• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.450-464
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• 2016

Objectives: This study developed and validated reference materials (RMs) to analyze metal compounds in blood. Methods: We referred to KoNEHS (Korea National Environmental Health Survey) to estimate concentrations of blood metals (cadmium, Cd; lead, Pb; mercury, Hg) and applied analytical methods (inductively coupled plasma - mass spectroscopy, ICP-MS, for Cd and Pb; graphite furnace - atomic absorption spectrometry, GF-AAS, for Cd and Pb; and direct mercury analyzer, DMA, for Hg). Homogeneity and stability tests were carried out. In addition, certified values and uncertainties of RMs were calculated through internal and external experiments. All RMs were developed and assessed in various forms according to element, analytical method, and two types of concentration levels high concentration for occupational exposure and low concentration for environmental exposure. Results: All samples showed acceptable homogeneity, except for low concentration of Cd in the GF-AAS method. Short- and long-term stabilities were satisfied by ANOVA testing. In the inter-laboratory comparison, robust medians were lower than the certified values of all RMs (robust median/reference value; $1.301/1.327{\mu}g/L$ for Cd, ICP-MS, low concentration; $3.152/3.388{\mu}g/L$ for Cd, ICP-MS, high concentration; $1.219/1.301{\mu}g/L$ for Cd, GF-AAS, low concentration; $3.074/3.321{\mu}g/L$ for Cd, GF-AAS, high concentration; $14.473/14.516{\mu}g/L$ for Pb, ICP-MS, low concentration; $50.069/50.114{\mu}g/L$ for Pb, ICP-MS, high concentration; $12.881/14.147{\mu}g/L$ for Pb, GF-AAS, low concentration; $47.015/47.591{\mu}g/L$ for Pb, GF-AAS, high concentration; $4.059/4.218{\mu}g/L$ for Hg, DMA, low concentration; $11.474/11.181{\mu}g/L$ for Hg, DMA, high concentration). Conclusion: This study demonstrates procedures for developing and validating RMs for biomonitoring in the field of the environmental health.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.539-547
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• 2019

Recently, the international community signed a climate change agreement to prevent global warming. Yet currently, the fossil fuels have been widely used in to supply building energy for cooling and heating. The Green Building certification (G-SEED), an energy efficiency rating for new or existing buildings requires that buildings meet certain conditions. Insulation is used as a building material to reduce the energy supply to buildings and to improve the thermal insulation, and it accounts for more than 90% of the total heat resistance provided by the building surface components that meet the energy-saving design standards of new buildings. In this investigation, a performance evaluation study was conducted through an experimental study by directly extracting the foam polystyrene insulation on-site during the remodeling of a building that was in the range of 22~38 years old. Through tests, it was found that the thermal conductivity of the extrusion method insulation (XPS) was reduced by 48% and the compressive strength of XPS decreased by 36% compared to KS M 3808, which is the initial quality standard. For bead method insulation (EPS) with a thickness of 50mm, the thermal conductivity, the compressive strength, and flexural failure load were similar to the initial quality standard. Therefore, in the calculation of the primary energy requirement per unit area per year, the performance of bead method insulation can be estimated simply by considering the thickness of the insulation, while a correction factor that considers its performance deterioration should be applied when extrusion method insulation is used.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.859-863
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• 2010

The principal objective of this study was to compare and analyze the qualitative characteristics of mulberry leaf tea (MLT) and fermented mulberry leaf tea (FMLT). The concentrations of polyphenols were approximate in FMLT and MLT, with measurements of 4,022.82 mg/100 g and 3,932.32 mg/100 g, respectively. These polyphenol concentrations were relatively high and were approximate to the contents in green tea and yellow tea. Moreover, both MLT and FMLT contained small amount of vitamin C. The concentrations of caffeine were also relatively low for both MLT and FMLT, with values of 5.68 mg/100 g and 21.11 mg/100 g, respectively. When the quality of the MLT and FMLT was evaluated, we noted only minimal difference in color a (redness) values between each material; however, the b (yellowness) and the L (lightness) values were higher in the MLT than in the FMLT. When sensory tests were conducted, both materials were judged to have a bitter taste, and FMLT has a synthetic and pleasant taste.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.117-128
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• 2016

