• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.51-56
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• 2009

Safety and quality assessment systems are very important in manufacture, storage, transportation, and handling of hazardous materials(hazmat) to prevent hazmat disasters. At present, hazardous materials exist everywhere in our daily lives with various forms of plastics, household products of cleaning and washing detergents, fertilizers or petroleum-related products. However, hazardous materials are dangerous substances when they are released to human or environment. Hazardous materials become very widely used substances in the age of oil-based industrial economy. The Korean Ministry of Environment (KMOE) describes about one hundred thousand types of chemicals are produced and used worldwide. Over four hundred new chemicals are introduced in every year. A crucial question for the Korean hazardous material management may have been raised: Will you be safe from hazardous material incidents? The gas leak disaster at Union Carbide's Bhopal, India in 1984 that made over 6,400 people killed and 30,000 to 40,000 people seriously injured is the representative case for the safety of hazmat. Korea becomes vulnerable to hazmat disaster due to the development of high-tech industry. Thus, the risk assessment system is required to Korea for transferring abandoned hazmat management systems to self-correcting safety systems. This research analyzed characteristics of various hazmat incidents applying statistical analysis methods including frequency analysis or analysis of category data to hazmat incidents for ten years. All of three analyses of category data indicate the significance of causality between hazmat incident site groups and seasons, regional groups, and incident casualty groups.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.192-199
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• 2015

Under the economic banner of "self-reliance," North Korea has focused on hydro and thermal power as its main energy supply sources. However, in the face of extreme energy penury caused by machinery and material supply instability in the wake of the collapse of the former communist block as well as equipment aging and deterioration due to floods and other disasters, North Korea and international aid organizations are increasingly turning their attention toward energy source diversification. In particular, renewable energy is recognized as the best strategic energy source for North Korea and it is a decentralized energy option that is suitable in light of North Korea's power distribution networks and its pursuit of self-reliance. Biogas can contribute to improving the human rights situation of North Koreans in conjunction with an increase in food production. For this reason, renewable energy is the most promising option for an energy source that is likely to secure humanitarian aid from international organizations such as the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP). However, the implementation of such humanitarian aid has been hampered by rising concerns about the diversion of provided energy materials for military purposes and the disguised introduction of dual use items strategic materials as well as UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions of the international community against North Korea's military provocation, including nuclear tests and missile launches. This paper explores the possibility of solving this dilemma and proceeding with the humanitarian aid to North Korea by evaluating the potential for sanction and the risk of diversion of the possible products for biogas-related aid on the basis of the list of UN-sanctioned items.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2007

The term, "food safety", has traditionally been viewed as a practical science aimed at assuring the prevention acute illnesses caused by biological microorganisms, and only to a minor extent, chronic diseases cause by chronic low level exposures to natural and synthetic chemicals or pollutants. "food safety" meant to prevent microbiological agents/toxins in/on foods, due to contamination any where from "farm to Fork", from causing acute health effects, especially to the young, immune-compromised, genetically-predisposed and elderly. However, today a broader view must also include the fact that diet, perse (nutrients, vitamins/minerals, calories), as well as low level toxins and pollutant or supplemented synthetic chemicals, can alter gene expressions of stem/progenitor/terminally-differentiated cells, leading to chronic inflammation and other mal-functions that could lead to diseases such as cancer, diabetes, atherogenesis and possibly reproductive and neurological disorders. Understanding of the mechanisms by which natural or synthetic chemical toxins/toxicants, in/on food, interact with the pathogenesis of acute and chronic diseases, should lead to a "systems" approach to "food safety". Clearly, the interactions of diet/food with the genetic background, gender, and developmental state of the individual, together with (a) interactions of other endogenous/exogenous chemicals/drugs; (b) the specific biology of the cells being affected; (c) the mechanisms by which the presence or absence of toxins/toxicants and nutrients work to cause toxicities; and (d) how those mechanisms affect the pathogenesis of acute and/or chronic diseases, must be integrated into a "system" approach. Mechanisms of how toxins/toxicants cause cellular toxicities, such as mutagenesis; cytotoxicity and altered gene expression, must take into account (a) irreversible or reversal changes caused by these toxins or toxicants; (b)concepts of thresholds or no-thresholds of action; and (c) concepts of differential effects on stem cells, progenitor cells and terminally differentiated cells in different organs. This brief Commentary tries to illustrate this complex interaction between what is on/in foods with one disease, namely cancer. Since the understanding of cancer, while still incomplete, can shed light on the multiple ways that toxins/toxicants, as well as dietary modulation of nutrients/vitamins/metals/ calories, can either enhance or reduce the risk to cancer. In particular, diets that alter the embryo-fetal micro-environment might dramatically alter disease formation later in life. In effect "food safety" can not be assessed without understanding how food could be 'toxic', or how that mechanism of toxicity interacts with the pathogenesis of any disease.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.95-102
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• 2003

