• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.217-235
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• 2012

We evaluated the geochemical characteristics and their potential pollution of Asian Dusts in Daejeon, Korea during spring 2007. Compared with the chemical compositions of soils in source area of Asian Dust, those of aerosols in Daejeon were enriched with trace elements (ten to hundred fold), inferring that pollutants from China have affected on local environment in adjoining country such as Korea. Chemical analysis of aerosols during Asian dust showed that fine particles ($PM_{2.5}$) contained high contents of trace elements such as Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, V, S, As, Cd, Co, Ni, Mo, Sb, Cs, Rb, Th, Sc and Y. In the case of TSP (Total Suspended Particle), Zr, Sr, Ba, Li, Th and U were contained much more than other trace elements. The contents of some elements (i.e. Li, Cs, Co, U, Cr, Ni, Rb, V, Th, Y, Sr and Sc) in aerosols collected in Asian Dust period, which are not likely enriched by air pollutants, were higher (2 - 4.2 fold) than those in Non Asian Dust period, indicating that these elements could be used as indicator elements for determining the occurrence of Asian Dust phenomena (especially, Sr, V, Cr & Li). In the case of Asian Dust coming through the big cities and/or industrial areas of China, the domestic aerosols had higher contents of trace elements (such as S, Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu, Mo and As) than those from Northeastern China via North Korea, indicating that the transportation courses of air mass are very important to determine the pollution degrees. Using the enrichment factors of trace elements in aerosols during Asian Dust and Non Asian Dust, we identified that some elements (i.e. S, Zn, Cu, Pb, As, Mo and Cd) were most problematic in terms of environmental hazard aspects, and these elements could affect adverse effects on human health as well as ecosystem and surface environment (soil and water) through long-lived precipitation.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.491-499
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• 2020

Increasing impervious surfaces can cause various physical and mental illnesses as well as further problems like deterioration of the thermal environment and disconnection of the water circulation system in the downtown area. This study is intended to suggest baseline data for the future creation or remodelation of large-scaled urban parks in consideration of human health on the aspect of climate by analyzing air ions condition and correlation analysis between air ions and meteorological elements depending on distances from the center in the urban park. The study site was divided into four types by distances from the center of Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, then classified as A and B. After selecting 80 points to record, land coverage and vegetation status were investigated, and then meteorological elements and air ions were measured. First, the green space rate by section is A section Center (90%)> Inner (70%)> Outer-inner (10%) = Outer (10%), B section Center (100%)> Inner (60%)> Outer- In order of inner (30%)> Outer (0%). Second, for weather factors, the temperature was analyzed by Outer (24.18℃) > Outer-inner (22.90℃) > Inner (22.43℃) > Center (21.719℃). For relative humidity, center (46.49%) > Inner (43.36%) > Outer-inner (42.41%) > Outer (38.53%) was analyzed. Third, In the case of cations in the air ions, Outer(435.71ea/㎤) > Outer-inner(415.16ea/㎤) > Inner (389.46ea/㎤) > Center (352.64ea/㎤). In the case of negative ions, Center (569.72ea/㎤) > Inner (499.83ea/㎤) > Outer-inner(410.58ea/㎤) > Outer (292.02ea/㎤). It was analyzed to increase toward Center, and analyzed to decrease with increasing distance from road. For the Air ion index, it was analyzed as Center (1.67) > Inner (1.31) > Outer-inner (1.08) > Outer (0.71). Negative irons was analyzed to increase when its measuring points close to the center and decrease with shortening distance to the road. Fourth, as a result of correlation analysis, positive(+) correlation is negative ions and ion index. These were measured to increase as the recording points closing to the center of the park from the road. The negative(-) correlation is temperature, solar radiation, and positive ions. These increased as getting closer to the road.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.11-23
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• 2016

