• Title/Summary/Keyword: Environmental Exposure

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Politics of Knowledge of Asbestos Activism in South Korea: Settled Dust Analysis and the Controversies over Asbestos Pollution Measurement (한국석면운동의 지식 정치: 먼지 분석법과 석면오염 측정 논란을 중심으로)

  • Kang, Yeonsil
    • Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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    • v.18 no.1
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    • pp.129-175
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    • 2018
  • This paper examines asbestos activism in South Korea by focusing on the politics of knowledge between the asbestos activist group and regulatory agency on the risk of asbestos exposure. Asbestos activism has contributed to establishing asbestos pollution an important safety and public health agenda in South Korea. Asbestos pollution investigation is key to core argument of the activism that asbestos pollution is pervasive especially in urban environment and a serious environmental health problem with its worst consequences has not yet seen. A distinctive characteristic of such asbestos investigation is the use of "settled dust analysis," non-standard, non-legislated analysis method. In this paper, literary technologies used in asbestos investigation report written by activists and controversies over asbestos pollution measurement in Samsung's head office building. Asbestos activists successfully concentrated media's attention on their argument and mobilize resources needed to make policy decisions, by using settled dust analysis data. Regulatory agency and expert group, however, neither saw settled dust analysis nor activists argument persuasive enough to make policy changes, base on their evaluation on the use of standards and evidentiary context for analyzing measured data. While its explanatory power is partially acquired, through the dispute between asbestos activists and regulatory agencies unspoken assumptions of regulatory science was revealed and became the matter of social debate. Settled dust analysis captures the characteristic of asbestos analysis which combined social movement and science to challenge the regulatory agency and expert group.

Heat Transfer Analysis and Experiments of Reinforced Concrete Slabs Using Galerkin Finite Element Method (Galerkin 유한요소법을 이용한 철근콘크리트 슬래브의 열전달해석 및 실험)

  • Han, Byung-Chan;Kim, Yun-Yong;Kwon, Young-Jin;Cho, Chang-Geun
    • Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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    • v.24 no.5
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    • pp.567-575
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    • 2012
  • A research was conducted to develop a 2-D nonlinear Galerkin finite element analysis of reinforced concrete structures subjected to high temperature with experiments. Algorithms for calculating the closed-form element stiffness for a triangular element with a fully populated material conductance are developed. The validity of the numerical model used in the program is established by comparing the prediction from the computer program with results from full-scale fire resistance tests. Details of fire resistance experiments carried out on reinforced concrete slabs, together with results, are presented. The results obtained from experimental test indicated in that the proposed numerical model and the implemented codes are accurate and reliable. The changes in thermal parameters are discussed from the point of view of changes of structure and chemical composition due to the high temperature exposure. The proposed numerical model takes into account time-varying thermal loads, convection and radiation affected heat fluctuation, and temperature-dependent material properties. Although, this study considered standard fire scenario for reinforced concrete slabs, other time versus temperature relationship can be easily incorporated.

RTN4 3'-UTR Insertion/Deletion Polymorphism and Susceptibility to Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in Chinese Han Population

  • Lu, De-Yi;Mao, Xu-Hua;Zhou, Ying-Hui;Yan, Xiao-Long;Wang, Wei-Ping;Zheng, Ya-Biao;Xiao, Juan-Juan;Zhang, Ping;Wang, Jian-Guo;Ashwani, Neetika;Ding, Wei-Liang;Jiang, Hua;Shang, Yan;Wang, Ming-Hua
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.15 no.13
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    • pp.5249-5252
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    • 2014
  • Nogo protein, encoded by gene reticulon-4 (RTN4), includes three major isoforms by different splicing, named Nogo-A Nogo-B and Nogo-C. Nogo proteins play an important role in the apoptosis of cells, especially in tumor cells. RTN4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can influence the efficiency of transcription and translation thus being related with an individual's predisposition to cancer. The CAA insertion/deletion polymorphism (rs34917480) within RTN4 3'-UTR has been reported to be associated with many cancer types. In order to investigate the relationship between this polymorphism and susceptibility to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the Chinese population, we conducted the present case-control study including 411 NSCLC patients and 471 unrelated healthy controls. The genotype distributions were significantly different between cases and controls (p=0.014). We found that the del allele could significantly increase NSCLC risk (ins/ins vs ins/del: p=0.007, OR 1.46, 95%CI=1.11-1.93; dominant model: p=0.004, OR 1.47, 95%CI=1.13-1.92 and allele model: p=0.008, OR 1.35, 95%CI=1.08-1.67). This association was stronger in participants over 60 years old, males and smokers. We therefore conclude that the CAA insertion/deletion polymorphism (rs34917480) contributes to non-small cell lung cancer risk in Chinese population. Age, sex and environmental exposure are also related to carcinogenic effects of rs34917480.

