• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.325-330
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• 2004

Several kinds of low voltage cables have been used in nuclear power plants for the supply of electric power, supervision, and the propagation of control signals. These low voltage tables must be inspected for safe and stable operation of nuclear power plants. In particular, the degradation diagnosis to estimate the integrity of low voltage rabies has recently been emphasized according to the long use of nuclear power plants. In order to evaluate their degradation, the surrounding temperature, hardness of insulation material, elongation at breaking point (EAB), etc. have been used. However, the measurement of temperature or hardness is not useful because of the absence of quantitative criteria; the inspection of a sample requires turning off of the power plant power; and, the electrical inspection method is not sufficiently sensitive from the initial through the middle stage of degradation. In this research, based on the theory that the ultrasonic velocity changes with relation to the degradation of the material, we measured the ultrasonic velocity as low voltage cables were degraded. To this end, an ultrasonic degradation diagnosis device was developed and used to measure the ultrasonic velocity with the clothing on the cable, and it was confirmed that the ultrasonic velocity changes according to the degradation of low voltage cables. The low voltage cables used in nuclear power plants were degraded at an accelerated rate, and EAB was measured in a tensile test conducted after the measurement of ultrasonic velocity. With the increasing degradation degree, the ultrasonic velocity decreased, whose potential as a useful parameter for the quantitative degradation evaluation was thus confirmed.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.101-119
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• 2021

The demand for clean water is virtually present in all modern human societies even as our society has developed increasingly more advanced and sophisticated technologies to improve human life. However, as global climate change begins to show more dramatic effects in many regions in the world, the demand for a cheap, effective way to treat wastewater or to remove harmful bacteria, microbes, viruses, and other solvents detrimental to human health has continued to remain present and remains as important as ever. Well-established synthetic membranes composed of polyaniline (PANI), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and others have been extensively studied to gather information regarding the characteristics and performance of the membrane, but recent studies have shown that making these synthetic membranes conductive to electrical current by doping the membrane with another material or incorporating conductive materials onto the surface of the membrane, such as allotropes of carbon, have shown to increase the performance of these membranes by allowing the adjustability of pore size, improving antifouling and making the antibacterial property better. In this review, modern electrically conductive membranes are compared to conventional membranes and their performance improvements under electric fields are discussed, as well as their potential in water filtration and wastewater treatment applications.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.384-395
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• 2018

The aim of this study was to investigate whether a novel formulation of an herbal extracts has an inhibitory effect on obesity. To determine its anti-obesity effects, we performed anti-obesity-related experiments in vitro and in vivo. Thus, our present study was carried out to evaluate the anti-obesity effect of herbal extracts using a high fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mouse model and 3T3-L1 adipose cells. The effects of each herbal extracts on lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells were examined using Oil Red O staining. Results showed that treatment with each herbal extracts at $10{\sim}100{\mu}g/ml$ had no effect on cell morphology and viability. Without evidence of toxicity, herbal extracts treatment decreased lipid accumulation compared with the untreated adipocytes controls as shown by the lower absorbance of Oil Red O stain. Futhermore, compared with control-differentiated mature adipocytes, each herbal extracts significantly inhibited lipid accumulation in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In the HFD-fed obese mice, body weight, liver weight and white adipose tissue weights were significantly reduced by mixture of herbal extracts administration in mouse skin. Futhermore, we found that mixture of herbal extracts administration suppressed serum triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TCHO) in HFD-induced obese mouse model. The mixture of herbal extracts of permeability was estimated by measuring the transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) value in pig skin. The optimized formulations of herbal extracts (Test 3 formulation) showed skin permeation. However, test 1 formulation containing essential oil as enhancer showed maximum skin permeation. After confirming the enhanced skin permeability, in vivo studies were performed to assess whether skin irritation potential on the basis of a primary irritation index (PII) in rabbit skin. Reactions were scored for erythema/edema reactions at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h post-application. It was concluded that the test 1 formulation was not irritation (PII = 0). The present study suggests that the test 1 formulation might be of therapeutic interest with respect to the treatment of obesity.

