Environmental risk index: a tool to assess the safety of dams for leachate

Bagasse-based ion adsorbent was prepared by chemically modifying bagasse with acrylonitrile and hydroxylamine with the aim to enhance the ability of removal heavy metal ions from wastewater. The purified modified materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). Batch experiments of Cu(II) ions (Cu(2+)) adsorption on the bagasse adsorbent were performed. Effects of the adsorbent dosage, initial pH of the solution, temperature of the Cu(2+) solution, and initial Cu(2+) concentration on the adsorption of Cu(2+) were studied, respectively. Langmuir and Freundlich models were applied to describe the adsorption isotherm of Cu(2+) by bagasse adsorbent. The results indicated that Langmuir model fitted the adsorption equilibrium data better than the Freundlich isotherm model. Two kinetic models, including pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order, were also used to analyze the Cu(2+) adsorption process, and the results showed that the pseudo-second-order with correlation coefficients greater than 0.999 was more suitable than pseudo-first-order.     

A Framework for the Development of an Environmental Management System: A Case Study in a Thermal Power Plant

A framework for the development of an environmental management system that satisfies the requirements of the ISO 14001 standards is presented. The framework is developed for NB Power, a company producing electricity for the province of New Brunswick in Canada. A case study is carried out in a thermal power plant called Coleson Cove. An initial review of the existing environmental management programs is presented. The environmental policy is evaluated, and the environmental aspects and impacts of the plant's activities are identified and prioritized according to prespecified criteria of severity, frequency, degree of control, and existence of regulation. Environmental objectives and targets are set and recommendations are presented.     

A test of Rasmussen's risk management framework in the food safety domain: BSE in the UK

In 1986, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was identified in the UK. Millions of BSE-infected cows were slaughtered and over 150 people contracted variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, an inevitably fatal human form of BSE. Tragic incidents such as this provide valuable opportunities to understand and improve the safety of complex socio-technical systems. By studying accidents, knowledge can be gained that can improve system safety. The purpose of this article is to test the usefulness of Rasmussen's risk management framework for explaining how and why accidents occur in the food production domain. This was accomplished by using the framework to retrospectively investigate how and why BSE was transmitted through the human and animal food supply in the UK from 1986 to 1996. More specifically, an AcciMap and Conflict Map were constructed to represent contributing factors of the epidemic according to the structure of Rasmussen's framework. These factors were used to test the seven predictions made by the framework. All seven predictions were supported by the evidence, indicating that Rasmussen's risk management framework shows promise as a theoretically driven explanation of how and why accidents happen in complex socio-technical systems, particularly in the food production domain.     

A risk index for ordinal variables and its statistical properties: A priority of intervention indicator in quality control framework

Measuring risk when data are available only on an ordinal scale is not an easy task. The most common approach of risk modeling is a quantitative approach. In this paper, we propose the Criticality Index: a risk index suitable for studies where data are collected on ordinal scales, defined on the relative frequencies of the considered ordinal variables. Exact and asymptotic distributions of the index estimator are derived, and its statistical properties are studied. Moreover, the confidence intervals using the asymptotic normality are defined. The proposed index may be used as an initial view of the level of risk, for comparisons among environments, to indicate how risk changes over time, and to identify interventions in control systems. An application in quality control framework to data on severity, detection, and the occurrence of product defects of a multinational manufacturer is also presented.     

Combining U.S.-based prioritization tools to improve screening level accountability for environmental impact: The case of the chemical manufacturing industry

There are two quantitative indicators that are most widely used to assess the extent of compliance of industrial facilities with environmental regulations: the quantity of hazardous waste generated and the amount of toxics released. These indicators, albeit useful in terms of some environmental monitoring, fail to account for direct or indirect effects on human and environmental health, especially when aggregating total quantity of releases for a facility or industry sector. Thus, there is a need for a more comprehensive approach that can prioritize a particular chemical (or industry sector) on the basis of its relevant environmental performance and impact on human health. Accordingly, the objective of the present study is to formulate an aggregation of tools that can simultaneously capture multiple effects and several environmental impact categories. This approach allows us to compare and combine results generated with the aid of select U.S.-based quantitative impact assessment tools, thereby supplementing compliance-based metrics such as data from the U.S. Toxic Release Inventory. A case study, which presents findings for the U.S. chemical manufacturing industry, is presented to illustrate the aggregation of these tools. Environmental impacts due to both upstream and manufacturing activities are also evaluated for each industry sector. The proposed combinatorial analysis allows for a more robust evaluation for rating and prioritizing the environmental impacts of industrial waste.     

