• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1999.03a
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• pp.47-78
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• 1999

About 440,000 $\textrm{km}^2$, about twice the size of the Korean Peninsula is covered by loess deposits in China. Along the middle reaches of the Huanghe River, mainly in Shaanxi and in Gansu province loess plateau covers vast area amounting to 273,000 $\textrm{km}^2$ Chinese studies on loess and loessial slopes are summarized. And some of the U. S. study and others are also presented for comparison.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.255-260
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• 2007

The loess on the Chinese loess plateau is not only the accumulation of Asian dust but also the source materials of Hwangsa. The eolian carbonates of the loess were dissolved and reprecipitated to form secondary pedogenic carbonates by the post-depositional weathering during the interglacial time. Mineralogical analysis shows that the secondary calcites are composed mostly of a nanosized fibrous calcite with rather constant width ($30{\sim}50nm$) and highly variable length. The nano calcite is the major authigenic mineral, which occurs as the fine-grained matrix of the loess and paleosol. The nano calcite was recently reported in the Hwangsa, where it was originated from the source regions of Chinese loess plateau.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 2011

The physical and chemical characteristics of loess-paleosol sequence in Jeongjang-ri, Geochang basin are examined using the magnetic susceptibility measurement, grain size analysis, OSL age dating, major, rare earth and trace elements analysis. The grain size characteristics of the loess-palesol sequence are obviously different from those of river sediment forming river terrace deposits and the Chinese Loess Plateau. The loess-paleosol sequence consisting of L1, L1LL1, L1S1, L1L2, S1 and L2 from top to bottom is estimated to MIS 2~MIS 6 and the river terrace to MIS 7. The compositions of major, rare earth and trace elements indicate that the sequence show more weathered characteristics than the Chinese Loess Plateau and originated from the Chinese Loess Plateau. These features are in harmony with the previous studies in Korea.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.181-192
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• 2010

Water erosion is progressing in the Loess Plateau, especially in gullies, and the sediment runoff to the Yellow River amounts to 975 million tons every year. Natural factors for water erosion include climate, soil, geological feature, terrain and vegetation. Many development projects due to the increasing population reduced the forest coverage ratio to 10%, and 200 million people in the downstream area are suffering from the damage during intense rainfall. Accordingly, the Chinese government is continuously trying to efficiently prevent the erosion by establishing measures for water erosion, including fish-scale pits, terrace technique, and check dams.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1737-1746
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• 2013

IbMYB1, a transcription factor (TF) for R2R3-type MYB TFs, is a key regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis during storage of sweet potatoes. Anthocyanins provide important antioxidants of nutritional value to humans, and also protect plants from oxidative stress. This study aimed to increase transgenic potatoes' (Solanum tuberosum cv. LongShu No.3) tolerance to environmental stress and enhance their nutritional value. Transgenic potato plants expressing IbMYB1 genes under the control of an oxidative stress-inducible peroxidase (SWPA2) promoter (referred to as SM plants) were successfully generated through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Two representative transgenic SM5 and SM12 lines were evaluated for enhanced tolerance to salinity, UV-B rays, and drought conditions. Following treatment of 100 mM NaCl, seedlings of SM5 and SM12 lines showed less root damage and more shoot growth than control lines expressing only an empty vector. Transgenic potato plants in pots treated with 400 mM NaCl showed high amounts of secondary metabolites, including phenols, anthocyanins, and flavonoids, compared with control plants. After treatment of 400 mM NaCl, transgenic potato plants also showed high DDPH radical scavenging activity and high PS II photochemical efficiency compared with the control line. Furthermore, following treatment of NaCl, UV-B, and drought stress, the expression levels of IbMYB1 and several structural genes in the flavonoid biosynthesis such as CHS, DFR, and ANS in transgenic plants were found to be correlated with plant phenotype. The results suggest that enhanced IbMYB1 expression affects secondary metabolism, which leads to improved tolerance ability in transgenic potatoes.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.1-14
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• 2013

This study aims to investigate the formation and sedimentary environment including formative period, grain composition and climate change from loess-paleosol sequence deposited on a gravel bed of river terrace in the Jincheon Basin, Chungbuk Province. The Jincheon section consists downward of a surface layer, loess-paleosol sequence, transitional layer I, transitional layer II and gravel bed. It can be suggested from the OSL age dating that the sequence was deposited during MIS 6 to 4. The sequence can be divided into four horizons based on the variation in the magnetic susceptibility values. Grain size analysis reveals that the sequence indicates similar properties of grain size to loess deposits in Korea and especially, the Y values in the sequence are lower than those in the loess and paleosol horizons in the Chinese Loess Plateau and similar to those in the Red Clay in the Chinese Loess Plateau and Xiashu loess in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. These Y values in the sequence can be attributed to the remote source and/or experience of intensive weathering process after deposition in the Korean Peninsula.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.463-480
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• 2009

