• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.36 no.5_4
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• pp.1267-1276
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• 2020

To quantitatively predict the impacts of large-scale volcanic eruptions of Mt. Baekdu on air quality and damage around the Korean Peninsula, a three-dimensional chemistry-transport modeling system (Weather Research & Forecasting - Sparse Matrix Operation Kernel Emission - Comunity Multi-scale Air Quality) was adopted. A worst-case meteorology scenario was selected to estimate the direct impact on Korea. This study applied the typical worst-case scenarios that are likely to cause significant damage to Korea among worst-case volcanic eruptions of Mt. Baekdu in the past decade (2005~2014) and assumed a massive VEI 4 volcanic eruption on May 16, 2012, to analyze the concentration of PM_2.5 caused by the volcanic eruption. The effects of air quality in each region-cities, counties, boroughs-were estimated, and vulnerable areas were derived by conducting an exposure assessment reflecting vulnerable groups. Moreover, the effects of cities, counties, and boroughs were analyzed with a high-resolution scale (9 km × 9 km) to derive vulnerable areas within the regions. As a result of analyzing the typical worst-case volcanic eruptions of Mt. Baekdu, a discrepancy was shown in areas between high PM_2.5 concentration, high population density, and where vulnerable groups are concentrated. From the result, PM_2.5 peak concentration was about 24,547 ㎍/㎥, which is estimated to be a more serious situation than the eruption of Mt. St. Helensin 1980, which is known for 540 million tons of volcanic ash. Paju, Gimpo, Goyang, Ganghwa, Sancheong, Hadong showed to have a high PM_2.5 concentration. Paju appeared to be the most vulnerable area from the exposure assessment. While areas estimated with a high concentration of air pollutants are important, it is also necessary to develop plans and measures considering densely populated areas or areas with high concentrations of susceptible population or vulnerable groups. Also, establishing measures for each vulnerable area by selecting high concentration areas within cities, counties, and boroughs rather than establishing uniform measures for all regions is needed. This study will provide the foundation for developing the standards for disaster declaration and preemptive response systems for volcanic eruptions.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.7-11
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of microorganisms and the degree of contamination in the air of the dental clinics and to offer basic data as to the contamination of medical equipment and the prevention of the clinics. With this in mind, the researcher gathered air samples from the waiting rooms and medical offices of nine dental clinics in the city of J, South Korea with the use of a method of natural inattention and an air sampler and cultivated the samples on the plain table and drew from it bacteria falling and separated and sorted out the colony with the help of ATB and detected the distribution of the germs. The results are following, The number of bacteria falling in the air of the dental clinics was less than 10(CFU/Plate) with the exception of one dental clinic. This implies that they fit in with standards for hygiene. The number of bacteria falling in the air of the medical offices was less than 10(CFU/Plate) with the exception of one dental clinic. This implies that they fit in with standards for hygiene. The survey on the detection of staph. aureus reveals that all the dental clinics with the exception of B dental clinic proving to be positive had non-pathogenic staphylococci detected. The survey on the detection of pathogenic gram negative bacilli indicates that all the dental clinics but one were none detected. The survey on the distribution of germs shows that germs in 7 out of 9 dental clinics were none detected, and that they in four out of 9 waiting rooms were none detected. All the germs detected in the others were mostly non-pathogenic. The study shows that all the subject dental clinics but one were hygienically controlled and that there was a difference in accordance with cleaning and sterilization. This means that dental clinics should be equipped with systematic programs for cleaning and sterilization designed to prevent infection.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.157-161
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• 2003

Nowadays there are increasing demands for more accurate measurement of atmospheric pressure according to the development of environmental industries. One of the most important pressure gauges for satisfying these demands is a quartz resonance barometer. In order to calibrate such an accurate barometer, laser/ultrasonic mercury manometers have been used. However, complexity and cost of mercury manometers made it out of use gradually. As a substitute, a gas-operated pressure balance is used for calibration of precise barometers. In such a case, commercially available pressure balances cannot be entirely suitable because consequent exposure of the piston, cylinder and masses to the atmosphere causes the problem of contamination. In this paper a device for changing the masses in situ without breaking the vacuum is described. This device made it possible to add or remove weights in the absolute mode, thereby greatly reducing the time between observations. At the same time, we investigated the characteristics of a commercial precise barometer using this new apparatus.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.158-186
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• 2009

