Search

Background After the detection of the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in South Korea on January 20, 2019, it has triggered three major outbreaks. To decrease the disease burden of COVID-19, social distancing and active mask wearing were encouraged, reducing the number of patients with influenza-like illness and altering the detection rate of influenza and respiratory viruses in the Korea Influenza and Respiratory Viruses Surveillance System (KINRESS). We examined the changes in respiratory viruses due to COVID-19 in South Korea and virological causes of the high detection rate of human rhinovirus (hRV) in 2020. Methods We collected 52 684 oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal swab samples from patients with influenza-like illness in cooperation with KINRESS from 2016 to 2020. Influenza virus and other respiratory viruses were confirmed using real-time RT-PCR. The weekly detection rate was used to compare virus detection patterns. Results Non-enveloped virus (hRV, human bocavirus, and human adenovirus) detection rates during the COVID-19 pandemic were maintained. The detection rate of hRV significantly increased in 2020 compared with that in 2019 and was negatively correlated with number of COVID-19-confirmed cases in 2020. The distribution of strains and genetic characteristics in hRV did not differ between 2019 and 2020. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the respiratory virus detection rate. The extremely low detection rate of enveloped viruses resulted from efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in South Korea. The high detection rate of hRV may be related to resistance against environmental conditions as a non-enveloped virus and the long period of viral shedding from patients.

In this study, two different dust collectors, one based on an inertial separator and the other based on an electrostatic precipitator (ESP), were developed in order to reduce brake wear particulate matter (PM) emissions. Additionally, the collection efficiencies for brake wear particles (BWPs) of the inertial separator and the ESP were evaluated according to brake pad type. In the case of the inertial separator, the BWP collection efficiencies for the low-metallic (LM) and non-asbestos organic (NAO) pads were similar, and the cut-off size at 50% collection efficiency (D50) was 2.2 µm. The ESP was designed without an additional electrostatic charging device because naturally induced electrostatic charging occurred due to the friction between the brake disc and pad. The BWP collection efficiency of the ESP was higher for NAO pad than for LM pad because the BWPs generated from the NAO pad contained a relatively low iron (Fe) component compared to that of the LM pad, thereby generating more frictional electricity. The maximum ESP collection efficiencies of the BWPs generated from the LM and NAO pads were determined to be 60% and 75%, respectively, and the remaining BWPs that were not collected were presumed to be particles that were not frictionally charged.

Since a novel beta-coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in December 2019, there has been a rapid global spread of the virus. Genomic surveillance was conducted on samples isolated from infected individuals to monitor the spread of genetic variants of SARS-CoV-2 in Korea. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency performed whole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in Korea for 1 year (January 2020 to January 2021). A total of 2,488 SARS-CoV-2 cases were sequenced (including 648 cases from abroad). Initially, the prevalent clades of SARS-CoV-2 were the S and V clades, however, by March 2020, GH clade was the most dominant. Only international travelers were identified as having G or GR clades, and since the first variant 501Y.V1 was identified (from a traveler from the United Kingdom on December 22nd, 2020), a total of 27 variants of 501Y.V1, 501Y.V2, and 484K.V2 have been classified (as of January 25th, 2021). The results in this study indicated that quarantining of travelers entering Korea successfully prevented dissemination of the SARS-CoV-2 variants in Korea.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are regarded as zero emission vehicles due to the absence of exhaust emissions. However, they still contribute non-exhaust particulate matter (PM) emissions, generated by brake wear, tire wear, road wear, and resuspended road dust. In fact, because EVs are heavier than internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), their non-exhaust emissions are like to be even higher. While total PM emissions, including exhaust and non-exhaust PM emissions, from ICEVs and EVs have been compared based on the emission factors (EFs) listed in national emission inventories, there have been no comparisons based on experimental determinations. In this study, exhaust and non-exhaust emissions generated from a gasoline ICEV, diesel ICEV, and EV were experimentally investigated. The results showed that the EFs for the total PM emissions of ICEVs and EV were dependent on the inclusion of secondary exhaust PM, the brake pad type, and the regenerative braking intensity of the EV. When only primary exhaust PM emissions were considered in vehicles equipped with non-asbestos organic (NAO) brake pads, the total PM

