• Title/Summary/Keyword: environmental actions

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How to Reflect Sustainable Development, exemplified by the Equator Principles, in Overseas Investment (해외투자(海外投資)와 지속가능발전 원칙 - 프로젝트 파이낸스의 적도원칙(赤道原則)을 중심으로 -)

  • Park, Whon-Il
    • THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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    • v.31
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    • pp.27-56
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    • 2006
  • Today's financial institutions usually take environmental issues seriously into consideration as they could not evade lender liability in an increasing number of cases. On the international scene, a brand-new concept of the "Equator Principles" in the New Millenium has driven more and more international banks to adopt these Principles in project financing. Sustainable development has been a key word in understanding new trends of the governments, financial institutions, corporations and civic groups in the 21st century. The Equator Principles are a set of voluntary environmental and social guidelines for sustainable finance. These Principles commit bank officers to avoid financial support to projects that fail to meet these guidelines. The Principles were conceived in 2002 on an initiative of the International Finance Corporation(IFC), and launched in June 2003. Since then, dozens of major banks, accounting for up to 80 percent of project loan market, have adopted the Principles. Accordingly, the Principles have become the de facto standard for all banks and investors on how to deal with potential social and environmental issues of projects to be financed. Compliance with the Equator Principles facilitates for endorsing banks to participate in the syndicated loan and help them to manage the risks associated with large-scale projects. The Equator Principles call for financial institutions to provide loans to projects under the following circumstances: - The risk of the project is categorized in accordance with internal guidelines based upon the environmental and social screening criteria of the IFC. - For Category A and B projects, borrowers or sponsors are required to conduct a Social and Environmental Assessment, the preparation of which must meet certain requirements and satisfactorily address key social and environmental issues. - The Social and Environmental Assessment report should address baseline social and environmental conditions, requirements under host country laws and regulations, sustainable development, and, as appropriate, IFC's Environmental, Health and Safety Guidelines, etc. - Based on the Social and Environmental Assessment, Equator banks then make agreements with borrowers on how they mitigate, monitor and manage the risks through a Social and Environmental Management System. Compliance with the plan is included in the covenant clause of loan agreements. If the borrower doesn't comply with the agreed terms, the bank will take corrective actions. The Equator Principles are not a mere declaration of cautious banks but a full commitment of lenders. A violation of the Principles in the process of project financing, which led to an unexpected damage to the affected community, would not give rise to any specific legal remedies other than ordinary lawsuits. So it is more effective for banks to ensure consistent implementation of the Principles and to have them take responsible measures to solve social and environmental issues. Public interests have recently mounted up with respect to environmental issues on the occasion of the Supreme Court's decision (2006Du330) on the fiercely debated reclamation project at Saemangeum. The majority Justices said that the expected environmental damages like probable pollution of water and soil were not believed so serious and that the Administration should continue to implement the project seeking ways to make it more environment friendly. In this case, though the Category A Saemangeum Project was carried out by a government agency, the Supreme Court behaved itself as a signal giver to approve or stop the environment-related project like an Equator bank in project financing. At present, there is no Equator bank in Korea in contrast to three big banks in Japan. Also Korean contractors, which are aggressively bidding for Category A-type projects in South East Asia and Mideast, might find themselves in a disadvantageous position because they are generally ignorant of the environmental assessment associated with project financing. In this regard, Korean banks and overseas project contractors should care for the revised Equator Principles and the latest developments in project financing more seriously. It's because its scope has expanded to the capital cost of US$10 million or more across all industry sectors regardless of developing countries or not. It should be noted that, for a Korean bank, being an Equator bank is more or less burdensome in a short-term period, but it must be conducive to minimizing risks and building up good reputation in the long run.

