a few low mass plastic samples. Detailed tables with the radioactive contaminations of all screened samples are presented, together with the implications for XENON100.