• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.75-90
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• 2024

Biochar is a solid substance with a high carbon content, as it is made out of biomass pyrolyzed under the condition of limited oxygen. This product has attracted attention as an environment-friendly soil amendment because it contributes to carbon neutrally and has improvement effects on the soil environment. This study conducted an experiment to evaluate soil physiochemical properties and microbial community changes in a melon greenhouse according to the applied amount of biochar to investigate the growth characteristics and yields of melons accordingly. In soil physical properties, an increase in the applied amount of biochar resulted in a decrease in bulk density and an increase in porosity of the soil, improving air permeability. In soil chemical properties, an increase in the applied amount of biochar led to a increasing of pH, organic matter and available phosphate content. In the growth characteristics of melons, there was a growing tendency of plant height, leaf length and leaf width according to the increasing application of biochar until 10,000 kg/ha. Moreover, melon yields also increased as the amount of biochar, 13~16% higher in 10,000 kg/ha biochar application than no treatment. Compared differences among microbial communities in the soil according to the application of biochar and found that plant beneficial bacteria dominated in biochar treatments. This study demonstrated the potential of biochar as an effective soil amendment in melon greenhouse by showing improvements in soil physicochemical properties and microbial communities.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.46-58
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• 2024

The purpose of this study is to understand the current status of the pet plant kit industry and determine the priorities for support policies to revitalize the industry. SWOT analysis assessed the industry's current state, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used with industry professionals to prioritize support policies. The SWOT analysis results indicated that SO strategies involve leveraging government support policies to enhance marketing and developing eco-friendly DIY products. WO strategies include launching advertising campaigns to increase market recognition and establishing strategic partnerships to expand distribution. ST strategies focus on strengthening price competitiveness and proposing unique values, while WT strategies involve improving production processes and enhancing product quality based on consumer feedback. The AHP analysis identified 3 top-level and 12 sub-level evaluation items, with data collected from 17 expert surveys. The results showed the 'entry phase' (0.482), 'activation phase' (0.397), and 'advanced phase' (0.121) were prioritized, with 'organizing seminars' (0.181) as the most crucial subcategory and 'support for kit development' (0.020) as the least. The pet plant kit industry is in its early stages, and appropriate policy incubation can help activate the garden industry. This study provides foundational information on the industry's needs for activation.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.197-203
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• 2023

Callus cultivation is a method for producing a large amount of tissue of a plant in the laboratory, regardless of the environment. Lycoris chejuensis, a plant species native to jeju island, is a member of the Lycoris family has been used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of diverse diseases. In this study, we evaluated anti-inflammatory effect of biorenovated Lycoris chejuensis callus (LCB) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells. As a result, LCB was less toxic to the cells in the concentration range of 25, 50, and 100 ㎍/mL as shown by the improved viability of LCB treated cells than compared to Lycoris chejuensis callus (LC) treatment. In addition, LCB inhibited the generation of NO and prostaglandin E₂ through the suppression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 protein expression. LCB also attenuated the expression of interleukin-1β, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α induced by LPS. The results suggest that LCB has anti-inflammatory activity on the LPS-induced inflammatory response and may be suitable for the development of potent functional cosmetic material.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.214-224
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• 2024

Valves play an essential role in a chemical plant such as regulating fluid flow and pressure. Therefore, optimal selection of the valve size and type is essential task. Valve size and type have been selected based on theoretical formulas about calculating valve sizing coefficient (Cv). However, this approach has limitations such as requiring expert knowledge and consuming substantial time and costs. Herein, this study developed a model for predicting valve sizes and types using machine learning. We developed models using four algorithms: ANN, Random Forest, XGBoost, and Catboost and model performances were evaluated using NRMSE & R² score for size prediction and F1 score for type prediction. Additionally, a case study was conducted to explore the impact of phases on valve selection, using four datasets: total fluids, liquids, gases, and steam. As a result of the study, for valve size prediction, total fluid, liquid, and gas dataset demonstrated the best performance with Catboost (Based on R², total: 0.99216, liquid: 0.98602, gas: 0.99300. Based on NRMSE, total: 0.04072, liquid: 0.04886, gas: 0.03619) and steam dataset showed the best performance with RandomForest (R²: 0.99028, NRMSE: 0.03493). For valve type prediction, Catboost outperformed all datasets with the highest F1 scores (total: 0.95766, liquids: 0.96264, gases: 0.95770, steam: 1.0000). In Engineering Procurement Construction industry, the proposed fluid-specific machine learning-based model is expected to guide the selection of suitable valves based on given process conditions and facilitate faster decision-making.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.42 no.spc
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• pp.57-61
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• 2009