A combined usage of stochastic and quantitative risk assessment methods in the worksites: Application on an electric power provider

An individual method cannot build either a realistic forecasting model or a risk assessment process in the worksites, and future perspectives should focus on the combined forecasting/estimation approach. The main purpose of this paper is to gain insight into a risk prediction and estimation methodological framework, using the combination of three different methods, including the proportional quantitative-risk-assessment technique (PRAT), the time-series stochastic process (TSP), and the method of estimating the societal-risk (SRE) by F-N curves. In order to prove the usefulness of the combined usage of stochastic and quantitative risk assessment methods, an application on an electric power provider industry is presented to, using empirical data.     

Willingness to pay for road safety and estimates of the risk of death: evidence from a Swedish contingent valuation study

We examine how WTP for a reduction in road-mortality risk varies with different individual characteristics and how subjective mortality-risk estimates differ from objective (statistical) mortality-risk values. Using data from a Swedish contingent valuation study, we find some support that WTP declines with age and background risk, but we find no support that WTP varies with health status. Further, we find that respondents underassess their own mortality risks, both road- and total-mortality risks, compared to the objective risk measures for Sweden at the time of the survey.     

Capability assessment for processes with multiple characteristics: A generalization of the popular index Cpk

Process capability index C_pk is the most popular capability index widely used in the manufacturing industry. Existing research on the yield‐based measure index C_pk to date is restricted to processes with single characteristics. However, many manufacturing processes are commonly described with multiple characteristics, for example, the gold bumping process in the TFT‐LCD (thin film transistor‐liquid crystal display) manufacturing industry. In the gold bumping process, gold bumps have multiple characteristics all having effects on the process yield. Obtaining accurate gold bumping manufacturing yield is very important for quality assurance and in providing guidance toward process improvement. To obtain accurate yield assessment for processes with multiple characteristics, we propose a new overall yield‐measure index C, which is a generalization of the index C_pk, and a natural estimator of C. For the purpose of making inferences on the process capability, we derive a quite accurate approximation of the distribution of since the distribution is analytically intractable. With this distribution, we tabulate the lower confidence bounds of the new index under various sample sizes for in‐plant applications. In addition, we construct a statistical test on the new yield‐measure index in order to examine whether the yield meets the customers' requirements. For illustration purpose, a real case in a gold bumping factory located in the Science‐based Industrial Park at Hsinchu, Taiwan is presented. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A text-based monitoring tool for the legitimacy and guidance of technological innovation systems

Disruptive technologies have to overcome their liability of newness and transition into their growth phase by achieving compliance with existing institutions and pursuing the most promising development paths. Technological innovation system (TIS) studies examined these two issues of legitimacy and guidance of innovation activities by investigating the public discourse with manual media analyses. However, these approaches are time-consuming, prone to subjectivity biases and limited in scope. Therefore, our paper proposes an automatic text analysis methodology based on unsupervised Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modelling and lexicon-based sentiment analysis. By processing 3423 German newspaper articles from the Nexis Uni database, we cover the development of battery-electric vehicles (BEV) in Germany from 2009 to 2019 and identify five socio-technical aspects. Our results indicate an intact legitimacy for the TIS, with Usability, R&D, and Industry being legitimate aspects, which also exhibit strong or improving guidance. In contrast, the Infrastructure and Policy aspects have been less legitimate and weak in guidance, suggesting the need for more holistic policy measures and infrastructure expansion to establish a mass market. Our proposed methodology adds to the toolbox of methods to analyze TIS and serves as a monitoring tool to reveal contested aspects and periods in the public discourse.     

污水资源化是改善环境解决淡水资源短缺的重要途径

简要介绍了全球及我国水资源短缺的情况;指出了当前我国污水排放量巨大,处理及回收利用率很低,水环境污染及水资源浪费严重的现状;开发污水高效、可靠处理及综合回收利用的工艺技术,大幅度提高工业废水及城市污水的回收利用率,是改善环境、解决我国淡水资源短缺的重要途径。     

Deterministic and stochastic approach for safety and reliability optimization of captive power plant maintenance scheduling using GA/SA-based hybrid techniques: A comparison of results

