Simultaneous estimation of model parameters and diffuse pollution sources for river water quality modeling.

Diffuse pollution sources along a stream reach are very difficult to both monitor and estimate. In this paper, a systematic method using an optimal estimation algorithm is presented for simultaneous estimation of diffuse pollution and model parameters in a stream water quality model. It was applied with the QUAL2E model to the South Han River in South Korea for optimal estimation of kinetic constants and diffuse loads along the river. Initial calibration results for kinetic constants selected from a sensitivity analysis reveal that diffuse source inputs for nitrogen and phosphorus are essential to satisfy the system mass balance. Diffuse loads for total nitrogen and total phosphorus were estimated by solving the expanded inverse problem. Comparison of kinetic constants estimated simultaneously with diffuse sources to those estimated without diffuse loads, suggests that diffuse sources must be included in the optimization not only for its own estimation but also for adequate estimation of the model parameters. Application of the optimization method to river water quality modeling is discussed in terms of the sensitivity coefficient matrix structure.

Chemical characteristics and leachability of organically contaminated heavy metal sludge solidified by silica fume and cement.

This paper discusses the development of mixtures with silica fume as a stabilization/solidification agent and binder for industrial wastewater residue containing organic and heavy metal contaminants. The UCS (Unconfined Compressive Strength) gradually increased to 66.7% as the silica fume content increased to 15%. The leaching of TOC and chromium decreased as more OPC was substituted with silica fume. When the mix had 5% silica fume, it retained about 85% TOC, and chromium leached out 0.76 mg-Cr/g-Cr in acidic solution. Also, microstructural studies on the solidified wastes through the scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) and X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the silica fume caused an inhibition to the ettringite formation which did not contribute to setting, but coated the cement particles and retarded the setting reactions. The results indicated that the incorporation of silica fume into the cement matrix minimized the detrimental effects of organic materials on the cement hydration reaction and contaminant leachability.

Phospholipase C isozymes selectively couple to specific neurotransmitter receptors.

A variety of extracellular signals are transduced across the cell membrane by the enzyme phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C-beta (PLC-beta) coupled with guanine-nucleotide-binding G proteins. There are four isoenzymes of PLC-beta, beta1-beta4, but their functions in vivo are not known. Here we investigate the role of PLC-beta1 and PLC-beta4 in the brain by generating null mutations in mice: we found that PLCbeta1-/- mice developed epilepsy and PLCbeta4-/- mice showed ataxia. We determined the molecular basis of these phenotypes and show that PLC-beta1 is involved in signal transduction in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus by coupling predominantly to the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor, whereas PLC-beta4 works through the metabotropic glutamate receptor in the cerebellum, illustrating how PLC-beta isoenzymes are used to generate different functions in the brain.