To clarify the impact of the rice-duck farming system on the regional environment and the surrounding, a case study was carried out at Hongdong Reservoir valley of Hongdong-myeon and Janggok-myeon, Hongseong-gun, Chungcheongnam-do where the density of livestock grazing is the highest and rice cultivation with the rice-duck farming system is extensively practiced. The soil characteristics and water qualities at paddy fields were compared between two rice cultivation methods of rice-duck farming system and conventional farming system. The organic matters and available phosphate contents in soil of paddy fields where the rice-duck farming system was practiced were higher than those of paddy fields where conventional farming system was practiced. However, the available phosphate content was lower than the optimum for rice cultivation and the mean concentration of paddy soil in Korea. The surface water quality of the paddy field with the rice-duck farming system was practiced had higher EC (137 %), $COD_{Cr}$ (220 %), T-N (172 %), and T-P (226 %) contents than that with the conventional farming system was practiced. Especially, $COD_{Cr}$ and T-P were more than 2 times higher, which tells that the possibility of water pollution by drainage water of paddy field is higher in the paddy fields with the rice-duck farming system practiced than in those with the conventional farming practiced. The higher contents of T-P and $COD_{Cr}$ in surface water at the paddy field of rice-duck farming system practiced were directly caused by soil particles in the muddy water. Consequently, it is necessary to thoroughly manage the irrigation and drainage system of rice-duck farming system practiced to prevent outflow of surface water from paddy and pollution of surrounding water system.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.283-289
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• 2019

This study was performed to monitor the residual pesticides in agricultural products used in school foodservice in the Gwangju metropolitan area. Risk assessment was also carried out based on the amount of agricultural products consumed. A total of 320 agricultural products supplied to schools in Gwangju were analyzed from 2015 to 2017. The pre-treatment and residual pesticide analysis of these products was conducted in accordance with the second method for multi-residue analysis of pesticides in the Korean food code. The hazard index was calculated by dividing the estimated daily intake (EDI) of pesticides by the acceptable daily intake (ADI). The linearity correlation coefficient for the calibration curve was 0.9923 to 1.0000, LOD 0.004 to 0.019 mg/kg, LOQ 0.012 to 0.057 mg/kg, and recovery was 79.1 to 100.2%. Residual pesticides were detected in 18 (5.6%) of 320 agricultural products used for school foodservice, and one sample of sweet potato stem (0.3%) exceeded the maximum residual limit (MRL). The detection frequency for chili peppers and bell peppers was higher than that for other agricultural products. The frequently-detected pesticides were boscalid and acetamiprid. These results showed that residual pesticide management is needed for chili pepper, bell pepper and sweet potato stem among agricultural products supplied to schools. The hazard index of bifenthrin in sweet potato stem showed the highest (64.18%), and the other pesticides were 0.03-8.23%. These results indicated that agricultural products supplied to schools in Gwangju were safe for consumption. To minimize the intake of residual pesticides, it is necessary to not only thoroughly wash agricultural products but to also ensure the expanded supply of products that are pesticide-free.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.148-152
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• 2003

The phosphorus(P) adsorption capacities of various filter media were investigated in relation to the size and types of fitter media to screen the optimum condition. The objective of this study was to evaluate the constructed wetland longevity by improving P adsorption capacity. The maximum P adsorption capacities of filter media A($4{\sim}10\;mm$), B($2{\sim}4\;mm$) and C($0.1{\sim}2\;mm$) were 8, 10 and 22 mg/kg, respectively, showing those increased as the filter media size decreased. Among the experimental media, the optimum filter media size was $0.1{\sim}2\;mm$. When the filter Medium was supplemented with organic materials which were piled up and decayed in the constructed wetland, the P adsorption capacity was significantly enhanced Under the conditions of optimum fitter media size, the respective Maximum P adsorption capacities of filter media C when supplemented with Ca, Mg, Al and Fe were higher than that of filter media C. However the addition of Ca, Mg, Al and Fe to constructed wetland were not recommended because of the possibility of their secondary pollution. The maximum P adsorption capacity of filter media C was 22 mg/kg, but this was increased to 36 mg/kg when filter media C was supplemented with 2% oyster shell.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.439-446
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• 2009