Objectives Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) is a respiratory infection characterized by the main symptoms of pneumonia and fever. It is caused by the novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is known to spread via respiratory droplets. We aimed to determine the rate and likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from COVID-19 patients through non-respiratory routes. Methods Serum, urine, and stool samples were collected from 74 hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19 based on the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory samples. The SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome was extracted from each specimen and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction performed. CaCo-2 cells were inoculated with the specimens containing the SARS-COV-2 genome, and subcultured for virus isolation. After culturing, viral replication in the cell supernatant was assessed. Results Of the samples collected from 74 COVID-19 patients, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in 15 serum, urine, or stool samples. The virus detection rate in the serum, urine, and stool samples were 2.8% (9/323), 0.8% (2/247), and 10.1% (13/129), and the mean viral load was 1,210 ± 1,861, 79 ± 30, and 3,176 ± 7,208 copy/μL, respectively. However, the SARS-CoV-2 was not isolated by the culture method from the samples that tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 gene. Conclusion While the virus remained detectable in the respiratory samples of COVID-19 patients for several days after hospitalization, its detection in the serum, urine, and stool samples was intermittent. Since the virus could not be isolated from the SARS-COV-2-positive samples, the risk of viral transmission via stool and urine is expected to be low.

The air pollution level of particulate matters in subway tunnel environments is severe. The present study conducted experimental measurements and analyses on dust-collection efficiencies and ozone emission rates in a lab-scale wind tunnel to determine a high-voltage electrode shape suitable for an electrostatic precipitator to remove airborne particles in subway tunnels. Six high-voltage electrode shapes (saw-type, few-saw-type, short-saw-type, tree-type, wave-type, and spike-type) were tested. The results indicate that while breakdown voltage of the spike-type high-voltage electrode was 66 % of other electrode shapes, its dust-collection efficiency per unit voltage was similar to that of other electrode shapes. However, the dust-collection efficiency per unit of power in the spike-type high-voltage electrode was significantly low. Moreover, the wave-type high-voltage electrode shape had 20 % lower dust-collection efficiency than the saw-type and tree-type high-voltage electrode shapes under conditions of low voltage and high flow velocities. Ozone emission rates for all shapes increased proportionally to the electric current. However, ozone emission rates for each high-voltage electrode shape are varied as 12–23 μg/s per mA. The saw-type and tree-type high-voltage electrode shapes were superior in terms of dust collection, 90 % collection efficiency was shown at about 1.5 W/(m/s)2. The saw-type had a lower ozone emission rate (16.4 μg/s per mA) than the tree-type (19.6 μg/s per mA). Thus, the saw-type shape was the most suitable as a high-voltage electrode in the electrostatic precipitator for removing airborne particles in a subway. The results also indicate that both dust-collection efficiencies and ozone emission rates should be evaluated concurrently when evaluating electrostatic precipitator high-voltage electrodes.

OBJECTIVES: Following reports of patients with unexplained pneumonia at the end of December 2019 in Wuhan, China, the causative agent was identified as coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), and the 2019 novel coronavirus disease was named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization. Putative patients with COVID-19 have been identified in South Korea, and attempts have been made to isolate the pathogen from these patients. METHODS: Upper and lower respiratory tract secretion samples from putative patients with COVID-19 were inoculated onto cells to isolate the virus. Full genome sequencing and electron microscopy were used to identify the virus. RESULTS: The virus replicated in Vero cells and cytopathic effects were observed. Full genome sequencing showed that the virus genome exhibited sequence homology of more than 99.9% with SARS-CoV-2 which was isolated from patients from other countries, for instance China. Sequence homology of SARS-CoV-2 with SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV was 77.5% and 50%, respectively. Coronavirus-specific morphology was observed by electron microscopy in virus-infected Vero cells. CONCLUSION: SARS-CoV-2 was isolated from putative patients with unexplained pneumonia and intermittent coughing and fever. The isolated virus was named BetaCoV/Korea/KCDC03/2020.