• The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.179-184
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• 2019

In many countries, such as developing countries where electricity is scarce, small wind turbines in the form of Off Grid are an effective solution to solve power supply problems. In some countries, the expansion of power systems and the decline of electricity-intensive areas have led to the use of small wind power in urban road lighting, mobile communications base stations, aquaculture and seawater desalination. With this change, the size of the small wind power industry is expected to have greater potential than large-scale wind power. In the case of small wind power generators, the generator is controlled at a variable speed, and the voltage and current generated by the generator have many harmonic components. To solve this problem, the AC to DC converter to be studied in this paper is a three-phase step-up type converter with a single switch. The inductor current is controlled in discontinuous mode, and has a characteristic of having a unit power factor by eliminating the harmonic of the input current. The proposed converter is composed of LCL filter and three phase rectification boost converter at the input stage and a single phase full bridge for grid connection. It is a control system with energy storage system(ESS) that the system stabilization can be pursued against the electric power.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.151-163
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• 2022

This study was conducted to promote organic fertilizer(s) that sustain soil productivity for corn production and protect the environment as required by the Act on the promotion of eco-friendly agriculture. It was conducted at the research station of the Organic Agriculture Division of the National Institute of Agricultural. The treatments consisted of Compost (Com), Bokashi as fermented organic fertilizer (FOF), and mixed expeller pressed cake (PC). They were applied at 174 kg N /ha to field corn, together with a 'no fertilizer' check in Randomized Complete Block Design. At eight weeks after transplanting (WAT) corn, compost increased soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) to 7.48 and 0.76 g/kg respectively, while other fertilizers maintained the initial levels (before treatment application). At corn harvest (13 WAT), soil chemical properties (total C, total N, pH, electrical conductivity, P₂O₅, Ca, K, and Mg) were similar among all organic fertilizer treatments. For soil respiration, FOF increased soil CO₂ respiration by 31-76% above other fertilizer treatments. However, there were no prominent changes in the trends of CH₄ fluxes following the two mechanical weeding operations. Fermented organic fertilizer affected N₂O emissions between 87-96% lower than other fertilizer treatments. Compared to the initial microbial densities, FOF increased fungi and actinomycete colony foming unit by 25 and 16% at harvest. Therefore, the additional potential of improving soil biological fertility and local availability of raw materials make FOF a better option to sustain soil productivity while protecting the environment.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.22-33
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• 2021

Recently, the frequent occurrence of ground subsidence in urban areas has caused increasing anxiety in residents and incurred significant social costs. Among the causes of ground subsidence, the rupture of old water and sewer pipes not only halts the operation of the buried pipes, but also leads to ground and water pollution problems. However, because most pipes are buried after construction and cannot be seen with the naked eye, the importance of maintenance has underestimated compared to other structures. In recent years, integrated physical exploration has been applied to the maintenance of underground pipes and structures. Currently, to investigate the internal conditions and vulnerable portions of the ground, consolidated physical surveys are executed. Consolidated physical surveys are analysis techniques that obtain various material data and add existing data using multiple physical surveys. Generally, in geotechnical engineering, consolidated physical surveys including electrical and surface wave surveys are adopted. However, it is difficult to investigate time-based changes in under ground using these surveys. In contrast, surveys using cosmic-ray muons have been used to scan the inner parts of nuclear reactors with penetration technology. Surveys using muons enable real-time observation without the influence of vibration or electricity. Such surveys have great potential for available technology because of their ability to investigate density distributions without requiring as much labor. In this paper, survey technologies using cosmic ray muons are introduced, and the possibilities of applying such technologies as new physical survey technologies for underground structures are suggested.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.19-30
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• 2022

Climate change has increased the average air temperature. Rising air temperature are absorbed by water bodies, leading to increasing water temperature. Increased water temperature will cause eutrophication and excess algal growth, which will reduce water quality. In this study, long-term trends of air and water temperatures in the Han-river basin over the period of 1997-2020 were discussed to assess the impacts of climate change. Future (~2100s) levels of air temperature were predicted based on the climate change scenarios (Representative concentration pathway (RCP) 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5). The results showed that air and water temperatures rose at an average rate of 0.027℃ year^-1 and 0.038℃ year^-1 respectively, over the past 24 years (1997 to 2020). Future air temperatures under RCP 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5 increased up to 0.32℃ 1.18℃, 2.14℃, and 3.51℃, respectively. An increasing water temperature could dissolve more minerals from the surrounding rock and will therefore have a higher electrical conductivity. It is the opposite when considering a gas, such as oxygen, dissolved in the water. Water temperature also governs the kinds of organisms that can live in rivers and lakes. Fish, insects, zooplankton, phytoplankton, and other aquatic species all have a preferred temperature range. As temperatures get too far above or below this preferred range, the number of individuals of the species decreases until finally there are none. Therefore, changes of water temperature that are induced by climate change have important implications on water supplies, water quality, and aquatic ecosystems of a watershed.

