• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.1925-1931
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• 2024

The study conducted in the northwest region of Jordan aimed to assess the levels of natural radioactivity in soil and olive mill pomace (OMP) samples. The researchers used Nal (TI) gamma-ray spectrometry to measure the activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K, and ¹³⁷Cs in the samples. The average activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K, and ¹³⁷Cs in the soil samples were found to be 18.624 ± 5.82, 12.276 ± 5.728, 518.33 ± 212.57, and 0.140 ± 0.09 (Bq, kg^-1), respectively. In the OMP samples, the average activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K were 7.272 ± 4.386, 3.454 ± 1.503, and 169.997 ± 81.873 (Bq kg^-1), respectively, and no ¹³⁷Cs was detected. The study also investigated fundamental parameters associated with radon, specifically the radon emanation coefficient (Rn_EC) and radon mass exhalation rate (E_x). The Rn_EC values ranged from 0.621 to 0.78 (Bq kg^-1), with an average value of 0.71 ± 0.06 (Bq kg^-1). The estimated E_x from the soil samples ranged from 65.83 to 124.86 (mBq kg^-1h^-1), with an average value of 99.74 ± 21.73 (mBq kg^-1h^-1). Regarding radiological hazards, the study examined various parameters, including radium equivalent activity, external and internal hazard indices, gamma and alpha indices, absorbed gamma dose rate, and excess lifetime cancer risk. All of these assessed values were found to be below the worldwide recommended limits for radiological safety. Additionally, the study analyzed the concentrations of gross alpha and gross beta radioactivities in soil and OMP samples. The soil samples had an average gross alpha activity of 4.642 ± 1.04 (Bq kg^-1) and an average gross beta activity of 48.13 ± 14.50 (Bq kg^-1). The OMP samples showed an average gross alpha activity of 0.32 ± 0.27 (Bq kg^-1) and an average gross beta activity of 59.19 ± 12.94 (Bq kg^-1). Overall, the obtained results are crucial for evaluating the radiological risks associated with natural radioactivity in the northwest region of Jordan. The findings establish baseline data for comparison and reference for radioactivity levels in the environment.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.707-714
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• 2024

Different degrees of natural radioactivity found in quartz can have negative consequences on health. Quartz vein along the investigated Abu Ramad area, Egypt, had its natural radioactivity assessed. The HPGe spectrometer was used to determine the role played by the radionuclides ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K in the gamma radiation that was emitted, and the results showed that these concentrations are 484.64 ± 288.4, 36.8 ± 13.1 and 772.2 ± 134.6 Bq kg^-1 were higher than the corresponding reported global limits of 33, 45, and 412 Bq kg^-1 for each radionuclide (²³⁸U, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K). Among the radiological hazard parameters, the excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) is estimated and it's mean value of ELCR (1.2) is higher than the permissible limit of 0.00029. The relationship between the radionuclides and the associated radiological hazard characteristics was investigated based on multivariate statistical methods including Pearson correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). According to statistical research, the radioactive risk of quartz is primarily caused by the ²³⁸U, ²³²Thand ⁴⁰K. Finally, applying quartz to building materials would pose a significant risk to the public.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.163-169
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• 2022

Background: It is estimated that about 13 million artisanal and small-scale miners carry out their activities under harsh, precarious, unfriendly, and risky conditions. Yet, our understanding of the extent to which these workers use personal protective equipment (PPE) and navigate through the various risks and hazards they face is still limited. This article has two main objectives. First, it explores the extent of usage of PPE among artisanal and small-scale miners for the prevention of hazards and risks. Second, it examines the coping strategies used by these miners as a response to experiences of occupational injuries and risks Methods: A cross-sectional survey of small-scale miners was conducted in six communities across three districts in Ghana, West Africa. The mixed methods approach was adopted. A total of 148 small-scale miners participated in the study. Six focus group discussions (FGDs) were held across the six communities. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Chi-square tests were used to analyse the relationship between some socio-demographic characteristics (sex, age, and educational background) and the usage of PPE. Open-ended questions and responses from FGDs were analysed based on the content and verbatim quotations from miners. Results: Findings suggest that 78% of the miners interviewed do not use the appropriate PPE citing reasons such as cost, and their personal discomfort associated with use of PPE. There was no significant relationship between socio-demographic characteristics (i.e., sex, age, education and major mining activity) and the usage of PPE. The study further revealed four main coping strategies used by miners to handle the risks. These are rest, taking unprescribed medication and hard drugs, registration with health insurance scheme and savings and investments. Conclusion: This study shows that very few artisanal miners use PPE despite the significant hazards and risks to which they are exposed. The study recommends to the government to put in place measures to ensure that miners adhere to health and safety regulations before undertaking mining activities. This means that health and safety plans and use of PPE should be linked to the license acquisition process for miners.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2019

