• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.69-74
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• 2013

Silicon (Si) wafer was grown by using direct growth from Si melt and contaminations of wafer during the process were investigated. In our process, BN was coated inside of all graphite parts including crucible in system to prevent carbon contamination. In addition, coated BN layer enhance the wettability, which ensures the favorable shape of grown wafer by proper flow of Si melt in casting mold. As a result, polycrystalline silicon wafer with dimension of $156{\times}156$ mm and thickness of $300{\pm}20$ um was successively obtained. There were, however, severe contaminations such as BN and SiC on surface of the as-grown wafer. While BN powders were easily removed by brushing surface, SiC could not be eliminated. As a result of BN analysis, C source for SiC was from binder contained in BN slurry. Therefore, to eliminate those C sources, additional flushing process was carried out before Si was melted. By adding 3-times flushing processes, SiC was not detected on the surface of as-grown Si wafer. Polycrystalline Si wafer directly grown from Si melt in this study can be applied for the cost-effective Si solar cells.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.271-276
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• 2006

The outbreak cases of Cryptosporidium or Giardia from drinking water in abroad have drawn attentions on the public health. It is well known that Cryptosporidium is the most resistant organism against chlorine disinfection. To guesstimate the levels of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Korean surface water, 1~2 samples from 22 drinking water sources in four Korean major rivers of Han, Keum, Nakdong, and Youngsan were monitored. In addition, two sites in Kyunganchon, a contaminated river were monitored for comparison. In source waters, detection rates of Cryptosporidium and Giardia were 15% (6/39) and 21% (5/24) with the range of 1~3 oocysts/10 L and 1~6 cysts/10 L, respectively. In Kyunganchon, they were 60% (6/10) and 70% (7/10) in the range of 1~9 oocysts/10 L and 10~72 cysts/10 L, respectively. When one of the source waters in Han river was monitored monthly, Cryptosporidium were found mostly in cold season. Matrix of the samples gave influence on the recoveries of the spiked protozoa. The recoveries of both Cryptosporidium and Giardia increased in the samples of Kyunganchon, known as contaminated area. However, protozoan recovery did not show significant relation with turbidity, the index of matrix contamination, which implies that there are additional unveiled features of matrix affecting the recoveries of the protozoa. The protozoan distribution in Kyunganchon showed significant relations with Cl. perfringens, anaerobic and spore forming indicator bacteria of fecal contamination by regression analysis, but not with turbidity, the general indicator of water quality.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.83-89
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• 2015

Soil samples collected in an area of Gahak Mine were investigated for the characterization of mineralogical and physicochemical properties of contaminants in soils. It is found that soils in the study area are contaminated by lead (Pb), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), in which their concentrations are 595.3 mg/kg, 184.9 mg/kg, 712.8 mg/kg, and 10.64 mg/kg, respectively. All the concentrations exceed the concern criteria of Korean standard. Upon distribution patterns of metals identified by the sequential extraction procedure, our results show that more than 50% of metals are found as a residual type, and 30% are accounted for the association of Fe/Mn oxides. Interestingly, XRD results show that minium (Pb₃O₄) and cuprite (Cu₂O) are identified in the soil samples, suggesting that the sources of the contaminants for Pb and Cu are these minerals. In SEM images, tens of µm of Pb oxides and Pb silicate-minerals are observed. We, therefore, note that the contamination of metals in the study area results from the direct influx and disturbance of tailings. Our findings indicate that the characterization of physicochemical and mineralogical properties of contaminated soils is a critical factor and plays an important role in optimizing recovery treatments of soils contaminated in mine development areas.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.788-792
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• 2009

Railroad is well known for eco-friendly transportation system. But, for past few decades, there might be happened many contamination acts in railway facility sites. Industrial and municipal solid wastes produced to maintain and fix trains were dumped to underground of railroad depot area. To develop and reconstruct this area, we should remediate the contaminated soil and ground water. This study was conducted to evaluate the soil pollution status of railroad depot and propose the optimum remediation processes. Our investigation showed that main pollutants sources were TPH and some heavy metals from the dump site. The surveying results for the soil under rail track and crossing nose areas showed TPH contamination from crossing nose area causing lubricant agent. It could be use and rehabilitate the railroad facility areas to an intended purpose with an application of well designed in-situ and ex-situ remediation processes.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.593-605
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• 2004

