• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.555-567
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• 2018

In order to identify the characteristics of sea surface temperature (SST) differences between microwave SST from GCOM-W1/AMSR2 and in-situ measurements in the western coast of Korea, a total of 6,457 collocated matchup data were produced using the in-situ temperature measurements from marine buoy stations (Deokjeokdo, Chilbaldo, and Oeyeondo) from July 2012 to December 2017. The accuracy of satellite microwave SSTs was presented by comparing the ocean buoy data of Deokjeokdo, Chilbaldo, and Oeyeondo stations with the AMSR2 SST data more than five years. The SST differences between the microwave SST and the in-situ temperature measurements showed some dependence on environmental factors, such as wind speed and water temperature. The AMSR2 SSTs were tended to be higher than the in-situ temperature measurements during the daytime when the wind speed was low ($<6ms^{-1}$). On the other hand, they showed positive deviation increasingly as the wind speed increased for nighttime. In addition, increasing tendency of SST differences was related to decreasing sensitivity of microwave sensors at low temperatures and data contamination by land. A monthly analysis of the SST difference showed that unlike the previous trend, which was known to be the largest in winter when strong winds were blowing, the SST difference was largest in summer in Deokjeokdo and Chilbaldo buoy stations. This seemed to be induced by differential tidal mixing at the collocated matchup points. This study presented problems and limitations of the use of microwave SSTs with high contribution to the SST composites in the western coastal region off the Korean peninsula.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.196-217
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• 2016

This study was conducted to identify the state of conservation of the national paper heritages and to seek ways of conservation management, focusing on regular monitoring directly performed by the government on the national movable cultural heritages. Subjects for the investigation were limited to investigations conducted by both the Cultural Heritage Conservation Center and the Artistic Heritage Division in 2014 and 2015. Paper heritages are easily affected by temperature, humidity, lighting, etc. due to the nature of the material and can easily be damaged by physical strength; therefore stable conservation environment is essential and regular investigation on movable cultural heritages conducted according to the Cultural Heritage Protection Act is necessary to protect from contamination, being torn, bending, friction, or loss. Losing a chance for timely proper treatment will bring irrevocable result therefore strict management is necessary; continuous monitoring is also needed after treatment. Analysis on the pigments, materials and structures, detailed investigation, data establishment for conservation of cultural heritages and regular investigation should be done. Detailed data on the national cultural heritages will be a base of more reasonable conservation management system for the national paper heritages and will realize continuous improvement on regular investigation practice.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.655-666
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• 2020

This study evaluated the characteristics of arsenic production in groundwater through microbial community analysis of groundwater contaminated with high arsenic in Haman area. Groundwater in Haman area is contaminated with arsenic in the range of 0-757.2 ㎍/L, which represents the highest arsenic contamination concentration reported in Korea as natural groundwater pollution source. Of the total 200 samples, 29 samples (14.5%) showed higher arsenic concentration than that of 10 ㎍/L, which is the standard for drinking water quality, and 8 samples (4%) found in wells with 80-100 m depth were above 50 ㎍/L. In addition, seven wells with arsenic concentration more than 100 ㎍/L located in the northern part of Haman. As a result of microbial community analysis for high arsenic-contaminated groundwater, the microbial community compositions were significantly different between each sample, and Proteobacteria was the most dominant phyla with an average of 61.5%. At the genus level, the Gallinonella genus was predominant with about 12.8% proportion, followed by the Acinetobacter and Methermicoccus genus with about 7.8 and 7.3%, respectively. It is expected that high arsenic groundwater in the study area was caused by a complex reaction of geochemical characteristics and biogeochemical processes. Therefore, it is expected that the constructed information on geochemical characteristics and microbial communities through this study could be used to identify the origin of high arsenic groundwater and the development of its controlling technology.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.446-452
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• 2021

As a higher standard for food consumption is required, the consumption of chicken meat that can satisfy the subdivided food preferences is increasing. In March 2003, the quality criteria for chicken carcasses notified by the Livestock Quality Assessment Service suggested quality grades according to fecal contamination and the size and weight of blood and bruises. On the other hand, it is too difficult for human inspection to qualify mass products, which is key to maintaining consistency for grading thousands of chicken carcasses. This paper proposed the computer vision algorithm as a non-destructive inspection, which can identify chicken carcass parts according to the detailed standards. To inspect the chicken carcasses conveyed at high speed, the image calibration was involved in providing robustness to the side effect of external lighting interference. The separation between chicken and background was achieved by a series of image processing, such as binarization based on Expectation Maximization, Erosion, and Labeling. In terms of shape analysis of chicken carcasses, the features are presented to reveal geometric information. After applying the algorithm to 78 chicken carcass samples, the algorithm was effective in segmenting chicken carcass against a background and analyzing its geometric features.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.530-539
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• 2021

