scholarly journals Effects of Ionizing Radiation on Flora Ten Years after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Disaster

Plants ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 222
Author(s):  
Gian Marco Ludovici ◽  
Andrea Chierici ◽  
Susana Oliveira de Souza ◽  
Francesco d’Errico ◽  
Alba Iannotti ◽  
...  

The aim of this work is to analyze the effects of ionizing radiation and radionuclides (like 137Cs) in several higher plants located around the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP), evaluating both their adaptive processes and evolution. After the FNPP accident in March 2011 much attention was focused to the biological consequences of ionizing radiation and radionuclides released in the area surrounding the nuclear plant. This unexpected mishap led to the emission of radionuclides in aerosol and gaseous forms from the power plant, which contaminated a large area, including wild forest, cities, farmlands, mountains, and the sea, causing serious problems. Large quantities of 131I, 137Cs, and 134Cs were detected in the fallout. People were evacuated but the flora continued to be affected by the radiation exposure and by the radioactive dusts’ fallout. The response of biota to FNPP irradiation was a complex interaction among radiation dose, dose rate, temporal and spatial variation, varying radiation sensitivities of the different plants’ species, and indirect effects from other events. The repeated ionizing radiations, acute or chronic, guarantee an adaptation of the plant species, demonstrating a radio-resistance. Consequently, ionizing radiation affects the genetic structure, especially during chronic irradiation, reducing genetic variability. This reduction is associated with the different susceptibility of plant species to chronic stress. This would confirm the adaptive theory associated with this phenomenon. The effects that ionizing radiation has on different life forms are examined in this review using the FNPP disaster as a case study focusing the attention ten years after the accident.

i-com ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Oliveira ◽  
Sophie Dupuy-Chessa ◽  
Gaëlle Calvary

AbstractInteractive systems have largely evolved over the past years. Nowadays, different users can interact with systems on different devices and in different environments. The user interfaces (UIs) are expected to cope with such variety. Plastic UIs have the capacity to adapt to changes in their context of use while preserving usability. Such capability enhances UIs, however, it adds complexity on them. We propose an approach to verifying interactive systems considering this adaptation capability of the UIs. The approach applies two formal techniques: model checking, to the verification of properties over the system model, and equivalence checking, to compare different versions of a UI, thereby identifying different levels of UI equivalence. We apply the approach to a case study in the nuclear power plant domain in which several UI are analyzed, properties are verified, and the level of equivalence between them is demonstrated.


Author(s):  
Komandur S. Sunder Raj

Surface condensers for power plant applications are generally specified and designed following turbine-condenser optimization studies. The turbine manufacturer provides turbine-generator performance data (thermal kit) at the very outset of plant design when the condenser is usually a black box and not much is known about its design. The turbine-generator guarantee would then be based on a specified condenser pressure that may or may not be attainable once the condenser is actually specified and designed. The condenser pressure used for the turbine performance guarantee might assume a single-pressure condenser while the actual design might be a multi-pressure condenser. In order to properly predict and monitor the performance and conduct diagnostics on a multi-pressure condenser, it is important to understand the design basis and develop an accurate model using performance modeling tools. The paper presents a multi-pressure condenser case study for a 600 Mwe nuclear power plant. The paper discusses the design basis used, interface between the turbine and condenser, use of a performance modeling tool for predicting performance, determining capacity losses attributable to the condenser and conducting diagnostics.


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