This paper presents a comparison of results for optimization of captive power plant maintenance scheduling using genetic algorithm (GA) as well as hybrid GA/simulated annealing (SA) techniques. As utilities catered by captive power plants are very sensitive to power failure, therefore both deterministic and stochastic reliability objective functions have been considered to incorporate statutory safety regulations for maintenance of boilers, turbines and generators. The significant contribution of this paper is to incorporate stochastic feature of generating units and that of load using levelized risk method. Another significant contribution of this paper is to evaluate confidence interval for loss of load probability (LOLP) because some variations from optimum schedule are anticipated while executing maintenance schedules due to different real-life unforeseen exigencies. Such exigencies are incorporated in terms of near-optimum schedules obtained from hybrid GA/SA technique during the final stages of convergence. Case studies corroborate that same optimum schedules are obtained using GA and hybrid GA/SA for respective deterministic and stochastic formulations. The comparison of results in terms of interval of confidence for LOLP indicates that levelized risk method adequately incorporates the stochastic nature of power system as compared with levelized reserve method. Also the interval of confidence for LOLP denotes the possible risk in a quantified manner and it is of immense use from perspective of captive power plants intended for quality power.     

A route instrument for measuring the concentration of gases based on a two-wavelength semiconductor laser

A route instrument for measuring small concentrations of gases which uses as the radiation source a semiconductor laser diode with an asymmetrical quantum-dimensional heterostructure is considered. Optoelectronic recirculation simultaneously at two optical wavelengths is achieved in the system, which enables the accuracy of route measurements of the concentration of gases to be achieved and also enables the length of the monitored route to be measured. __________ Translated from Izmeritel’naya Tekhnika, No. 1, pp. 64–67, January, 2007.     

Inter‐African cooperation in the social sciences in the era of decolonization: A case of science diplomacy

This article addresses the inter‐imperial collaboration in the social sciences promoted by the Commission for Technical Cooperation in Africa South of Sahara (CCTA) and its advisory board, the Scientific Council for Africa South of the Sahara (CSA), at the intersection of diplomatic history and the history of science during late colonialism. It is our purpose to re‐evaluate how the common aim of reinvigorating and re‐legitimating empire in the era of decolonization forged relations between social scientists, colonial officials, and diplomats, and to provide new insights into the ways social science influenced and was influenced by foreign policy in this specific context. Drawing on primary printed sources from the CCTA/CSA and the UNESCO, and on archival sources from the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Board of Overseas Research in the Ministry of Overseas, we argue that it is important to include other international institutions and initiatives—beyond UNESCO—in the account of the surge of social sciences in the post‐war international system. Our case, focusing on the social sciences and the CCTA/CSA, also reveals the political and diplomatic uses of scientific knowledge in the era of decolonization, and the contentious nature of science diplomacy beyond previous straightforward definitions.     

A historical overview of probabilistic risk assessment development and its use in the nuclear power industry: a tribute to the late Professor Norman Carl Rasmussen

This paper reviews the historical development of the probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methods and applications in the nuclear industry. A review of nuclear safety and regulatory developments in the early days of nuclear power in the United States has been presented. It is argued that due to technical difficulties for measuring and characterizing uncertainties and concerns over legal challenges, safety design and regulation of nuclear power plants has primarily relied upon conservative safety assessment methods derived based on a set of design and safety principles. Further, it is noted that the conservatism adopted in safety and design assessments has allowed the use of deterministic performance assessment methods. This approach worked successfully in the early years of nuclear power epoch as the reactor design proved to be safe enough. However, it has been observed that as the conservative approach to design and safety criteria proved arbitrary, and yielded inconsistencies in the degree to which different safety measures in nuclear power plants protect safety and public heath, the urge for a more consistent assessment of safety became apparent in the late 1960s. In the early 1970s, as a result of public and political pressures, then the US Atomic Energy Commission initiated a new look at the safety of the nuclear power plants through a comprehensive study called ‘Reactor Safety Study’ (WASH-1400, or ‘Rasmussen Study’—after its charismatic study leader Professor Norman Rasmussen of MIT) to demonstrate safety of the nuclear power plants. Completed in October 1975, this landmark study introduced a novel probabilistic, systematic and holistic approach to the assessment of safety, which ultimately resulted in a sweeping paradigm shift in safety design and regulation of nuclear power in the United States in the turn of the Century. Technical issues of historic significance and concerns raised by the subsequent reviews of the Rasmussen Study have been discussed. Effect of major events and developments such as the Three Mile Island accident and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Industry sponsored studies on the tools, techniques and applications of the PRA that culminated in the present day risk-informed initiatives has been discussed.     