The health benefits associated with consumption of fresh produce have been clearly demonstrated and encouraged by international nutrition and health authorities. However, since fresh produce is usually minimally processed, increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables has also led to a simultaneous escalation of foodborne illness cases. According to the report by the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 10 people suffer from foodborne diseases and 420,000 die every year globally. In comparison to other processed foods, fresh produce can be easily contaminated by various routes at different points in the supply chain from farm to fork. This review is focused on the identification and characterization of possible sources of foodborne illnesses from chemical, biological, and physical hazards and the applicable methodologies to detect potential contaminants. Agro-chemicals (pesticides, fungicides and herbicides), natural toxins (mycotoxins and plant toxins), and heavy metals (mercury and cadmium) are the main sources of chemical hazards, which can be detected by several methods including chromatography and nano-techniques based on nanostructured materials such as noble metal nanoparticles (NMPs), quantum dots (QDs) and magnetic nanoparticles or nanotube. However, the diversity of chemical structures complicates the establishment of one standard method to differentiate the variety of chemical compounds. In addition, fresh fruits and vegetables contain high nutrient contents and moisture, which promote the growth of unwanted microorganisms including bacterial pathogens (Salmonella, E. coli O157: H7, Shigella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus) and non-bacterial pathogens (norovirus and parasites). In order to detect specific pathogens in fresh produce, methods based on molecular biology such as PCR and immunology are commonly used. Finally, physical hazards including contamination by glass, metal, and gravel in food can cause serious injuries to customers. In order to decrease physical hazards, vision systems such as X-ray inspection have been adopted to detect physical contaminants in food, while exceptional handling skills by food production employees are required to prevent additional contamination.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 2018

Following the earthquake that shook the city of Gyeongju, Korea, in 2016, it became apparent that research on the safety of cultural heritages against the seismic hazards is necessary in Korea. Predictions of how historically significant stone pagodas would behave the earthquakes anticipated in near future, which are the subject of this study, is also required. In this study, the dynamic characteristics of 15 cultural heritage designated stone pagodas of Korea were investigated, including natural frequency and damping ratio, and the stiffness of the stone material and its contact area were determined using eigenvalue analysis by assuming the stone pagodas to be multi-degree-of-freedom structures. The results of this study enable the structural modeling of stone pagodas using a finite element analysis program and the method is expected to be useful in assessing the structural safety of stone pagodas against vertical loads as well as lateral forces, including earthquakes. Also, by identifying the dynamic characteristics of the structures, the results of this study can be utilized as a nondestructive testing method to determine the rigidity of cultural heritage structures and to identify inherent problems. The natural frequencies of the Korean stone pagodas were measured to be within 3.5~8.3Hz, excluding cases with distinct natural frequency results, and it was determined that the natural frequencies of the stone pagodas are influenced by various parameters including the height and joint stiffness of the structures.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.363-370
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• 2024

The escalating frequency and intensity of natural disasters and extreme weather events due to climate change have caused increasingly severe damage to societal infrastructure and buildings. Government agencies and private companies are actively working to evaluate these damages, but existing technologies and methodologies often fall short of meeting the practical demands for accurate assessment and prediction. This study proposes a novel approach to assess building damage resulting from natural disasters, focusing on typhoons-one of the most devastating natural hazards experienced in the country. The methodology leverages deep learning algorithms to evaluate typhoon-related damage, providing a comprehensive framework for assessment. The framework and outcomes of this research can provide foundational data for the evaluation of natural disaster-induced damage over the entire life cycle of buildings and can be applied in various other industries and research areas for assessing risk of damage.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.67-74
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• 2014

