• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.248-256
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• 2023

As a means to activate eco pastoral system in alpine grassland, the government can consider public pastures, which are currently unused, to scale them up into public ranches. Depending on ownership and operation, four management models proposed as follows: 1) Government-Owned and Operated with Balanced Profit and Loss 2) Government-Owned and Operated with Revenue Generation 3) Government-Owned but Privately Operated by Outsourced to Professional Manager 4) Full Privatization (Ownership and Operation by Private Individuals). The study outlined above proposes four management models for the activation of eco pastoral system in alpine grassland. It also suggests methods for the selection and performance evaluation of manager to establish a profitable structure. Additionally, the research provides management methods for the conservation of grazing ecology in pastoral ecosystems. Particularly, the adaptation of tools commonly used in South Korean business sector for the selection and performance evaluation of manager within the system of the proposed management models. This aspect is deemed valuable as it aligns these tools with the specific characteristics of eco pastoral system in alpine grassland, contributing not only to the effective implementation of the models but also to the enhancement of the revenue structure.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.262-274
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• 2023

Background: Exposure levels for heavy metals such as lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd) have increased due to human activities. They are known to be a public health concern. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the exposure levels to heavy metals in the blood and urine of South Korean adults and to present the contribution rate of exposure pathways using an exposure algorithm for men aged 19~64, women aged 19~64, and all seniors aged 65 or older. Methods: We analyzed data from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) Cycle 4 (2018~2020). A total of 2,646 participants aged ≥19 years were included. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the factors affecting heavy metal concentrations. The contribution rate was calculated by applying three exposure algorithms for ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposure. Results: Factors that commonly affect heavy metal concentrations in blood and urine were gender and age. The main influencing factors for Pb and Cd were education level and smoking status, while frequency of fish consumption and of alcohol consumption were indicated to be the main influencing factors for mercury. The contribution rates of lead and cadmium from food ingestion were 78.03~79.62% and 88.39~92.89%, respectively. Additionally, the highest contribution for mercury was accounted for by food at 81.69~85.77%. As a result of the risk assessment, cadmium was found to pose a potential health risk a with total cancer risk (TCR) of more than 1×10^-6. Conclusions: The KoNEHS could be an important study for determining the level of exposure to heavy metals and their influencing factors. Integrated exposure to heavy metals could assess the main exposure pathways, and this methodology could be applied to exposure management of heavy metals.

• Journal of Venture Innovation
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.19-40
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to analyze and evaluate the role and merits and demerits of insurance agencies, which are the main sales channels of the domestic insurance market, from a neutral standpoint, and to present a roadmap by finding ways and tasks for the sustainable development of the insurance agency industry. Recently, criticisms and regulations on independent distribution channels have been strengthened due to deterioration in growth potential and profitability, and increase in civil complaints of insurance companies. In the 2000s, as the center of insurance sales channels shifted to GA and bancassurance, the supervisory authorities regarded the irrationality of project costs and recruitment fees as the root causes and announced a regulatory improvement plan. In view of these circumstance, the operating status, problems of domestic insurance agencies and their contribution to the insurance industry were reviewed. In addition, we tried to find a mid-to-long term development plan by analyzing the case of insurance agency operation in Japan. This study identified the operating status and contribution of insurance agencies in South Korea, and focused on the major status of the Japanese insurance agency industry, ways to improve management efficiency, and the status and role of self-regulatory organizations for insurance agencies. Based on this, it was proposed to improve the professionalism of the sales organization, introduce a company specializing in insurance sales, and to strengthen the status of the association of the insurance agency as for the development plan of the insurance agency industry in South Korea.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.39 no.5_2
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• pp.859-873
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• 2023

Wildfires cause a lot of environmental and economic damage to the Earth over time. Various experiments have examined the harmful effects of wildfires. Also, studies for detecting wildfires and pollutant emissions using satellite remote sensing have been conducted for many years. The wildfire product for the Geostationary Environmental Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS), Korea's first environmental satellite sensor, has not been provided yet. In this study, a false-color composite for better expression of wildfire smoke was created from GEMS and used in a U-Net model for wildfire detection. Then, a classification model was constructed to distinguish yellow dust from the wildfire smoke candidate pixels. The proposed method can contribute to disaster monitoring using GEMS images.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.6-15
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• 2024

Background: People's activities have been restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes in activity patterns may lead to a decrease in fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) concentrations. Additionally, the level of population exposure to PM_2.5 may be changed. Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the impact of population movement and meteorological factors on the distribution of PM_2.5 concentrations before and after the outbreak of COVID-19. Methods: The study area was Guro-gu in Seoul. The research period was selected as January to March 2020, a period of significant population movement changes caused by COVID-19. The evaluation of the dynamic population was conducted by calculating the absolute difference in population numbers between consecutive hours and comparing them to determine the daily average. Ambient PM_2.5 concentrations were estimated for each grid using ordinary kriging in Python. For the population exposure assessment, the population-weighted average concentration was calculated by determining the indoor to outdoor population for each grid and applying the indoor to outdoor ratio to the ambient PM_2.5 concentration. To assess the factors influencing changes in the ambient PM_2.5 concentration, a statistical analysis was conducted, incorporating population mobility and meteorological factors. Results: Through statistical analysis, the correlation between ambient PM_2.5 concentration and population movement was positive on both weekends and weekdays (r=0.71, r=0.266). The results confirmed that most of the relationships were positive, suggesting that a decrease in human activity can lead to a decrease in PM_2.5 concentrations. In addition, when population-weighted concentration averages were calculated and the exposure level of the population group was compared before and after the COVID-19 outbreak, the proportion of people exceeding the air quality standard decreased by approximately 15.5%. Conclusions: Human activities can impact ambient concentrations of PM_2.5, potentially altering the levels of PM_2.5 exposure in the population.