A real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay that does not require Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) reagents was tested and validated for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the early stages of the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Republic of Korea. Early diagnosis of COVID-19 enables timely treatment and the implementation of public health measures. We validated the sensitivity, specificity, precision, linearity, accuracy, and robustness of the RT-qPCR assay for SARS-CoV-2 detection and compared its performance with that of several EUA-approved kits. Our RT-qPCR assay was highly specific for SARS-CoV-2 as demonstrated by not amplifying 13 other viruses that cause respiratory diseases. The assay showed high linearity using a viral isolate from a patient with known COVID-19 as well as plasmids containing target SARS-CoV-2 genes as templates. The assay showed good repeatability and reproducibility with a coefficient of variation of 3%, and a SARS-CoV-2 limit of detection of 1 PFU/mL. The RT-qPCR-based assay is highly effective and can facilitate the early diagnosis of COVID-19 without the use of EUA-approved kits or reagents in the Republic of Korea.

A hybrid dust collector attached to a subway train bottom was developed for the effective removal of subway particulate matter (PM), by considering the fluctuating speed of a subway train between s...

Tires generally wear out due to the friction between the tire and the road surface. Minimizing tire wear could reduce the non-exhaust particulate matter (PM) emissions from tires. Typically, tire treadwear grade can be used as an indicator of PM emissions from tires. Tires that wear out quickly will produce higher PM emissions than more durable tires. In this study, the effect of treadwear grade on the generation of tire PM emissions was investigated through laboratory and on-road driving measurements. In the laboratory measurements, a tire wear simulator installed in an enclosed chamber was used to eliminate artifacts caused by interfering particles during the generation and measurement of tire wear particles. For realistic on-road driving measurements, a mobile sampling vehicle was employed to sample road dust. The road dust was chemically analyzed using pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to characterize the tire-road wear particles. Both measurements showed that the higher treadwear grade generated lower tire PM emissions due to the high strength of the rubber, except for the UTQG 700 tire. The UTQG 700 tire, which had the highest treadwear grade, produced higher PM emissions than the UTQG 350 and 500 tires because it readily formed the fine particles due to lamellar peeling rather than tearing or curling of tire treads. Notably, tire nanoparticles were observed in laboratory measurements due to the volatilization and nucleation of the sulphur (S) and zinc (Zn) compounds in the tire tread due to the frictional heat between the tire and paved road surface.

Condensable particulate matter (CPM) corresponds to primary particulate matter ≤2.5 μm (PM

Physical friction between a tire and the road surface generates tire wear particles (TWPs), which are a source of microplastics and particulate matter. This study investigated the trends of chemical leaching from TWPs depending on the treadwear rating of the tire. A road simulator was used to produce TWPs from tires with various treadwear ratings. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was used to analyze the chemical leaching from TWPs, with a particular focus on benzothiazole and its derivative 2-hydroxy benzothiazole. However, chemical mapping via high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry detected another derivative: 2-mercaptobenzothiazole. The benzothiazole groups were observed to have different leaching tendencies, implying that using benzothiazole as a marker compound may lead to incorrect TWP quantitation. The results of this research also suggest that the ecotoxicological influence of TWPs can vary with the treadwear rating of a tire.

The aim of this study was to develop a new type of cyclone separator that can increase collection efficiency while maintaining a low pressure drop, and compare its collection efficiency and pressure drop with that of the general forms of tangential cyclone separators. The proposed separator attaches several small cyclones to one tangential cyclone and is named the multiple-subsidiaries-equipped central (MSEC) cyclone. Numerical analysis and test results showed that the MSEC cyclone could increase collection efficiency while simultaneously lowering the pressure drop. The results show that subsidiary cyclones significantly contribute to improving the performance of the MSEC cyclone.

