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Updating to Remain the Same: Habitual New Media
by Wendy Hui ChunNew media -- we are told -- exist at the bleeding edge of obsolescence. We thus forever try to catch up, updating to remain the same. Meanwhile, analytic, creative, and commercial efforts focus exclusively on the next big thing: figuring out what will spread and who will spread it the fastest. But what do we miss in this constant push to the future? In Updating to Remain the Same, Wendy Hui Kyong Chun suggests another approach, arguing that our media matter most when they seem not to matter at all -- when they have moved from "new" to habitual. Smart phones, for example, no longer amaze, but they increasingly structure and monitor our lives. Through habits, Chun says, new media become embedded in our lives -- indeed, we become our machines: we stream, update, capture, upload, link, save, trash, and troll. Chun links habits to the rise of networks as the defining concept of our era. Networks have been central to the emergence of neoliberalism, replacing "society" with groupings of individuals and connectable "YOUS." (For isn't "new media" actually "NYOU media"?) Habit is central to the inversion of privacy and publicity that drives neoliberalism and networks. Why do we view our networked devices as "personal" when they are so chatty and promiscuous? What would happen, Chun asks, if, rather than pushing for privacy that is no privacy, we demanded public rights -- the right to be exposed, to take risks and to be in public and not be attacked?
Updating to Remain the Same: Habitual New Media
by Wendy Hui ChunWhat it means when media moves from the new to the habitual—when our bodies become archives of supposedly obsolescent media, streaming, updating, sharing, saving. New media—we are told—exist at the bleeding edge of obsolescence. We thus forever try to catch up, updating to remain the same. Meanwhile, analytic, creative, and commercial efforts focus exclusively on the next big thing: figuring out what will spread and who will spread it the fastest. But what do we miss in this constant push to the future? In Updating to Remain the Same, Wendy Hui Kyong Chun suggests another approach, arguing that our media matter most when they seem not to matter at all—when they have moved from “new” to habitual. Smart phones, for example, no longer amaze, but they increasingly structure and monitor our lives. Through habits, Chun says, new media become embedded in our lives—indeed, we become our machines: we stream, update, capture, upload, link, save, trash, and troll.Chun links habits to the rise of networks as the defining concept of our era. Networks have been central to the emergence of neoliberalism, replacing “society” with groupings of individuals and connectable “YOUS.” (For isn't “new media” actually “NYOU media”?) Habit is central to the inversion of privacy and publicity that drives neoliberalism and networks. Why do we view our networked devices as “personal” when they are so chatty and promiscuous? What would happen, Chun asks, if, rather than pushing for privacy that is no privacy, we demanded public rights—the right to be exposed, to take risks and to be in public and not be attacked?
Upgrade: A Novel
by Blake CrouchThe mind-blowing new thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and Recursion. <p><p>“You are the next step in human evolution.” <p><p>At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep. But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways. <p><p>The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy. Worse still, what's happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost. <p><p>Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human. <p><p>And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution? <p><p>Intimate in scale yet epic in scope, Upgrade is an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential. <p> <b>New York Times Bestseller</b>
Upgrading of Heavy and Extra-Heavy Crude Oils by Catalytic Hydrotreating: The History of HIDRO-IMP Technology
by Jorge AncheytaThis book explores the common approaches to upgrade heavy and extra-heavy crude oils by means of catalytic hydrotreating, emphasizing hydrogen addition technology as well as carbon rejection alternatives. Kinetic and reactor models are combined with experimental data to simulate and optimize commercial-scale reactor performance. Key Features• Focuses on fixed-bed catalytic hydrotreating and catalysts and process scheme characteristics for commercial application.• Guides readers on hydrotreating process technology development from batch reactor experiments to semi-commercial test.• Describes step-by-step methodologies for development of kinetic models based on experimental data generated at different reaction scales.• Provides detailed explanation on how to formulate a reactor model for the simulation of catalytic hydrotreating of heavy oils. A comprehensive guide to the upgrading of crude oils, this book has particular appeal for petroleum refining industry professionals, catalyst developers, workshop instructors, professors, and their graduate and postgraduate students.