• Sim-seong Yeon-gu
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-38
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• 2019

In 1964, Roman Catholic Church declared that 'Christ is the light of mankind' at the Second Vatican Council. Pope John Paul II also proclaimed the 'The Mysteries of the Light of Christ' in 2002. For past two centuries, the fact that Christ is the light was emphasized and people were urged to realize the mysteries by focusing on 'Christ of light' and 'Christ who shines like the sun'. This study examined the meaning of living up to 'the Mysteries of the Light of Christ' through analytic psychological perspective on the symbolism of 'the mysteries of light.'in the Rosary. In order to study symbolism of 'the Mysteries of Light' from analytic psychological perspective, this study dealt with the symbolic meaning of images appeared in 'the mysteries of light' of the Rosary. That is, the symbolism of images was revealed'the mysteries of light'has been testifying for Christ the light in the Bible. Those images represented the Baptism, Wedding at Gana, the Kingdom of God, Transfiguration of Christ, and the Last Supper. To live up to the 'The mystery of Christ the light' means to assimilate the unique Self with the image of 'Christ the light'. in other words, the study has meaningful findings that the personality which became conscious and individuation through experiencing the opposites existed as 'the light of the world' or 'the light of the ages'.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.30-39
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• 2024

The current survey form of grassland has not played its role in managing the grassland effectively because of the ambiguous questionnaire items and the absence of method and time of the investigation. Therefore, this study was conducted to clarify and add the items for effective of grassland management. The survey form of grassland was regulated in Article 16 of the Enforcement Rules of the Grassland Act (Survey on Grasslands Management Status, etc.). The five contents that needed improvement were the grassland owner, the survey timing and method of established grassland, grassland used livestock, grassland usage condition, and grassland grade. In the improved survey form of grassland, the grassland owner was changed to the grassland manager. In addition, 'Survey by each land' was added to the improved survey form in which the managers can survey each land. The dimension of each grassland establishment method was deleted in the grassland establishment time and method. In the livestock using grassland, the number of livestock and the area where livestock are used were added, and the number of other livestock was added, too. The grassland grade was decided as the combined score by three evaluation categories; grassland usage, the ratio of forage production in grassland and kinds of forage. The high, middle, and low grades were over 8, 6~7, and under 5 points in the combined score, respectively. The results show that the changed survey form of grassland can make grassland management more efficient by materializing the subject of grassland management and the survey terminology and methods.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.40-49
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• 2024

This study divided the area capable of producing domestic forage into grazing pasture, hay production area, and silage crop area, calculated the required area according to the forage production volume, and examined whether self-sufficiency in forage leads to cost savings. When the self-sufficiency rate of forage for dairy cows and Hanwoo is 80%, the improvement in profitability per heaf ranges from 3% to 9%, typically around 5%, which is considered a significant benefit for both corporate and individual businesses. The average profit per ranch is expected to increase about KRW 50 million per year, and the country as a whole is expected to reduce forage costs by KRW 0.9 trillion per year. Recently, efforts are being made by the government and local authorities to cultivate summer forage at the rice fields for improving self-sufficiency in forage feed to stabilize rice supply and demand. Furthermore, it is also necessary to conduct research on reducing the cost of concentrated feed and TMR (Total mixed ration).

• Journal of the Korean Society for information Management
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.389-409
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• 2024

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting female college students' behaviors in seeking reproductive health information on the Internet and to explore the relationships among these factors. Based on the Health Belief Model(HBM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior(TPB), perceived sensitivity, perceived severity, perceived benefit, perceived barriers, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and affective evaluation were defined as key factors, and the study was designed accordingly. An online survey was distributed to female college students in Seoul through the university student's online community, 'Everytime.' The results showed that the intention of female college students to seek reproductive health information via the Internet was associated with higher perceived sensitivity, perceived benefit, and subjective norms, and lower perceived barriers. There were statistically significant differences between groups in terms of sexual experiences, experience with reproductive system disorders, and the level of health interest. We believe that this research outcome will contribute to assessing the level of awareness regarding reproductive health among female college students, thereby aiding in the development of online health information literacy education or related service programs by university libraries, health institutions, and similar entities targeting female college students.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.251-257
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• 2007

The Tumor necrosis factor-α, (TNF-α), is involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and contributes to the degeneration of oligodendrocytes as well as neurons. Nicotine has been found to have immunosuppressive and inflammation-suppressing effects. Astrocytes, the major glial cells in the CNS, are capable of producing TNF-α at both the mRNA and protein levels in response to interleukin-1 (IL-1) or TNF-α. Nicotine has been shown to influence glial cell functions. To order to explore the role of astrocytes in the production of TNF-α, astrocytes were pretreated with nicotine and are stimulated with IL-1β to determine their effects on TNF-α production. The results are as follows. Cytotoxic effects of nicotine on human fetal astrocytes were noted above 10 μg/ml of nicotine. The effect of IL-1β on TNF-α mRNA expression in primary cultured human fetal astrocytes was maximal at 2 h after IL- 1β(100 pg/ml) treatment. Human fetal astrocytes were pretreated with 0.1, 1, and 10 μg/ml of nicotine and then stimulated with IL-1β (100 pg/ml) for 2 h. The inhibitory effect of nicotine on expressions of TNF-α mRNA in human fetal astrocytes with pretreated 0.1 μg/ml of nicotine is first noted at 8 hr, and the inhibitory effect is maximal at 12 h. The inhibitory effect at 1 μg/ml of nicotine is inhibited maximal at 24 h. Nicotine at 0.1, 1 and 10 μg/ml concentrations significantly inhibits IL-1β-induced NF-κB activation. Collectively, this study indicates that nicotine might inhibit the expression of TNF-α in activated human fetal astrocytes.