• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.484-487
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• 2005

In order to get the surface characteristics of the HDI of HDD, the surface damage mechanisms must be totally understood. Particle contamination in hard disk drives is a big concern in today's magnetic recording industry since they are major sources of reliability problems. Namely upon contact with the slider or a contaminant particle, the disk may be scratched or the particles may be embedded into the disk surface. In this work, comparison of scratches was made between those found on actual hard disks and those created using a scratch tester. It was found that ramp loading method is an effective way to make similar scratches as the actual ones. From the ramp loading condition, the relationship between the pressure and the scratch track width could be identified.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.210-216
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• 2019

Concentrations of Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Ni and Cr have been estimated in sediments of the Shitalakhya River at Polash-Ghorashal area, Narsingdi, Bangladesh. 36 samples of sediments from nine sampling point at different locations of Shitalakhya River were collected to determine the concentration of Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Ni, Cr and the samples were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The obtained results were compared with national and international guidelines. The levels of heavy metal concentrations in sediments were found to decrease in the order of Fe > Mn > Zn > Ni > Cu > Cr, respectively. The heavy metal concentration in sediment of Shitalakhya was below the recommended safe limits of heavy metals by WHO, FAO and other international standards. Contamination factor (CF) of Zn and Cu at sampling point Fsd2 show higher (> 1) values due to the influence of external discrete sources like wastage catalysts of ZnO and CuO. Geo-accumulation index values of the study indicate as non-contaminated to moderately contaminate.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.883-893
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• 2021

Clostridium difficile present in feces of food animals may contaminate their meats and act as a potential source of C. difficile infection (CDI) to humans. C. difficile resistance to antibiotics, its production of toxins and spores play major roles in the pathogenesis of CDI. This is the first study to evaluate C. difficile prevalence in retail raw animal meats, its antibiotics susceptibilities and toxigenic activities in Al-Jouf, Saudi Arabia. Totally, 240 meat samples were tested. C. difficile was identified by standard microbiological and biochemical methods. Vitek-2 compact system confirmed C. difficile isolates were 15/240 (6.3%). Toxins A/B were not detected by Xpect C. difficile toxin A/B tests. Although all isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and metronidazole, variable degrees of reduced susceptibilities to moxifloxacin, clindamycin or tetracycline antibiotics were detected by Epsilon tests. C. difficile strains with reduced susceptibility to antibiotics should be investigated. Variability between the worldwide reported C. difficile contamination levels could be due to absence of a gold standard procedure for its isolation. Establishment of a unified testing algorithm for C. difficile detection in food products is definitely essential to evaluate the inter-regional variation in its prevalence on national and international levels. Proper use of antimicrobials during animal husbandry is crucial to control the selective drug pressure on C. difficile strains associated with food animals. Investigating the protective or pathogenic potential of non-toxigenic C. difficile strains and the possibility of gene transfer from certain toxigenic/ antibiotics-resistant to non-toxigenic/antibiotics-sensitive strains, respectively, should be worthy of attention.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.169-176
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• 2023

The emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been increasing with anthropogenic contamination. Understanding the prevalence and distribution of these resistant bacteria in environments is crucial for effectively managing anthropogenic pollutants. Lake Gyeongpo in the Gangwon Province of South Korea is known for its diverse ecological features and human interactions. The lake is exposed to pollutants from nonpoint sources, including urban areas, agricultural practices, and recreational activities, which can introduce antibiotics and foster antibiotic resistance in bacteria. The present study investigates Lake Gyeongpo as a potential reservoir for antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a natural ecosystem. A total of 203 bacterial isolates were collected from six sampling locations in Lake Gyeongpo during May, July, and November 2022. Most isolates were taxonomically identified as Pseudoalteromonas, Bacillus, Shewanella, and Vibrio spp.; their abundance showed a spatiotemporal distribution. An antibiotic susceptibility test was conducted on 75 isolates using the disk diffusion method with six drugs according to the CLSI guideline; 42 isolates were resistant to one or more antibiotics. Among these, 15 isolates were identified as multidrug resistant bacteria. This finding suggests the potential anthropogenic impact on Lake Gyeongpo and provides valuable insights into the dissemination of antibiotic resistance caused by anthropogenic pollutants.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.243-248
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• 1986

The impurities in As and Ga sources and the contamination of the GaAs substrate prior to growing of MBE GaAs epitaxial layer have been investigated using RHEED, AES and RGA methods. The as source was contaminated by H2O, CO, CO2 and AsO, and the Ga source was contaminated by H2, H2O, CO and CO2. These contaminants could easily be removed by prebaking the source. On the other hand, GaAs substrate was contaminated principally carbon and oxygen. The oxygen could easily be removed by heating the substrate above 480\ulcorner, and the carbon could also be reduced by sputtering the substrate with 1ke V Ar+. The chemically etched substrate surface prior to growing the layer was rough, but it was made to be smooth and clean by heating it above 530 \ulcorner.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.69-76
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• 2015

BACKGROUND: Contamination of soils by heavy metals is the serious environmental problem. In particular, industrial processing is one of the main sources of heavy metal contamination. The objective of this study was to investigate the distribution characteristics of heavy metals in soils collected from industrial complex. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, the soil contamination and enrichment factor (EF) of heavy metals were investigated in three national industrial complexes such as Yeosu, Ulsan and Sihwa Banwal industrial complexes. The target heavy metals includes Cd, Cu, As, Hg, Pb, Cr, Zn, and Ni. The results showed that the contents of Cd, Hg, Pb, Zn and Ni in Yeosu and the contents of Cu, As and Cr in Sihwa Banwal were higher than in any other industrial complex. The results of principal component analysis(PCA) in Yeosu, Ulsan and Sihwa Banwal complex could be explained up to approximately 81.4, 69.1 and 70.9% by two factor, respectively. Enrichment factors of Cd, Pb and Zn in all the investigated industrial complexes were above 1.0 that was the value judged to be a high contamination. And EF of Cr was above 1.0 in Sihwa Banwal complex. EF of Zn in all sites was generally high from the other heavy metals. CONCLUSION: Therefore, soils maybe significantly affected by heavy metals (especially, Cd, Pb and Zn) present in the emissions from industrial complexes.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.31-39
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• 2002