An accurate forecast of the concentration of fine dust in the atmosphere is critical because of the negative public health impacts associated with high concentrations of particulate matter. To achieve an accurate forecast, large volumes of data need to be collected over a wide range of regions to act as forecast model boundary conditions. Therefore, the concentration of fine particles should be measured at both fixed observatories and from a range of moving monitoring stations, including cars, trains, and aviation vehicles. To accurately record particulate concentrations at flow velocities up to 200 km h−1, this study proposed a double-shrouded probe design based on the widely used single-shrouded probe. Using the double-shrouded probe, isokinetic sampling for PM2.5 was achieved at velocities up to 200 km h−1, and for PM10 at velocities up to 75 km h−1. When flow velocities exceeded these values and particle sizes increased, particulate concentrations were overestimated. However, as compared to the single-shrouded probe, the double-shrouded probe reduced the level of overestimation markedly.

A large amount of fine dust containing iron (Fe) components is scattered by the movement of trains through a subway tunnel. The fine dust spreads to the subway platforms where they are inhaled by passengers, leading to a possibility of acquiring respiratory disease. In this study, a baffle dust collector, which is a type of inertial dust collector, was considered to be attached to the bottom of a train traveling through a Gwangju city subway tunnel to collect dispersed dust particles. To assure a certain level of air suction, a powered fan was installed at the back of the baffle dust collector, which comprised 12 parallel particle-attracting plates connected to perforated circular particle- collecting tubes. The air flow around the baffle dust collector was analyzed, and the volume of air flowing into the collector was predicted with respect to the train speed. Particle analysis was also used to predict the dust collection efficiency in the uniform-speed section of the subway tunnel where the train travelled at a constant speed of 70 km/h, and the results were compared with wind tunnel measurements. It was found that the air flow rate into the baffle dust collector at the constant train speed of 70 km/h was only approximately 2.1 % higher than that in the low-speed section of the tunnel where the train moved at a speed of about 10 km/h. In addition, the cutoff size of the suctioned particles at a speed of 70 km/h was determined to be 7.8 μm.

Particle contamination control is important for increasing the yield in semiconductor manufacturing. In this paper, a trap zone was suggested to reduce the level of particulate contamination of wafers and photomasks during transport in horizontal direction. Trap zone efficiency was numerically and theoretically analyzed by calculating local deposition velocity onto a critical surface representing a wafer or a photomask. The effects of diffusion, gravitational settling, convection, and thermophoresis on particle behavior were considered. The deposition velocity onto the critical surface was found to be effectively reduced with the use of the trap zone, especially for nanoparticles of large diffusivity. As the trap zone became longer, the degree of critical surface contamination by nanoparticles was estimated to be more reduced. An equation was suggested to estimate the reduction of particulate contamination of the critical surface as a function of the trap zone length. It is anticipated that the results of this paper are very helpful for designing wafer/photomask transport systems with a reduced level of contamination by nanoparticles.

To protect the health of subway users, it is essential to investigate the generation, resuspension, and decay of particles in underground tunnels. In this paper, we analyzed the diurnal pattern of variation in particle concentration in a subway tunnel. The mass concentration of particles was measured in a shelter located midway in the underground tunnel connecting Janghanpyeong station and Gunja station on Seoul Subway Line 5 by using an aerodynamic particle sizer, a dust monitor, and a fast mobility particle sizer. The particle mass concentration increased uniformly as a train passed through the tunnel, which was followed by an exponential decay. The particle concentration in the tunnel decreased when the decrease in the number of particles between train operations exceeded the number of particles generated and resuspended by a passing train, and increased in the opposite case. The diurnal variation in particle concentration in the tunnel according to train operations can be predicted by applying such a pattern of variation to the mass concentration of particles.

The characteristics of brake wear particle (BWP) emissions were investigated under five driving cycles (WLTP, NEDC, FTP, 3h-LACT, and WLTP-Brake) with a brake dynamometer. The gravimetric method and real-time particle measurement instruments (APS, OPC, DustTrak, and QCM) were used to measure the BWPs. As a result, the mass concentrations of BWPs measured by APS were similar to the gravimetric method results. However, OPC and DustTrak underestimated the mass concentration of BWPs compared to the gravimetric method results. The QCM was unfavorable for measuring the BWPs because a significant number of particles abruptly inflowed into the QCM during a short moment of braking. The density of BWPs was observed to be larger than 1.0 g/cm3 because the optical mode diameter of the BWPs was smaller than the aerodynamic mode diameter. The BWP emissions were shown to be proportional to the brake dissipation energy and brake initial velocity of each driving cycle. Although the same dissipation energy was applied by braking, more BWPs were found to be emitted at high initial velocity condition. Because, BWPs already deposited on brake disc and pad was emitted as new generated BWPs at high initial velocity condition. When the value obtained by multiplying the dissipation energy by the 3.8th power of the initial velocity was compared to the PM emission of the BWPs, the correlation was more obvious than when only considering the dissipation energy.