An ecological study on subtidal macrobenthic fauna was conducted off the Namhaedo Island, south coast of Korea from July 2012 to April 2013. A total of 247 species of macrobenthos occurred with a mean density of $1,027ind./m^2$ and a mean biomass of $148.7g/m^2$. Polychaetes was the richest and most abundant faunal group that comprised 37% in both total species number and density whereas echinoderms were biomass-dominant faunal group that accounted for 44% of the mean biomass. There was a seasonal variation in the species richness and abundance of macrobenthos with more species in winter and higher density in spring. Mean faunal density was relatively high at the stations near Namhaedo Island, but gradually decreased toward offshore stations. The most dominant species in terms of density was an amphipod species, Eriopisella sechellensis which occurred as a top ranker during three seasons except spring recorded the fourth rank. E. sechellensis showed its high density at the near shore stations of Namhaedo Island, but this species did not occur around the entrance of Gwangyang and Saryang Bays where Theora fragilis and Lumbrineris longifolia showed high densities. In particular, Tharyx sp., recorded high density between Gwangyang Bay entrance and offshore after Sea Prince oil spill, did not occur in the same area during this study period. The bottom temperature and sorting value of the surface sediments were highly correlated to the spatial distribution of macrobenthic fauna from the Bio-Env analysis. From the cluster analysis, the study area has five station groups with more similar faunal affinities from inner area toward offshore area. Based on the SIMPER analysis T. fragilis, Magelona japonica, E. sechellensis, L. longifolia and Paraprionospio cordifolia were mainly contributed to the classification of station groups. From the BPI, benthic communities in the entrance of Gwangyang Bay and Saryang Bay were considered to be in a slightly polluted condition in contrast to the normal healthy community at the offshore of Namhaedo Island. These results suggested that the benthic community of this area should be regularly monitored to assess the health status of this benthic ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.482-489
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• 2012

Visual monitoring is hard to apply on fish because they are living in a water system. To overcome this problem, acoustic telemetry, which is effective for underwater monitoring, is often used for studying fish behaviors, such as movement distance, route and patterns. In this study, in order to monitor the movement pattern of Squaliobarbus curriculus (family Cyprinidae), we used acoustic telemetry and identified the home range and movement distances. A total of nine individuals were released at two different locations: one is at the estuary barrage (Sc1~3) and the other is at the lower part of Baekjae Weir (Sc4~9), located in Geum River. Approximately, a 70 km section from the estuary barrage was investigated. Fish, which were released at the estuary barrage, utilized up to 12.7 km upstream as home range from the release site. At the lower part of Baekjae Weir, most of the fish moved and stayed within a 7.2 km downstream area, except for Sc6, which moved 53.4 km (linear maximum distance from release site) downstream from the release site. Relatively small sized fish (Sc7~9) did not show any movement. Accumulated movement distance significantly correlated with the standard length of S. curriculus ($r_s$=0.715, p=0.03). Moreover, the standard length of moving fish was significantly larger than that of not moving fish (Mann-Whitney U test, p=0.024). Therefore, the movement distance of S. curriculus has been correlated with fish size; movement distance was increased with the standard fish length. Although the sample size of monitored fish was small, various meaningful data were collected by acoustic telemetry. Consequently, this technique could be a method available for effectively monitoring the behavior and ecology of native Korean and endemic species.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.474-481
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• 2012

This study was performed to investigate the degree of long-term pollution at the mainstream of the Han River by comparing the concentration of BOD and COD from 1975 to 2011. The long-term annual average BOD and COD concentration at the mainstream of the Han River showed an increasing trend as it flowed downstream from Paldang Dam to Gayang. The concentration of BOD ($r^2$=0.646) and COD ($r^2$=0.260) showed a consistent decreasing trend for 37 years. In the case of Paldang Dam, BOD has maintained a decreasing trend, whereas the COD value showed an increasing trend after the 1990s. Therefore, a control of non-biodegradable materials in areas around Paldang Dam is required. The result of the seasonal variations of BOD and COD is as follows: spring>winter>summer and fall (p<0.001). The time series analysis revealed a strong correlation for every 12-month period. Also, the amount of water discharge at Paldang Dam has to be systematically controlled because the amount of water discharge from the dam influences the water quality at the mainstream of the Han River.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.77-82
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• 1999