Upper Bound Limit Load Solutions for Welded Joints with Cracks
by Sergey AlexandrovThe present short monograph concerns analytic and semi-analytic techniques for finding an approximate value of the limit load. The limit load is an essential input parameter of flaw assessment procedures. In most cases, finding the limit load involves some numerical calculations of different levels of complexity, including numerical minimization of functions of one or several arguments, the slip-line technique and the finite element method. This book shows in particular how to use singular behavior of the real velocity field in the vicinity of bi-material interfaces in kinematically admissible velocity fields to increase the accuracy of upper bound solutions. An approach to recalculate the limit load for a class of structures with defects with the use of its value for the corresponding structure with no defect is discussed. The upper bound technique is applied to evaluate the limit load of overmatched and undermatched welded joints with cracks subject to various loading conditions of practical importance in conjunction with the aforementioned special techniques.
The Upright Thinkers: The Human Journey from Living in Trees to Understanding the Cosmos
by Leonard MlodinowA few million years ago, our ancestors came down from the trees and began to stand upright, freeing our hands to create tools and our minds to grapple with the world around us. Leonard Mlodinow takes us on a passionate and inspiring tour through the exciting history of human progress and the key events in the development of science. In the process, he presents a fascinating new look at the unique characteristics of our species and our society that helped propel us from stone tools to written language and through the birth of chemistry, biology, and modern physics to today's technological world. Along the way he explores the cultural conditions that influenced scientific thought through the ages and the colorful personalities of some of the great philosophers, scientists, and thinkers: Galileo, who preferred painting and poetry to medicine and dropped out of university; Isaac Newton, who stuck needlelike bodkins into his eyes to better understand changes in light and color; and Antoine Lavoisier, who drank nothing but milk for two weeks to examine its effects on his body. Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Werner Heisenberg, and many lesser-known but equally brilliant minds also populate these pages, each of their stories showing how much of human achievement can be attributed to the stubborn pursuit of simple questions (why? how?), bravely asked. The Upright Thinkers is a book for science lovers and for anyone interested in creative thinking and in our ongoing quest to understand our world. At once deeply informed, accessible, and infused with the author's trademark wit, this insightful work is a stunning tribute to humanity's intellectual curiosity. (With black-and-white illustrations throughout.)From the Hardcover edition.
Uprisings: A Hands-On Guide to the Community Grain Revolution
by Heather Mcleod Sarah SimpsonUprisings offers practical advice to empower and inspire individuals and community groups interested in growing and eating local grains. Step-by-step instructions on everything you need to know for successful small scale grain production are rounded out by a bushel of case studies demonstrating how to develop a community grain model suitable to any group's unique needs and resources.
Upscaling of Bio-Nano-Processes
by Hermann Nirschl Karsten KellerDespite ongoing progress in nano- and biomaterial sciences, large scale bioprocessing of nanoparticles remains a great challenge, especially because of the difficulties in removing unwanted elements during processing in food, pharmaceutical and feed industry at production level. This book presents magnetic nanoparticles and a novel technology for the upscaling of protein separation. The results come from the EU Project "MagPro2Life", which was conducted in cooperation of several european institutions and companies.
Upscaling of Single- and Two-Phase Flow in Reservoir Engineering
by Hans BruiningThis book describes fundamental upscaling aspects of single-phase/two-phase porous media flow for application in petroleum and environmental engineering. Many standard texts have been written about this subject. What distinguishes this work from other available books is that it covers fundamental issues that are frequently ignored but are relevant for developing new directions to extend the traditional approach, but with an eye on application. Our dependence on fossil energy is 80–90% and is only slowly decreasing. Of the estimated 37 (~40) Gton/year, anthropogenic emissions of about 13 Gton/year of carbon dioxide remain in the atmosphere. An Exergy Return on Exergy Invested analysis shows how to obtain an unbiased quantification of the exergy budget and the carbon footprint. Thus, the intended audience of the book learns to quantify his method of optimization of recovery efficiencies supported by spreadsheet calculations. As to single-phase-one component fluid transport, it is shown how to deal with inertia, anisotropy, heterogeneity and slip. Upscaling requires numerical methods. The main application of transient flow is to find the reasons for reservoir impairment. The analysis benefits from solving the porous media flow equations using (numerical) Laplace transforms. The multiphase flow requires the definition of capillary pressure and relative permeabilities. When capillary forces dominate, we have dispersed (Buckley-Leverett flow). When gravity forces dominate, we obtain segregated flow (interface models). Miscible flow is described by a convection-dispersion equation. We give a simple proof that the dispersion coefficient can be approximated by Gelhar's relation, i.e., the product of the interstitial velocity, the variance of the logarithm of the permeability field and a correlation length. The book will appeal mostly to students and researchers of porous media flow in connection with environmental engineering and petroleum engineering.