Contributions of exhaust and non-exhaust sources to traffic-related particulate matter (PM) pollution in the atmosphere are almost identical and the most important non-exhaust source is known to be brake wear particles. In order to understand the properties and harmful effects of wear particles on people, accurate information on size distribution of brake wear particles is needed. Our previous study investigated the measured changes in size distribution of nanoparticles of 500 nm or smaller to understand the origin of nanoparticles due to temperature increases on the friction surface. The present study was intended to investigate the characteristics of size distribution (5.6 nm–32 μm) of PM released under different braking conditions by using different instruments. The measurement results under 9 braking conditions using 3 different instruments showed that the size distribution characteristics of particles can be divided into two main types according to braking energy. The first type is of PM up to 10 μm in size and with a peak number concentration at 0.2–0.75 μm regardless of braking energy, while the second type is of PM around 10 nm in size generated only when braking energy increased and particles that increased up to 100 nm. In addition, we found that the size distributions measured by the optical particle counter (OPC) and the aerodynamic particle sizer (APS) were consistent by assuming a mean diameter ratio of two instruments.

In underground tunnels, friction between the wheels and rails of subway trains creates particles, which are spread by the wind generated when trains pass by. A louver dust collector was attached to the bottom of a T-car of Seoul Subway Line 5 train in an effort to remove PM10 inside tunnels, and obtain data when it was in actual operation. It made several round trips during which differential pressure of the louver dust collector was measured in relation to train speed. By comparing and verifying the differential pressure estimated by simulation and that actually measured, it was possible to estimate average flow of air that went into the louver dust collector. Furthermore, by comparing and verifying the measurement results on collection efficiency of a lab-scale louver dust collector in a wind tunnel, along with the results of numerical analysis, it was possible to estimate the collection efficiency in relation to subway train speed. As a result, it was confirmed that higher running speeds of subway trains increased the flow of air going into the louver dust collector and subsequently decreased the particle size corresponding to 50% collection efficiency. In other words, the cut-off size was estimated to be 9.7 µm at the lowest speed of 5 km h–1, and 4.9 µm at the top speed of 65 km h–1, in normal speed range for the Seoul Subway Line 5 trains.

Objectives: Between November 20, 2016 and April 17, 2017, outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A/H5N6 occurred on poultry farms in Gyeonggi Province in the Republic of Korea. A serosurvey was conducted among poultry farmers to identify the transmission of HPAI A/H5N6 virus to humans. Methods: A descriptive study of 870 poultry farmers in Gyeonggi Province in Korea was conducted during the 2016–2017 outbreaks. Serological testing was performed using a microneutralization (MN) assay for antibodies against influenza A/duck/ES2/Korea/2016 virus, which has antigenic properties similar to those of the HPAI A/H5N6 virus that caused this poultry outbreak. Results: Overall, 523 exposed poultry farmers were assessed by serological testing. Consequently, all tested negative for HPAI A/H5N6 virus via MN assay. Conclusions: Based on serological assays, no transmission of HPAI A/H5N6 to humans was identified in this study cohort. Additional studies should be conducted to determine the possibility of poultry-to-human transmission of HPAI A/H5N6. Keywords: Avian influenza, H5N6, Poultry, Transmission, Korea

In railway tunnels, dust is generated when trains run due to the contact between the wheels and the rails. The generated dust is suspended due to the train-induced airflow, with some of it deposited due to gravitational sedimentation. In this study, the diurnal variation of the dust concentration was investigated in a railway tunnel. A single lane of a tunnel was selected in which to observe more easily the dust concentration due to the passing of a train. Four particle-measuring instruments were utilized to detect dust ranging from 5nm to . To synchronize the train passing time at the measuring location, a three-dimensional ultrasonic anemometer and a video camera were used. It was found that the dust concentration was significantly increased from to due to the train. Particularly, the dust concentration was greatly increased to more than during the morning rush-hour times.

