• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.263-276
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• 2021

Marine benthic organisms have been used as the indicators for the environment assessment and recently considered as a very important component in the biodiversity and ecosystem restoration. In Korean waters, the quantitative data on marine benthos was used as one of major components for the marine pollution assessment for 50 years since 1970s. The species identification which is an important factor for the quantitative biological data was mainly performed by the marine benthic ecologists. This leads to the deterioration of the data quality on marine benthos from the misidentication of major taxonomic groups due to the lack of taxonomic expertise in Korea. This taxonomic problem has not been solved until now and remains in most data from national research projects on the marine ecosystems in Korean waters. Here we introduce the quality assurance and control (QA/QC) system for the marine biological data in UK, that is, NMBAQC (Northeast Atlantic Marine Biological Analytic and Quality Control) Scheme which has been performed by private companies to solve similar species identification problems in UK. This scheme asks for all marine laboratories which want to participate to any national monitoring programs in UK to keep their identification potency at high level by the internal quality assurance systems and provides a series of taxonomic workshops and literature to increase their capability. They also performs the external quality control for the marine laboratories by performing the Ring Test using standard specimens on various faunal groups. In the case of Korea, there are few taxonomic expertise in two existing national institutions and so they can't solve the taxonomic problems in marine benthic fauna data. We would like to provide a few necessary suggestions to solve the taxonomic problems in Korean marine biological data in short-terms and long-terms: (1) the identification of all dominant species in marine biological data should be confirmed by taxonomic expertise, (2) all the national research programs should include taxonomic experts, and (3) establishing a private company, like the Korea marine organism identification association (KMOIA), which can perform the QA/QC system on the marine organisms and support all Korean marine laboratories by providing taxonomic literature and species identification workshops to enhance their potency. The last suggestion needs more efforts and time for the establishment of that taxonomic company by gathering the detailed contents and related opinions from diverse stakeholders in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.249-258
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• 2010

This study seeks to improve NFRDI Serial Oceanographic observation (NSO) system which has been operated at current observation stations in the Korean Seas since 1961 and suggests the direction of NSO for practical use of Korean operational oceanographic system. For improvement, data handling by human after CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth) observation on the deck, data transmission, data reception in the land station, and file storage into database need to be automated. Software development to execute QA/QC (Quality Assurance/Quality Control) of real-time oceanographic observation data and to transmit the data with conversion to appropriate format automatically will help to accomplish the automation. Inmarsat satellite telecommunication systems with which have already been equipped on board the current observation vessels can realize the real-time transmission of the data. For the near real-time data transmission, CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) wireless telecommunication can provide efficient transmission in coastal area. Real-time QA/QC procedure after CTD observation will help to prevent errors which can be derived from various causes.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.86-90
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• 2013

$^{222}Rn$ concentrations in the groundwater samples without standard material due to the short half-life (3.82 day) were measured through the establishment of the counting efficiency of LSC (Liquid Scintillation Counter) using a standard source of $^{226}Ra$. This study for Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) of $^{222}Rn$ analysis was performed to analyze blank samples, duplicate samples, samples of groundwater sampling before and after. In-situ blank samples collected were in the range of 0.44~6.28 pCi/L and laboratory samples were in the range of 1.66~4.95 pCi/L. Their correlation coefficient was 0.9691 and the source contamination from sampling, migration and keeping of samples were not identified. The correlation coefficient between original and duplicate samples from 65 areas was 0.9987. Because radon is an inert gas, in case of groundwater sampling, it is considered to affect the radon concentration. We analyzed samples separately by groundwater sampling before and after using distilled water, but there is no significant difference for $^{222}Rn$ concentrations in distilled waters of two types.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.616-625
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• 2017

Measurements using five real-time particle samplers were compared to measurements using three NRM (National Reference Method system) filter-based samplers(Gravimetric method) at Incheon, Korea, between May and August, 2014. The purpose of this study was to suggest the quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) method of each instrument for use in a real-time continuous particle sampler to measure the mass of airborne particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than $2.5{\mu}m$ ($PM_{2.5}$). Five real-time particle samplers of BAM1020, FH62C_14, TEOM, PM-711 and SPM-613 were evaluated by comparing its measured 23 hr average $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations with those measured with NRM filter-based samplers simultaneously. The parameters(e.g. Inlet heating condition, Slope factor, Film response, Intercept, Background, Span value) of the real-time samplers were optimized respectively by conducting test performance evaluation during 7 days in field sampling. For example, inlet heating temperature of TEOM sampler controls $35{\sim}40^{\circ}C$ to minimize the fluctuation of the real-time measurement data and background value of BAM1020 is the key factor affecting the accuracy of $PM_{2.5}$ mass concentration. We classified the $PM_{2.5}$ concentration according to relative humidity (80%) to identify water absorbed in aerosols by measuring the ${\beta}$-ray samplers(BAM1020, FH62C_14) and TEOM. ${\beta}$-ray samplers were not strongly affected by relative humidity that the difference of the average $PM_{2.5}$ concentration was about 5%. On the other hand, The TEOM sampler overestimated $PM_{2.5}$ mass concentration about 15% at low relative humidity (<80%).