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U.S. Commercial Space Traffic Management Policy, Yesterday and Today (미국의 민간(상업) 우주교통관리(Space Traffic Management, STM) 정책과 한국에의 시사점)

  • Kim, Syeun;Jung, Yungjin
    • Journal of Space Technology and Applications
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    • v.1 no.1
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    • pp.121-130
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    • 2021
  • Since the 1960s, the United States has developed and implemented policies to encourage commercial space launches. Specifically, national policies have been implementing to expand the role of commercial space actors, which required establishing a process for private space launches. In the early days of the space age, private launches accounted for a small portion of the total launch rate, but, since the 1990s, the proportion has exploded, with private space companies presenting large projects one after another, accounting for more than 50% of the total launch rate. This diversification of space actors and the increase in orbital space objects have led to changes in the perspectives of existing space environmental management processes. During and after the Cold War, when the space age began, civilian actors' actions were limited, and policies limited their actions, too. So they had little impact on government space activities. However, space technology's entry barrier has lowered since, and policies to facilitate commercial space launches have been implemented for a long, and the accumulated amount of space waste over the past 60 years is also threatening the safety, stability, and sustainability of space use. This paper examined how the United States, the most active country in commercial space launches, has managed commercial space launches. The United States has a Space Traffic Management (STM), distributed to departments such as the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, Department of Transport, NASA, etc. A review of changes in U.S STM management policy could also provide implications for us to manage commercial space launches in Korea.

The Main Methodological Positions of Educational Institutions in the System of Educational Work of the Modern Information Space

  • Shumiatska, Oleksandra;Palamar, Nataliia;Bilyk, Ruslana;Yakymenko, Svitlana;Yakovenko, Serhii;Tsybulko, Liudmyla;Bida, Olena
    • International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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    • v.22 no.11
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    • pp.272-278
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    • 2022
  • The article proves the idea that the protection and development of Ukraine as an independent, sovereign state requires the education of a patriot citizen who is able to live and work in a democracy, ensure the unity of Ukraine, feel constant responsibility for himself, his people, the country, and strive to make a real contribution to reform processes, especially in unstable, wartime. The main goal of educational institutions in the system of educational work of the modern information space is revealed. The tasks of patriotic education of the individual are presented. The content of patriotic education at the wartime stage and the main characteristics of the content of patriotism are substantiated. The main methodological positions that are taken into account in the construction of the structure and dynamics of the formation of civil responsibility of the individual are highlighted. The structure of civic responsibility as an integral system of the modern information space is drawn, which includes three subsystems that characterize the natural, social and systemic qualities of citizenship, interconnected hierarchically and synergistically. The components of the structural part of the model of civil culture of the individual in the modern information space are analyzed.Modern modernization of the education system in the modern information space, which has led to the emergence of a new type of Educational Institutions, requires the search for new pedagogical technologies that can ensure the formation of a patriotic citizen with an active civic position, which involves not only mastering students' knowledge about the rights and obligations of citizens, convincing them of the expediency of democratic transformations of society, the formation of high moral and strong-willed, patriotic qualities and feelings, but also identifying motivated civic actions, actions that are necessary during martial law in Ukraine.

Analysis on the Reduction of Phosphorus Release in River and Lake Sediments through Application of Capping Technology (Capping 기술을 이용한 하천 및 호소 퇴적토의 인 용출 저감 효과 분석)

  • Kim, Seog-Ku;Yun, Sang-Leen
    • Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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    • v.36 no.11
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    • pp.781-790
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    • 2014
  • Contaminants such as organic matters, nutrients and toxic chemicals in rivers and lakes with a weak flow rate are first removed from the water and accumulated in the sediments. Subsequently, they are released into the water column again, posing direct/indirect adverse effects on the water quality and aquatic ecosystems. In particular, phosphorus is known to accelerate the eutrophication phenomenon when it is released into the water column via physical disturbance and biological/chemical actions as one of important materials that determine the primary production of aquatic ecosystems and an element that is stored mainly in the sediments in the process of material circulation in the body of water. In this study, the effect on reducing phosphorus release in sediments was analyzed by applying different capping materials to lake water, where the effect of aquatic microorganisms is taken into account, and to distilled water, where the effect of microorganisms is excluded. The experimental results showed that capping with chemical materials such as Fe-gypsum and $SiO_2$-gypsum further reduced the phosphorus release by at least 40% compared to the control case. Composite materials like granule gypsum+Sand showed over 50% phosphorus release reduction effect. Therefore, it is determined that capping with chemical materials such as granule-gypsum and eco-friendly materials such as sand is effective in reducing phosphorus release. The changes in phosphorus properties in the sediments before and after capping treatment showed that gypsum input helped to change the phosphorus that is present in lake sediments into apatite-P, a stable form that makes phosphorus release difficult. Based on the above results, it is expected that the application of capping technology will contribute to improving the efficiency of reducing phosphorus release that occurs in river and lake sediments.

