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In this present study, an aerosol effective height (AEH) retrieval algorithm has been developed using the O4 air mass factor (AMF) at 477 nm from the hyperspectral Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). We investigated the magnitude of change in topographical and seasonal O4 vertical column density (VCD) in Northeast Asia and evaluated its effect on AEH retrieval accuracy using our AEH retrieval algorithm. In addition, the effect of a temperature-dependent cross-section for O4 (TDCS) on Look Up Table (LUT)-based AEH retrieval accuracy was quantified. A comparison between the retrieved AEH and those from the NIES lidar network for the period from January 2005 to June 2009, applying both the TDCS and the seasonal and topographical O4 VCDs, resulted in a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.44 km for both smoke and dust aerosols. However, when both a TDCS (an O4 absorption cross-section at a single temperature of 293 K; SCS) and a single O4 VCD value were applied to the LUT, the RMSE for both aerosol types was calculated to be 0.52 km (0.51 km), which implies that TDCS contributes most to AEH retrieval accuracy when accurate O4 VCDs are applied to the LUT. For smoke aerosols only, both TDCS and multiple O4 VCD (SCS and single O4 VCD) applications had RMSE values of 0.46 km (0.66 km). The retrieved AEHs were additionally compared with satellite-based lidar measurements. We also investigated the effects of uncertainties in our algorithm input data (e.g., O4 VCD, TDCS, AOD, and surface reflectance) on AEH retrieval error using synthetic radiances. Large errors can be caused by uncertainties in O4 VCD and AOD. In particular (0.4 ≤ AOD

This study introduces a new method of combining Imaging Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (Imaging-DOAS) data and plume dispersion formulas for power plant emissions to determine the threedimensional structure of a dispersing pollution plume and the spatial distributions of trace gas volume mixing ratios (VMRs) under conditions of negligible water droplet and aerosol effects on radiative transfer within the plume. This novel remote-sensing method, applied to a power plant stack plume, was used to calculate the twodimensional distributions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) VMRs in stack emissions for the first time. High SO2 VMRs were observed only near the emission source, whereas high NO2 VMRs were observed at locations several hundreds of meters away from the initial emission. The results of this study demonstrate the capability of this new method as a tool for estimating plume dimensions and trace gas VMRs in power plant emissions.

The destruction study of gas emitted from the semiconductor industry is performed with electron-beam technology. Absorbed dose (kGy) and current ranged from 0 (0) to 400 kGy (20 mA). The concentration of gas ranged from 500 to 2,000 ppm. In order to assess the effect of a residence time on DRE (Destruction and Removal Efficiency, %), experiments also conducted at different irridiation times of 5 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec and 20 sec respectively. As absorbed dose and current increased, DRE of was also increased. However, DRE (%) of decreased with increasing the concentration of gas. The DRE of was about 90% at an absorbed dose of 400 kGy.

A measurement method combining multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) and a transmissometer (TX) is introduced as a means of retrieving surface trace gas mixing ratios in ambient air. The combined measurement method was utilized to derive surface NO2 mixing ratios from 27 March to 11 May 2007 in Seoul, Korea. To convert the differential slant column density (DSCD) to the volume mixing ratio (VMR), the light path length (LPL) along the MAX-DOAS line of sight was derived using the light extinction coefficient and Angstrom exponent data obtained by a TX and sunphotometer, respectively. Temporal variations of the NO2 VMRs at the 0–1 km layer obtained from radiative transfer model (RTM) simulations coupled with MAX-DOAS data show similar patterns, but with reduced magnitudes, to the ground level data and those of the combined MAX-DOAS and TX measurements at 0.08 km. The NO2 VMRs retrieved by the combined measurement were in agreement with those obtained from the RTM simulations coupled with MAX-DOAS data and the in-situ measurements within 40 and 50%, respectively. The coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.75 was obtained between the combined measurement data sets and those of the RTM simulations coupled with MAX-DOAS data whereas that between the combined measurement data sets and those of the in-situ measurements was 0.53. The coefficient of determination (R2) between the data sets derived from the RTM simulations coupled with MAX-DOAS data and those of the in-situ measurements was 0.67 with the scatter of the correlation within the 50% range.

The development of resistance to antibiotics and disinfectants as well as the occurrence of many adverse effects caused by using conventional antibacterial agents like chlorine compounds have prompted scientists to search for new antibacterial agents. Among the many nanomaterials, silver nanoparticles have proven to be a good alternative for its antibacterial properties. In this study, silver nanoparticle-supported silica micro beads (Ag-NPBs) with sizes ranging from 180 to 500 μm have been prepared. Silica gel was synthesized by a sol–gel route and crushed into micro beads, which were modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane by so-called dry method. Silver nanoparticles were directly created on the surface and in the pores of the modified silica by chemical reduction. The prepared materials were characterized with FT-IR, BET, XRD, FE-SEM, FE-STEM, UV–vis spectrophotometer, and optical microscope. Silver nanoparticles mostly distributed at the outer layer of amino functionalized silica beads. Ag-NPBs samples were examined for their antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and Bacillus subtilis ( B. subtilis ). The excellent antibacterial properties of Ag-NPBs were confirmed with zone inhibition and test tube test. Zone inhibitory tests proved that Ag-NPBs were effective against both gram negative and gram positive bacteria while test tube tests indicated that no E. coli was detected after 1 min contact.

