• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.55-56
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• 2002

Aflatoxin is a secondary fungal metabolite and is a public health hazard because it is a human carcinogenic and has many deleterious effects in men and animals. Rice is one of the better substrates for the fungus which can produce aflatoxins. This study was performed to investigate aflatoxin reduction during the cooking and processing of rice. Aflatoxin was produced by Aspergillus parasiticus ATCC 15517 on well-milled rice(Japonica type) at the level of 13.2 ppb. Cooked rice, rice cakes (baek-sol-gi, plain steamed rice bread), fermented rice (sik-hye, sweet rice beverage), and popped rice were prepared from the aflatoxin-contaminated rice. Aflatoxin content in the samples was determined by high performance liquid chromatography. The total aflatoxin level was decreased to 46.9％ in the cooked rice, 85.6％ in the rice cakes, 11.4％ in the fermented rice, and 7.6％ in the popped rice, respectively (p＜0.05). This reduction brought the level of aflatoxins down to below the Standard and Specification of Korea (10 ppb), except for the rice cakes. These results indicate that washing, steaming, fermentation, and popping of rice was helpful in reducing the aflatoxin level in the rice and the most helpful factors were high temperature & high pressure. More research is needed to understand why the preparation of rice cakes did not reduce the level of aflatoxin as much as the other cooking methods.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.91-98
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• 2012

As the occurrence rate of terror and hazard is increasing throughout the world, GSA, DoD, and FEMA are proceeding a study about mitigating the damage of terror. Korea is no more a safe place from the terrorist's threat, so we need to make measures against them. In this study we developed modified RVS System by revising some items to adjust the system to the domestic condition and conducted a risk assessment on several tall buildings in Korea. By using IRVS system which is developed by DHS, we also carried out the risk assessment. Comparing the results between RVS with IRVS, we performed terror risk evaluation of tall buildings. Through risk assessment of several tall buildings, we analyzed key factors of each scenarios and suggested the mean value of each items, so we would like to help the counter-terrorism in the design phase.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.5-16
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• 2016

A rainfall induced slope failure is a common natural hazard in mountainous areas worldwide. Sudden and rapid failures which have a high possibility of occurrence in a steep slope are always the most dangerous due to their suddenness and high velocities. Based on a series of experiments this study aimed to determine a critical angle which could be considered as an approximate threshold for a sudden failure. The experiments were performed using 0.42 mm mean grain size sand in a 200 cm long, 60 cm wide and 50 cm deep rectangular flume. A numerical model was created by integrating a 2D seepage flow model and a 2D slope stability analysis model to predict the failure surface and the time of occurrence. The results showed that, the failure mode for the entire material will be sudden for slopes greater than $67^{\circ}$; in contrast the failure mode becomes retrogressive. There is no clear link between the degree of saturation and the mode of failure. The simulation results in considering matric suction showed good matching with the results obtained from experiment. A subsequent discarding of the matric suction effect in calculating safety factors will result in a deeper predicted failure surface and an incorrect predicted time of occurrence.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.353-362
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• 2022

Bridge fire hazard has become a growing concern over the last decade due to the rapid increase of ground transportation of hazardous materials and resulting fire incidents. The lack of fire safety provisions in steel bridges can be a significant issue owing steel thermal properties that lead to fast degradation of steel properties at elevated temperatures. Alternatively, the development of composite action between steel girders and concrete decks can increase the fire resistance of steel bridges and meet fire safety requirements in some applications. This paper reviews the fire problem in steel bridges and the fire behavior of composite steel-concrete bridge girders. A numerical model is developed to trace the fire response of a typical bridge girder and is validated using measurements from fire tests. The selected bridge girder is composed by a hot rolled steel section strengthened with bearing stiffeners at midspan and supports. A concrete slab sitting on the top of the girder is connected to the slab through shear studs to provide full composite action. The validated numerical model was used to investigate the fire resistance of real scale bridge girders and the effect of the composite action under different scenarios (standard and hydrocarbon fires). Results showed that composite action can significantly increase the fire resistance of steel bridge girders. Besides, fire severity played an important role in the fire behavior of composite girders and both factors should be taken into consideration in the design of steel bridges for fire safety.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.64-72
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• 2007

Humans are exposed by a range of pollutants in soil via exposure routes such as ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. Risk assessment is a process of evaluating the adverse health effects of chemicals as a result of exposure to stressors, and it is a very useful tool to establish the cleanup goals in contaminated lands. In the exposure assessment that is one of main process in risk assessment, exposure factor plays a significant role to quantify the intake of soil pollutants. However there is a very limited study about the exposure factor applicable to Korea. In this study, we compared the exposure factors applied by the developed countries including the United States and representative European countries, and suggested the exposure factor that might be suitable in our situation. The exposure factors considered in this study include average lifetime, body weight, (exposed) skin surface area, life time, skin absorption, soil-skin adherence factor, and soil ingestion rate. This information is needed to quantitatively estimate the intake of soil pollutants in contaminated lands.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.111-120
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to provide basic information for selecting the right timing and the right place of erosion control of stream on Gyeongsangnam-do. In order to achieve this objective, a total of 526 erosion control dams and 230 mountains stream conservation facilities on the constructed places and construction planned places for the erosion control were investigated on site, forest physiognomy, and hydrologic conditions. The erosion control dams and mountain stream conservation facilities were mostly constructed in the area, which has the sedimentary rock, 200-400m of altitude, a slope of 21~30°, and II of landslide hazard map. Among the forest environmental factors, it was only similar to the construction frequency in the areas that have small diameter class, III age class. Also, we investigated the hydrological environmental factors that determine the size and numbers of erosion control dam. The places constructed to the highest frequency were below 50ha in the area, 2.1~4.0km/㎢ of drainage density, longitudinal water system, 61~90mm of maximum precipitation per hour, and 201~300mm of day maximum precipitation. As the results, the sites and floodgate conditions between the constructed places and stream conservation facilities for the erosion control showed to be very similar. Therefore, these results indicate that the erosion control of the stream of the areas, which have the disruption of mountain peaks and the high erosion risk areas, should be used on both the erosion control dam and stream conservation facilities.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.113 no.2
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• pp.187-197
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• 2024