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.157-163
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• 2015

To establish National Reference Method (NRM) for $PM_{2.5}$, operational performance of 5 different commercial gravimetric-based $PM_{2.5}$ measuring instruments was assessed at Bulkwang monitoring station from January 23, 2014 to February 28, 2014. First, physical properties, design, and functional performance of the instruments were assessed. Evaluation was carried out to determine whether operating method for the instruments and levels of QA/QC activities meet the data quality objectives (DQOs). To verify whether DQOs were satisfied, reproducibility of QA/QC procedures, accuracy, relative sensitivity, limit of detection, margin of error, and coefficient of determination of the instruments were also evaluated. Results of flow rate measurement of 15 candidate instruments indicated that all the instruments met performance criteria with accuracy deviation of 4.0% and reproducibility of 0.6%. Comparison of final $PM_{2.5}$ mass concentrations showed that the coefficient of determination ($R^2$) values were greater than or equal to 0.9995, and concentration gradient ranged from 0.97 to 1.03. All the instruments satisfied criteria for NRM with the estimated precision of 1.47~2.60%, accuracy of -1.90~3.00%, and absolute accuracy of 1.02~3.12%. This study found that one particular type of measuring instrument was proved to be excellent, with overall evaluation criteria satisfied.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.515-525
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• 2007

In this study, various techniques for measurement and analysis of PAHs in the ambient air were verified in order to select a more reliable method. Sampling and analysis of PAHs were done by the EPA TO-13a method. QA/QC of the measurement was conducted to minimize errors in sampling and analyzing processes. The linearity of calibration curve of the PAH standards was good ($R^2{\geq}0.99$). Audit accuracy was evaluated using 5 internal standards of PAHs ($Naphthalene-d_8,\;Acenaphthene-d_{10},\;Phenanthrene-d_{10},\;Chrysene-d_{12},\;Perylene-d_{12}$). Relative standard deviations of the internal standard of the PAHs were ranged from 6.22% for $acenaphthene-d_{10}$ to 8.11% for $chrysene-d_{12}$. To evaluate the surrogate recoveries, two field surrogate standards of PAHs ($fluoranthene-d_{10},\;benzo(a)pyrene-d_{12}$) and two extract surrogate standards of the PAHs ($fluorene-d_{10},\;pyrene-d_{12}$) were spiked into all samples before field sampling and sample extraction, respectively. Recoveries of field the surrogate standards ranged from $80.4{\pm}12.2%$ for $fluoranthene-d_{10}$ to $66.2{\pm}12.8%$ for $benzo(a)pyrene-d_{12}$. Extraction recoveries of the surrogate standards ranged from $70.4{\pm}10.2%$ for $fluorene-d_{10}$ to $77.6{\pm}10.8%$ for $pyrene-d_{10}$. The detection limit of benzo(a)pyrene among 16 PAHs standards for quantitation was 20 pg.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.262-268
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• 2015

This study established an analytical method to simultaneously determine six organophosphorous pesticides [methyldemetone-S, diazinon, fenitrothion, parathion, phentoate, and O-ethyl O-(4-nitrophenyl) phenylphosphonothioate (EPN)] and carbaryl in water using a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) system coupled with on-line micro extraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) and programmed temperature vaporizer (PTV) injector. Polystyrene divinylbenzene (PDVB) was used as a sorbent of MEPS. The effects of elution solvents, pH, elution volume and draw-eject cycles of samples on sample pretreatment process were investigated. Also, quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) and the recovery of the pesticides in environmental samples were evaluated. The elution was performed using $30{\mu}L$ of a mixed solvent (acetone : dichloromethane = 80 : 20 (v/v)). Sample pretreatment processes were optimized with seven cycles of draw-eject of sample (1 mL) spiking an internal standard and sulfuric acid. At lower pH, the analytical sensitivity of diazinon decreased, but that of carbaryl increased. The method detection limit and the limit of quantification for this method were 0.02~0.18 and $0.08{\sim}0.59{\mu}g/L$, respectively. The method precision and accuracy were 1.5~11.5% and 83.3~129.8%, respectively, at concentrations of $0.5{\sim}5.0{\mu}g/L$. The recovery rates for all the pesticides except carbaryl in various environmental samples ranged 75.7~129.3%. The recovery rate of carbaryl in effluent sample was over 200% whereas carbaryl in drinking water, groundwater, and river water were in the acceptable range.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.7 no.3 s.25
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• pp.63-69
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• 2005