• Composites Research
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.357-372
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• 2021

The energy harvesting device is known to be promising as an alternative to solve the resource shortage caused by the depletion of petroleum resources. In order to overcome the limitations (environmental pollution and low mechanical properties) of piezoelectric elements capable of converting mechanical motion into electrical energy, many studies have been conducted on a polymer matrix-based composite piezoelectric energy harvesting device. In this paper, the output performance and related applications of the reported piezoelectric composites are reviewed based on the applied materials and processes. As for the piezoelectric fillers, zinc oxide, which is advantageous in terms of eco-friendliness, biocompatibility, and flexibility, as well as ceramic fillers based on lead zirconate titanate and barium titanate, were reviewed. The polymer matrix was classified into piezoelectric polymers composed of polyvinylidene fluoride and copolymers, and flexible polymers based on epoxy and polydimethylsiloxane, to discuss piezoelectric synergy of composite materials and improvement of piezoelectric output by high external force application, respectively. In addition, the effect of improving the conductivity or the mechanical properties of composite material by the application of a metal or carbon-based secondary filler on the output performance of the piezoelectric harvesting device was explained in terms of the structure of the composite material. Composite material-based piezoelectric harvesting devices, which can be applied to small electronic devices, smart sensors, and medicine with improved performance, can provide potential insights as a power source for wireless electronic devices expected to be encountered in future daily life.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.111-125
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• 2022

Since landslide can cause huge damages to many facilities, close characterization of slopes is needed for appropriate reinforcements for the unstable ones in order to prevent the damages. Geophysical surveys, which can characterize a large area at a relatively low cost without disturbing slopes, have been widely employed for the assessment of slope stability in other countries. However, only conventional direct investigation methods are mainly used in Korea. In this paper, we analyzed various cases, which evaluated slope stabilities by characterizing slopes using geophysical exploration. First, we introduced changes in geophysical properties due to unstable media of slope like fracture location, fracture connectivity and distribution of groundwater level, and subsequently discussed the applicability of geophysical methods to the detection of the changes; the methods include electrical resistivity survey, seismic survey, self-potential survey, induced polarization survey and ground penetrating radar. Based on this description, we analyzed how geophysical surveys were performed on various slopes.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.72-86
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• 2022

This study was conducted to identify structural characteristics of the evergreen broad-leaved forests distributed in Hak-dong, Geojae island. For a survey, 52 sites were set up in areas with changes in the vegetation community or location environment where Cinnamomum yabunikkei, Neolitsea sericea, and Machilus thunbergii dominated or appeared in the canopy, sub-canopy, or shrub layer. The community classification with TWINSPAN identified the following communities: N. sericea-C. yabunikkei, C. yabunikkei-Camellia japonica, Ca. japonica, Quercus variabilis-Ca. japonica, Pinus thunbergii-Ca. japonica, Castanopsis sieboldii, P. thunbergii, and Platycarya strobilacea-Mallotus japonicus. Considering the result of the study that succession series of warm-temperate forest reflecting the latent natural vegetation is the transition of conifers and deciduous broad-leaved forest to evergreen broad-leaved forest, the communities predominated by the communities predominated by the communities predominated by P. thunbergii, Q. variabilis, and Pl. strobilacea are likely to transform into the evergreen forest predominated by N. sericea and C. yabunikkei. The sites where C. yabunikkei, N. sericea, and Castanopsis sieboldii are dominant in the canopy and sub-canopy layers are likely to maintain the status quo if there is no artificial disturbance. The relationship between the impact of the environmental factors and the vegetation distribution showed silt among the physical properties of the soil directly or indirectly affected it, which was judged to be due to the fact that it was located on a steep slope. The soil acidity (pH) was 5-5.84, electrical conductivity 0.047-0.139 dS/m, and organic matter content was 3.32-12.06%. Although there were differences by the colony, they were generally low.