Upside-Down Gods: Gregory Bateson's World of Difference
by Peter Harries-JonesScience’s conventional understanding of environment as an inert material resource underlies our unwillingness to acknowledge the military-industrial role in ongoing ecological catastrophes. In a crucial challenge to modern science’s exclusive attachment to materialist premises, Bateson reframed culture, psychology, biology, and evolution in terms of feedback and communication, fundamentally altering perception of our relationship with nature. This intellectual biography covers the whole trajectory of Bateson’s career, from his first anthropological work alongside Margaret Mead through the continuing relevance of his late forays into biosemiotics. Harries-Jones shows how the sum of Bateson’s thinking across numerous fields turns our notions of causality upside down, providing a moral divide between sustainable creativity and our current biocide.
The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley Are Changing the World
by Brad StoneA look deep inside the new Silicon Valley, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Everything Store Ten years ago, the idea of getting into a stranger's car, or a walking into a stranger's home, would have seemed bizarre and dangerous, but today it's as common as ordering a book online. Uber and Airbnb have ushered in a new era: redefining neighborhoods, challenging the way governments regulate business, and changing the way we travel.In the spirit of iconic Silicon Valley renegades like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, another generation of entrepreneurs is using technology to upend convention and disrupt entire industries. These are the upstarts, idiosyncratic founders with limitless drive and an abundance of self-confidence. Led by such visionaries as Travis Kalanick of Uber and Brian Chesky of Airbnb, they are rewriting the rules of business and often sidestepping serious ethical and legal obstacles in the process.The Upstarts is the definitive story of two new titans of business and a dawning age of tenacity, conflict and wealth. In Brad Stone's riveting account of the most radical companies of the new Silicon Valley, we discover how it all happened and what it took to change the world.
Upstream: Salmon and Society in the Pacific Northwest
by Committee on Protection Management of Pacific Northwest Anadromous SalmonidsThe importance of salmon to the Pacific Northwest--economic, recreational, symbolic--is enormous. Generations ago, salmon were abundant from central California through Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to British Columbia and Alaska. Now they have disappeared from about 40 percent of their historical range. The decline in salmon numbers has been lamented for at least 100 years, but the issue has become more widespread and acute recently.The Endangered Species Act has been invoked, federal laws have been passed, and lawsuits have been filed. More than $1 billion has been spent to improve salmon runs--and still the populations decline.In this new volume a committee with diverse expertise explores the complications and conflicts surrounding the salmon problem--starting with available data on the status of salmon populations and an illustrative case study from Washington state's Willapa Bay.The book offers specific recommendations for salmon rehabilitation that take into account the key role played by genetic variability in salmon survival and the urgent need for habitat protection and management of fishing.The committee presents a comprehensive discussion of the salmon problem, with a wealth of informative graphs and charts and the right amount of historical perspective to clarify today's issues, including Salmon biology and geography--their life's journey from fresh waters to the sea and back again to spawn, and their interaction with ecosystems along the way. The impacts of human activities--grazing, damming, timber, agriculture, and population and economic growth. Included is a case study of Washington state's Elwha River dam removal project. Values, attitudes, and the conflicting desires for short-term economic gain and long-term environmental health. The committee traces the roots of the salmon problem to the extractive philosophy characterizing management of land and water in the West. The impact of hatcheries, which were introduced to build fish stocks but which have actually harmed the genetic variability that wild stocks need to survive. This book offers something for everyone with an interest in the salmon issue--policymakers and regulators in the United States and Canada; environmental scientists; environmental advocates; natural resource managers; commercial, tribal, and recreational fishers; and concerned residents of the Pacific Northwest.