The Gossi Cave, Natural Monument 219, extends horizontally for 3,388m with 215m elevation. 620m of the horizontal cave length was opened to the public in 1974. The Gosu Cave, Natural Monument 256, also was opened the public for only 685m of the horizontal cave length, 1,700m, in 1976 in order to preserve its ecological cave environment. The surface of the speleothems in two caves have been turning black due to pollutants after the caves were opened to the public. The degrees of temperature, humidity and partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the caves were related the seasonal variation. Specially, the value of partial pressure of carbon dioxide($CO_2$) in the cave higher in the summer than any other seasons. The partial pressure of $CO_2$ continues to build in the summer because of exceed the self-purification limit in the caves. The value of $CO_2$ variation in the caves was mainly controlled by the amount of visitors. As a result, we have to controlled the amount of visitors to preserve the cave environment.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.227-234
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• 2007

Recent epidemiologic studies show that gestational exposure to air pollution adversely affects pregnancy outcomes including low birth weight in preform birth. In this study, we evaluated the effect of air pollutants on LBW (low birth weight) on firstborn fetus throughout the gestational period using the birth cohort between 1999 and 2003 in Seoul. Using birth cohort data from the National Statistics Office of Korea we identified 288,346 firstborn births (excluded missing data on lack of information for birth weight and discordance between residential and certificated address from a total of 316,451) during 1999 to 2003 with complete covariate (gender, parity, date of birth, gestational age, parental age and educational level, maternal occupation etc.) and maternal residential history data. Our subjects were defined as more than 37 weeks and less than 44 weeks of completed gestation and we identified 5,457 persons (1.89%) by low birth weight (<2.5 kg) in this study. Using logistic regression, we estimated the risk of mean (entire pregnancy and trimester period) air pollution concentrations for CO, $O_3,\;PM_{10},\;NO_2\;and\;SO_2$. In terms of trimester-specific exposure, we found that some air pollutants exposure in each trimester would increase the risk for LBW. Results also showed that the effect size of air pollutants exposure during the first and third trimester is higher than during the second trimester. In all trimester, the estimated risk of LBW was 1.831 (95% CI=1.573-2.132) with unit increase for CO, 1.139 (95% CI=1.107-1.172) for 50, and 1.009 (95% CI=1.001-1.017) for $O_3$. Our results suggest that exposure during the gestation period to relatively low levels of some air pollutants may be associated with a reduction in birth weight on first-born fetus. These findings implicate the effective risk management strategies should be applied to minimize the public health impacts for pregnant women.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.108-113
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• 2014

The harmful materials as volatile organic compounds (VOCS) that is easy for gas to be changed from liquid on ambient temperature, those should be controlled by Korea Chemicals Management Association. The VOCs samples should be collected directly in place so that those could be analyzed. Generally but it couldn't avoid to have the risk of analyst. Moreover, if there is the place limited to entrance, it is impossible to collect directly and measure. Owing to such problem, it tried to be solved by open path FT-IR spectrometer that could be studied on the combustion gases within long path and VOCs samples were tried to measure to large volume by remote and real time. Firstly, it was to investigate optimized measured length between the system and benzene sample of VOCs. As result, The optimized measured length was confirmed with 15 meter length and the qualitative analysis could be measured on seven VOC samples. The calibration curve as quantitative analysis of benzene samples could be worked. On the basis of the result, the system as remote monitor could show to have potentiality.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.155-165
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• 2017

As interest in the public display of art and outdoor sculptures is increasing, the conservation and treatment of these sculptures is becoming increasingly crucial. Long-term exposure to the natural elements and atmospheric pollution can cause corrosion and deterioration in outdoor sculptures. In the case of Kim Chan Shik's "Feeling", which was exhibited in the outdoor sculpture park at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), the patina of the sculpture was damaged during a long outdoor exhibition. Therefore, the treatment process was as follows: recording of condition, sanding, repatination, and wax coating. Consequently, the sculpture was restored similar to the original. Chemical analysis revealed that the sculpture was crafted from bronze and was cast from a quaternary alloy of Cu-Pb-Sn-Zn. The welding is lower in Zn, Sn, and Pb content than the metal used in the sculpture itself. Bright strains contain about 13.0 wt% Sn and 10.5 wt% Pb. The strains are higher in Sn and Pb content than the rest of the metal in the sculpture (7.0 wt% Sn and 4.4 wt% Pb). As a result of component analysis and microstructure observation, the material is estimated to have been made by casting without artificial treatment.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.44-53
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• 2021