The Effects of Entrepreneurial Intention on Planned Happenstance Skill of Career-Breaking Women: Focusing on Moderating Effects of Successful Role Models and Social Support Forces (경력단절여성의 계획된 우연역량이 창업의지에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구: 개인 환경요인의 조절효과를 중심으로)

  • Chung, Inkoo;Yang, Dongwoo
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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    • v.15 no.5
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    • pp.129-143
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    • 2020
  • Recently, Start-ups has been emphasized as part of a career-breaking women returning to society policy. To this Policy, the relationship between the planned happenstance skills and the entrepreneurial intentions of a career-breaking woman was investigated, and the successful role model as an individual environmental factor and the moderating effect of social support forces was verified. The results of the survey analysis of 139 women who have experienced career cut-offs in the metropolitan area and Dae-gu and Gyeong-buk are as follows; First, the planned happenstance skills of career-breaking women affect a positive effect on the entrepreneurial intentions. Second, it was found that the moderating effect of the successful role model does not appear in the relationship between the planned happenstance skills of a career-breaking woman and the entrepreneurial intentions. Third, it was found that there was no moderating effect of the social support forces in the relationship between the planned happenstance skills and the entrepreneurial intentions of a career-breaking woman. Last, It was found that the entrepreneurial intentions, which is a personal psychological characteristic for career-breaking women is more directly affected than personal environments. In order to increase career-breaking women's the entrepreneurial intentions, it is necessary to develop psychological skill-building programs which can enhance the accessibility of start-ups and raise the perception of Start-ups. In addition, it is necessary to continuously expand exposure opportunities such as role models and success stories which succeeded in starting a business after a career break and to expand social support forces that can help with courage, advice, and change management to discover opportunities of start-ups.

Evaluation of Mechanical Properties of Carbon/Epoxy Composites Under In situ Low- and High-Temperature Environments (저온과 고온 환경 하에서 카본/에폭시 복합재의 기계적 물성 평가)

  • Im, JaeMoon;Shin, KwangBok;Hwang, Taekyung
    • Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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    • v.39 no.6
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    • pp.567-573
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    • 2015
  • This paper aims to evaluate the variation in the mechanical properties of carbon/epoxy composites under in situ low- and high-temperature environments. In situ low- and high-temperature environments were simulated with temperature ranging from $-40^{\circ}C$ to $220^{\circ}C$ using an environmental chamber and furnace. The variation in the mechanical properties of the composites was measured for longitudinal and transverse tensile properties, in-plane shear properties and interlaminar shear strength. Under the low temperature of $-40^{\circ}C$, all mechanical properties increased moderately compared to the baseline properties measured at room temperature. The changes in the longitudinal tensile properties decreased moderately with increasing temperature. However, transverse tensile properties, in-plane shear properties and interlaminar shear strength each showed a significant drop due to the glass transition behavior of the matrix after $140^{\circ}C$. Notably, the tensile property value near $100^{\circ}C$ increased compared to baseline property value, which was an unusual occurrence. This behavior was a direct result of post-curing of the epoxy resin due to its exposure to high temperature.

Fingerprint of Carcinogenic Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs) during Bonfire Night