Three floating islands have been constructed for water quality improvement for a polluted irrigation reservoir. Each floating island consists of 10 segments. Each segment hay an area of $16m^2$(4×4m) and is made of wood frames and floats(polystyrene foam). We planted three species of aquatic macrophytes(Typha angustifolia, Zizania latifolia, and Phragmites australis) in floating island on June, 1998. They grew very well without death. We would like to evaluate Phragmites australis is the most suitable aquatic macrophyte that could be planted in a floating island because it maintained the best balance of its root and shoot among them. During their grown period, net primary productivity of Typha angustifolia was $962gDM/m^2$, Zizania latifolia was $1,115gDM/m^2$, and Phragmites australis was $523gDM/m^2$. From these data, it would be estimated to 5.0Kg uptake of nitrogen by aquatic macrophytes and phosphorus 0.8Kg in 3 floating islands. The floating islands worked well as a habitat of fish and prawns. Many kinds of insect lived on the floating islands. The floating island has not only the function of water quality treatment but also several advantages: improvement of landscape and species diversity; low cost of maintenance; low technology; unnecessary of energy; less susceptible to variations in pollutant loading. It could be evaluated a good measure of water quality improvement for an irrigation reservoir. However, it should be intensively studied to develop more light, strong, durable and low-priced frames for efficient floating islands.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.105-110
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• 2008

Purpose: Preecalmpsia is a pregnancy-specific disorder that reflects widespread endothelial dysfunction resulting from increases of adhesion molecule expression. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is involved in the pathogenetic mechanisms responsible for preeclampsia, and ICAM-1 plasma levels and/or function is genetically influenced. Therefore, we evaluated the distribution of ICAM-1 gene K469E polymorphism in pregnant Korean women with preeclampsia and evaluated the association between this polymorphism and preeclampsia. Methods: The K469E polymorphism was analyzed in peripheral blood samples from 197 preeclamptic pregnancies and 193 normotensive pregnancies by a SNapShot kit and an ABI Prism 3100 Genetic analyzer. Results: Genotypic and allelic frequencies of ICAM-1 gene polymorphism (K469E) did not differ between preeclamptic and normotensive pregnancies. The distributions of the KK, KE, and EE genotypes were 40.6%, 43.7%, and 15.7%, respectively, in preeclamptic pregnancies and 38.9%, 45.1%, and 16.1%, respectively, in normotensive pregnancies. The frequencies of K and E alleles were 0.62 and 0.38, respectively, in preeclamptic pregnancies and 0.61 and 0.39, respectively, in normotensive pregnancies. By multiple logistic regression analysis, there was no increased risk of preeclampsia in subjects with ICAM-1 KE (OR, 1.08; P=0.74) or EE (OR, 1.07; P=0.88) genotypes. Conclusion: This study suggests that the ICAM-1 gene K469E polymorphism does not associate with an increased risk of preeclampsia in pregnant Korean women.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.389-394
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• 2006

The change of antioxidative character by germination of brown rice was evaluated. From the total methanolic extract of brown rice, 2.5 mm-germinated brown rice, and 5 mm-germinated brown rice, SOD-like activity and nitrite scavenging ability were identified as antioxidative character. SOD-like activities and nitrite scavenging abilities of all samples were changed dose-dependently and germination-dependently. After successive partitioning with hexane, ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and water, each fraction was tested for these activities. SOD-like activities of all fractions were increased by germination, and especially hexane fraction and EtOAc fraction of 5 mm-germinated brown rice had more strong activities than 50 ppm vitamin C. The $EC_{50}$ values of SOD-like activity showed a gradual decrease by germination and that of EtOAc fraction of 5 mm-germinated brown rice was 17 ppm, which was lower concentration than that of 50 ppm vitamin C. The $IC_{50}$ values of nitrite scavenging ability at PH 1.5 also underwent a great decrease by germination and germinated brown rice had the nitrite scavenging ability at lower concentration than brown rice. The results suggest that SOD-like activity and nitrite scavenging ability are thought to be enhanced by the germination effect.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.56-64
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• 2001