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is an extremely toxic gas frequently produced during the incineration of plastics, such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS). A victim of a fire who has inhaled smoke could have cyanide in the blood. Therefore, cyanide could be a good marker for a post-mortem examination of a fire as well as carboxyhemoglobine (COHb) test of blood samples. For a particular fire case, a burned body with a suicide note was found inside a burned vehicle. Even though the COHb value is conclusive evidence, measuring the COHb for denatured blood might be difficult due to severe thermal denaturation or the formation of methemoglobin (MetHb). To overcome this difficulty, cyanide could be used as an indicator when investigating the death of a fire victim. In this study, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was adopted to measure the levels of cyanide in the blood through derivatization with pentafluorobenzyl bromide (PFBBr) under cation surfactant by scan and SIM mode. The concentration of cyanide in the blood of heart blood and brain of the victim was found to be 0.36 μg/mL and 1.20 μg/mL respectively, which was higher than the average value (0.041 μg/mL) found in the blood of 14 people who smoked. 요 약: 시안화수소는 ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) 등의 플라스틱류 화재시에 발생될 수 있는 유 독성 기체이기에 시안화수소가 함유된 연기를 흡입하였을 경우 변사자의 혈액에서도 검출될 수 있다. 따 라서 열기로 혈액 등의 생체시료의 손상정도가 강하여 일산화탄소-헤모글로빈 농도의 측정이 어려운 경 ★ Corresponding author Phone : +82-(0)33-902-5221 Fax : +82-(0)33-902-5933 E-mail : pajlee@korea.kr This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons. org/licenses/ by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 74 Joon-Bae Lee et al. Analytical Science & Technology 우 사인규명을 위한 지표로 활용될 수 있으리라 사료된다. 본 연구의 사례는 유서와 함께 화재가 발생한 차량내에서 발견된 변사체의 사인규명과 관련이 있다. 화재사의 경우 일산화탄소-헤모글로빈 농도가 결 정적인 정보를 제공하지만 열기로 심하게 손상되어 이에 대한 측정이 어려워 시안화이온을 분석하고자 하였다. 시안화이온을 양이온계면활성제와 함께 pentafluorobenzyl bromide로 유도체화 시킨 다음 기체크 로마토그래피/질량분석법으로 scan mode와 SIM mode로 분석하였다. 변사체 심혈과 뇌혈에서 시안화이 온이 정상 흡연자 14인의 평균값(0.041 μg/mL)보다 높은 0.36 μg/mL 및 1.20 μg/mL 확인되었다.

Airflow around an eight-passenger-car subway train running in the underground tunnel at a cruise speed of 70 km/h was numerically simulated, and the trajectories of the particles that were assumed to be re-suspended from the ground or generated at the contact points between the wheels and rails were predicted. In addition, field experiments were conducted to measure airflow velocity and PM10 mass concentration under a T-car (trailer car without a driving cab) during the running of a subway train in straight sections of the underground tunnel of the Seoul Subway Line 5. The numerically predicted airflow velocities agreed well with the experimental data with the error of less than 30%, and the predicted particle distribution showed a similar tendency to the experimental results. The airflow under the T-car was predicted to be relatively uniform compared to the airflow under other passenger cars. Both numerical results and experimental data signified that a lot of particles could drift under the T-ca...

