• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.49 no.6
• /
• pp.334-343
• /
• 2023

Background: South Korea's Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemicals (known as K-REACH) was established to protect public health and the environment from hazardous chemicals. 4,4'-Methylenedianiline (MDA), which is used as a major intermediate in industrial polymer production and as a vulcanizing agent in South Korea, is classified as a toxic substance under the K-REACH act. Although MDA poses potential ecological risks due to industrial emissions and hazards to aquatic ecosystems, no ecological risk assessment has been conducted. Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the ecological risk of MDA by identifying the actual exposure status based on the K-REACH act. Methods: Various toxicity data were collected to establish predicted no effect concentrations (PNECs) for water, sediment, and soil. Using the SimpleBox Korea v2.0 model with domestic release statistical data and EU emission factors, predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) were derived for ten sites, each referring to an MDA-using company. Hazard quotient (HQ) was calculated by ratio of the PECs and PNECs to characterize the ecological risk posed by MDA. To validate the results of modeling-based assessment, concentration of MDA was measured using in-site freshwater samples (two to three samples per site). Results: PNECs for water, sediment, and soil were 0.000525 mg/L, 4.36 mg/kg dw, and 0.1 mg/kg dw, respectively. HQ for surface water and sediment at several company sites exceeded 1 due to modeling data showing markedly high PEC in each environmental compartment. However, in the results of validation using in-site surface water samples, MDA was not detected. Conclusions: Through an ecological risk assessment conducted in accordance with the K-REACH act, the risk level of MDA emitted into the environmental compartments in South Korea was found to be low.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.17 no.6
• /
• pp.591-599
• /
• 2008

In order to support the development of wind farms in Jejudo, a wind resource database for Jejudo has been established using a meteor-statistical analysis of KIER(Korea Institute of Energy Research) met-mast measurements and KMA(Korea Meteorological Administration) weather data. The analysis included wind statistics, tower shading, an exposure category classification using satellite images, the effect of atmospheric stability on the wind profile exponent, and a correlation matrix of wind speed to gain an understanding of the meteorological correlation between long-term weather observation stations and short-term met-mast measurements. The wind resource database for Jejudo, is to be provided as an add-on to Google $Earth^{TM}$, which is expected to be utilized as a guideline for the selection of an appropriate reference site for long-term correction in the next wind farm development project.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.16 no.6
• /
• pp.919-932
• /
• 2015

This paper presents a new method for assessing the three-point-bending (3PB) strength of mortar beams in a non-destructive manner, based on neural network (NN) models. The models are based on the radial basis function (RBF) architecture and the fuzzy means algorithm is employed for training, in order to boost the prediction accuracy. Data for training the models were collected based on a series of experiments, where the cement mortar beams were subjected to various bending mechanical loads and the resulting pressure stimulated currents (PSCs) were recorded. The input variables to the NN models were then calculated by describing the PSC relaxation process through a generalization of Boltzmannn-Gibbs statistical physics, known as non-extensive statistical physics (NESP). The NN predictions were evaluated using k-fold cross-validation and new data that were kept independent from training; it can be seen that the proposed method can successfully form the basis of a non-destructive tool for assessing the bending strength. A comparison with a different NN architecture confirms the superiority of the proposed approach.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
• /
• v.42 no.3
• /
• pp.291-300
• /
• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to provide a statistical method from the data of ASRP's results and to apply to the reliability assessment of 155mm propelling charge, KM4A2. Methods: The accumulated data through ASRP for 155mm propelling charge were analyzed using regression analysis and MINITAB reliability analysis. The analysis methods used for this study were applied to statistical data types such as continuous data, binominal data. Results: The results of this study are as follows; The failure of 155mm propelling charge is mainly due to the broken charge bag, the decline of stabilizer content. The shelf-life(B5) regarding broken charge bag is 21.1years. The stabilizer content decrease with 0.0227%/year and safety storage period of propellant is 34.6years. Conclusion: The shelf-life of 155mm propelling charge determined by charge bag is estimated 21.1years.

• Proceedings of the Korea Committee for Ocean Resources and Engineering Conference
• /
• 2002.05a
• /
• pp.104-109
• /
• 2002

In this paper, a statistical analysis of fatigue crack growth behavior under constant amplitude loads has been carried out. Fatigue crack growth tests were conducted on sixteen pre-cracked compact tension (CT) specimens of the pressure vessel (SPV50) steel in controlled identical load and environmental conditions. The assessment of the statistical distribution of fatigue crack growth experimental data obtained from SPV50 steel was studied and also the correlation of the parameter C and m in the Paris-Erdogan law was discussed. The probability distribution function of fatigue crack growth life seems to follow the 3-parameter Weibull. The fatigue crack growth rate seems to follow the 3-parameter Weibull and the log-normal distribution. The coefficient of variation (COV) of fatigue crack growth life was observed to decrease as the crack grows. A strong negative linear correlation exists between the coefficient C and the exponent m in Paris model. Fatigue crack growth rate data shows a normal distribution for both m and logC.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.243-249
• /
• 2017

