• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.183-202
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• 2019

For design and performance assessment of a high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal system, it is necessary to understand the characteristics of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) behavior. However, in previous studies for the Korean Reference HLW Disposal System (KRS), thermal analysis was performed to determine the spacing of disposal tunnels and interval of disposition holes without consideration of the coupled THM behavior. Therefore, in this study, TOUGH2-MP/FLAC3D is used to conduct THM modeling for performance assessment of the Korean Reference HLW Disposal System (KRS). The peak temperature remains below the temperature limit of $100^{\circ}C$ for the whole period. A rapid rise of temperature caused by decay heat occurs in the early years, and then temperature begins to decrease as decay heat from the waste decreases. The peak temperature at the bentonite buffer is around $96.2^{\circ}C$ after about 3 years, and peak temperature at the rockmass is $68.2^{\circ}C$ after about 17 years. Saturation of the bentonite block near the canister decreases in the early stage, because water evaporation occurs owing to temperature increase. Then, saturation of the bentonite buffer and backfill increases because of water intake from the rockmass, and bentonite buffer and backfill are fully saturated after about 266 years. The stress is calculated to investigate the effect of thermal stress and swelling pressure on the mechanical behavior of the rockmass. The calculated stress is compared to a spalling criterion and the Mohr-Coulumb criterion for investigation of potential failure. The stress at the rockmass remains below the spalling strength and Mohr-Coulumb criterion for the whole period. The methodology of using the TOUGH2-MP/FLAC3D simulator can be applied to predict the long-term behavior of the KRS under various conditions; these methods will be useful for the design and performance assessment of alternative concepts such as multi-layer and multi-canister concepts for geological spent fuel repositories.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.573-579
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is predicted easily the entrance surface dose (ESD) in chest digital radiography. We used two detector type such as flat-panel detector (FP) and IP (Imaging plate detector). ESD was measured at each exposure condition combined tube voltage with tube current using dosimeter, after attaching on human phantom, it was repeated 3 times. Phantom images were evaluated independently by three chest radiologists after blinding image. Dose-area product (DAP) or exposure index (EI) was checked by Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) header on phantom images. Statistical analysis was performed by the linear regression using SPSS ver. 19.0. ESD was significant difference between FP and IP($85.7{\mu}Gy$ vs. $124.6{\mu}Gy$, p=0.017). ESD was positively correlated with image quality in FP as well as IP. In FP, adjusted R square was 0.978 (97.8%) and linear regression model was $ESD=0.407+68.810{\times}DAP$. DAP was 4.781 by calculating the $DAP=0.021+0.014{\times}340{\mu}Gy$. In IP, adjusted R square was 0.645 (64.5%) and linear regression model was $ESD=-63.339+0.188{\times}EI$. EI was 1748.97 by calculating the $EI=565.431+3.481{\times}340{\mu}Gy$. In chest digital radiography, the ESD can be easily predicted by the DICOM header information.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.81-86
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• 2019

In X-ray image, the role of filtration through the filter is to reduce the exposure of the patient by using photon which is useful in formation of the image, and at the same time, enhance the contrast of the image. During interaction between photon and object, low energy X-rays are absorbed from the site of a few cm of the first patient's tissue, and high energy X-rays are the one which form the image. Therefore, the radiation filter absorbs low energy X-ray in order to lower the exposure of the patient and improve the quality of the image. The purpose of this study is to compare the effect on the image quality by differences of added filter through simulation image and actual radiation image. For that purpose, we used Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission (GATE) as a tool for Monte Carlo simulation. We set actual size, shape and material of Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) Phantom on GATE and differentiated the parameter of added filter. Also, we took image of PMMA phantom with same parameter of added filter by digital radiography (DR). Than we performed contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) evaluation on both simulation image and actual DR image by Image J. Finally, we observed the effect on image quality due to different thickness of added filter, and compared two images' CNR evaluation's transitions of change. The result of this experiment showed decreasing in the progress of CNR on both DR and simulation image. It is ultimately caused by decreasing in contrast on image. In theory, contrast decrease with kVp increased. Given that condition, this study found out that filter makes not only decreasing total dose by absorbing low energy of X-ray, but also increasing average energy of X-ray.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2019