For many years, the compressive strength of concrete has been regarded as an important index in determining concrete pavement quality. The compressive strength of the sample cores from the field has been used as quality index of concrete pavement. However, this process is time consuming and requires a lot of labor. Recently, the M-E Design Methodology in the pavement design based on the elastic modulus has been adopted. Therefore, several NDT methodologies have been adopted for QA/QC in the field and for the pavement design. Among various NDT methods, the wave propagation method can be used to measure the elastic modulus of concrete because the wave velocity is directly related to the elastic modulus. Therefore, in this study the wave propagation method was used for estimating the concrete modulus. The relationship between the compressive strength measured in he laboratory and the elastic modulus measured by the wave propagation method was analyzed, and the compressive strength was estimated from the elastic modulus for various mix types. The results showed that the relationship between the elastic modulus and the compressive strength was observed and the relationship varied depending on the aggregate types.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.16-21
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• 1999

Purpose : The aim of this study is to conform the possibility of the liquid type EPID as a QC tools to clinical indication and of replacement of the film dosimetry. Aditional aim is to describe a procedure for the use of a EPID as a physics calibration tool in the measurements of radiation beam parameters which are typically carried out with film. Method & Materials : In this study we used the Clinac 2100c/d with EPID. This system contains 65536 liquid-filled ion chambers arranged in a $256{\times}256$ matrix and the imaging area is $32.5{\times}32.5cm$ with liquid layer thickness of 1mm. The EPID was tested for different field sizes under typical clinical conditions and pixel values were calibrated against dose by producing images using various thickness of lead attenuators(lead step wedge) using 6 & 10MV x-ray. We placed various thickness of lead on the table of linear accelerator and set the portal vision an SDD of 100cm. To acquire portal image we change the field size and energy, and we recorded the average pixel value in a $3{\times}3$ pixel region of interest(ROI) at field center was recorded. The pixel values were also measured for different field sizes in order to evaluate the dependence of pixel value on x-ray energy spectrum and various scatter components. Result : The EPID, as a whole, was useful as a QA tool and dosimetry device. In mechanical check, cross-hair centering was well matched and the error was less than ?2mm and light/radiation field coincidence was less than 1mm also. In portal dosimetry the wider the field size the the higher the pixel value and as the lead thickness increase, the pixel value was exponentially decreased. Conclusions : The EPID was very suitable for QA tools and it can be used to measure exit dose during patients treatment with reasonable accuracy. But when indicate the EPID to clincal study deep consideration required

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.121-138
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• 1999

This study was carried out to evaluate the performance of a sampling and analytical methodology for the measurement of selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the ambient air. VOCs were determined by the adsorbent tube sampling and automatic thermal desorption coupled with GC/FID and GC/MSD analysis. Target analytes were aromatic VOCs, including BTEX, 1,3,5-and 1,2,4,-trimethylbenzenes(TMBs), and naphthalene. The methodology was investigatedwith a wide range of performance criteria such as repeatability, linearity, lower detection limits, collection efficiency, thermal conditioning, breakthrough volume and calibration methods using internal and external standards. standards. Stability of samples collected on adsorbent tubes during storage was also investigated. In addition, the sampling and analytical method developed during this study was applied to real samples duplicately collected in various indoor and outdoor environments. Precisions for the duplicate samples and distributed volume samples appeared to be well comparable with the performance criteria recommended by USEPA TO-17. The audit accuracy was estimated by inter-lab comparison of both duplicate samples and standard materials between the two independent labs. The overall precision and accuracy of the method were estimated to be within 30% for major aromatic VOCs such as BTEX. This study demonstrated that the adsorbent sampling and thermal desorption method can be reliably applied for the measurement of BTEX in ppb levels frequently occurred in common indoor and ambient environments.