The Level of Anxiety and Relating Factors of ICU Patients (중환자실 환자의 입원시 불안정도와 영향요인)

  • Han, Kyoung-Shin;Park, Young-Im
    • The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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    • v.8 no.1
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    • pp.155-166
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    • 2002
  • This study was performed to figure out the level of anxiety and relating factors of ICU patients as the hospitalization in ICU grows more recently. Data collection was conducted from July 1st to August 31st, 2001. The subjects of this study were consisted of 101 ICU patients who were selected according to the criteria in S hospital, C city. The instruments of the research were consisted of 14 questions of general characteristics, 20 items of STAI, VAS, 24 questions for the anxiety relating factors. And data were analyzed by t-test, ANOVA, and pearson correlation for group difference and correlation with SPSS Win 10.0 program. The followings were the results of the study: 1. In the anxiety level, mean score on STAI was 53.7(item mean $2.69{\pm}.83$), and mean score on VAS was 5.23. It means that the anxiety level of ICU patients was moderate. 2. Among the relating factors of anxiety, the most highest scores were 'by seeing other patient's emergency situation' and 'by seeing other patient's death' figured 3.85 and 3.79 each. And the lowest marks were 'by the unkind behavior of doctors and nurses'(2.13) and 'nurses' or doctors' indifferent actions'(2.21). And the anxiety according to the environmental factor was the highest (3.17) and the anxiety regarding to the human relationship was the lowest (2.53). 3. In the anxiety level STAI according to the general characteristics, the patients who didn't have to take care of their family showed more anxiety than who had to take care of their family(t=-2.38, p=.02). And the variables that shows a significant difference on VAS was sex and women's anxiety was higher than men's level (t=-2.56, p=.01). 4. When the physical anxiety level was compared, the patients who had to take care of their family showed more anxiety than the people who didn't have to take care of their family(t=-1.95, p=.05). In the level of anxiety relating the human relationship, the patients who had religion showed more anxiety than patients who didn't(t=2.43 p=.02). And the married patients(t=2.43, p=.01) and more educated people(F=3.77, p=.01) showed more anxiety. Even though environmental anxiety was the highest factor, it was not significant with general characteristics. 5. The anxiety and relating factors showed positive significant relationship, and physical anxiety factor showed the strongest relation with STAI(r=.21, p<.01). And VAS level showed stronger relation with every factor of the anxiety than STAI. When the VAS level became higher, the anxiety relating to physical factor(r=.72, p<.01), human relationship(r=.63, P<.01), and environment became higher. According to the above result, the environmental anxiety was the highest level than other factors in ICU patient and thus the environmental nursing intervention becomes very important in ICU. Also nurses in ICU have to support the patients who showed higher level of anxiety in this study and try to develop the nursing intervention to relieve the anxiety of patients. And it is recommended that VAS is convenient and practical instrument for measuring the anxiety level in ICU patients.

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Agaricus blazei Mycelial Liquid Culture Extract Containing Eritadenine Improves Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia-related Biochemical Markers in RWPE-1 Cells through Anti-inflammatory and Anti-oxidative Actions (RWPE-1 전립선세포에서 eritadenine을 함유한 신령버섯균사체 액체배양물의 항염증효과 및 항산화효과에 의한 전립선비대증 관련 biochemical marker 개선 효과)

  • Ha, Yeong Lae;Moon, Yun-Gu;Kim, Na-Hyun;Heo, Jeong Doo;Cho, Min Jung;Kim, Ye Ra;Kim, Young Suk;Kim, Jeong OK
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.28 no.10
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    • pp.1147-1155
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    • 2018
  • Agaricus blazei mycelial liquid culture extract (ABMLCE) promoted the production of testosterone (TS) in TM-3 mouse Leydig testis cells. Now, we report that ABMLCE containing eritadenine (EA) as a minor constituent (15.3 mg/100 g) reduced $5{\alpha}-reductase$ 2 ($5{\alpha}-R2$) enzyme activity and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) content which are key constituents for the benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) inductions. RWPE-1 prostate cells were grown in a Keratinocyte serum-free medium (K-SFM) containing ABMLCE (0~50 ppm), EA (0~10 ppm,), and finasteride (FS $10{\mu}M$: a positive control) in a 24-well plate for 24 hr. Supernatants collected from cell-cultured media were used for the assay of $5{\alpha}-R2$, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme activities, and for TS, DHT, tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($TNF-{\alpha}$) and $interleukin-1{\beta}$ ($IL-1{\beta}$) contents by their assay kits. The $5{\alpha}-R2$ activity and DHT content were proportionally reduced (p<0.05) to concentrations of ABMLCE. The SOD and CAT enzyme activities were significantly (p<0.05) elevated concomitant with ABMLCE concentrations, while COX-2, $TNF-{\alpha}$ and $IL-1{\beta}$ showed reverse results (p<0.05). Similarly, the effects of EA were similar to those of ABMLCE. Efficacies of ABMLCE 50 ppm and EA 10 ppm in $5{\alpha}-R2$ and DHT reduction were similar to those of $10{\mu}M$ FS. These results suggest that ABMLCE and EA reduced $5{\alpha}-R2$ and DHT through their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative actions. This implies that ABMLCE containing EA could be a beneficial material in the cure of BPH in humans.