An egg has been considered as one of the most important food sources because of it's nutritional superiority and reasonable price. With the complexity of egg flow system from production to consumption in Korea, preventive measures for egg safety have been required. Therefore, our study was carried out to analyze hazards for the egg under farm level and develope preventive measures with a purpose of obtaining egg safety. To analyze biological hazards, microbial contamination of egg(normal, dirty and cracked), water, feed, manure and equipments associated with laying were investigated. One isolate of Salmonella enteritidis and S. bardo were detected from the manure and dirty egg shell respectively. The sanitary conditions in the farm were surveyed by questionaries. Confirmation of vaccination for purchasing chicks and establishment of sanitary guidances for water and type of water suppliers ought to be preceded. Feed supplier systems including feed tanks, feed pipes and hoppers were known that their contamination might give it a chance to infect individuals and egg content and shell. The safe and rapid disposal of dead chickens and rodent were reported as more crucial factors to prevent infectious disease and manage good sanitation. Egg selector and collecting belt should be kept properly not to be contaminated from egg fluids and feces. It should be also considered that regular gathering of eggs, removal of dirty or cracked ones, storage under refrigeration and the use of disposable egg tray were continuously fulfilled. Conclusively, Our results suggested that HACCP-based system for providing fresh and safe eggs to consumers should be applied to the farm.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.205-217
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• 2022

School meals are prepared based using the HACCP system, which is designed to ensure the physical and mental health of students. However, operational recommendations in school cafeterias have changed due to COVID-19 and include delays in serving time to restrict the number of meals and the installation of screens to prevent droplet transmission. Unfortunately, these changes may have detrimentally affected hygiene practices and generated new food poisoning sources. This study aimed to determine the hygiene state of school cafeterias in the Gyeongnam area from December 2020 to September 2021 based on the monitoring of total aerobic and coliform bacteria. Kitchen floors were the most contaminated areas with an average number of total aerobic bacteria of 4.3 log CFU/100 cm², whereas counts in dining areas were relatively low at 0.1~3.5 log CFU/100 cm². Newly installed partitioned areas had the lowest contamination level of 0.1~2.8 log CFU/100 cm². Escherichia coli was not detected on any surface, while coliform was detected on workbenches and floors. In conclusion, hygienic practices appear to have been adequately managed in school cafeterias despite COVID-19 driven changes. Nonetheless, continuous monitoring is recommended to ensure prompt response to changing environments.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.421-427
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• 2016

We aim to offer basic materials about infection management through conducting bacterial contamination test about general radiography equipment and CT equipment installed in ER of three general hospitals with 100 sickbeds or more located in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, and suggest management plan. It had been conducted from 1st December 2015 to 31st December, and objects were general radiography equipment and CT equipment of emergency room located in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. For general radiography equipment, sources were collected from 4 places such as upper side of control box which employees use most, upper side of exposure button, whole upper side of table which is touching part of patient's skin, upper side of stand bucky's grid, and where patients put their jaws on. For CT equipment, sources were collected from 3 places such as upper side of control box which radiography room employees use most, X-ray exposure button, whole upper side of table which is touching part of patient's skin, and gantry inner. Surface contamination strain found at general radiography equipment in emergency room of radiology are Providencia stuartii(25%), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia(18%), Enterobacter cloacae(8%), Pseudomonas species(8%), Staphylococcus epidermidis(8%), Gram negative bacilli(8%), and ungrown bacteria at incubator after 48 hours of incubation (67%) which is the biggest. Most bacteria were found at upper side of stand bucky-grid and stand bucky of radiology's general radiography equipment, and most sources of CT equipment were focused at patient table, which means it is contaminated by patients who have various diseases, and patients who have strains with decreased immunity may get severe diseases. Thus infection prevention should be made through 70% alcohol disinfection at both before test and after test.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2019