Upstream Oil and Gas in Ghana: Legal Frameworks and Emerging Practice (Routledge Research in Energy Law and Regulation)
by Thomas Kojo StephensThis book explores the myriad issues that play out in the upstream petroleum industry of Ghana from a legal perspective. Focusing on Ghana as an emerging petroleum country, Thomas Kojo Stephens begins by examining whether the existing constitutional framework will be effective in governing the expanding oil and gas sector. Drawing on various approaches proffered by other experts in the field, Stephens looks at possible institutional structures that could be put in place and juxtaposes these ideas with the experience of Ghana to test the efficacy of these proposals. He also explores the types of contractual frameworks currently implemented in Ghana for comparison with other emerging petroleum economies, examining the barriers to effectiveness, novel provisions that must be incorporated, and lessons learned from other regions. Finally, the book highlights how vital it is for the Ghanaian State to monitor the use of petroleum revenue and make ethical investment decisions that prioritize the interests of Ghanaian citizens. Upstream Oil and Gas in Ghana will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy law and policy, oil and gas management, and African Studies more broadly, as well as those working in the upstream petroleum industry.
Uptime: Strategies for Excellence in Maintenance Management, Third Edition
by John D. Campbell James V. Reyes-Picknell Hyung Sik KimUptime describes the combination of activities that deliver fewer breakdowns, improved productive capacity, lower costs, and better environmental performance. The bestselling second edition of Uptime has been used as a textbook on maintenance management in several postsecondary institutions and by many companies as the model framework for their mai
UR:BAN Human Factors in Traffic
by Alexandra Neukum Dietrich Manstetten Silja Hoffmann Julia Drüke Klaus BenglerThis book gives a unique insight in approaches that optimize driver assistance and driver information systems for the urban usage. Furthermore innovative test regimes for controllability testing and new evaluation techniques like networked simulators and virtual reality test-beds are described including statistical methodologies.
Uranium Deposits of the World
by Franz J. DahlkampUranium Deposits of the World, in four volumes, comprises an unprecedented compilation of data and overviews of the key uranium regions throughout the globe. It offers not only a complete uranium-resource reference based on the latest research but also access to previously unavailable data. Each country and region receives an analytical overview followed by the detailed geologically- and economically-relevant synopsis of the individual regions and fields, including: location and magnitude of uranium districts and deposits; principal features of uranium districts; and characteristics of selected deposits. The description of districts and deposits includes sections on geology, alteration, mineralogy, shape and dimensions, ore controls or recognition criteria, and metallogenetic aspects. A typological classification of uranium deposits is added to give an overview of principal criteria of deposit types and related nomenclature. The set also provides readers access to the voluminous literature via the comprehensive bibliography of uranium-related publications. Abundantly illustrated with information-laden maps and charts throughout, this reference work is an indispensable tool for geologists, mining companies, government agencies, and others with interest in key natural resources. The four volumes of Uranium Deposits of the World, available as set, cover the world's populated continents: Asia; Europe; Australia, Oceania, and Africa; and USA, and Latin America.
Uranium Frenzy: Saga of the Nuclear West
by Raye RingholzNow expanded to include the story of nuclear testing and its consequences, Uranium Frenzy has become the classic account of the uranium rush that gripped the Colorado Plateau region in the 1950s. Instigated by the U.S. government's need for uranium to fuel its growing atomic weapons program, stimulated by Charlie Steen's lucrative Mi Vida strike in 1952, manned by rookie prospectors from all walks of life, and driven to a fever pitch by penny stock promotions, the boom created a colorful era in the Four Corners region and Salt Lake City (where the stock frenzy was centered) but ultimately went bust. The thrill of those exciting times and the good fortune of some of the miners were countered by the darker aspects of uranium and its uses. Miners were not well informed regarding the dangers of radioactive decay products. Neither the government nor anyone else expended much effort educating them or protecting their health and safety. The effects of exposure to radiation in poorly ventilated mines appeared over time.