Pollutants from industry, mining, agriculture, and other sources have contaminated sediments in many surface water bodies. Sediment contamination poses a severe threat to human health and environment because many toxic contaminants that are barely detectable in the water column can accumulate in sediments at much higher levels. The purpose of this study was to make optimal treatment and disposal plan o( sediment for water quality improvement in small-scale resevoir based on an evaluation of degree of contamination. The degree of contamination were investigated for 23 samples of 9 site at different depth of sediment in small-scale J river. Results for analysis of contaminated sediments were observed that copper concentration of 4 samples were higher than the regulation of hazardous waste (3 mg/L) and that of all samples were exceeded soil pollution warning levels for agricultural areas. Lead and mercury concentration of all samples were detected below both regulations. Necessary of sediment dredge was evaluated for organic matter and nutrient through standard levels of Paldang lake and the lower Han river in Korea and Tokyo bay and Yokohama bay in Japan. The degree of contamination for organic matter and nutrient was not serious. Compared standard levels of Japan, America, and Canada for heavy metal, contaminated sediment was concluded as lowest effect level or limit of tolerance level because standard levels of America and Canada was established worst effect of benthic organisms. The optimal treatment method of sediment contained heavy metal was cement-based solidification/stabilization to prevent heavy metal leaching.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.7-15
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• 1998

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of some decontamination agents against skin contamination of $^{60}Co$ and $^{137}Cs$, the experiments were carried out in this study. In the experiments, pig skin was used instead of human skin , $^{60}CoC1_2$ and $^{137}CsCl$ were used the liquid sources of skin contamination. To examine the effectiveness of decontamination agents, skin decontamination was tried using soup, EDTA, KAERICON which was developed for decontamination of radionulides on the surface of building structure, and new decontamination agents such as IOCON, TRICON, and CHARCON, which were developed in this study. The absorption of radionuclides through the skin was evaluated by the gamma-tay detection on the surface of sample skin after radionuclides were penetrated into the skin during 16 hour soiling time. The results of this absorption experiment indicated that 11.5% and 3.2% of initial amounts of $^{137}Cs$ and $^{60}Co$, respectively, were panerated into the skin. In the experiment to remove the residual radioactivity fixed on the skin, KAERICON showed the decontamination rates up to 52.1%(decontamination factor of 2.1) and IOCON showed the equivalent decontamination rate (decontamination factor 1.9) for $^{137}Cs$. However, IOCON and CHARCON showed the poor decontamination rates of less than 20%(decontamination factor of 1.2) for $^{60}Co$, and KAERICON showed the poor decontamination rate (decontamination factor 1.1) for $^{60}Co$. For TRICON, the decontamination factors were 1.6 to 1.8 for $^{137}Cs$, and 1.0 to 1.2 for $^{60}Co$, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.211-217
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• 2016

There have been found mine tailings, wastes, and mining drainage scattered in the area of Nakdong River due to the improper maintenance of the abandoned mines. These contaminants can flow into rivers during the heavy rain periods in summer. Along the study area beginning Seokpo-myeon, Bonghwa-gun of Gyeongsangbuk-do untill Dosan-myeon, Andong-si, there are one hundred five mines including sixty metalliferous mines and forty-five nonmetal mines, which can adversely affect the adjacent rivers. To verify the contamination, we collected sediments, seepage water and surface water for a year both in rainy season and dry season. This study found that sediments, containing high concentrations of heavy metals caused by mining activities, are dispersed throughout the entire river basin (68 sample points with pollution index, based on the concentration of trace element, (PI) >10 among the total of 101 samples). The results of river water analysis indicated the increased concentrations of arsenic and cadmium at branches from Seungbu, Sambo, Okbang and Janggun mine, which concerns that the river water may be contaminated by mining drainage and tailing sediments. However, it is difficult to sort out the exact sources of contamination in sediments and waters only by using the chemical compositions. Thus the control of mining pollution is challenging. To prevent water from being contaminated by mining activities, we should be able to divide inflow rates from each origin of the mines. Therefore, there should be a continued study about how to trace the source of contaminants from mining activities by analyzing stable isotopes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 1997

This study was carried out to find out the source of nitrate-nitrogen (NO$_3$-N) contamination in the groundwater in Cheju Island. Among the sites which have exceeded or may exceed the criterion level (10 mg/L) of NO$_3$-N in drinking water, seven sampling sites including two reference sites were chosen. The former regions are mainly agricultural ones (A-1 to A-6) and residential (R). The latter regions are forest (F-1 and F-2). The predicted major source and its contribution to NO$_3$-N concentration at each site, using $\delta$$\^$15/N and NO$_3$-N concentration, were as follow; Those at A-1, R and F-1 was 61.1%, 50.0% and 20.0% to manure or domestic sewage, 27.8%, 45.7% and 40.0% to chemical fertilizers and 11.1%, 4.3% and 40.0% to natural soil, respectively. Those at A-2 to A-6 were 37.8%, 25.0%, 40.9%, 26.2% and 35.7% to manure or domestic sewage, 59.6%, 71.7%, 53.0%, 71.5% and 60.2% to chemical fertilizers and 2.6%, 3.3%, 6.1%, 2.3% and 4.1% to natural soil, respectively.