• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제51권1호
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• pp.325-336
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• 2019

The activity concentrations of $^{226}Ra$, $^{232}Th$, and $^{40}K$ from 102 building materials samples were determined using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. The activity concentrations were evaluated for possible radiological hazards to the human health. The excess lifetime cancer risks (ELCR) were also estimated, and the average values were recorded as $0.42{\pm}0.24{\times}10^{-3}$, $3.22{\pm}1.83{\times}10^{-3}$, and $3.65{\pm}1.85{\times}10^{-3}$ for outdoor, indoor, and total ELCR respectively. The activity concentrations were further subjected to RESRAD-BUILD computer code to evaluate the long-term radiation exposure to a dweller. The indoor doses were assessed from zero up to 70 years. The simulation results were $92{\pm}59$, $689{\pm}566$, and $782{\pm}569{\mu}Sv\;y^{-1}$ for indoor external, internal, and total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) respectively. The results reported were all below the recommended maximum values. Therefore, the radiological hazards attributed to building materials under study are negligible.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• 제49권6호
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• pp.541-549
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• 2021

This paper reports a method to evaluate the residual strength of insect-damaged radiata pine lumber, such as the screw withdrawal strength as a semi-destructive method and a compression parallel to the grain test to assess the density changes after exposure to outdoor conditions. The screw withdrawal strength test was used as a semi-destructive method to estimate the residual density of decayed lumber. A compression parallel to the grain test was applied to evaluate the residual density. Three variables, such as the screw withdrawal strength, compression parallel to the grain, and residual density, were analyzed statistically to evaluate their relationships. The relationship between the residual density and screw withdrawal strength showed a good correlation, in which the screw withdrawal strength decreased with decreasing density. The other relationship between the residual density and compression parallel to the grain was also positively correlated; the compression parallel to the grain strength decreased with decreasing density. Finally, the correlation between the three variables was statistically significant, and the mutual correlation coefficients showed a strong correlation between the three variables. Hence, these variables are closely correlated. The test results showed that the screw withdrawal strength could be used as a semi-destructive method for an in situ estimation of an existing wood structure. Moreover, the method might approximate the residual density and compression parallel to the grain if supplemented with additional data.

• Architectural research
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.113-122
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• 2020

Hospital architecture must be planned as a therapeutic space. Numerous studies have proven that exposure to nature has a healing effect. However, research on the architecture itself about this issue is still insufficient. This study analyzed Le Corbusier's Venice hospital project and its architectural configurations with nature. Le Corbusier had been interested in blurring the interior/exterior line to draw nature inside. In his projects, nature was conceived in an abstract sense as "something green." However, in the hospital project, natural elements including vegetation, the lagoon, and light, and the landscape scenery they created, were considered in the harmony of the architectural space. The architectural spaces with courtyards, pilotis, and roof gardens provided views and direct access to nature, and in the interior spaces, the connections to these external spaces and the permeation of views of nature and sunlight were incorporated. Many spaces provided the possibility to actually encounter nature, with a variety of indoor/outdoor space configurations rather than a merely passive placing of some natural elements. This project is considered to be an important reference for contemporary hospital architecture, since the architectural space and nature connected through various spatial configurations also in healthcare programs. As Le Corbusier emphasized, sunlight, vegetation, and also architectural space should be an essential factor in therapeutic hospital architecture planning.

• 한국안전학회지
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.101-112
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• 2022

Expanding urbanization practices result in high numbers of buildings being developed in city centers. This high building concentration leads to an increased fire risk, resulting in higher casualty rates and increased economic damages compared to fires in the past. The purpose of this study was to analyze the structural behavior of fire-damaged reinforced concrete buildings using analytical methods and to suggest methods of improving fire resistance in the event of a fire. Damage levels were measured using commercial software to apply the finite element method, ABAQUS, and MIDAS GEN to the dataset. Load-deflection curves were calculated using the effective area and moment of inertia of the fire-damaged columns provided by ABAQUS. The results of this analysis indicate that fire-damaged beams with experience greater deflection from indoor fires than they will from outdoor fires. Fires that occurred on the middle floors were more dangerous than those occurring on higher floors, and eccentrically loaded columns experienced more damage than axially loaded columns. The results indicate that these methods accurately predict structural behaviors of fire damaged concrete columns by considering fire exposure area and eccentric loading.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제28권6호
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• pp.811-825
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• 2021