Effect of Water Extract of Cynanchi Wilfordii Radix in RANKL-induced Osteoclast Differentiation (백하수오(白何首烏) 물 추출물의 파골세포 분화에 미치는 영향)

  • Ahn, Yong-Hwan;Oh, Jae-Min;Lee, Myeung-Su;Jung, Jong-Hyuk;Chae, Soo-Uk;Moon, Seo-Young;Jeon, Byung-Hoon;Choi, Min-Kyu
    • Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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    • v.26 no.2
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    • pp.160-165
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    • 2012
  • Osteoporotic fracture became a serious social problem, which related with mortality and morbidity in old age population. Osteoclast which is responsible for bone resorption is originated from hematopoietic cell line and plays a key role osteoporotic bone loss. Cynanchum wilfordii (Asclepiadaceae) roots have been used in Korean folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus and aging progression. Also, recent studies have shown that the extract and fractions of Cynanchi Wilfordii Radix have various pharmacological actions including scavenging free radicals, enhancing immunity, reducing high serum cholesterol, and anti-tumor activity. However, the effect of extract of Cynanchi Wilfordii Radix in osteoclast differentiation had not been reported. Thus, we evaluated the effect of Cynanchi Wilfordii Radix on receptor activator of nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclast differentiation. Through our study, we found that Cynanchi Wilfordii Radix significantly inhibited osteoclast differentiation induced by RANKL. Cynanchi Wilfordii Radix suppressed the activation of p38 pathway and $NF{\kappa}B$ in bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) treated with RANKL. Also, Cynanchi Wilfordii Radix significantly inhibited the mRNA expression of c-Fos, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), osteoclast-associated receptor (OSCAR), nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT)c1 and cathepsin K in BMMs treated with RANKL. Particularly, Cynanchi Wilfordii Radix inhibited the protein expression of c-fos and NFATc1. Taken together, our results demonstrated that Cynanchi Wilfordii Radix may be useful treatment option of bone-related disease such as osteoporosis leads to fracture of bone and rheumatoid arthritis.

Application of Benefit Transfer Method to Estimate the Willingness-to-pay in Planning the Construction of the Integrated Sewerage System at the Catchment Areas of Dams (댐상류지역 하수도시설 확충사업에 관한 지불의사액 추정을 위한 편익전환기법의 적용)

  • Jeong, Dong-Hwan;Jin, Young-Sun;Park, Kyoo-Hong
    • Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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    • v.28 no.1
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    • pp.74-80
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    • 2006
  • Benefit transfer is a method, which obtains an estimate for the economic valuation of non-marketed commodities at a given site through the analysis of studies that have been previously carried out to value similar commodities at a different location. The objective of this study was to estimate benefit transfer values for the construction of the integrated sewerage system in the catchment area of dams in Korea. For pooled data analysis, five models were suggested in this study. Among five models, model 2 showed only 6 to 7% errors when the willingness-to-pay(WTP) predicted in the policy-site, Dam Soyang was compared with that estimated using contingent valuation method(CVM) in the study-sites, Dams Namgang, Hapcheon, and Daecheong. However, the WTP estimate predicted by model 1 showed the absolute errors of 42 to 47% when it was compared with WTP estimated using CVM in Dams Andong and Imha. It seemed that residents of Dams Andong and Imha have feeling of being victimized since two dams were constructed very adjacently, the upstream area was designated as drinking water source protection zone, and thereafter their developmental economical actions have been significantly restricted.