Uranium in Plants and the Environment (Radionuclides and Heavy Metals in the Environment)
by Dharmendra K. Gupta Clemens WaltherIn recent years, radioactive contamination in the environment by uranium (U) and its daughters has caused increasing concerns globally. This book provides recent developments and comprehensive knowledge to the researchers and academicians who are working on uranium contaminated areas worldwide. This book covers topics ranging from the beginning of the nuclear age until today, including historical views and epidemiological studies. Modelling practices and evaluation of radiological and chemical impact of uranium on man and the environment are included. Also covered are analytical methods used for the determination of uranium in geo/bio environments. Some chapters explore factors which influence uranium speciation and in consequence plant uptake/translocation. Last but not least, several chapters provide approaches and practices for remediation of uranium contaminated areas.
Uranium Mining in Virginia: Scientific, Technical, Environmental, Human Health and Safety, and Regulatory Aspects of Uranium Mining and Processing in Virginia
by Committee on Uranium Mining in VirginiaUranium mining in the Commonwealth of Virginia has been prohibited since 1982 by a state moratorium, although approval for restricted uranium exploration in the state was granted in 2007. Uranium Mining in Virginia examines the scientific, technical, environmental, human health and safety, and regulatory aspects of uranium mining, milling, and processing as they relate to the Commonwealth of Virginia for the purpose of assisting the Commonwealth to determine whether uranium mining, milling, and processing can be undertaken in a manner that safeguards the environment, natural and historic resources, agricultural lands, and the health and well-being of its citizens. According to this report, if Virginia lifts its moratorium, there are "steep hurdles to be surmounted" before mining and processing could take place within a regulatory setting that appropriately protects workers, the public, and the environment, especially given that the state has no experience regulating mining and processing of the radioactive element. The authoring committee was not asked to recommend whether uranium mining should be permitted, or to consider the potential benefits to the state were uranium mining to be pursued. It also was not asked to compare the relative risks of uranium mining to the mining of other fuels such as coal. This book will be of interest to decision makers at the state and local level, the energy industry, and concerned citizens.
Uranium Processing and Properties
by Jonathan S. Morrell Mark J. JacksonUranium Processing and Properties describes developments in uranium science, engineering and processing and covers a broad spectrum of topics and applications in which these technologies are harnessed. This book offers the most up-to-date knowledge on emerging nuclear technologies and applications while also covering new and established practices for working with uranium supplies. The book also aims to provide insights into current research and processing technology developments in order to stimulate and motivate innovation among readers. Topics covered include casting technology, plate and sheet rolling, machining of uranium and uranium alloys, forming and fabrication techniques, corrosion kinetics, nondestructive evaluation and thermal modeling.
Urban Adaptation to Climate Change: The Role of Urban Form in Mediating Rising Temperatures (SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science)
by Vivek Shandas Cynthia Skelhorn Salim FerwatiThis book presents the findings of a three-year study on urban heat in Doha, Qatar, and discusses guidelines and strategies for planning agencies to consider in the context of moderating temperatures to provide pedestrians with greater access to outdoor spaces and greater choice in modes of transport. If modifying urban form can reduce extreme temperatures in one of the hottest places on the planet, then perhaps other communities can learn how to create livable cities during a time of rapid changes to the climate. In fact, despite the periods of extreme heat, strategic planning and management of urban areas can improve residents’ and visitors’ ability to live, work, and move throughout the city comfortably. Doha, Qatar, a city with one of the most extreme climates on earth, has undergone rapid development over the past 40 years. Although cities in the Middle East are expanding at three times the international average (UN Report, 2012), the rapid population and physical growth remain largely unexamined, particularly in terms of the unique conditions, qualities, and characteristics that give rise to these emerging centres. Speed, quality, and extent of urbanization impact neighbourhood-scale environmental conditions, and this book provides evidence that urban forms and materials can help to mediate temporal variation in microclimates and that landscape modifications can potentially reduce temperatures and increase accessibility to outdoor environments. By applying the lessons in this book, communities around the world can better adapt to the increasing frequency, duration and intensity of extreme heat.