Urban stormwater runoff contains heavy metals that accumulate in on-site treatment systems, thus resulting to facility deterioration and maintenance problems. In order to resolve these problems, low impact development (LID) technologies that promote natural materials circulation are widely used. LID facilities are capable of treating heavy metals in the runoff by means of plant uptake; however, the uptake or phytoremediation capabilities of plants have not been studied extensively, making it difficult to select the most suitable plant species for a certain LID design. This study investigated the vegetative components of an LID facility, roadside plants, and plants in landscape areas with different heavy metal exposure and frequency to determine the uptake capabilities of different plant species. The plants harvested inside the LID facilities and roadsides with high vehicular traffic exhibited greater heavy metal concentrations in their tissues as compared with the plants in landscape areas. Generally, the accumulation of heavy metals in the plant tissues were found to be influenced by the environmental characteristics (i.e. influent water quality, air pollution level, etc.). Dianthus, Metasequoia, Rhododendron lateritium, and Mugwort were found to be effective in removing Zn in the urban stormwater runoff. Additionally, Dianthus, Metasequoia, Mugwort, and Ginkgo Biloba exhibited excellent removal of Cu. Cherry Tree, Metasequoia, and mugwort efficiently removed Pb, whereas Dianthus was also found to be effective in treating As, Cr, and Cd in stormwater. Overall, different plant species showed varying heavy metal uptake capabilities. The results of this study can be used as an effective tool in selecting suitable plant species for removing heavy metals in the runoff from different land use types.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.145-149
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• 2022

Airborne fine dust (FD) particles smaller than 10 ㎛ in diameter (PM10) are one of the major causes of air pollution in East Asia, including Korea, and have become a major contributor to respiratory and skin problems. FD inordinately promotes the production of reactive oxygen species and inflammatory response in macrophages, leading to cell damage and death. Rosa rugosa, a deciduous shrub of the Rosa genus, has been used in traditional East Asian herbal medicine to treat various illnesses. The present study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of R. rugosa organ extracts on PM10-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. Compared to non-treated RAW264.7 cells, treatment with 100 ㎍.ml^-1 PM10 resulted in increased nitric oxide (NO) production, similar to lipopolysaccharide treatment. Additionally, 100 ㎍/ml stem extract reduced NO production by more than 45% compared to mock treatment. Furthermore, PM10-induced expression of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, inducible NO synthase, and cyclooxygenase-2 was significantly reduced by stem extract treatment, indicating that the anti-inflammatory effect of the stem extract is mediated by the inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediators in PM10-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. These results indicate that the R. rugosa stem could be considered a natural remedy with a protective effect against inflammatory responses induced by harmful airborne dust.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.271-279
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• 2009

Vinyl chloride (VC) is a known human carcinogen, and it is released to multi-environmental media via several exposure routes. VC was potentially evaluated as a water quality pollutant based on human health risk assessment in Korean water environments. In this study, we investigated physicochemical and toxicological properties of VC, human health and ecological risk assessment, and the regulation of VC as a water quality pollutant in developed countries. Currently there are no standard or guideline values of VC in Korean legal system for the protection of human health and aquatic ecosystem, except that it is designated as a specific toxic substance and a water quality pollutant. Human health risk assessment of VC was previously performed based on the limited water quality monitoring data. The monitoring level of VC in Korean water system is more higher than other countries'. VC was assessed as potential hazardous chemical based on the US EPA's cancer risk assessment. There were a few ecotoxicity data of VC available using very limited kinds of aquatic organisms, and the toxicity results obtained seem to be overestimated without considering the losses of VC in open exposure system. Therefore it is needed to monitor the VC in various areas and to carry out the ecotoxicity research using multi-level organisms. We expect that these results can be useful information for implementing VC as a water quality pollutant in legal system for the protection of human health and aquatic ecosystem in near future.