Chemical reaction tests were performed to assess the properties of hardened specimens of cement pastes (KS-1 Portland and Class G) exposed to supercritical CO₂ for 1, 10, and 100 days. After exposure, the samples' measured permeability and strength were compared with values measured for pristine samples. The pristine cements had permeabilities of 0.009~0.025 mD, which increased by one order of magnitude after 100 days of exposure (to 0.11~0.29 mD). The enhancement of permeability is attributed to the stress release experienced by the samples after removal from the pressure vessel after exposure. Despite its enhancement, the measured permeability mostly remained lower than the API (American Petroleum Institute) recommended maximum value of 0.2 mD. The degradation of the cement samples due to exposure to supercritical CO₂ led to a layer of altered material advancing inwards from the sample edges. The Vickers hardness in the altered zone was much higher than that in the unaltered zone, possibly owing to the increase in density and the decrease in porosity due to the carbonation that occurred in the altered zone. Hardness close to the edge within the altered zone was found to have decreased significantly, which is attributed to the conversion of C-S-H into less-strong amorphous silica.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.543-552
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• 2020

In this study, we measured groundwater fluxes with a passive flux meter and a borehole dilution test in the Upper Floridan Aquifer. In addition, the feasibility of the passive flux meter is also evaluated within matrix and non-matrix zones. The results of the PFM (5.96 ± 1.75 cm/day) showed good agreement with those of the BHD (4.68 ± 2.99 cm/day) in matrix zones, whereas the results of the PFM (9.94 ± 0.90 cm/day) showed poor agreement with those of the BHD (1817.37 ± 1795.50 cm/day) in non-matrix zones. We assumed that the groundwater passes through the sorbent material inside the PFM. However, it could not pass through the sorbent when the groundwater flux is faster than 11 cm/day. The flow might bypass between monitoring well and the PFM. The PFM used in this study might be suitable for measuring the groundwater fluxes under 11 cm/day. Therefore, more extensive research is needed in the future to measure fast groundwater fluxes (> 11 cm/day).

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.543-548
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• 2015

Si/C/CNF composites as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries were examined to improve the capacity and cycle performance. Si/C/CNF composites were prepared by the fabrication process including the synthesis and magnesiothermic reduction of SBA-15 to obtain Si/MgO by ball milling and the carbonization of phenol resin with CNF and HCl etching. Prepared Si/C/CNF composites were then analysed by BET, XRD, FE-SEM and TGA. Among SBA-15 samples synthesized at reaction temperatures between 50 and $70^{\circ}C$, the SBA-15 at $60^{\circ}C$ showed the largest specific surface area. Also the electrochemical performances of Si/C/CNF composites as an anode electrode were investigated by constant current charge/discharge test, cyclic voltammetry and impedance tests in the electrolyte of LiPF6 dissolved in mixed organic solvents (EC : DMC : EMC = 1 : 1 : 1 vol%). The coin cell using Si/C/CNF composites (Si : CNF = 97 : 3 in weight) showed better capacity (1,947 mAh/g) than that of other composition coin cells. The capacity retention ratio decreased from 84% (Si : CNF = 97 : 3 in weight) to 77% (Si : CNF = 89 : 11 in weight). It was found that the Si/C/CNF composite electrode shows an improved cycling performance and electric conductivity.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.79-87
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• 1998

Consumers have recently preferred to purchase extensive UV intercepting products, which are waterproof and free from side effects on skin. During the testing of cytotoxicity (in-vitro) in neutral red (NR) method, cell survival ratio of UV-B interceptors decreased to just above 0.08 w/v%, and it was observed that the UV-A interceptors the ratio also decreased to just above 0.06 w/v%. In addition patch-tests of inorganic UV interceptors resulted in no skin irritation even below 10.0 and 11.25. In absorption curves, UV-B was most suitable for octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC) and UV-A for butyl methoxy dibenzoylmethane (BMDM). For this reason, $Nylonpoly^{TM}$ UVA/UVB the material of OMC and BMDM coated with Nylon & polyethylene, was used as the organic UV interceptor. Zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium dioxide ($TiO_2$) was used as inorganic UV interceptors. The appropriate mixture ratio of ZnO and $TiO_2$ was 6 to 4:6% of ZnO, 4% of $TiO_2$ and 5% of $Nylonpoly^{TM}$ UVA/UVB were all combined and added to our sunscreen cream. The SPF value of in-vitro was 38.9. In practical application, each sun protection factor (SPF) duration of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion and water-in-silicone (W/S) emulsion containing sunscreen cream of the same content showed that W/S type of sunscreen cream was 5 times as durable as the other. Therefore, this product is fit for use in swimming, climbing or skiing. This research is to minimize skin trouble caused by UV interceptors and to make one with proper softness, skin safety and UV intercepting efficiency.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.24-29
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• 2018