Buried natural gas pipelines in densely populated urban areas have serious hazards of property damages and casualties generated by release, dispersion, fire and explosion of gas caused by outside or inside failures. So as to prevent any accident in advance, managers implement danger management based on quantitative risk analysis. In order to evaluate quantitative risk about buried natural gas pipelines, we need calculation for radiant heat and pressure wave caused by calculation for release rate of chemical material, dispersion analysis, fire or explosion modeling through consequence analysis in priority, in this paper, we carry out calculation for release rate of pressured natural gas, radiant heat of fireball based in accident scenario of actual "San Bruno" buried high pressured pipelines through models which CCPS, TNO provide and compare with an actual damage result.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.579-592
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• 2017

This study assessed the quantitative microbial risk of non-enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). For hazard identification, hazards of non-EHEC E. coli in natural and processed cheeses were identified by research papers. Regarding exposure assessment, non-EHEC E. coli cell counts in cheese were enumerated, and the developed predictive models were used to describe the fates of non-EHEC E. coli strains in cheese during distribution and storage. In addition, data on the amounts and frequency of cheese consumption were collected from the research report of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. For hazard characterization, a doseresponse model for non-EHEC E. coli was used. Using the collected data, simulation models were constructed, using software @RISK to calculate the risk of illness per person per day. Non-EHEC E. coli cells in natural- (n=90) and processed-cheese samples (n=308) from factories and markets were not detected. Thus, we estimated the initial levels of contamination by Uniform distribution ${\times}$ Beta distribution, and the levels were -2.35 and -2.73 Log CFU/g for natural and processed cheese, respectively. The proposed predictive models described properly the fates of non-EHEC E. coli during distribution and storage of cheese. For hazard characterization, we used the Beta-Poisson model (${\alpha}=2.21{\times}10^{-1}$, $N_{50}=6.85{\times}10^7$). The results of risk characterization for non-EHEC E. coli in natural and processed cheese were $1.36{\times}10^{-7}$ and $2.12{\times}10^{-10}$ (the mean probability of illness per person per day), respectively. These results indicate that the risk of non-EHEC E. coli foodborne illness can be considered low in present conditions.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.507-521
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• 2016

Landslides are one of the most common natural hazards causing significant damage and casualties every year. In Korea, the increasing trend in landslide occurrence in recent decades, caused by climate change, has set off an alarm for researchers to find more reliable methods for landslide prediction. Therefore, an accurate landslide-susceptibility assessment is fundamental for preventing landslides and minimizing damages. However, analyzing the stability of a natural slope is not an easy task because it depends on numerous factors such as those related to vegetation, soil properties, soil moisture distribution, the amount and duration of rainfall, earthquakes, etc. A variety of different methods and techniques for evaluating landslide susceptibility have been proposed, but up to now no specific method or technique has been accepted as the standard method because it is very difficult to assess different methods with entirely different intrinsic and extrinsic data. Landslide prediction methods can fall into three categories: empirical, statistical, and physical approaches. This paper reviews previous research and surveys three groups of landslide prediction methods.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.76-82
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• 2012

A diesel-Liquefied natural gas(LNG) combustion engine truck fleet demonstration project had been carried out and commercial expansion project was launched. The key issues of these projects are the safety of LNG fuel station and the reduction of natural gas relief. When LNG is fueled to LNG vehicles the heat is input in the LNG system. The LNG in the fueling system was boiled and the vapor of LNG is vented through the safety devices. The temperature of the vapor of LNG is $-108^{\circ}C$ and density is heavier than air. It can be dispersed to downside of the fuel station. The safety evaluation is carried out using CFD program and risk assessment program for the vapor of LNG in the LNG vehicle fuel station. The hazards are identified and suggested the operation instruction to reduce the relief of LNG vapor.