• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.451-464
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• 2022

The high-level nuclear waste repository is a deep geological disposal system exposed to complex environmental conditions such as high temperature, radiation, and ground-water due to handling spent nuclear fuel. Continuous exposure can lead to cracking and deterioration of the structure over time. On the other hand, the high-level nuclear waste repository requires an ultra-long life expectancy. Thus long-term structural health monitoring is essential. Various sensors such as an accelerometer, earth pressure gauge, and displacement meter can be used to monitor the health of a structure, and a piezoelectric sensor is generally used. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a highly durable sensor based on the durability assessment of the piezoelectric sensor. This study designed an accelerated life test for durability assessment and life prediction of the piezoelectric sensor. Based on the literature review, the number of accelerated stress levels for a single stress factor, and the number of samples for each level were selected. The failure mode and mechanism of the piezoelectric sensor that can occur in the environmental conditions of the high-level waste repository were analyzed. In addition, two methods were proposed to investigate the maximum harsh condition for the temperature stress factor. The reliable operating limit of the piezoelectric sensor was derived, and a reasonable accelerated stress level was set for the accelerated life test. The suggested methods contain economical and practical ideas and can be widely used in designing accelerated life tests of piezoelectric sensors.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.143-152
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• 2020

Birnessite is a layered manganese oxide mineral with ~7 Å of d-spacing. Because of its high cation exchange capacity, birnessite greatly impacts the chemical compositions of ground water and fluids in sediment pores. Understanding the cation exchange mechanisms requires atomistic investigations of the crystal structures and coordination environments of hydrated cations in the interlayer. In this study, we conducted classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, an atomistic simulation method of computational mineralogy, for triclinic Na-birnessite and K-birnessite whose chemical formula are from previous experiments. We report our MD simulation results of the crystal structures, coordination environments of Na⁺ and K⁺, and the polytypes of birnessite and compare them with available experimental results. The simulation results well reproduced experimental lattice parameters and provided atomic level information for the interlayer cation and water molecule sites that are difficult to distinguish in X-ray experiments. We also report that the polytype of the Mn octahedral sheets is identical between Na- and K-birnessite, but the cation positions differ from each other, demonstrating a correlation between the coordination environment of the interlayer cations and the crystal lattice parameters. This study shows that MD simulations are very promising in elucidating ion exchange reactions of birnessite.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.203-209
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• 2016

Growth and survival of the hard shelled mussel spat were investigated to confirm the possibe spat culture in seawater pond from September 2014 to April 2015. Also, we measured simultaneously environmental factors including water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, DIN, DIP, chlorophyll a, and abundance and dominant species of phytoplankton in seawater pond every month. Ranges of water temperature and salinity were $4.0-23.4^{\circ}C$ and 18.8-25.2 psu, respectively, which were rather lower than the reported optimal level. Monthly measured survival rates in all the spat cages were over 90%. Concentration of chlorophyll-a and abundance of phytoplankton were very high, and dominant species phytoplankton were cryptomonads and nanoflagellates. These dominant species were considered to be good food organisms for the bivalve spat. The experimental cage stocked 100 individuals per basket ($2,700ind.\;m^{-2}$) hanging in bottom of seawater pond revealed the highest growth in shell height ($7.63{\pm}4.65mm$), but all experimental cages stocked below 200 individuals per basket ($5,400ind.\;m^{-2}$) did not show statistically significant difference. We may expect that seawater pond would be one of the best culture ground for bivalve spats when appropriate measures are available.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.37 no.6 s.169
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• pp.631-645
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• 2004

This study assesses groundwater vulnerability to contaminants in industrial and residential/commercial areas of the city of Changwon, using DRASTIC technique and groundwater data. The DRASTIC technique was originally applied to situations in which the contamination sources are at the ground surface, and the contaminants flow into the groundwater with infiltration of rainfall. Mostly the industrial area has higher DRASTIC indices than the residential/commercial area. However, a part of the residential/commercial area having much groundwater production and great drawdown is more contaminated in groundwater than other industrial and the residential/commercial areas even if it has lowest DRASTIC indices in the study area. It indicates that groundwater contamination in urban areas can be closely related to excessive pumping resulting in a lowering of the water level. The correlation coefficient between minimum DRASTIC indices and the degree of poor water quality for 10 districts is as low as 0.40. On the other hand, the correlation coefficients between minimum DRASTIC indices and the groundwater discharge rate, and between minimum DRASTIC indices and well distribution density per unit area are 0.70 and 0.87, respectively. Thus, to evaluate the potential of groundwater contamination in urban areas, it is necessary to consider other human-made factors such as groundwater withdrawal rate and well distribution density per unit area as well as the existing seven DRASTIC factors.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.55-61
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• 2007