Background: In South Korea, areas around abandoned metal mines are designated as regions with high arsenic (As) contamination. However, studies assessing urinary As exposure, As metabolism, and relevant genetic polymorphisms in residents of these metal mine areas are lacking. Objectives: To identify factors associated with As exposure and evaluate the effects of MTHFR, As3MT, and GSTO1 genetic polymorphisms on As metabolism in residents of abandoned metal mine areas by measuring urinary As species. Methods: Urinary As species (arsenite [As³⁺], arsenate [As⁵⁺], monomethyl arsonic acid, and dimethylarsinic acid) were isolated using high-performance liquid chromatography in combination with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). Four genetic polymorphisms (MTHFR A222V, MTHFR E429A, GSTO1 A140D, As3MT M287T) were analyzed in 144 residents of four areas around abandoned metal mines. Results: The study sample was comprised of 34.7% men and 65.3% women, with a mean age of 70.7±10.9 years. The urinary inorganic As concentration was higher among those consuming more than half locally produced rice (0.31 ㎍/L) than those consuming less than half such rice (0.18 ㎍/L). The urinary dimethylarsinic acid concentration was higher in the group that had consumed seafood in the past day (31.68 ㎍/L) than in those who had not (22.37 ㎍/L). Furthermore, individuals heterozygous in the MTHFR A222V and GSTO1 A140D polymorphism had higher urinary arsenic species concentrations than did individuals with a wild type or homozygous for the variant allele. Conclusions: Consumption of locally produced rice was associated with inorganic As exposure, whereas seafood consumption was associated with organic As exposure among residents of abandoned metal mine areas. There was no clear association between MTHFR A222V and GSTO1 A140D polymorphisms and As metabolism.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.625-636
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• 2020

Background and objects: Soil contamination caused by CaCl₂ that is used to deice slippery roads in winter is now recognized as one of the major causes of damage of roadside plants. The aim of this study is to identify the salt mitigation effects of planting Chrysanthemum zawadskii and using a soil conditioner. Methods: The study was conducted at the site where Pinus densiflora f. multicaulis was planted on the roadside between Konkuk University Sageori and Danwol Samgeori located in Chungju-si. We classified the soils collected from the field experimental site according to the degree of the damage caused by deicing agents and divided the site into six blocks of three 80 × 80 cm plots replicated by treatment type. Three selected plots were treated with loess-balls on the soil surface (high salinity with loess-balls, medium salinity with loess-balls, low salinity with loess-balls) and three were left as an untreated control (H = high salinity, M = medium salinity, L = low salinity). The soil properties were measured including pH, EC and exchangeable cations as well as the growth of Chrysanthemum zawadskiia. Results: In the results of soil analysis, pH before planting Chrysanthemum zawadskiia was 6.39-6.74 and in September, five months after planting, the acidity was reduced to 5.43-5.89. Electrical conductivity (EC) was measured to be H > M > L with the higher degree of damage by deicing agents. The analysis of deicing exchangeable cations showed that the content of Ca²⁺ of soils were significantly correlated to deicing exchangeable cations (Ca²⁺, Na⁺, Mg²⁺) in the shoot part of Chrysanthemum zawadskii. The loess-ball treatment showed a lower content of deicing exchangeable cations than the treatment where Chrysanthemum zawadskiia was planted. Conclusion: In this study, the use of a new system made of loess-balls is proposed as a soil conditioner to protect soils from the adverse effects of road deicing salts. These data suggest that treatment of soil conditioners and planting Chrysanthemum zawadskiia are effective in mitigation of salt stress on the soils damaged by deicing agents.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.347-356
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to examine the causal relationships among Covid-19 stress, leisure constraints, and happiness for Korean adults. This study attempted to identify the important aspects of constraints and negotiation in gaining happiness during Covid-19 crisis. Respondents were recruited through SNS(n=314) between April 6th and 25th in 2021. The data were analyzed by using AMOS 27.0 and SPSS WIN 27.0. Findings of the current study are as follows: First, the social system anxiety in Covid-19 stress construct was found to have statistically significant impacts upon intrapersonal and structural constraints. Especially, Covid-19 phobia showed a significant effect upon all of the subdimensions of leisure constraints. Second, all of the subdimensions of leisure constraints showed a significant impact on perceived happiness. This study may contribute to a better understanding of leisure constraints, leisure constraints negotiation, and Covid-19 stress.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.93-102
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• 2023