Urban Agriculture and Community Values: The Green Transformation of Cities
by Lisa NewtonThis book addresses the evolving crisis in agriculture and sketches the 'community economy' that grounds agricultural enterprise more accurately than the industrial model. In its current practice, agriculture is (in the United States but increasingly in the rest of the world) unsustainable and destructive. The most immediately unsustainable feature of industrial agriculture is its dependence on the products of petroleum—as feedstock for fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides, and as fuel for the farm machinery and transport of agricultural products into the cities. The problems of agriculture and in general the food systems to which it is attached range from the vulnerability of monocultures to new and stronger pests to the emerging medical problem of obesity. The need for agricultural reform is widely acknowledged; one part of the new work being done suggests that food production in the cities may solve several of its problems at once. This book is suitable for both undergraduate and graduate students in agriculture and environmental studies.
Urban Agriculture in Public Space: Planning and Designing for Human Flourishing in Northern European Cities and Beyond (GeoJournal Library #132)
by Deni Ruggeri Beata SirowyThis open access book discusses urban agriculture initiatives integrated in public space of dense inner-city neighbourhoods, thereby ensuring its accessibility for large and diverse segments of urban populations. It specifically focuses on the potential impacts of urban agriculture on human well-being (both on individual and community levels), and how planning, design, policy and management practices can maximize these impacts. The book addresses urban agriculture on both a micro and macro scale to facilitate a transition to more sustainable lifestyles and enhance the quality of urban life. It also discusses ways to permanently integrate urban agriculture in existing and planned public spaces in a visually attractive, socially inclusive, and democratic manner to claim and reclaim the right to the city. Based on the research outcomes of the project “Cultivating Public Space: urban agriculture as a basis for human flourishing and sustainability transition in Norwegian cities” funded by the Research Council of Norway, the book emerges from a Norwegian context, but extends to include international urban agriculture cases from the Netherlands, Denmark, the UK and more. By including a diversity of voices and cultural perspectives, the editors aimed to make this book engaging and relevant to an international audience of researchers, policy makers, urban designers, planners, educators, community activists, residents, and public space users of the sustainable, compact city of today and the future.
Urban Agroecology: Interdisciplinary Research and Future Directions (Advances in Agroecology #23)
by Monika Egerer Hamutahl CohenToday, 20 percent of the global food supply relies on urban agriculture: social-ecological systems shaped by both human and non-human interactions. This book shows how urban agroecologists measure flora and fauna that underpin the ecological dynamics of these systems, and how people manage and benefit from these systems. It explains how the sociopolitical landscape in which these systems are embedded can in turn shape the social, ecological, political, and economic dynamics within them. Synthesizing interdisciplinary approaches in urban agroecology in the natural and social sciences, the book explores methodologies and new directions in research that can be adopted by scholars and practitioners alike. With contributions from researchers utilizing both social and natural science approaches, Urban Agroecology describes the current social-environmental understandings of the science, the movement and the practices in urban agroecology. By investigating the role of agroecology in cities, the book calls for the creation of spaces for food to be sustainably grown in urban spaces: an Urban Agriculture (UA) movement. Essential reading for graduate students, practitioners, policy makers and researchers, this book charts the course for accelerating this movement.
Urban Air Pollution Monitoring by Ground-Based Stations and Satellite Data: Multi-season Characteristics From Lanzhou City, China
by Haowen Yan Mikalai FilonchykThis book examines air pollution of a big city using multi-year and multi-season data from ground-based air monitoring stations and satellite sounding data, which provides more clear and detailed information on the main sources of air pollution, the long-term trend of pollution, the influence of meteorological parameters on pollution levels, and trajectories of polluted air masses. For example, the book shows that particulate matter from local sources is transported from deserts to create air quality challenges. It also analyzes the effects of desert and semi-desert landscapes on high concentrations of pollutants.