Demand for alternative energy is steadily increasing due to the depletion of fossil fuels. Converting biomass into alternative fuels has been proposed as a potential solution. Biofuel obtained from biomass through a pyrolysis process is called pyrolysis oil (PO). Because PO is difficult to use directly in conventional engines due to its inadequate fuel properties, various methods have been proposed to improve the fuel properties. Among them, using an alcohol fuel as an organic solvent has been proposed to mix PO with diesel to significantly improve fuel properties. In this study, a blend of diesel, n-butanol, and coffee ground pyrolysis oil (CGO) was applied to a diesel-powered generator. The experimental results showed that stable combustion was possible regardless of fuel type. Although, the fuel consumption rate of the blended fuels was about 20% higher than that of diesel, the efficiencies of all of the test fuels were comparable. NOx emissions decreased about 15–30% for the blended fuels than diesel due to high evaporating latent heat of n-butanol and water content of CGO. The blended fuels showed 70–90% lower PM mass emissions than diesel owing to the oxygen in n-butanol and CGO.

Understanding characteristics of diurnal particle concentration variation in an underground subway tunnel is important to reduce subway passengers’ exposure to high levels of toxic particle pollution. In this study, real-time particle monitoring for eight consecutive days was done at a shelter located in the middle of a one-way underground subway tunnel in Seoul, Republic of Korea, during the summer of 2015. Particle mass concentration was measured using a dust monitor and particle number concentration using an optical particle counter. From the diurnal variations in PM10, PM2.5, and PM1, concentrations of particles larger than 0.54 μm optical particle diameter were affected by train frequency whereas those of particles smaller than 0.54 μm optical particle diameter were not changed by train frequency. Number concentration of particles smaller than 1.15 μm optical particle diameter was dependent on outdoor ambient air particle concentration level, whereas that of particles larger than 1.15 μm optical particle diameter was independent of outdoor ambient air due to low ventilation system transmission efficiency of micrometer-sized particles. In addition, an equation was suggested to predict the diurnal particle concentration in an underground tunnel by considering emission, ventilation, and deposition effects.

In this study, the Gaussian Diffusion Sphere Model (GDSM) and the Statistical Lagrangian Particle Tracking (SLPT) approach were employed and adjusted to calculate the local deposition velocity onto a flat plate in horizontal airflow. The GDSM and the SLPT approach were validated by comparing the predicted local deposition velocities with those determined by solving the equation of convective diffusion. Both the GDSM and the SLPT approach were found to be accurate in calculating the local deposition velocity onto a flat plate in horizontal airflow. In addition, the GDSM was much more efficient than the SLPT approach in terms of the calculation time. Finally, a parametric study on the local deposition velocity onto a flat plate exposed to horizontal airflow was performed using the GDSM with the consideration of the effects of the gravity, convection, diffusion, and thermophoresis.Copyright 2015 American Association for Aerosol Research

Clade 2.3.4.4 H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) have spread worldwide. Phylogenetic analysis identified two genetic groups of the H5N8 HPAIVs in South Korea; group A evolved further into four subgroups. Here, we examined the zoonotic potential, both in vivo and in vitro, of genetically distinct subgroups of H5N8 HPAIVs isolated in South Korea. When compared with other subgroups, A/mallard/Korea/H2102/2015 (H2102) virus caused relatively severe disease in mice at high doses. In ferrets, all H5N8 viruses replicated restrictively in the respiratory tract and did not induce significant clinical signs of influenza infection. In vitro studies, all viruses displayed a hemagglutinin phenotype that was poorly adapted for infection of mammals, although the H2102 virus exhibited higher replication kinetics at 33 °C than the others. Although H5N8 HPAIVs have not yet acquired all the characteristics required for adaptation to mammals, their ability to evolve continuously underscores the need for timely risk assessment.

A sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the determination of Grayanotoxin I (GTX I) and Grayanotoxin III (GTX III) in rat whole blood. Grayanotoxins (GTXs) and clindamycin as internal standard (IS) were extracted from rat blood via solid-phase extraction using PEP solid-phase extraction cartridges. Chromatographic separation of the analytes was achieved on a Kinetex C18 (100 × 2.1 mm, 2.6 µm) reversed-phase column using a gradient elution with the mobile phase of 1% acetic acid in water and methanol at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was operated in the positive ion mode with multiple reaction monitoring. The calibration curves obtained were linear over the concentration range of 1–100 ng/mL with a lower limit of quantification of 1 ng/mL for GTXs. The relative standard deviation of intra-day and inter-day precision was below 6.8% and accuracy ranged from 94.8 to 106.6%. The analytes were stable in the stability studies. The validated method was successfully applied to the quantification and toxicokinetic study of GTXs in rats for the first time after oral administration of 11.52 mg/kg mad honey and 0.35 mg/kg GTX III, respectively. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