Objectives: With the evolution of direct reading sensors, it is possible to monitor several substances through telecommunication. However, there are some limitations on the use of direct reading technologies in the Occupational Safety and Health Act in South Korea, which only applies to detector tubes, noise, heat, and carbon monoxides. The number of chemicals and their amount of use have been continuously increasing in South Korea. The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MoEL) has concerns about worker's health because exposure is only covered for about 1.2% of all distributed chemicals. Using a direct reading monitor with photoionization detectors (PID-DRMs), gases and vapors chemicals can be measured. Based on the data, business owners are able to create corrective strategies, provide better working routines, and select correct respiratory equipment. PID-DRMs are less expensive and easier to handle for an owner voluntarily controlling chemicals emitted in the workplace. However, there are several limitations on using these PID-DRMs to the degree that the MoEL has not been able to select a legal monitor. The aim of this study was to review previous studies related to PID-DRMs and identify the characterization and limitation on PID-DRMs. Methods: To search for related studies on PID-DRMs, key words were used including direct reading monitors/instruments and/or photoionization detectors. Through that, four domestic and 15 international studies were reviewed. Results: Studies on PID-DRMs were conducted by chamber (enclosed, dynamic, walk-in) and in the field (experimental environment, actual environment). The concentration of PID-DRMs and charcoal tubes were compared for a single substance or mixture, or within the PID-DRMs. There was a high correlation between the two concentrations, but it did not meet the accuracy criteria (95% confidence interval, within 25%) of the NIOSH technical report (2012). In addition, differences in measured values occurred according to environmental factors (temperature, humidity) and high concentration, and concentration values tended to be underestimated due to contamination of the sensor. As a way to improve the accuracy of PID concentration, it was proposed to use correction factors, charcoal tube-based correction factors, or to calibrate the PID-DRMs in the same environment as the workplace. Conclusions: PID-DRMs can likely be used by business owners for the purpose of voluntarily managing the workplace environment, and it is expected that it will be possible to use them as legal equipment if a PID sensor can be upgraded and the limitations of the sensor (temperature, humidity, high concentration evaluation, sensor pollution) can be overcome in the near future.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.59-68
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• 2003

Background : In intubated patients, cultures of endotracheal aspirates (EA) are apt to contamination throughout the endotracheal tube. Therefore, the identification of etiologic agents via conventional EA cultures is not always reliable. In order to differentiate a pulmonary infection from a non-infectious disease, and to identify the true etiologic agent of acute pulmonary infection, blinded protected specimen brushing (PSB) was used, and its efficacy evaluated. Methods : In 51 intubated patients, with suspected pneumonia, blind PSB were performed, and the results compared with blood and EA cultures. A protected specimen brush was introduced through the endotracheal tube, and settled at the affected large bronchus. A specimen brush was introduced to the expected region using the blind method. The tip of the brush was introduced with an aseptic technique after vigorously mixed for 1 minute in $1cm^3$ of Ringer's lactate solution. The specimens were submitted for quantitative culture within 15 minutes, with a culture being regarded as positive if the colony forming units were above $10^3/ml$. Results : Of the 51 patients, 15 (29.4%) had community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), 27 (52.9%) hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and 9 (17.6%) non-infectious diseases. The sensitivity and specificity of the quantitative PSB culture for the diagnosis of pneumonia were 52.4 and 88.9%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of EA were 78.6 and 77.8%, respectively. The blind PSB was superior to the EA for the identification of true etiologic agents. Of 53 episodes of 27 HAP patients, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) (41.5%) was the most common causative agent followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15.1%), Klebsiella sp. (7.5%) and Acinetobacter sp. (7.5%). Conclusions : As a simple, non-invasive diagnostic modality, the blind PSB is a useful method for the differentiation of a pulmonary infection from non-infectious diseases and to identify the etiologic agents in intubated patients. A blind PSB can be performed without bronchoscopy, so is safer, more convenient and cost-effectiveness for patients where bronchoscopy can not be performed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.2
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• pp.157-172
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• 2023

Controlled pollination (CP) is an important method in tree breeding programs because CP quickly generates desirable genotypes and rapidly maximizes genetic gains. However, few studies have evaluated the efficiency and success rate of CP in the breeding program of Pinus densiflora. To evaluate CP and the management of control pollinated progenies, we used 159 individuals in CB2 × KW40 or KW40 × CB2 populations that were established in 2015. After genotyping microsatellite loci, we estimated whether the number of primers was sufficient or not. Then, we performed pedigree analysis. The result showed that the number of primers was sufficient. By pedigree analysis, we found out that 60 of 159 individuals had been generated by the mating between CB2 and KW40. In the maternity analysis, there was evidence to indicate the possibility of management problems. Therefore, we excluded 54 individuals and repeated the pedigree analysis. In the second analysis, 47 of 105 individuals were generated by the mating between CB2 and KW40. To increase the efficiency of CP in tree breeding programs, several precautions are required. It is necessary to identify the exact clone names of the mother and father trees. In addition, CP processes should be performed properly, including deciding on the schedule of CP and the isolation of female strobili or flowers. Finally, the monitoring of hybrid progenies management after mating is important. Molecular markers should be used to identify the clone names of the mother and father trees and for monitoring post hoc management. This study provides a reference for tree breeding programs for the future control pollination of pine species.