In this study, we aimed to identify the factors influencing post-fire mortality in Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) using Cox's proportional hazards model and analyze the impact of these factors. We monitored the mortality rate of fire-damaged pine trees for seven years after a forest fire. Our survival analysis revealed that the risk of mortality increased with higher values of the delta normalized difference vegetation index (dNDVI), delat normalized burn ratio (dNBR), bark scorch index (BSI), bark scorch height (BSH) and slope. Conversely, the risk of mortality decreased with higher elevation, greater diameter at breast height (DBH), and higher value of delta moisture stress index (dMSI) (p < 0.01). Verification of the proportional hazards assumption for each variable showed that all factors, except slope aspect, were suitable for the model and significantly influenced fire occurrence. Among the variables, BSI caused the greatest change in the survival curves (p < 0.0001). The environmental change factors determined through remote sensing also significantly influenced the survival rates (p < 0.0001). These results will be useful in establishing restoration plans considering the potential mortality risk of Korean red pine after a forest fire.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.4D
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• pp.351-360
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• 2010

In 2010, the number of registered vehicles reached almost at 17.48 millions in Korea. This dramatic increase of vehicles influenced to increase the number of traffic accidents which is one of the serious social problems and also to soar the personal and economic losses in Korea. Through this research, an enhanced intersection hazard prediction model by combining Genetic Algorithm and Artificial Neural Network will be developed in order to obtain the important data for developing the countermeasures of traffic accidents and eventually to reduce the traffic accidents in Korea. Firstly, this research has investigated the influencing factors of road geometric features on the traffic volume of each approaching for the intersections where traffic accidents and congestions frequently take place and, a linear regression model of traffic accidents and traffic conflicts were developed by examining the relationship between traffic accidents and traffic conflicts through the statistical significance tests. Secondly, this research also developed an intersection hazard prediction model by combining Genetic Algorithm and Artificial Neural Network through applying the intersection traffic volume, the road geometric features and the specific variables of traffic conflicts. Lastly, this research found out that the developed model is better than the existed forecasting models in terms of the reliability and accuracy by comparing the actual number of traffic accidents and the predicted number of accidents from the developed model. In conclusion, it is expect that the cost/effectiveness of any traffic safety improvement projects can be maximized if this developed intersection hazard prediction model by combining Genetic Algorithm and Artificial Neural Network use practically at field in the future.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.5203-5209
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• 2016

Objective: To explore the prevalence of malignant tumors in the adult population through 2003-2014 in parts of the Aral Sea region: a zone of ecological disaster, a zone of ecological crisis and a zone of precritical conditions. Methods: The long-time average annual levels of cancer morbidity stratified by zones of the Aral Sea region and trends of long-time average annual incidence indicators of malignant tumors were identified. Leading cancer localizations in the adult population was established and associations between cancer incidence and environmental pollution were analyzed. In addition, associations between individual risk factors and cancer incidence in the adult population was established. Correlations between a hazard index and the cancer incidence in the adult population were calculated. Results: In all three Aral Sea regions, as well as in Zhanaarkinskii district, leading cancer in adult population was esophageal, stomach, tracheal, lung, hepatobiliary, and breast. Long-time average annual levels of cancer morbidity in adult population living in the Aral sea region is 1.5 times higher comparing to the control region. In particular, long-time average annual levels of cancer morbidity in adult population living in the zone of ecological disaster was 57.2% higher, in the zone of ecological crisis - 61.9% higher, and in the zone of precritical condition - 16.8% higher. Long-time average annual levels in the adult population of the Aral Sea region significantly exceeded control levels for brain and central nervous system cancer, cancer of bone and articular cartilage, and thyroid cancer. Conclusion: It has was established that the total cancer morbidity depended on the total hazard index associated with the inhalation of nickel and the combined cadmium intake (r=0.8).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.147-154
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• 2020

The questionnaire survey was carried out to collect basic data to identify the cause of the risk that did not appear in the current data provided by the fishermen's occupational accidents of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative (NFFC) to the onsite specialist, such as a fishing master, chief engineer and fisher in stow net fishing vessel from June to July 2018. The results are as follows. A total of 134 cases were surveyed, including 53 cases in Yeosu, 44 cases in Mokpo, 30 cases in Boryeong and 7 cases in Gunsan. Approximately 60% of the respondents on board the stow net fishing vessel were more than 20 years old, and the boarding experience was seasoned and suitable for the respondents. In the 4M analysis by safety accident factor during fishing work, the mechanical factors included 51 cases (25.0%) of decrepit equipment or poor maintenance and 49 cases (24.0%) of systemic error of fishing equipment. The environmental factors exhibited 71 cases (33.5%) of poor communication by mixed manning of foreign fishermen and 63 cases (29.7%) of poor environment such as heavy weather etc. The human factors showed 78 cases (37.3%) of personnel's carelessness and 45 cases (21.5%) of unskillfulness of operating net and haulers. The management factors exhibited 59 cases (32.1%) of work practice of poor safety precautions and 56 cases (30.4%) of inadequacy of education on hazard factor. The results are expected to contribute to the creation of a safe operating environment for stow net fishery, such as a fisher boarding a stow net fishing vessel, enabling the analysis of major causes of working safety accidents by cause.