Silver nanoparticle containing silica micro beads (Ag-NPBs) were successfully prepared by using sodium silicate, a cheap precursor, involving chemical reductive method. First, silica gel was synthesized and crushed into micro beads which have sizes ranging from 0.5 to 1 mm. Silica micro beads were then modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane to graft amino functional groups onto their surface. Silver ions were loaded onto the surface of the modified silica and reduced to silver crystal by adding NaBH4. The presence of silver nanoparticles as well as structure of materials was characterized with FT-IR, XRD, BET, FE-SEM, TEM, UV–vis spectrophotometer, and optical microscope. Silver nanoparticles with an average size about 5 nm were found in the pore and on the surface of amino functionalized silica beads. Ag-NPBs samples were tested for their antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli). The antibacterial activity was examined by both zone inhibition and test tube test method. Biological results indicated that the synthesized materials have an excellent antibacterial performance against E. coli which was completely inhibited after 5 min contact with Ag-NPBs.

A scanning imaging spectrograph system was used in this study to retrieve readings of the 2-D distribution of lTEXg$SO_2$l/TEXg and BrO around the crater of the Sakurajima volcano in Japan. The measurement was carried out during the daytime on November 2, 2005. Measurements were made at the surface of the site, located 5 km from the Sakurajima crater. One hundred horizontal scans were performed. Each column scanned by the system consists of 64 vertical pixels in order to retrieve the spatial distributions of BrO and lTEXg$SO_2$l/TEXg in the plume in terms of slant column densities (SCDs). Measured spectra were analyzed to identify and quantify lTEXg$SO_2$l/TEXg and BrO in the volcanic plume utilizing the plume's specific absorption features in the ultra violet region. Two-dimensional BrO and lTEXg$SO_2$l/TEXg distributions in SCD were retrieved horizontally covering the upwind, crater and downwind areas, and vertically, including the plume in the center of the scanned image. Both horizontal and vertical dispersions of lTEXg$SO_2$l/TEXg SCD from the crater were successfully measured to be from lTEXg$10^{17}$l/TEXg to lTEXg$4.5{\times}10^{18}$l/TEXg molecules lTEXg$cm^{-2}$l/TEXg. However, BrO was measured below lTEXg$10^{15}$l/TEXg molecules lTEXg$cm^{-2}$l/TEXg, which is considered its background level.

A recently developed aerosol retrieval algorithm based on O4 slant column densities (SCDs) measured at a visible wavelength (476 nm) was utilized to derive aerosol information (e.g., aerosol optical depth (AOD) and vertical distributions of aerosol extinction coefficients (AECs)) in the lower troposphere during a severe Asian dust period. The MAX-DOAS measurements were carried out at Gwangju, Korea for nearly three months from February through May 2008. Comparison with AOD and surface PM10, measured by collocated sunphotometer and beta gauge sampler, were made to validate the retrieved AODs and AECs in the atmospheric layer surface to 1 km height above ground. On the Asian dust days, temporal variations of the AODs retrieved from MAX-DOAS measurements show similar patterns, but with reduced magnitudes, to those measured by sunphotometer whereas similar AOD magnitude and temporal variation was observed between MAX-DOAS and sunphotometer measurements during the non-episodic days. Smaller correlation was obs...

A novel system for removing toluene, p-xylene, and ethylene was developed that combines a biotrickling filtration system with a nonthermal plasma reactor. The limitations of an individual biotrickling filter for treating slowly biodegradable volatile organic compound (VOC) gases with high concentrations were thereby avoided. Performance for removing toluene, p-xylene, and ethylene of a biotrickling filter and a plasma reactor was investigated at a variety of flow rates and inlet concentrations of the test gases. The biotrickling filter was exposed to toluene gas only for over 1 month, to cultivate specific micro-organisms. Biofiltration treatment removed toluene more efficiently than p-xylene and ethylene. However, the nonthermal plasma removed ethylene more effectively than p-xylene and toluene, due to the fact that ethylene has a weak π bond. For the case of the plasma-pretreated biotrickling system, the efficiency with which toluene, p-xylene, and ethylene were removed was 95.2 ± 0.1%, 95.8 ± ...