Pain is subjective, while statistics related to pain research are objective. This review was written to help researchers involved in pain research make statistical decisions. The main issues are related with the level of scales that are often used in pain research, the choice of statistical methods between parametric or nonparametric statistics, and problems which arise from repeated measurements. In the field of pain research, parametric statistics used to be applied in an erroneous way. This is closely related with the scales of data and repeated measurements. The level of scales includes nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio scales. The level of scales affects the choice of statistics between parametric or non-parametric methods. In the field of pain research, the most frequently used pain assessment scale is the ordinal scale, which would include the visual analogue scale (VAS). There used to be another view, however, which considered the VAS to be an interval or ratio scale, so that the usage of parametric statistics would be accepted practically in some cases. Repeated measurements of the same subjects always complicates statistics. It means that measurements inevitably have correlations between each other, and would preclude the application of one-way ANOVA in which independence between the measurements is necessary. Repeated measures of ANOVA (RMANOVA), however, would permit the comparison between the correlated measurements as long as the condition of sphericity assumption is satisfied. Conclusively, parametric statistical methods should be used only when the assumptions of parametric statistics, such as normality and sphericity, are established.

• International Journal of Quality Innovation
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.89-105
• /
• 2009

This study aims to probe into the influence of new product design and new product development process management on development performance. The research finding demonstrates that product design reveals positive and significant influence on new product development performance. Through statistical analysis, this study finds that companies in Taiwan value new product design. When companies value it more, they tend to have better new product development performance. With regard to the relation between new product development process management and new product development performance, the empirical results demonstrate that companies would pay more attention on new product development process management. With regard to new product idea and assessment, concept design and development, product function test and mass production in the market, through statistical analysis, this study finds that companies that value process management of new product development tend to have better new product development performance. As to the influence of new product design and new product process management on new product development performance, statistical analysis result demonstrates that the integration between new product design valued by companies in Taiwan and development process management would lead to significantly positive influence on new product development performance of the companies.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.61-68
• /
• 2006

The factors influencing long-term prognosis of teeth must be carefully considered. Among these, attachment level is strongly associated with tooth loss. The purpose of the present study was to estimate pattern of attachment loss based on attachment area in extracted teeth. 197 satisfied the criteria for assessment after staining. The protocol described by Waerhaug(l975) was performed. An indir ect method, based on digital image abstracted from digital camera and digital imaging software program, was used to calculate the root surface area and the attachment loss area. The data were analysed using SPSS. Except maxillary central incisior and mandibular canine, no statistical significant differences between each root surfaces were observed in anterior teeth. In posterior teeth, statistical significant differences in palatal surface of maxillary molar and mandibular molar compared with others were observed. Statistical significant difference in buccal surface compared with others was lowly observed in single and multi rooted. This study did not reveal progressive loss pattern of attachment area in each root surface but clarified root surface that has relative high loss rate of attachment area at extraction. Thus understanding this pattern of attachment loss is helpful for dentist to treat the periodontitis.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.197-203
• /
• 2014

This study estimated spatial and seasonal variation of water quality to understand characteristics of Nakdong river basin, Korea. All together 11 parameters (discharge, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, 5-day biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, pH, suspended solids, electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total organic carbon) at 22 different sites for the period of 2003-2011 were analyzed using multivariate statistical techniques (cluster analysis, principal component analysis and factor analysis). Hierarchical cluster analysis grouped whole river basin into three zones, i.e., relatively less polluted (LP), medium polluted (MP) and highly polluted (HP) based on similarity of water quality characteristics. The results of factor analysis/principal component analysis explained up to 83.0%, 81.7% and 82.7% of total variance in water quality data of LP, MP, and HP zones, respectively. The rotated components of PCA obtained from factor analysis indicate that the parameters responsible for water quality variations were mainly related to discharge and total pollution loads (non-point pollution source) in LP, MP and HP areas; organic and nutrient pollution in LP and HP zones; and temperature, DO and TN in LP zone. This study demonstrates the usefulness of multivariate statistical techniques for analysis and interpretation of multi-parameter, multi-location and multi-year data sets.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.55 no.3
• /
• pp.876-883
• /
• 2023

Radioactive waste should be solidified before being disposed of in the repository to eliminate liquidity or dispersibility. Cement is a widely used solidifying media for radioactive waste, and cement solidified waste should satisfy the minimum compressive strength of the waste acceptance criteria of a radioactive repository. Although the compressive strength of waste should be measured by the test method provided by the waste acceptance criteria, the method differs depending on the operating repository of different countries. Considering the measured compressive strength changes depending on test conditions, the effect of test conditions should be analyzed to avoid overestimation or underestimation of the compressive strength during disposal. We selected test conditions such as the height-to-diameter ratio, loading rate, and porosity as the main factors affecting the compressive strength of cement solidified radioactive waste. Owing to the large variance in measured compressive strength, the effects of the test conditions were analyzed via statistical analyses using parametric and nonparametric methods. The results showed that the test condition of the lower loading rate, with a height-to-diameter ratio of two, reflected the actual cement content well, while the porosity showed no correlation. The compressive strength assessment method that reflects the large variance of strengths was suggested.