For a case study of suspected paraquat intoxication, we developed a simple and rapid method of qNMR to determine the mili-molar amount of paraquat in postmortem blood samples. There were no interfering signals from endogenous compounds in the chemical shift of paraquat and diquat (internal standard). The amount of sample used ranged from 0.25 mM to 10.0 mM. Diquat, which has similar physicochemical properties with paraquat, was chosen as an internal standard. The NMR experimental conditions, relaxation delay time and CPMG spin-echo pulse sequence were optimized. The developed method was validated in terms of specificity, accuracy, precision, matrix effect, recovery, limit of detection (LOD), and low limit of quantification (LLOQ). The proposed qNMR method provided a simple and rapid assay for the identification and quantification of the quaternary ammonium herbicide, "paraquat" in postmortem blood samples. This method was tested by using the blood from the heart of a man who was intoxicated with paraquat. In this particular case, the level of paraquat was 1.07 mM in the blood. For the determination of quaternary ammonium herbicides, qNMR could also be used to provide a better understanding of the currently available techniques.

The unintended influence of exhaust plumes emitted from a vehicle ahead to on-road air quality surveying data measured with a mobile laboratory (ML) at 20–40 km h −1 in dense traffic areas was investigated by experiment and life-sized computational fluidic dynamics (CFD) simulation. The ML equipped with variable sampling inlets of five columns by four rows was used to measure the spatial distribution of CO 2 and NO x concentrations when following 5–20 m behind a sport utility vehicle (SUV) as an emitter vehicle equipped with a portable emission monitoring system (PEMS). The PEMS measured exhaust gases at the tailpipe for input data of the CFD simulations. After the CFD method was verified with experimental results of the SUV, dispersion of exhaust plumes emitted from a bus and a sedan was numerically analyzed. More dilution of the exhaust plume was observed at higher vehicle speeds, probably because of eddy diffusion that was proportional to turbulent kinetic energy and vehicle speed. The CO 2 and NO x concentrations behind the emitter vehicle showed less overestimation as both the distance between the two vehicles and their background concentrations increased. If the height of the ML inlet is lower than 2 m and the ML travels within 20 m behind a SUV and a sedan ahead at 20 km h −1 , the overestimation should be considered by as much as 200 ppb in NO x and 80 ppm in CO 2 . Following a bus should be avoided if possible, because effect of exhaust plumes from a bus ahead could not be negligible even when the distance between the bus and the ML with the inlet height of 2 m, was more than 40 m. Recommendations are provided to avoid the unintended influence of exhaust plumes from vehicles ahead of the ML during on-road measurement in urban dense traffic conditions.

In this study, we measured the size distribution of particles ranging in size from 5.6 to 560 nm that were emitted between brake disks and pads under various braking conditions to observe and analyze changes to the resulting particle size distribution over braking time. A peak of 178-275 nm (200 nm peak) was observed in all braking conditions. However, the generation of spherical particles of a 10 nm range was observed only when the disk speed and brake force were above certain levels and intensified only when speed and brake force further increased. The total number concentration of ultrafine particles (no larger than 0.1 μm; PM0.1) generated was found to correlate with disk speed and brake force. Thus, the generation of nanoparticles resulting from disk speed and brake force was attributable primarily to increases in the contact surface temperature. The critical temperature for the generation of nanoparticles of a 10 nm range was found to be about 70 °C, which is the average temperature between the surface and the inside of the disk. If the speed or brake force was higher, that is, the temperature of the contact surface reached a certain level, evaporation and condensation took place. Vapor then left the friction surface, met with the air, and quickly cooled to form nanoparticles through nucleation. When the newly generated particles became highly concentrated, they grew through coagulation to form agglomerates or the vapor condensed directly onto the surface of existing particles of about 200 nm (formed by mechanical friction).