  • Pongpiachan, Siwatt
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.14 no.5
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    • pp.3243-3254
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    • 2013
  • It is well known that increased incidences of lung, skin, and bladder cancers are associated with occupational exposure to PAHs. Animal studies show that certain PAHs also can affect the hematopoietic and immune systems and can produce reproductive, neurologic, and developmental effects. As a consequence, several studies have been attempted to investigate the fate of PAHs in atmospheric environment during the past decades. However, there is still a lack of information in regard to the atmospheric concentration of PAHs during the "Bon Fire Night". In this study, twenty-three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and twenty-eight aliphatics were identified and quantified in the $PM_{10}$ and vapour range in Birmingham ($27^{th}$ November 2001-$19^{th}$ January 2004). The measured concentrations of total particulate and vapour (P+V) PAHs were consistently higher at the BROS in both winter and summer. Arithmetic mean total (P+V) PAH concentrations were $51.04{\pm}47.62$ ng $m^{-3}$ and $22.30{\pm}19.18$ ng $m^{-3}$ at the Bristol Road Observatory Site (BROS) and Elms Road Observatory Site (EROS) respectively. In addition arithmetic mean total (P+V) B[a]P concentrations at the BROS were $0.47{\pm}0.39$ ng $m^{-3}$ which exceeded the EPAQS air quality standard of 0.25 ng $m^{-3}$. On the other hand, the arithmetic mean total (P+V) aliphatics were $81.80{\pm}69.58$ ng $m^{-3}$ and $48.00{\pm}35.38$ ng $m^{-3}$ at the BROS and EROS in that order. The lowest average of CPI and $C_{max}$ measured at the BROS supports the idea of traffic emissions being a principle source of SVOCs in an urban atmosphere. The annual trend of PAHs was investigated by using an independent t-test and oneway independent ANOVA analysis. Generally, there is no evidence of a significant decline of heavier MW PAHs from the two data sets, with only Ac, Fl, Ph, An, 2-MePh, 1+9-MePh, Fluo and B[b+j+k]F showing a statistically significant decline (p<0.05). A further attempt for statistical analysis had been conducted by dividing the data set into three groups (i.e. 2000, 2001-2002 and 2003-2004). For lighter MW compounds a significant level of decline was observed by using one-way independent ANOVA analysis. Since the annual mean of $O_3$ measured in Birmingham City Centre from 2001 to 2004 increased significantly (p<0.05), it may be possible to attribute the annul reduction of more volatile PAHs to the enhanced level of annual average $O_3$. By contrast, the heavier MW PAHs measured at the BROS did not show any significant annual reduction, implying the difficulties of 5- and 6-ring PAHs to be subject to photochemical decomposition. The deviation of SVOCs profile measured at the EROS was visually confirmed during the "Bonfire Night" festival closest to the $6^{th}$ November 2003. In this study, the atmospheric PAH concentrations were generally elevated on this day with concentrations of Fl, Ac, B[a]A, B[b+j+k]F, Ind and B[g,h,i]P being particularly high.

Investigation of Lichen Species as a Biomonitor of Atmospheric Ozone in 'Backwoon' Mountain, Korea (백운산(白雲山) 서식(棲息) 지의류(地衣類)를 이용(利用)한 오존 민감성(敏感性) 지표종(地表種) 선발(選拔))

  • Hur, Jae-Seoun;Kim, Pan-Gi
    • Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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    • v.89 no.1
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    • pp.65-76
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    • 2000
  • Lichen flora of 'Backwoon' mountain, Korea, was investigated during the summer of 1998 and 1999 to screen out lichen species which can be used as a biomonitor for atmospheric ozone. The identified foliose or fructicose lichens in the area were classified into 9 families, 20 genera and 34 species. The dominant lichen species in the area were found to be Leptogium sp., Parmelia sp., Parmotrema sp., Phaeophyscia sp. and Cladonia sp. It was also found that lichen species showing a wide range of sensitiveness to air pollution were distributed in 'Backwoon' mountain. The Parmotrema austrosinense, P. tinctorum, Certrelia braunsiana and Ramalina yasudae collected in the area were exposed to ozone at the level of 200ppb, 8hr/day in controlled growth chamber for 2 weeks. Malondialdehyde(MDA), hydroperoxy conjugated dienes(HPCD), soluble protein content and OD435nm/OD415nm ratio for phaeophytinization of chlorophyll were measured and a pollution index(PI) was calculated for each lichen. Ozone exposure severely damaged to the lichens in the order of P. austrosinense>P. tinctorum>C. braunsiana>R. yasudae. P. austrosinens easily identified and widely distributed in Korea is likely to be a very useful biomonitor of air pollution, especially for ozone. These results indicate that Korean lichen species can be used as a biomonitor for air pollution to evaluate air quality contaminated with ozone.