To improve the fire safety of spring bed mattress, a cooling frame including cooling material (water) was made and a cooling frame was installed under the bed mattress or between the bed mattress and bed mattress base; fire tests (real scale) were conducted with or without a cooling frame. Similar fire behavior was observed at the beginning of the test (approximately 3 minutes). Subsequently, rapid fire growth in the mattress without a cooling frame, but with a cooling frame, the decline progressed without growth. The flame spread on the top surface of the bed mattress was similar in the semicircular direction, and the average flame speed velocity was analyzed at approximately 0.005 m/s. The maximum flame height was found to be approximately 2.7 m without a cooling frame, and approximately 1.8 m with a cooling frame installed. In addition, the maximum heat release rate was measured to be approximately 740 kW without a cooling frame, and approximately 400 kW with a cooling frame installed. As a result, the flame height and heat release rate were reduced when the bed mattress was fired through the installed cooling frame.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2016.11a
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• pp.199-199
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• 2016

Commercially pure titanium (cp-Ti) and Ti alloys (typically Ti-6Al-4V) display excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. Although the chemical composition and topography are considered important, the mechanical properties of the material and the loading conditions in the host have, conventionally. Ti and its alloys are not bioactive. Therefore, they do not chemically bond to the bone, whereas they physically bond with bone tissue. The electrochemical deposition process provides an effective surface for biocompatibility because large surface area can be served to cell proliferation. Electrochemical deposition method is an attractive technique for the deposition of hydroxyapatite (HAp). However, the adhesions of these coatings to the Ti surface needs to be improved for clinical used. Plasma electrolyte oxidation (PEO) enables control in the chemical com position, porous structure, and thickness of the $TiO_2$ layer on Ti surface. In addition, previous studies h ave concluded that the presence of $Ca^{+2}$ and ${PO_4}^{3-}$ ion coating on porous $TiO_2$ surface induced adhesion strength between HAp and Ti surface during electrochemical deposition. Silicon (Si) in particular has been found to be essential for normal bone and cartilage growth and development. Zinc (Zn) plays very important roles in bone formation and immune system regulation, and is also the most abundant trace element in bone. The objective of this work was to study electrochemical characteristcs of Zn and Si coating on Ti-6Al-4V by PEO treatment. The coating process involves two steps: 1) formation of porous $TiO_2$ on Ti-6Al-4V at high potential. A pulsed DC power supply was employed. 2) Electrochemical tests were carried out using potentiodynamic and AC impedance methoeds. The morphology, the chemical composition, and the micro-structure an alysis of the sample were examined using FE-SEM, EDS, and XRD. The enhancements of the HAp forming ability arise from $Si/Zn-TiO_2$ surface, which has formed the reduction of the Si/Zn ions. The promising results successfully demonstrate the immense potential of $Si/Zn-TiO_2$ coatings in dental and biomaterials applications.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1-9
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• 2011

Bentonite has been generally used as vertical cutoff barrier material and reported to have several problems regarding its low workability, drying shrinkage cracking by particle cohesion, and ineffective waterproof ability under sea water condition. In this study, the particle sealant, the furnace slag coated by the mixture of bentonite, sepiolite and guargum, was developed to compensate these weak points and the hydraulic conductivity of the particle sealant was evaluated. Drying shrinkage cracking and swelling index was estimated to find the optimal mixing ratio of bentonite, sepiolite and guargum. The hydraulic conductivity of the particle sealants having different amount of sealant (bentonite-sepioliteguargum mixture) coating the furnace slag was estimated using the rigid wall permeameter and flexible wall permeameter. The results showed that drying shrinkage cracking was not found in the bentonite-sepiolite mixture with 20% sepiolite contents and the results from free swelling tests for the sealant having 1 : 0.025, 1 : 0.05 and 1 : 0.075 of weight ratios of bentonite-sepiolite mixture and guargum under simulated sea water condition were higher than those for the bentonitesepiolite mixture without guargum under tap water condition. These three sealants were coated on the furnace slag with 50% and 60% of sealant in the particle sealant and the hydraulic conductivity was estimated. In the cases of the particle sealants having 20% sepiolite in the bentonite-sepiolite mixture and 1 : 0.075 weight ratio of the bentonite-sepiolite mixture and guargum, the hydraulic conductivity from the rigid wall permeameter was below $1.0{\times}10^{-7}$ cm/sec under simulated sea water condition. The hydraulic conductivity of the particle sealant having $1.0{\times}10^{-6}$~$1.0{\times}10^{-7}$ cm/sec by the rigid wall permeameter was estimated using the flexible wall permeameter and found to be below $1.0{\times}10^{-7}$ cm/sec.