Metolachlor may pose a threat to surface and ground water qualities due to its high solubility in water, Zerovalent iron (ZVI) releases $e^-$ which can degrade the organochlorinated compounds. The objective of this research was to evaluate the kinetics of metolachlor degradation as affected by ZVI sources [Peerless unannealed (PU) and Peerless annealed (PA)] and ZVI levels (1 and 5%) under batch conditions at different metolachlor concentrations (200 and 1000 mg/l) and temperatures (15, 25, and $35^{\circ}C$). The effectiveness of ZVI on metolachlor degradation was assessed by characterizing the dechlorinated metolachlor byproduct molecules. Metolachlor degradation by ZVI followed the first-ordered kinetics with a higher rate constant at higher level of ZVI treatment. At 5% (w/v) of PU and PA treatment, the half-lives of metolachlor degradation were 9.93 and 6.51 h and all of the initial metolachlor were degraded in 72 and 48 h, respectively. Rate constants (k) of metolachlor degradation were higher at the lower initial metolachlor concentration. The metolachlor degradation by ZVI was temperature dependent showing that the rate constant (k) at 15, 25, and $35^{\circ}C$ were 0.0805, 0.1017, and 0.3116 /h, respectively. The ZVI-mediated metolachlor degradation yielded two byproduct molecules identified as dechlorinated metolachlor $(C_{13}H_{18}NO)$ and dechlorinated-dealkylated metolachlor $(C_{12}H_{17}NO)$. The PA ZVI was more effective than PU ZVI in metolachlor degradation.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.331-341
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• 2012

Granitoid rocks are generally high-quality rock from a geotechnical perspective, because they rarely contain systematic joints or fragmented fault zones. Although the rock type at the Sanhak site is granite, a collapsed slope has a deep soil layer and shows no residual structures such as discontinuities or faults; surface avalanches from this slope can be observed in several places. To study the stability of this slope, we investigated rainfall duration, variation in pore-water pressure, and the factor of safety considering three cases (current cross-section, initial planning cross-section, revised planning cross-section). With increasing duration of rainfall, the groundwater level rises, up to 20 m in height from ground surface. In the initial planning cross-section, safety was secure for rainfall of 2 days duration, but inadequate for rainfall of 4 days duration. In the revised planning cross-section, however, safety factors were secure for rainfall of 4 days duration. Therefore, to ensure permanent stability at the Sanhak site, a slope degree of 1:1.8 should be maintained during cutting.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.57-65
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• 2007

Slope collapse occurs mostly at the rainy season or thawing season in Korea. From a engineer point of view, the design criterion in recent of soil slopes during the rainfall have a conservative tendency because a slope stability is evaluated in the condition that ground water level is located in the surface. However, for the rational design of soil slopes during rainfall, the raining conditions and the unsaturated soil characteristics of soil slopes have to be considered. For the unsaturated soil characteristics of soil slopes, the laboratory tests for unsaturated soils and the seepage analyses for the raining conditions have to be performed. Due to these difficulties, a conservative design of soil slopes in the current design criterion has been carried out. In this paper, therefore, a simple design method is proposed. The method is considered to the unsaturated soil characteristics and the results of seepage analysis without numerical analysis. To verify the suggested design method, it is compared with both analysis results by current design criterion and analysis results based on the seepage analysis. Through the comparative study, it was found that the current design criterion has been excessively conservative. Hence, simple design method in this study was evaluated as the rational design for the soil slopes during rainfall.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.1118-1125
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• 2003