High-voltage isolating switches play a paramount role in ensuring the safety of power supply systems. However, their exposure to outdoor environmental conditions may cause serious physical defects, which may result in great risk to power supply systems and society. Image processing-based methods have been used for anomaly detection. However, their accuracy is affected by numerous uncertainties due to manually extracted features, which makes the anomaly detection of isolating switches still challenging. In this paper, a vision-based anomaly detection method for isolating switches, which uses the rotational angle of the switch system for more accurate and direct anomaly detection with the help of deep learning (DL) and image processing methods (Single Shot Multibox Detector (SSD), improved frame differencing method, and Hough transform), is proposed. The SSD is a deep learning method for object classification and localization. In addition, an improved frame differencing method is introduced for better feature extraction and a hough transform method is adopted for rotational angle calculation. A number of experiments are conducted for anomaly detection of single and multiple switches using video frames. The results of the experiments demonstrate that the SSD outperforms the You-Only-Look-Once network. The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method have been proven under various conditions, such as different illumination and camera locations using 96 videos from the experiments.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권6호
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• pp.2239-2246
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• 2024

The present study aimed to assess the radioactive hazards associated with the application of granitoid rocks in building materials. An HPGe spectrometer was used to detect the levels of the radioactive elements uranium-238, thorium-232, and potassium-40 in the granitoid rocks. The results showed that the levels of these elements were lower (38.32 < 33 Bq kg^-1), comparable (47.19-45 Bq kg^-1) and higher (992.26 ≫> 412 Bq kg^-1) than the worldwide limits for ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K concentration, respectively. The exposure to gamma radiation of granitoid rocks was studied by various radiological hazard variables like the absorbed dose rate (D_air), the outdoor and indoor annual effective dose (AED_out and AED_in), and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR). A variety of statistical methods, including Pearson correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was used, to study the relationship between the radioactive elements and the radiological hazards. According to statistical analysis, the main radioactive risk of granitoid rocks is contributed to by the elements uranium-238, thorium-232, and potassium-40. Granitoid rocks can be applied in building materials, but under control to prevent risk to the public.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.501-509
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• 2013

포름알데히드는 주로 산업용으로 사용되는 독성이 강한 물질로서 생체에 노출 시 염증, 산화적 스트레스, 알레르기 반응, 나아가서 암을 유발하게 된다. 불가사리에서 추출되는 saponin은 sulphated sterol glycosides 등으로서 인삼 saponin (ginsenoside)들과 화학적 구조가 비슷하여 항균 및 세포독성을 비롯한 미생물을 괴사시키는 기능을 가지고 있음이 보고되었다. 또한 손상된 불가사리의 조직에는 염증성 사이토카인이 발현되는데 TGF-${\beta}$의 증가로 손상 받은 부위를 빠르게 치료, 재생하게 된다. 본 실험은 조직손상 후 8일 된 불가사리 추출물과 포름알데히드를 IMR-90에 처리했을 때와 포름알데히드에 노출시킨 ICR 마우스에 불가사리 추출물을 흡입시켰을 때 염증성 폐 손상의 방어 및 치료에 미치는 효과를 알아보았다. 포름알데히드에 노출된 IMR-90에 조직손상 후 8일이 경과한 불가사리 추출물을 처리한 결과, 세포의 유의한 증식을 보였으며 염증 조절에 영향을 주는 TNF-${\alpha}$, NF-${\kappa}B$의 발현억제 및 $I{\kappa}-B{\alpha}$의 합성을 촉진시켰다. 포름알데히드에 노출된 ICR 마우스에 조직손상 후 8일이 경과한 불가사리 추출물을 처리한 군에서 체중의 증가, 항산화 효소의 증가, 지질과산화 작용의 감소, surfactant protein A의 증가, TNF-${\alpha}$ 및 NF-${\kappa}B$의 발현억제, $I{\kappa}-B{\alpha}$ 발현의 증가와 조직재생에 우수한 효과를 보였다. 이러한 결과는 포름알데히드로 인한 세포 및 폐 손상을 불가사리 추출물의 항염증 작용을 통하여 억제하거나 완화시킴을 확인할 수 있다.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.72-84
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• 2013

In the study, pollution levels of indoor polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in public facilities (vapor phase or particulate phase) were evaluated, and a health risk assessment (HRA) was carried out based on exposure scenarios. Public facilities in Korea covered by the law, including underground subway stations, funeral halls, child care facilities, internet cafes (PC-rooms), and exhibition facilities (6 locations for each type of facility, for a total of 48 locations), were investigated for indoor assessment. For the HRA, individual excess cancer risk (ECR) was estimated by applying main toxic equivalency factor (TEF) values suggested in previous studies. Among the eight public facilities, internet cafes showed the highest average $PM_{2.5}$ concentration at $110.0{\mu}g/m^3$ (range: $83.5-138.5{\mu}g/m^3$). When assuming a risk of facility exposure time based upon the results of the surveys for each public facility, the excess cancer risk using the benzo(a)pyrene indicator assessment method was estimated to be $10^{-7}-10^{-6}$ levels for each facility. Based on the risk associated with various TEF values, the excess cancer risk based upon the seven types cancer EPA (1993) and Malcolm & Dobson's (1994) assessment method was estimated to be $10^{-7}-10^{-5}$ for each facility. The excess cancer risk estimated from the TEF EPA (2010) assessment was the highest: $10^{-7}-10^{-4}$ for each facility. This is due to the 10-fold difference between the TEF of dibenzo(a,e)fluoranthene in 2010 and in 1994. The internet cafes where smoking was the clear pollutant showed the highest risk level of $10^{-4}$, which exceeded the World Health Organization's recommended risk of $1{\times}10^{-6}$. All facilities, with the exception of internet cafes, showed a $10^{-6}$ risk level. However, when the TEFs values of the US EPA (2010) were applied, the risk of most facilities in this study exceeded $1{\times}10^{-6}$.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제27권3호
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• pp.71-80
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• 2001