Oxygen Sensitivity of Carbon Monoxide-Dependent Hydrogen Production Activity in Citrobacter sp.

  • Kim, Jung-Rae;Oh, You-Kwan;Yoon, Yeo-Joon;Lee, Eun-Yeol;Park, Sung-Hoon
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.13 no.5
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    • pp.717-724
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    • 2003
  • A newly isolated Citrobacter sp. Y19 catalyzes the CO-dependent $H_2$ production (biological water-gas shift reaction) by the actions of CO dehydrogenase (CODH) and hydrogenase. Y 19 requires $O_2$ for fast growth, but its $H_2$ production activity is significantly inhibited by $O_2$. In the present study, the effect of $O_2$ on the activities of CODH ard hydrogenase was investigated quantitatively in both whole cells and broken cells, based on CO-dependent or methyl viologen (MV)-dependent $H_2$ production in addition to CO-dependent MV reduction. In crude cell extracts, CODH activity was mostly found in the soluble fraction. Inactivation of CODH and hydrogenase activities by $O_2$ followed the first-order decay kinetics, and the dependence of the rate constants on $O_2$ partial pressure could be expressed by the Michaelis-Menten equation. In whole cells, the maximum deactivation rate constants ($k_{d,max}$ of hydrogenase and CODH were quite similar: $0.07{\pm}0.03 min^{-1}\;and\;0.10{\pm}0.04 min^{-1}$, respectively. However, the first-order rate constant ($k_{d,max}/K_s$) of CODH ($0.25\;min^{-1}\;atm^{-1}$) at low $O_2$ partial pressures was about 3-fold higher than that of the hydrogenase, since the half-saturation constant ($K_s$) of CODH was about half of that of hydrogenase. In broken cells, both enzymes became significantly more sensitive to $O_2$ compared to the unbroken cells, while $k_{d,max}/K_s$ increased 37-fold for hydrogenase and 6.7-fold for CODH. When whole cells were incubated under anaerobic conditions after being exposed to air for 1 h, hydrogenase activity was recovered more than 90% in 2 h suggesting that the deactivation of hydrogenase by $O_2$ was reversible. On the contrary, CODH activity was not recovered once deactivated by $O_2$ and the only way to recover the activity was to synthesize new CODH. This study indicates that $O_2$ sensitivity of $H_2$ production activity of Citrobacter sp. Y19 is an important drawback as in other $H_2-producing$ bactria.

Effect of Environmental Factors on the Growth of Microcystis aeruginosa (Cyanobacteria) in Agricultural Reservoirs (농업용 저수지에서 환경 요인이 Microcystis aeruginosa (cyanobacteria) 성장에 미치는 영향)

  • Kwon, O-Chang;Park, Jung-Won;Chung, Gyu-Young;Lee, Jong-Eun;Seo, Eul-Won
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.21 no.8
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    • pp.1183-1189
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    • 2011
  • The present study is aimed at examining the effects of the physico-chemical environmental factors of water systems on water bloom at Homin and Gagok reservoirs in Pungcheon-Myeon, Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do. The mean water temperature and the contents of chlorophyll-a, total-nitrogen, total-phosphorus and phosphate-phosphorus were higher at the Gagok reservoir. On the other hand, the pH mean value was higher at the Homin reservoir. The mean value of microelements (Na, K, Mg, Fe, Si) was higher at the Gagok reservoir. The cyanobacteria which was considered to be the cause of water bloom at the two reservoirs was Microcystis aeruginosa. It started to grow in May and showed the highest standing crop in August. Between the increase of standing crop of M. aeruginosa and the water quality, correlation values of $Na^+$ (r=-0.910, p<0.05), $Fe^{2+}$ (r=-0.855, p<0.05) and $Si^{4+}$ (r=0.989, p<0.01) at the Homin reservoir increased amount of standing crop. Meanwhile, at the Gagok reservoir, the contents of $Na^+$ (r=-0.776, p<0.05), $Si^{4+}$ (r=0.899, p<0.05) were highly related to the increase of standing crop. Interestingly, Si, which is the limiting factor for diatoms, has a high correlation with standing crop of cyanobacteria. In conclusion, the water blooming is caused not by a simple factor but a synergistic effect due to complex actions including high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus ions and many other environmental factors.