Microalgae are a diverse group of photosynthetic organisms and abundant in every ecosystem in the biosphere. They are common in aqueous environments including marine, brackish and fresh waters and in some habitats that lack eukaryotic life such as some hot springs and highly alkaline lakes. Microalgal biotechnology that is focused on the microalgae-based production of a variety of useful materials such as pharmaceutical comfounds, health foods, natural pigments, and biofuels is considered as an important discipline with the development of biotechnology. In addition, the mass cultivation of microalgae can also contribute to improving the environmental quality by reducing the concentration of $CO_2$ which is one of major gases lead to global warming. Consequently, it seems that the microalgae can be used as an efficient, renewable, environmentally friendly source of high-value biomaterials such as chemicals, pigments, energy, etc. and the microalgal biotechnology will most likely represent a larger portion of modern biotechnology.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.689-695
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• 2015

The offshore plant crews that were commissioned in the commercial startup phase boarded the offshore plant in two shifts until the end of the project. The crews who were hired by the owner side stayed in the original offshore plant during the project. However, most of the offshore plant commissioned members who were dispatched from the shipyard were accommodated in the offshore accommodation barge. For this reason, they were exposed to many accidents since there are a lot of people staying in a small space. This study suggested a method for improving survival rate at offshore accommodation barge in terms of life safety. It is assumed that the fire accident among unfortunate events which take place in the offshore accommodation barge mainly occurred. So, this study analyzed the safety evacuation for offshore plant employees using fire simulation model based on both domestic and international law criteria. In particular, When fire occurs in the offshore accommodation barge, the periodically well trained crews are followed safety evacuation procedure. whereas many employees who have different background such as various occupations, cultural differences, races and nationality can be commissioned with improper evacuation behaviors. As a result, the risk will be greater than normal situation due to these inappropriate behaviors. Therefore, This study analyzed the Required Safe Escape Time (RSET) and Available Safe Escape Time (ASET). Also it was suggested the improvement of structure design and additional arrangement of safety equipment to improve the survival rate of the residents in offshore accommodation barge.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.157-162
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• 2018

The increase of risk in port due to the increase in ship size and sea level rises, the standard crown height will increase. In this study, cruise and container ships will need to raise their crown height due to the projected wind pressure areas becoming larger due to the ships' size increase. The mooring assessment was evaluated with the rise of the crown height. The cruise ship of GT 100,000 tons exceeded the permissible breaking force of the mooring line under the crown height conditions of wind speed of 30 kts when the wind direction was $45^{\circ}$ to the direction of the bow. Also, the elevation angle of the pier and mooring line was analyzed and exceeded the crown height, and it was determined that it is necessary to adjust the crown height. Container ships of DWT 100,000 tons were analyzed to exceed the limit of sway motion at the crown height and it was determined that they need to be adjusted to the minimum crown height standard.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.178-185
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to verify the effectiveness of the biotope model in applying and developing Korean urban forests. We found that there are 17 biotope assessment indicators, including forest layer structure, site conditions, ratio of broad-leaved trees, species richness, etc. In terms of correlation analysis between indicators, the stand ages and the period of space formation have the highest relativity(coefficient 0.684). On the other hand, indicators that have negative relativity are layer structure and risk, with a coefficient of -0.412. Ten models were developed for the multiple regression analysis. 10 variables(site conditions(X2), ratio of broad-leaved trees(X3) and so forth except layer structure(X1), species richness(X4)) were found to have a 95% significance level The results from comparing the regression model and adding-up estimation matrix, the most accurate one was Model 3, which has a 91.7% out of the 10 models. However more monitoring will be needed to improve the accuracy of models for the Korean urban forests in future.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.999-1006
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• 2016