Nitrogen balance in the regional scale which was calculated the difference between nitrogen input and output was estimated to assess the impact of rice cultivation on water environment. Nitrogen balances in Gyeonggi province, where nitrogen concentration in irrigation water was high and in Chungnam province, where nitrogen absorbtion by rice was high, were -5.4 and -8.3 kg $-8.3kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$, respectively. Nitrogen balances of paddy field in Gangwon province, where nitrogen output was small and irrigation water was clean, and in Gyeongnam province, where organic matter content of soil was high and rice yield was low, were 4.9 and $14.0kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$, respectively. Average nitrogen balance and total nitrogen absorption of paddy field in Korea were estimated to $-0.3kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$ and $-3,315Mg\;yr^{-1}$, respectively. When the nitrogen concentration in irrigation water was increased by $1mg \;L^{-1}$, nitrogen balance of rice paddy changed by $-2.91kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$. Also, when nitrogen fertilizer applied was decreased from 110 to $90kg\;ha^{-1}$ and the same harvest was maintained, the nitrogen absorption by rice paddy from irrigation water was estimated to increase by 10,600 Mg per year in Korea. However, in cases, the harvest was reduced to either 90% or 85%, nitrogen balances were changed from -11.7 to -2.3 and $2.4kg\;ha^{-1}$, respectively. These results suggest that the reduction of nitrogen fertilizer use may not always lead to a negative nitrogen balance and sustainable agriculture can achieve by not cutting down the use of fertilizer only but by reduction of fertilizer application concurrently by maintenance of harvest and by utilization of environmental characteristics such as nutrient contents in irrigation water and soils.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.149-160
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• 2018

A large number of functional living products are being produced for eco-friendly or health-promoting purposes. In the manufacturing process, such products could be adulterated with raw materials with high radioactivity, such as monazite and tourmaline. Thus, it is essential to manage raw materials and products closely related to the public living. For proper management, an accurate radioactivity data of the processed products are needed. Therefore, it is essential to develop a rapid and validated analytical method. In this study, the concentration of the radioactive $^{238}U$ and $^{232}Th$ in building materials (e.g., tile, cement, paint, wall paper, and gypsum board) and living products (e.g., health products, textiles, and minerals) were determined and compared by ED-XRF and ICP-MS. By comparing the results of both methods, we confirmed the applicability of the rapid screening and precise analysis of ED-XRF and ICP-MS. In addition, $^{238}U$ and $^{232}Th$ levels were relatively lower in building materials than in living products. Particularly, $^{232}Th$ content in 6 of 47 living products exceeded (maximum $8.2Bq{\cdot}g^{-1}$) the standard limit of $^{232}Th$ content in raw material ($1.0Bq{\cdot}g^{-1}$).

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.7-16
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• 2009

Appenzeller cheese samples were prepared by addition of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% green tea (Camellia sinensis, CS) powder and control cheese. We examined various quality characteristics of the novel cheese, such as viable-cell counts, pH, water-soluble nitrogen (WSN), non-casein nitrogen (NCN), non-protein nitrogen (NPN), and catechin level during maturation for 16 weeks at $14^{\circ}C$. To develop a Korean natural cheese containing green tea powder, we also analyzed the changes in the polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis pattern, chemical composition, and sensory qualities. The viable cell counts of the samples were not significantly different. Until the $3^{rd}$ week, the pH of the CS cheese decreased with an increase in the maturation time. However, the pH gradually increased by the $12^{th}$ week, while WSN, NCN, NPN also increased. The WSN, NCN, NPN, and catechin values for the CS cheese samples were significantly higher than the values for the control cheese. The polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic pattern of caseins for the CS cheese indicated that this cheese degraded more rapidly than the control cheese did. In the sensory evaluation, cheese with 1.0% CS powder showed the highest scores in taste and appearance and good scores in flavor and texture. These results indicate that 1.0% CS is the optimal value for addition to cheese, and cheese containing 1.0% CS shows good physiological properties and reasonably high overall sensory acceptability.