Composting of livestock feces is economic and safe process to decrease the possibility of direct leakage of organic pollutants to ecosystem from commercial and environmental point of view. This study was conducted with three different experiments related to composting of livestock feces. The purpose of experiment 1 was to investigate changes of characteristic of compost pile during composting period by low temperature in cold season. To compare composting effect of experimental compost pile and control pile exposed in cold air, experimental compost piles were warmed up by hot air until their temperatures were reached at $35^{\circ}C$. Sawdust, Ricehull and Ricestraw were mixed with livestock feces as bulking agent. The highest temperatures of compost pile during composting period were in sawdust, rice hull, rice straw, and control were $75^{\circ}C$, $76^{\circ}C$, $68^{\circ}C$, $45^{\circ}C$ respectively. Moisture content, pH, C/N and volume of compost were decreased during composting period. Experiment 2 was carried out to study utilization effect of compost by plant. A corn was cultivated for 3 years on fertilized land with compost and chemical fertilizer. The amount of harvest and nutrition value of corn were analyzed. In first year of trial, the amount of harvest of corn on land treated with compost was lower by 20% than that of land treated with chemical fertilizer. In second year, there was no difference in yield of com between compost and chemical fertilizer. In third year, the yield of com on land fertilized with compost was much more than that of land fertilized with chemical fertilizer. The purpose of experiment 3 was to estimate the decrease of malodorous gas originating from livestock feces by bio-filter. Four types of bio-filters filled with saw dust, night soil, fermented compost and leaf mold were manufactured and tested. Each bio-filter achieved 87-95% $NH_3$ removal efficiency. This performance was maintained for 10 days. The highest $NH_3$ removal efficiency was achieved by leaf mold on the first day of operation period. It reduced the concentration of $NH_3$ by about 95%. Night soil and fermented compost showed nearly equal performance of 93 to 94% for 10 days from the beginning of operation. The concentration of hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan originating for compost were equal to or less than $3mg/{\ell}$ and $2mg/{\ell}$, respectively. After passing throughout the bio-filter, hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan were not detected.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.206-216
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• 2018

We analyzed the effects of spatio-temporal variation in the leaf production of oaks on the density and species richness of herbivores, as well as the consumption by herbivores in the east coastal region of Korea, which is an area that has been damaged by forest fires. The main herbivore that feeds on oak leaves was moth larvae. In mid-August the insect larvae showed the highest density and species richness. Approximately 60.5% of total plant-eating insect larvae were present from August to September 2011. Oak leaf production was at its peak from July to August, and the peak damage caused by herbivores was from August to September. Depending on the investigation timing and site of the survey, oak leaf production, larval densities, and species richness showed large variations. The average production of oak leaves between July and August was estimated to be $0.96ton\;ha^{-1}$. The production of oak leaves during this period also showed spatial variations ranging from 0.34 to $1.89ton\;ha^{-1}$. In August, the consumption of oak leaves by the herbivores showed spatial variations ranging from 0.15 to $1.51ton\;ha^{-1}$. Where oak leaves had a higher yield, they tended to increase in density and species richness of the herbivores. As the production of oak leaves increased, so did the overall consumption and consumption rate by the herbivores. This means that the production of oak leaves is highly related to time and space, and there is a concentration response in which the new individuals gather. Research into the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of the food sources and their effects on the higher levels of the food web can help us quantitatively understand and evaluate the structure and functions of the burnt ecosystem that is caused by forest fires.