This paper studies an infection of norovirus and astrovirus in outbreaks in Korea. In March 2016, gastroenteritis outbreaks occurred in Busan. 522 students of three departments at university D had meeting at a restaurant near the university. Some of them had symptom such as diarrhea, vomiting. Epidemiological, laboratory and environmental investigations were performed to identify the agents of the outbreaks. Fecal specimens were collected from 35 students and 7 food handlers to identify causative viral agents. Norovirus genogroup GI and GII were detected from diarrhea patients. Astrovirus was also detected from some of them. In particular, these outbreaks were the first occurrence associated with astrovirus in Busan. Total of 42 samples were collected, and 24 samples resulted in positive to norovirus (16 cases) and astrovirus (8 cases). To identify the molecular genetic information of norovirus, we carried out sequences analysis of the detected strains. Norovirus genotypes were classified into GI.3, GI.4, GII.4, GII.13, GII.17 and GII.21. Astrovirus genotypes were seven astrovirus type 5 and one astrovirus type 2. We performed environmental investigation about water at the kitchen, but norovirus and astrovirus were not detected. The statistical analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between illness and risk factors. The results of this study may contribute to accumulate more the epidemiological data and develop the public health and hygiene.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.1196-1201
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• 2016

The ovary parts of Nelumbo nucifera were extracted in 80% methanol (MeOH), and the concentrated extract was then partitioned using n-hexane, ethyl acetate (EtOAc), n-butanol (n-BuOH), and H₂O, successively. Using an octadecyl silica gel (ODS) column, silica gel (SiO₂) column chromatography, and a HPLC purification system, five compounds were isolated from the n-hexane fraction obtained from the extract of N. nucifera ovary. The chemical structures of the metabolites were determined using several spectroscopic methods, including NMR and GC/MS and MS of 1-eicosanol (1), cycloartenol (2), trans-squalene (3), pentadecanoic acid (4), and β-sitosterol (5). This study is a first attempt to isolate and identify secondary metabolites from the ovary of N. nucifera. The results indicated that the extract of N. nucifera ovary has biological effects, such as antibacterial and -tumor activity. Therefore, it could decrease the risk of HIV transmission through breastfeeding.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.161-167
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• 2014

This study was conducted to investigate the resistance of Botrytis cinerea to azoxystrobin, which belongs to strobilurin fungicides. The sensitivity of B. cinerea isolates, which were collected from infected pepper, strawberry, cucumber and tomato by a single spore isolation, to the fungicide was tested through a agar dilution method on PDA amended with fungicides and $100{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$ of salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM). All isolates of B. cinerea tested in this study were classified as a sensitive and a resistant group by $1.0{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$ of $EC_{50}$ value to azoxystrobin. While the sensitive isolates accounted for 46.5% of B. cinerea population, the resistant ones did for 53.5%. According to the regions isolating B. cinerea, the highest isolation frequency was showed as 81.1% in Chungnam among the all. Among 4 host plants as pepper, strawberry, cucumber and tomato, the highest isolation frequency was obtained in strawberry, while the lowest was done in pepper. The isolate resistant to azoxystrobin showed the cross resistance to other fungicides included into strobilurins as kresoxim-methyl and trifloxystrobin. In spite of an excellent efficacy of strobilurins, it should be taken care to use them in the field, because of the high risk in the fields.