Blood and urine mercury level of three workers were monitored during 60~80 days after high exposure to mercury at the silver refining plant. Mercury was used to form silver-mercury amalgam from plating sludge. Workers were exposed to mercury about 70 days at the several processes, such as hand held weaving, vibration table, and heating from the furnace. mercury was analysed by atomic absorption spectroscopy-vapor generation technique. Recovery from the biological sample was 95.51% and pooled standard deviation was 0.033. At the time of study, there was no work at the workplace. So, airborne mercury concentration was measured with area sampling 5 days after the work, ranged from 0.1459 to 1.2351 mg/㎥(Arithmatic mean 0.4711 mg/㎥, Geometric mean 0.3566 mg/㎥) at the inside of the plant, that is far above the ACGIH's TLV(0.025 mg/㎥) and ranged from 0.0073 to 0.0330 mg/㎥ at the outdoor. Blood mercury levels at the beginning of the monitoring were 4~14 times greater than the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists Biological Exposure Index(ACGIH BEI, 15 ug/L). Blood mercury levels were decreased logarithmically, that is, rapidly at the high level and slowly at the low level but sustained above the level of the ACGIH BEI 60~80 days after the work. Urine mercury levels at the beginning of the monitoring were 8~16 times greater than the ACGIH BEI(35 ug/g creatinine). Urine mercury levels were decreased logarithmically, but correlation between urine level and off-days were lower than those of blood. Decreasing pattern of blood mercury levels were little affected than that of urine levels when the chelating agent, D-penicillamine, was administered. There was correlation between blood mercury level and urine mercury level(0.81~0.83) but it didn\`t mean that the highest blood mercury level corresponded the highest urine mercury level. In our study, Case 1 always shows the highest level in urine but case 3 always shows the highest level in blood. Creatinine correction represented better correlations between urine mercury levels and blood levels, and between urine levels and off-days rather than by urine volume. Spot urine sampling had a wide variation than that of whole day urine sampling. So, We recommend spot urine sampling for screening and whole day urine sampling for exact diagnosis.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.147-158
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• 2016

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the assessment of exposure to welding fume and heavy metals among construction welders. Methods: Activity-specific personal air samplings(n=206) were carried out at construction sites of three apartment, two office buildings, and two plant buildings using PVC(poly vinyl chloride) filters with personal air samplers. The concentration of fumes and heavy metals were evaluated for five different types of construction welding jobs: general building pipefitter, chemical plant pipefitter, boiler maker, ironworker, metal finishing welder. Results: The concentration of welding fumes was highest among general building pipefitters($4.753mg/m^3$) followed by ironworkers($3.765mg/m^3$), boilermakers($1.384mg/m^3$), metal finishing welders($0.783mg/m^3$), chemical pipefitters($0.710mg/m^3$). Among the different types of welding methods, the concentration of welding fumes was highest with the $CO_2$ welding method($2.08mg/m^3$) followed by SMAW(shield metal arc welding, $1.54mg/m^3$) and TIG(tungsten inert gas, $0.70mg/m^3$). Among the different types of workplace, the concentration of welding fumes was highest in underground workplaces($1.97mg/m^3$) followed by outdoor($0.93mg/m^3$) and indoor(wall opening as $0.87mg/m^3$). Specifically comparing the workplaces of general building welders, the concentration of welding fumes was highest in underground workplaces($7.75mg/m^3$) followed by indoor(wall opening as $2.15mg/m^3$). Conclusions: It was found that construction welders experience a risk of expose to welding hazards at a level exceeding the exposure limits. In particular, for high-risk welding jobs such as general building pipefitters and ironworkers, underground welding work and $CO_2$ welding operations require special occupational health management regarding the use of air supply and exhaust equipment and special safety and health education and fume mask are necessary. In addition, there is a need to establish construction work monitoring systems, health planning and management practices.