• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.14-22
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• 2018

After signing the WHO FCTC in 2003, South Korea ratified the FCTC in 2005. This study was conducted to provide data on toxic constituents that can be used as useful information for the level of exposure to Korean smokers. Emissions data from five brands of cigarettes were tested under the ISO and "Canadian Intense (HCI)" smoking regimes, respectively. We conducted an analysis of 25 compounds containing nicotine, tar, carbonyls, phenolics, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and semi-VOC cigarette smoke. Tar and nicotine showed levels of 4.3 to 5.8 mg/cig and 0.4 to 0.5 mg/cig, respectively, which are within the range of tolerance presented in ISO 8243. In the case of carbonyls, formaldehyde was detected within a range of 8.2 to $14.3{\mu}g/cig$, and acetaldehyde was present within a range of 224.7 to $327.2{\mu}g/cig$ under the ISO smoke regime. Crotonaldehyde was not detected under the ISO regime, and all of the carbonyls showed values 2.3 to 4.5 times higher under the HCI regime than those under the ISO regime. Catechol, which showed a level of 47.0 to $80.5{\mu}g/cig$ under the ISO regime and 117.5 to $184.7{\mu}g/cig$ under the HCI regime, was the highest constituent among the phenols. The amount of isoprene was 91.7 to $158.3{\mu}g/cig$ under the ISO regime and 221.0 to 377.0 under the HCI regime. To summarize, most of the constituents showed a tendency to be detected at levels 2 to 4 times higher under the HCI regime than under the ISO regime. Above all, these results represent the first analysis in Korea from an independent institute of tobacco companies under accreditation of ISO 17025.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1281-1293
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• 2019

The rhizosphere is the active zone where plant roots communicate with the soil microbiome, each responding to the other's signals. The soil microbiome within the rhizosphere that is beneficial to plant growth and productivity is known as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). PGPR take part in many pivotal plant processes, including plant growth, development, immunity, and productivity, by influencing acquisition and utilization of nutrient molecules, regulation of phytohormone biosynthesis, signaling, and response, and resistance to biotic- and abiotic-stresses. PGPR also produce secondary compounds and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that elicit plant growth. Moreover, plant roots exude attractants that cause PGPR to aggregate in the rhizosphere zone for colonization, improving soil properties and protecting plants against pathogenic factors. The interactions between PGPR and plant roots in rhizosphere are essential and interdependent. Many studies have reported that PGPR function in multiple ways under the same or diverse conditions, directly and indirectly. This review focuses on the roles and strategies of PGPR in enhancing nutrient acquisition by nutrient fixation/solubilization/mineralization, inducing plant growth regulators/phytohormones, and promoting growth and development of root and shoot by affecting cell division, elongation, and differentiation. We also summarize the current knowledge of the effects of PGPR and the soil microbiota on plants.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.255-262
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• 2006

In this study, we attempted to evaluate the sorptive loss of VOC upon their contact with different material surfaces including clothing pieces. For the purpose of this study, we developed a method to evaluate such loss by employing a filter holder pack in the thermal desorption line of the GC/FID system. The calibration curves of different aromatic VOCs including benzene, toluene, and xylene were made by loading them at different quantities through the analytical line. A series of experiments were conducted repetitively to draw calibration data sets for all three materials covering glass fiber, cotton, and nylon. The results were then compared in terms of both material types and of VOC types. The extent of sorptive loss increased in a highly systematic manner across different materials such as glass fiber, cotton, and nylon. The patterns of sorptive loss also increased gradually across VOC type such toward in the direction of increasing molecular weights: benzene, toluene, and xylene. According to this experimental study, it is concluded that sorptive behavior of pollutint compounds like VOC can be controlled by the combined effects of both chemical properties and material characteristics.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.10
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• pp.1555-1564
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• 2014

This study investigated the effects of combined treatment of immersion liquids (adjusted pH 4.5 with Citrus junos concentrate (CL), pH 5.5 with Prunus mume concentrate (PL), or no pH adjustment, pH 6.5, control) and high hydrostatic pressure (HHP, 450 MPa) on shelf-life and quality of mackerel. In this study, we measured changes in viable cell counts, pH level, volatile basic nitrogen, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, color analysis, volatile organic compounds, and sensory evaluation of mackerel at $4^{\circ}C$ for 20 days. CL/HHP and PL/HHP treatments reduced viable cell counts by 3 log cycles during storage compared to the control. Mackerel treated with CL/HHP and PL/HHP showed significantly lower TBARS and VBN levels as compared to the control. After combined treatment, lightness and whiteness increased but redness decreased. VOCs tests showed that contents of alcohol, acid, and ketones in mackerel fillet treated with CL/HHP and PL/HHP were relatively reduced. Especially, CL/HHP and PL/HHP suppressed production of sulfur. In the sensory evaluation, aroma, taste, salinity, hardness, and springiness of mackerel treated with combined HHP showed higher scores than the control. These results suggest that immersion liquids and HHP treatments may increase shelf-life of mackerel and maintain quality during storage at $4^{\circ}C$.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 2018