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Oxidative damage biomarker levels according to Mn-SOD and GST gene polymorphisms in preschool children (Mn-SOD와 GST 유전자 다형성에 따른 유아의 산화손상지표의 분포)

  • Shin, You-kyung;Choi, Ji-Won;Oh, Se-Young;Chung, Jayong
    • Journal of Nutrition and Health
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    • v.48 no.6
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    • pp.468-475
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    • 2015
  • Purpose: Genetic polymorphisms in antioxidant defense and detoxification genes may modulate the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers. Methods: A total of 301 healthy preschool-aged children in the Seoul and Kyung-gi areas were recruited. DNA was extracted from blood for genotyping of manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) Val16Ala, glutathione S-transferase (GST) P1 Ile105Val, GSTT1 present/null, and GSTM1 present/null polymorphisms by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism or multiplex PCR analyses. In addition to a questionnaire survey, the levels of urinary 8-hydroxyl-2-deoxiguanosine (8-OHdG) and plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured by ELISA. Results: Significantly higher urinary 8-OHdG concentrations were observed in GSTP1 Ile/Val + Val/Val genotype (p = 0.030), and tended to be higher in Mn-SOD Val/Val genotype (p = 0.065). On the other hand, exposure to environmental tobacco smoking (ETS) and interaction between ETS and gene polymorphisms did not significantly influence either urinary 8-OHdG concentrations or serum MDA. Conclusion: Based on our findings, GSTP1 Ile/Val gene polymorphisms might modulate the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in healthy preschool children.

Thermal Characteristics of Nutrient Solution and Root Media in Recycled Soilless Culture Systems (순환식 무토양재배시스템의 양액 및 배지의 온도변화 특성)

  • Son, Jung-Eek;Park, Jong-Seok
    • Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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    • v.7 no.1
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    • pp.71-77
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    • 1998
  • The root-zone environment is an important factor to the plant growth and it is closely related to the thermal characteristics of the root media. In this study thermal characteristics of root media with ambient environmental conditions were analyzed. The temperatures of nutrient solution as well as inside air of culture bed were measured in Nutrient Film Technique(NFT) and Deep Flow Technique(DFT) systems, and also the temperatures of root media measured in aggregate culture systems , The temperature of nutrient solution of NFT system with as low as 3$\ell$/min of flow rate was 3$^{\circ}C$ higher than that with 5 $\ell$/min of flow rate in the daytime, and the temperature of inside air was 2$^{\circ}C$ higher at night. And the temperature of nutrient solution of DFT system with as low as 0.8 cm of water level was 1-2$^{\circ}C$ higher than that with 1 8 cm in the daytime, and the temperature of inside air was almost same at night. The root-zone temperatures in the perlite and rockwool granulate systems with film mulching were 3$^{\circ}C$ higher than those without film mulching in the daytime. However, the rockwool slab system with film mulching showed the same trend as rockwool granulate system, but relatively higher temperature than any other medium because of the exposure of media surface to the ambient air. Additionally the temperature below the plant was measured 3$^{\circ}C$ lower than that between plants.

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Vulnerability Assessment of the Air Pollution Using Entropy Weights : Focused on Ozone (엔트로피 가중치를 활용한 대기오염 취약성 평가 - 오존을 중심으로 -)

  • Lee, Sang-hyeok;Kang, Jung Eun;Bae, Hyun Joo;Yoon, Dong Keun
    • Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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    • v.21 no.4
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    • pp.751-763
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    • 2015
  • Both the selection of indicators and weights for them are critical issues in the vulnerability assessment. This study is to assess the air pollution vulnerability focused on ozone for 249 local jurisdictions using weights calculated by the entropy methodology and then examine the applicability of the methodology. We selected indicators for air pollution vulnerability assessment and standardized them. Subsequently, we calculated weights of each indicator using the entropy method and then integrated them into the vulnerability index. The exposure indicators consider meteorological and air pollution factors and the sensitivity of the local jurisdiction include variables on vulnerable areas and environments. The adaptive capacity contains socio-economic characteristics, health care capacities and air pollution managemental factors. The results show that Hwaseong-si, Gwangjin-gu, Gimpo-si, Gwangju-si, Gunpo-si are among the highest vulnerabilities based on the simple aggregation of indicators. And vulnerability-resilience (VRI) aggregation results indicates the similar spatial pattern with the simple aggregation outcomes. This article extends current climate change vulnerability assessment studies by adopting the entropy method to evaluate relative usefulness of data. In addition, the results can be used for developing customized adaptation policies for each jurisdiction reflecting vulnerable aspects.

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