Technologies for the removal of phenol from fluid streams: a short review of recent developments

The available technologies for the abatement of phenol from water and gaseous streams are briefly reviewed, and the recent advancements summarized. Separation technologies such as distillation, liquid–liquid extraction with different solvents, adsorption over activated carbons and polymeric and inorganic adsorbents, membrane pervaporation and membrane–solvent extraction, have been discussed. Destruction technologies such as non-catalytic, supercritical and catalytic wet air oxidation, ozonation, non-catalytic, catalytic and enzymatic peroxide wet oxidation, electrochemical and photocatalytic oxidation, supercritical wet gasification, destruction with electron discharges as well as biochemical treatments have been considered. As for the abatement of phenol from gases, condensation, absorption in liquids, adsorption on solids, membrane separation, thermal, catalytic, photocatalytic and biological oxidation have also been considered. The experimental conditions and the performances of the different techniques have been compared.     

A Robust Criterion for Checking the Uniformity of Two Non-Gaussian Samples with Respect to Variances

A robust F-criterion for checking the uniformity with respect to the variances of two non-Gaussian samples is obtained and investigated. Theoretical algorithms are developed and considered. The effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed criterion for known distribution kurtoses are illustrated using specific examples.__________Translated from Izmeritelnaya Tekhnika, No. 2, pp. 9–12, February, 2005.     

A Comparative Study of Tests for Homogeneity of Variances,with Applications to the Outer Continental Shelf Bidding Data

Many of the existing parametric and nonparametric tests for homogeneity of variances, and some variations of these tests, are examined in this paper. Comparisons are made under the null hypothesis (for robustness) and under the alternative (for power). Monte Carlo simulations of various symmetric and asymmetric distributions, for various sample sizes, reveal a few tests that are robust and have good power. These tests are further compared using data from outer continental shelf bidding on oil and gas leases.     

Comparison of the Material Parameters of Polyethylene Grades with the Test Performance Behaviour of Packagings for the Transport of Dangerous Goods in Relation to the Pre‐Storage Time with 55% Nitric Acid

The material parameters melt flow rate (MFR), density (D), notched impact strength (NIS) at –30°C, stress crack resistance [determined with the Full Notch Creep Test (FNCT)] and resistance to oxidative degradation (Ox) have been selected for a comparison of polyethylene grades in the European standard EN 15507. These parameters have a relationship with design type tests of packagings for the transport of dangerous goods. This paper presents the results of additional investigations to determine the impact of the pre‐storage time of jerricans with 55% nitric acid at 40°C and 23°C on the marginal drop heights in drop tests at –18°C, on the MFR and on the tensile properties. Jerricans made of different polyethylene grades were pre‐stored with 55% nitric acid for 21, 42 and 84 days at 40°C and for six months at 23°C. The tests showed that the NIS values at –30°C of polyethylene grades were not comparable with marginal drop heights determined in drop tests at –18°C. Pre‐damage with 55% nitric acid for 21 days at 40°C led to an increase in the marginal drop heights of the jerricans. Altering the test regulations by increasing pre‐storage time with 55% nitric acid to 42 days would be an alternative. The test results demonstrated clearly that pre‐storage of the jerricans for six months at 23°C caused a higher increase in the MFR and lower marginal drop heights for the jerricans when compared with pre‐stored jerricans for 21 days at 40°C. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An Inequality for the Sample Coefficient of Variation and an Application to Variables Sampling

The problem of time trends is frequently present in chemical processes. Experimental designs which can be used in these situations have been developed by several workers. The designs of D. R. Cox are restricted to a few levels and can be used with both qualitative or quantitative variables. The randomly oriented designs of G. E. P. Box are useful when all of the variables are quantitative. Both of these types of designs presuppose the fitting of a first-order model to the data. Combinations of these designs can be made which allow the study of both qualitative and quantitative variables in the same experiment. Designs which permit the fitting of a polynomial response are available for one variable problem. Problems involving two variables can be handled by the proper combination of randomly oriented firstorder designs. Satisfactory designs for situations involving more than two independent variables and a polynomial response of second order or higher are not presently available. Further work in this area will be of interest to experimenters in the physical sciences.     

Special Report on Standards for Radioactivity: Report on the 1989 Meeting of the Radionuclide Measurements Section of the Consultative Committee on Standards for the Measurement of Ionizing Radiations

This report describes the activities discussed at the 10th meeting of Section II of the Consultative Committee on Standards for the Measurement of Ionizing Radiations (Comité Consultatif pour les Etalons de Mesure des Rayonnements Ionisants, CCEMRI) held in May 1989 at Sèvres (France). Topics included present and future international comparisons of activity measurements, the status and possible extension of the International reference system for activity measurements of gamma-ray emitting nuclides, reports from other working groups, accomplishments at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (Bureau International des Poids et Mesures, BIPM), and progress at member laboratories.