BACKGROUND: The mobile vortex wet scrubber was developed to remove the harmful chemicals from accidental releases. However, there was a disadvantage that it was limitedly used for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as toluene according to the physicochemical properties. This study compared the removal efficiencies of an improved mobile scrubber on toluene and ammonia by applying diverse adsorption and absorption methods. METHODS AND RESULTS: The removal efficiencies on harmful chemicals were examined using various adsorption and absorption methods of water vortex process (C), phosphoric acid-impregnated activated carbon adsorption (PCA), pH-controlled water (pH 2.5) vortex process absorption with sulfuric acid (SWA) after ammonia exposure, granular activated carbon adsorption (GCA), and activated carbon mat adsorption (CMA) after toluene exposure. As a result, the best removal efficiency was shown in the SWA for ammonia and GCA for toluene. Also, the SWA and GCA methods were compared with different concentration levels. In the case of ammonia exposure (5, 10 and 25%), there was no difference by concentration levels, and the concentration in the outlet gradually increased, with pH change from acid to base. In the case of toluene exposure (50, 75 and 100%), the outlet concentration was higher relative to the exposure concentration in the initial 10 min, but the outlet concentration was remained steady after 10 min. CONCLUSION: The newly improved mobile scrubber was also effective in removing VOCs through adsorption techniques (activated carbon, activated carbon fiber, carbon mat filter etc.), as well as removing acid-base harmful chemicals by neutralization reaction.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.436-445
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• 2014

Objectives: Time-activity studies have become an integral part of comprehensive exposure assessment and personal exposure modeling. The aims of this study were to estimate exposure levels to nitrogen dioxide($NO_2$) and volatile organic compounds(VOCs), and to compare estimated exposures by using time-activity patterns and indoor air concentrations. Methods: The major microenvironments for office workers were selected using the Time-Use Survey conducted by the National Statistical Office in Korea in 2009. A total of 9,194 and 6,130 workers were recruited for weekdays and weekends, respectively, from the Time-Use Survey. It appears that workers were spending about 50% of their time in the house and about 30% of their time in other indoor areas during the weekdays. In addition, we analyzed the time-activity patterns of 20 office workers and indoor air concentrations in Daegu using a questionnaire and time-activity diary. Estimated exposures were compared with measured concentrations using the time-weighted average analysis of air pollutants. Conclusions: According to the time-activity pattern for the office workers, time spent in the residence indoors during the summer and winter have been shown as $11.12{\pm}2.20$ hours and $12.48{\pm}1.77$ hours, respectively, which indicates higher hours in the winter. Time spent in the office in the summer has been shown to be 1.5 hours higher than in the winter. The target pollutants demonstrate a positive correlation ($R^2=0.076{\sim}0.553$)in the personal exposure results derived from direct measurement and estimated personal exposure concentrations by applying the time activity pattern, as well as measured concentration of the partial environment to the TWA model. However, these correlations were not statistically significant. This may be explained by the difference being caused by other indoor environments, such as a bar, cafe, or diner.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.35-40
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• 2012

In this study, adsorption characteristics of expanded graphite (EG) were investigated by a series of batch adsorption tests using p-Xylene as a model volatile organic compounds (VOCs). After acid treatment, graphite were expanded at various temperature from $600^{\circ}C$ to $1000^{\circ}C$ for one minute. The optimal temperature was $800^{\circ}C$, where the expansion ratio reached 195 times of original volume. The BET specific surface area of EG was $92.4m^2/g$, which was only 1/10 of granular activated carbon (GAC), however the adsorption of p-Xylene by EG was almost completed within 5 minutes while that of GAC continued for 7 days because the majority of pores of EG was consisted with meso- and macro-pores. According to the Langmuir isotherm analysis, the maximum specific adsorption of p-Xylene onto EG was 24.0 mg/L with the adsorption constant of 7.94. In conclusion, the adsorption capacity of EG was much less than that of GAC due to the significantly lower specific surface area, but the first order kinetic constant was more than 500 times larger than GAC. Overall, EG might be effective where the fast adsorption is required.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.536-546
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• 2016