The health benefits associated with consumption of fresh produce have been clearly demonstrated and encouraged by international nutrition and health authorities. However, since fresh produce is usually minimally processed, increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables has also led to a simultaneous escalation of foodborne illness cases. According to the report by the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 10 people suffer from foodborne diseases and 420,000 die every year globally. In comparison to other processed foods, fresh produce can be easily contaminated by various routes at different points in the supply chain from farm to fork. This review is focused on the identification and characterization of possible sources of foodborne illnesses from chemical, biological, and physical hazards and the applicable methodologies to detect potential contaminants. Agro-chemicals (pesticides, fungicides and herbicides), natural toxins (mycotoxins and plant toxins), and heavy metals (mercury and cadmium) are the main sources of chemical hazards, which can be detected by several methods including chromatography and nano-techniques based on nanostructured materials such as noble metal nanoparticles (NMPs), quantum dots (QDs) and magnetic nanoparticles or nanotube. However, the diversity of chemical structures complicates the establishment of one standard method to differentiate the variety of chemical compounds. In addition, fresh fruits and vegetables contain high nutrient contents and moisture, which promote the growth of unwanted microorganisms including bacterial pathogens (Salmonella, E. coli O157: H7, Shigella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus) and non-bacterial pathogens (norovirus and parasites). In order to detect specific pathogens in fresh produce, methods based on molecular biology such as PCR and immunology are commonly used. Finally, physical hazards including contamination by glass, metal, and gravel in food can cause serious injuries to customers. In order to decrease physical hazards, vision systems such as X-ray inspection have been adopted to detect physical contaminants in food, while exceptional handling skills by food production employees are required to prevent additional contamination.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.1002-1011
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• 2020

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the composition and diversity of the fungal flora at various control points in cheese ripening rooms of 10 dairy farms from six different provinces in the Republic of Korea. Methods: Floor, wall, cheese board, room air, cheese rind and core were sampled from cheese ripening rooms of ten different dairy farms. The molds were enumerated using YM petrifilm, while isolation was done on yeast extract glucose chloramphenicol agar plates. Morphologically distinct isolates were identified using sequencing of internal transcribed spacer region. Results: The fungal counts in 8 out of 10 dairy farms were out of acceptable range, as per hazard analysis critical control point regulation. A total of 986 fungal isolates identified and assigned to the phyla Ascomycota (14 genera) and Basidiomycota (3 genera). Of these Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Cladosporium were the most diverse and predominant. The cheese ripening rooms was overrepresented in 9 farms by Penicillium (76%), while Aspergillus in a single farm. Among 39 species, the prominent members were Penicillium commune, P. oxalicum, P. echinulatum, and Aspergillus versicolor. Most of the mold species detected on surfaces were the same found in the indoor air of cheese ripening rooms. Conclusion: The environment of cheese ripening rooms persuades a favourable niche for mold growth. The fungal diversity in the dairy farms were greatly influenced by several factors (exterior atmosphere, working personnel etc.,) and their proportion varied from one to another. Proper management of hygienic and production practices and air filtration system would be effective to eradicate contamination in cheese processing industries.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.19 no.2 s.20
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• pp.273-280
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• 1986

'Medicinal water' have been used for the treatment of disease and the promotion of health. To study the quality and health effect of 'medicinal water', the eleven springs located near Taegu City during the period of March 27-February 17, 1986 were tested for biological and physiochemical examination and were checked for sanitary environment around the spring. Among them three springs (27.3%) had a good sanitary equipments and only one was negative for biological examination. Three 'medicinal warer' were accepted as potable by physicochemical examination. According to above findings, all of the 'medicinal water' sampled from the springs located near Taegu City were not potable by this sanitary survey adopted Drinking Water Standard in Korea. Kachang and Youngchum 'medicinal water' were more contaminated by heavy metals and bacteria than those of other springs. To solve the problem of contamination by heavy metals that originated from uncertain sources, we should search for the sources of water contamination, remove it completely and also support the environmental equipments and management system in protection of safe 'medicinal water' supply.