Research was carried out to clarify whether a suppression of dry forage intake during the early stages of feeding in ruminants is caused by feeding induced hypovolemia which is produced by the accelerated secretion of parotid saliva. Goats with a parotid fistula were fed roughly crushed alfalfa hay cubes, commercial ground concentrate feed and $NaHCO_3$ twice daily (10:00-12:00, 16:00-18:00). The animals were free access to drinking water all day prior to, during and after experiments. The animals were intraruminally infused every day prior to the morning feeding period with parotid saliva collected from the parotid fistula over a 24 h period. The present experiment consisted of two treatments, non-infusion (RNI) and intraruminal infusion of parotid saliva (RSF). In the RSF treatment, 4-5 kg of parotid saliva (280-290 mOsm/l) collected over a 24 h period was intraruminally infused 1 h prior to the commencement of the morning feeding. During feeding, eating and parotid saliva secretion rates were measured. Blood samples were also periodically collected from the jugular vein. During and after 2 h feeding, water intakes were measured, respectively. These measurements were used to define thirst levels. It is thought that rumen fill in the RSF treatment was higher than the RNI treatment. Plasma osmolality in the RSF treatment increased in the first half of the 2 h feeding period due to the intraruminal infusion of parotid saliva. Therefore, parotid saliva secretion rates in the RSF treatment were lower than the RNI treatment for 30 min period from 30 to 60 min after the commencement of feeding. On the other hand, plasma total protein concentration and hematocrit in the RSF treatment decreased by 3.2 and 3.3% prior to the commencement of feeding due to the intraruminal infusion of parotid saliva. In the first half of the 2 h feeding period, plasma total protein concentration and hematocrit in the RSF treatment showed a tendency to decrease compared to the RNI treatment. Thirst level in the RSF treatment during feeding was approximately 31.3% less than the RNI treatment. Upon the completion of the 2 h feeding period, cumulative feed intake in the RSF treatment was significantly larger (19.7%) than the RNI treatment. The results suggest that a suppression of dry forage intake during the early stages of feeding in goats is partly caused by feeding induced hypovolemia, which is produced by the accelerated secretion of parotid saliva.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.160-164
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• 1999

Subsurface environments, including the intermediate vadose zone and aquifers, may be contributing to increased atmospheric concentrations of $N_2$O. Denitrification appears to be the major source of $N_2$O in the subsurface environment. In the intermediate vadose zone, the level of denitrifying activity is dependent on the soil morphology, particularly stratified layers within the soil profile, which impede water and solute movement and create conditions favorable for denitrification. Movement of organic C from the soil surface appears to support denitrifying activity by providing an energy source and increasing the consumption of $O_2$. Denitrirication and $N_2$O production have been observed in aquifers but appear to be of greatest significance in shallow unconfined aquifers. The lack of organic C, N $O_2$, or anaerobiosis is often a limiting factor for activity but seems to be site specific. The presence of denitrifying bacteria does not appear to be a major limitation, based on published results, but the ubiquity of denitrifiers in subsurface environments needs to be confirmed. The fate of the $N_2$O produced in subsurface environments is unknown. Transport of $N_2$O by up ward diffusion, by outgassing at contacts with surface waters, and by ground water use need to be quantified to determine the contribution to atmospheric $N_2$O. Contamination of subsurface environment with N $O_3$$^{ }$ and organics has the potential for increasing the contribution to atmospheric $N_2$O by enhancing denitrification .

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.197-206
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• 2018

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to examine the crops capable of growing and adapting to the external environment and various stresses of reclaimed agriculture land for the development of high value-added agricultural utilization technology based on reclaimed land through standardization and empirical study of cultivation environment for cultivating crops. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two crops namely turnips and beets were selected for the salt tolerance test of soil environmental conditions on reclaimed land. Turnip and beet seedlings were planted on the soil collected at the 'Seokmun' reclaimed land. There are five treatments such as non-treatment, 1.0, 2.0 (control), 4.0 and $8.0dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ of EC. The contents of betacyanin in beet roots was highest in control and decreased with increasing salt concentration. The GSL contents in the turnip roots waswere highest at EC 2.0 and decreased with increasing salt concentration, whereas those in turnip leaves waswere high both in the non-treated control and atthe EC 1.0-treatment. But, tThere was, however, no statistical differences among the treatments. CONCLUSION: The degree of salt tolerance of crops was examined, and the limit EC iswas expected to be $3.0{\sim}4.0dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ as reported to date. If the soil improvement is performed and irrigation systems are used in the actual reclaimed land, the EC of supplied irrigation will be low, and desalination effecttreatment by the lower EC of the supplied irrigation on the soil will lead to more favorable soil condition of the rhizosphere and cultivation environment offor the crops than those in the port experiment. Therefore, monitoring the salinity, water content and ground water level will enable prediction of the rhizosphere environment, and setting up irrigation management and supplying irrigation will lead to crop cultivation results that are close to normal.