An investigation into the diurnal characteristics of vertical formaldehyde (HCHO) profiles was conducted based on multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) measurements in Beijing during the CAREBEIJING campaign, covering a month-long period through August and September 2006. Vertical HCHO profiles were retrieved based on a combined differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) technique and an optimal estimation method (OEM). The HCHO volume-mixing ratio (VMR) was found to be highest in the layer from the surface up to an altitude of 1 km and to decrease with altitude above this layer. In all retrieved profiles, HCHO was not detected in the layer from 3–4 km. Over the diurnal cycle, the HCHO VMR values were generally highest at 15:00 local time (LT) and were lower in the morning and late afternoon. The mean HCHO VMRs were 6.17, 1.82, and 0.80 ppbv for the 0–1, 1–2, and 2–3-km layers, respectively, at 15:00 LT, whereas they were 3.54 (4.79), 1.06 (1.43), and 0.46 (0.63) ppbv for the 0–1, 1–2, and 2–3-km layers, respectively, at 09:00 (17:00) LT. The HCHO VMRs reached their highest values at 15:00 LT on August 19, which were 17.71, 5.20, and 2.31 ppbv for the 0–1, 1–2, and 2–3-km layers, respectively. This diurnal pattern implies that the photo-oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was most active at 15:00 LT for several days during the campaign period. In a comparison of the derived HCHO VCDs with those obtained from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) measurements, the HCHO vertical column density (VCD) values obtained from the OMI measurements tend to be smaller than those from the MAX-DOAS.

We investigate the simultaneous effects of aerosol peak height (APH), aerosol properties, measurement geometry, and other factors on the air mass factor for NO2 retrieval at sites with high NO2 concentration. A comparison of the effects of high and low surface reflectance reveals that NO2 air mass factor (AMF) values over a snowy surface (surface reflectance 0.8) are generally higher than those over a deciduous forest surface (surface reflectance 0.05). Under high aerosol optical depth (AOD) conditions, the aerosol shielding effect over a high-albedo surface is revealed to reduce the path-length of light at the surface, whereas high single scattering albedo (SSA) conditions (e.g., SSA = 0.95) lead to an increase in the aerosol albedo effect, which results in an increased AMF over areas with low surface reflectance. We also conducted an in-depth study of the APH effect on AMF. For an AOD of 0.1 and half width (HW) of 5 km, NO2 AMF decreases by 29% from 1.36 to 0.96 as APH changes from 0 to 2 km. In the case of high-AOD conditions (0.9) and HW of 5 km, the NO2 AMF decreases by 240% from 1.85 to 0.54 as APH changes from 0 to 2 km. The AMF variation due to error in the model input parameters (e.g., AOD, SSA, aerosol shape, and APH) is also examined. When APH is 0 km with an AOD of 0.4, SSA of 0.88, and surface reflectance of 0.05, a 30% error in AOD induces an AMF error of between 4.85% and −3.67%, an SSA error of 0.04 leads to NO2 VCD errors of between 4.46% and −4.77%, and a 30% error in AOD induces an AMF error of between −9.53% and 8.35% with an APH of 3 km. In addition to AOD and SSA, APH is an important factor in calculating AMF, due to the 2 km error in APH under high-SZA conditions, which leads to an NO2 VCD error of over 60%. Aerosol shape is also found to have a measureable effect on AMF under high-AOD and small relative azimuth angle (RAA) conditions. The diurnal effect of the NO2 profile is also examined and discussed.

This present study suggests a method to calculate the SO2 flow rate from a source area to receptor areas on a regional scale using Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) SO2 products, surface in situ SO2 data, and the hybrid single particle Lagrangian integrated trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. The method was implemented to calculate the SO2 flow rate from continental Asia to northeast Asia and the Northwest Pacific Ocean. For the high SO2 events when SO2 was transported from continental Asia to Japan via the Korean Peninsula on 22-24 December 2006, the long-range transported SO2 flow rates were 14.0 (21.0) Mg.h(-1) OMI.gird(-1) at Gangneung (Seoul) in Korea and 4.2 (5.3) Mg.h(-1) OMI.gird(-1) at Hiroshima (Kumamoto) in Japan. For the long-range transport of SO2 from continental Asia to the Northwest Pacific Ocean on 6-7 October 2008 (9-11 October 2006), the flow rates were 16.1 (16.2) Mg.h(-1) OMI.gird(-1) at Hokkaido, Japan (Vladivostok, Russia) and 5.6 (16.7) Mg.h(-1) OMI.gird(-1) at the Aleutian Islands, Northwest Pacific Ocean (Bering Sea). The mean rates of decrease in the SO2 flow rate per 1000 km were also calculated between continental Asia and the receptor areas. Uncertainties in the flow rate estimates were also assessed and discussed.

There has been a long-standing interest in the role played by sugars in flowering. Of particular interest is how sugar-related signals are integrated into flowering genetic pathways. Here, we demonstrate that the INDETERMINATE DOMAIN transcription factor AtIDD8 regulates photoperiodic flowering by modulating sugar transport and metabolism. We found that whereas AtIDD8-deficient idd8 mutants exhibit delayed flowering under long days, AtIDD8-overexpressing plants (35S:IDD8) show early flowering. In addition, the sucrose synthase genes SUS1 and SUS4 were upregulated in 35S:IDD8 plants but downregulated in idd8 mutants, in which endogenous sugar levels were altered. AtIDD8 activates the SUS4 gene by binding directly to its promoter, resulting in promoted flowering in SUS4-overexpressing plants. SUS4 expression also responds to photoperiodic signals. Notably, the AtIDD8 gene is suppressed by sugar deprivation. Therefore, we conclude that AtIDD8 regulation of sugar transport and metabolism is linked to photoperiodic flowering.