The weathering properties and provenance of loess-paleosol sequence deposited on gravel layer of river terrace in Bongdong-eup, Wangju-gun, Jeonbuk Province are examined using soil analysis, magnetic susceptibility measurement, grain size and element analysis. The Bongdong section consists of, from top to bottom, Layer 1(paleosol), Layer 2(loess), Layer 3(paleosol) and the gravel layer of river terrace. The magnetic susceptibility values show the systematic variations in the sequence and the results of grain size analysis reveal that the sequence was deposited by not fluvial or slope process, but eolian process, and that contains finer materials than the Daecheon loess and Chinese Loess Plateau. Among the results of soil analysis, organic contents indicate systematic variations similar to the magnetic susceptibility. The wet soil colors further reflect the characteristics of the sequence rather than the dry soil colors. Based on the analytical results of major and rare earth elements, the eolian materials contained in the sequence were deposited by the materials originated from the areas where the Chinese Loess Plateau has been originated or the reworked materials from the Chinese Loess Plateau, and after the depositions, the materials experienced the intensive chemical weathering under the humid-warm climatic conditions in the Korean Peninsula.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.9-21
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• 2012

In this study, we investigated the chemical characteristics of soils collected from the several deserts and loess in China known as the typical source areas of Asian dust (the Taklamakan desert, the Alashan desert, the Ordos desert and the Loess Plateau). Based on our analysis, we examined the possibility of adverse effects on environments and human health. In each desert and loess, major elemental compositions of soils did not show large variations, implying that the long-periodic mixing of soils in each area made their chemical compositions homogeneous. Minor elements of soils in each desert and loess showed more complicated patterns with strong correlations each other (e.g., Cr, Cu, As, Co, Ni, V, Y, Sc, Sn, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cs, Li, Th, U). These results thus enable us to discriminate the soil of the Loess Plateau from those of the other deserts in China. The results of sequential extraction experiments for soils showed that the chemical speciation of Fe was dominant in residual fraction (>85%) in all deserts and loess, but the fractions of Mn and Ca chemical speciations were very different in each area. In the case of Mn, the fraction of amorphous Fe-Mn hydroxides (55.4%) in the Central Loess Plateau and the carbonate fraction (33.8%) in Taklamakan desert were higher as much as 2 to 5 times than other deserts. The chemical speciations of Ca are dominant in carbonate fraction in Taklamakan (75.9%) and Alashan (50.5%) deserts, but carbonate fractions of Ca in the Loess Plateau and Ordos deserts were low (6.6% and 2.1%, respectively). According to the mobility of trace elements inferred from the results of sequential extraction procedure, we could classify them into five groups, and the mobility of Cd, Pb and Cu are more than 87%, 33% and 30%, respectively. Therefore, Cd, Pb and Cu in soils of deserts and loess could be easily dissolved when interacted with surface water. As such, they could give adverse effects on surficial environments and human health.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.468-473
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• 2007

The chemical composition distribution of the surface samples collected from the loess plateau in China were estimated. Major elements concentration distribution difference between 10 different sampling site were not found except sample 3. This sample had higher contents of Ca, Mg, LOI and lower contents of Si, Fe, P, Na, Ti. And also, minor element contents such as Ba, Cr, Nb, Pb, Rb, Zr, V were lower than other samples. UCC-normalized abundances of the most elements were within $0.5-1.5{\times}UCC$ and Cr showed enrichment aspect. Rare-earth element (REE) analysis results showed light REE enriched pattern compared to heavy REE with negative Eu anomaly in condrite-normalized REE pattern.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.29-39
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• 2005

Silk Road is the term involving all traffic roads connecting the East to the West, and ancient Korean culture has became globalized through Silk Road. In this paper, natural environment of Silk Road is considered as fundamental data in order to understand the Western culture introduced through Silk Road. Silk Road region is classified into Loess Plateau district; arid basin district; and high mountains district; Hesi Corridor(河西回廊) is the transition zone that the southeastern part of $W{\breve{u}}w{\bar{e}}i$(武威) is Loess Plateau district; other northwestern part is arid basin district Loess Plateau district, composed of homogeneous fines, has experienced dramatic soil loss by bringing under cultivation. At recent times, reforestation and construction of check-dam have been in operation to cope with this problems, Arid basin district; although at midlatitude, is desert climate because it is far from the ocean and is surrounded by high mountains. Oasis of Hesi Corridor is continuous linearly, but that of arid basin district is sporadic. In $H{\bar{a}}mi$ and $T{\breve{u}}l{\breve{u}}f{\bar{a}}n$(吐魯番) fruit-growing using karez flourishes, And glacier of $Ti{\bar{a}}nshian$(天山) Mts. and $Q{\bar{i}}lian$(祁連) Mts. is very important to arid basin district because of supplying water resource. In the tundra zone surrounding alpine glacier, are distributed widely solifluction lobes and earth hummocks.