The diurnal variations of $O_3$ and $NO_2$ in an urban park and the effects of air temperature and wind speed on the diurnal variations are investigated. $O_3$ and $NO_2$ concentrations were observed at a site in an urban park of Seoul from 27 July 2015 to 9 August 2015. The $O_3$ and $NO_2$ concentrations observed in the urban park are compared to those observed at the Gangnam air quality monitoring station (AQMS). The $O_3$ concentration is higher in the urban park than at the Gangnam AQMS in the daytime because the amount of $O_3$ dissociated by NO is smaller as well as partly because the amount of $O_3$ produced in the oxidation process of biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is larger in the urban park than at the Gangnam AQMS. The $NO_2$ concentration is lower in the urban park than at the Gangnam AQMS during day and night because the observation site in the urban park is relatively far from roads where $NO_x$ is freshly emitted from vehicles. The difference in $NO_2$ concentration is larger in the daytime than in the nighttime. To examine the effects of air temperature and wind speed on the diurnal variations of $O_3$ and $NO_2$, the observed $O_3$ and $NO_2$ concentrations are classified into high or low air temperature and high or low wind speed days. The high $O_3$ and $NO_2$ concentrations in the daytime appear for the high air temperature and low wind speed days. This is because the daytime photochemical processes are favorable when the air temperature is high and the wind speed is low. The scatter plots of the daytime maximum $O_3$ and minimum $NO_2$ concentrations versus the daytime averages of air temperature and wind speed show that the daytime maximum $O_3$ and minimum $NO_2$ concentrations tend to increase as the air temperature increases or the wind speed decreases. The daytime maximum $O_3$ concentration is more sensitive to the changes in air temperature and wind speed in the urban park than at the Gangnam AQMS.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.21-38
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• 2020

Currently, in-port emissions are a serious problem in port cities. However, emissions, especially non-greenhouse gases, from the operation of cargo handling equipment (CHE) have received significant attention from scientific circles. This study estimates the amount of emissions from on-land port diesel-powered CHE in the Port of Incheon. With real-time activity data provided by handling equipment operating companies, this research applies an activity-based approach to capture an up-to-date and reliable diesel-powered CHE emissions inventory during 2017. As a result, 105.6 tons of carbon monoxide (CO), 243.2 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx), 0.005 tons of sulfur oxide (Sox), 22.8 tons of particulate matter (PM), 26.0 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and 0.2 tons of ammonia (NH3) were released from the landside CHE operation. CO and NOx emissions are the two primary air pollutants from the CHE operation in the Port of Incheon, contributing 87.71% of the total amount of emissions. Cranes, forklifts, tractors, and loaders are the four major sources of pollution in the Port of Incheon, contributing 84.79% of the total in-port CHE emissions. Backward diesel-powered machines equipped in these CHE are identified as a key cause of pollution. Therefore, this estimation emphasizes the significant contribution of diesel CHE to port air pollution and suggests the following green policies should be applied: (1) replacement of old diesel powered CHE by new liquefied natural gas and electric equipment; (2) the use of NOx reduction after-treatment technologies, such as selective catalytic reduction in local ports. In addition, a systematic official national emission inventory preparation method and consecutive annual in-port CHE emission inventories are recommended to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of green policies conducted in the future.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.466-472
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• 2011

Hazardous chemicals, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals, are known as being harmful to human health were included in oils released by the Herbei Spirit Oil Spill accident in December 2007. To investigate changes of eating habits by the exposure to harmful substances, we conducted 5 focus group interviews for residents at Taean coast areas, who had experienced the oil spill accident. Participants included 46 women (mean age: $57.2{\pm}10.9$) who were mainly responsible for preparing family meals. Focus group discussions were audio-taped, transcribed and categorized by themes. Participants expressed more frequent illness symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting, visual loss, and skin diseases after the accident. They mentioned that their worries about economic hardship and worsened health status since the accident induced mental problems, such as depression about their children. Regarding eating habits, participants reported less intakes of fishes and meats and relatively more intakes of vegetables and kimchi due to the lack of household incomes after the accident. Although the participants had been used to collecting or catching fish or shellfish for their consumption previously, they mainly purchased these foods from local markets after the accident. Changes of eating habits induced by the accident included drinking boiled water and having steamed or fried seafood rather than raw seafood. Changes of food intakes occurred less frequently in older adults due to their longterm fixed eating habits, although they felt uncomfortable for having raw fish. The findings of this study clearly present that the exposure of hazardous substances by the oil spill accident had a significant impact on changes in eating habits besides economic, physical, and mental problems among the residents in Taean. Continuous health and nutrition monitoring and support are needed.