In this study, the surveys were carried out from October (2016) to October (2017) along the tidal flat of Geunso Bay, Taean Peninsula of the western edge of Korea. The sampling trips were carried out for a total of 16 times, once or twice a month. In order to investigate the monthly variation of the microphytobenthos (MPB) biomass, community composition and photo-physiology were analyzed by HPLC (High performance liquid chromatography). The total chlorophyll a (TChl a) concentrations used as an indicator of biomass of MPB in the upper 1 cm sediment layer ranged from 40.4 to $218.9mg\;m^{-2}$ throughout the sampling period. TChl a concentrations showed the maximum level on $24^{th}$ of February and remained high throughout March after which it started to declined. The biomass of MPB showed high values in winter and low values in summer. The monthly variations of Phaeophorbide a concentrations suggested that the low grazing intensity of the predator in the winter may have partly attributed to the MPB winter blooming. As a result of monthly variations of the MPB community composition using the major marker pigments, the concentrations of fucoxanthin, the marker pigment of benthic diatoms, were the highest throughout the year. The concentrations of most of the marker pigments except for chlorophyll b (chlorophytes) and peridinin (dinoflagellates) increased in winter. However, the concentrations of fucoxanthin increased the highest, and the relative ratios of the major marker pigments to TChl a except fucoxanthin decreased during the same period. The vertical distribution of Chl a and oxygen concentrations in the sediments using a fluorometer and an oxygen micro-optode Chl a concentrations decreased with oxygen concentrations with increasing depth of the sediment layers. Moreover, this tendency became more apparent in winter. The Chl a was uniformly vertical down to 12 mm from May to July, but the oxygen concentration distribution in May decreased sharply below 1 mm. The increase in phaeophorbide a concentration observed at this time is likely to be caused by increased oxygen consumption of zoobenthic grazing activities. This could be presumed that MPB cells are transported downward by bioturbation of zoobenthos. The relative ratios (DT/(DD+DT)) obtained with diadinoxanthin (DD) and diatoxanthin (DT), which are often used as indicators of photo-adaptation of MPB, decreased from October to March and increased in May. This indicated that there were monthly differences in activity of Xanthophyll cycle as well.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.195-203
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• 2021

Aureobasidium pullulans, a black yeast, produces pullulan, a linear α-glucan composed of maltotriose repeating units linked by α(1→6)-glycosidic linkages. Pullulan can be widely used in food, cosmetic, and biotechnology industries. In this study, we isolated eight strains of A. pullulans from Forsythia koreana, Magnolia kobus DC., Spiraea prunifolia var. simpliciflora, Cornus officinalis, Cerasus, and Hippophae rhamnoides. Among them, A. pullulans MR was selected as the best pullulan producer. The effects of a carbon source, a nitrogen source, and pH on pullulan production were examined. The optimal cultivation conditions for pullulan production by A. pullulans MR were determined by response surface methodology as 15% sucrose, 0.4% soy peptone, and an initial pH of 7 at 26℃. Under these conditions, the predicted pullulan production was 47.6 g/L, which was very close to the experimental data (48.9 g/L).

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.289-308
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• 2021

This study conducts coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical numerical modeling to investigate the maximum temperature and conditions for securing mechanical stability of the high-level radioactive waste repository when temperature criteria of bentonite buffer are 100℃ and 125℃, respectively. In case of temperature criterion of buffer as 100℃, the maximum temperatures at the interface between canister and buffer are calculated to be 99.4℃ and 99.8℃, respectively for a case with disposal tunnel spacing of 40 m and deposition hole spacing of 5.5 m and for the other case with disposal tunnel spacing of 30 m and deposition hole spacing of 6.5 m. In case of temperature criterion of buffer as 125℃, spacings of disposal tunnel and deposition hole could be decreased to 30 m and 4.5 m, respectively, which reduces the disposal area up to 55% compared to the disposal area of KRS⁺. According to analysis of mechanical stability for various disposal spacings, RMR of rock mass for KRS⁺ should be larger than 72.4 which belongs to good rock in RMR classification to prevent failure of rock mass. As disposal spacing is decreased, required RMR of rock mass is increased. In order to prevent failure of rock mass for a case with disposal tunnel spacing of 30 m and deposition hole spacing of 4.5 m, RMR larger than 87.3 is needed. However, mechanical stability of the repository is secured for all cases with RMR over 75 considering the enhancement of rock strength due to confining stress induced by swelling of the bentonite buffer and backfill.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.257-270
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• 2022

This study evaluated the hydraulic factors contributing to the decreasing groundwater levels across Jeju island. Time-series data for groundwater level, precipitation, and groundwater usage and information on land use were acquired, and the correlations among them were analyzed to evaluate the causes of the decreasing groundwater. The effects of precipitation and groundwater usage on the fluctuations of groundwater level were quantified using response surface analysis and sensitivity analysis, and methods for groundwater quantity management by region were proposed. The results showed that the rate of groundwater decrease in the western region was larger than that in the eastern region. For the eastern region, the influence of precipitation was large and the rate of decrease in the groundwater level was relatively small. The geological formation of this part of the island and continuous seawater intrusion suggest that although the absolute amount of groundwater extracted for use was large, the decrease in the groundwater level was not seen to be great due to an increase in pressure by seawater intrusion. Overall, precipitation and groundwater usage had the greatest effect on the amount of groundwater in the western region, and thus their data would be most useful for informing groundwater management, whereas other factors (e.g., sea level and the location of the freshwater-seawater transition zone) must be considered when understanding Jeju's eastern region. As the characteristics of groundwater level fluctuations in the eastern and western regions are distinct, an optimal management plan for each region should be proposed to ensure the efficient management of groundwater quantity.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.338-349
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• 2022

This study aims to investigate whether modular community planting, which entailed planting a variety of species of seedlings at high density, was more effective in restoring natural forests than the existing mature tree planting. We also investigated whether the planting density of the modular community planting facilitates growth or improves the tree layer coverage. We conducted outdoor experiments in which the samples were divided into a mature tree planting plot (control plot), where mature trees were planted at wide intervals, and a modular community planting (MCP) plot (treatment plot), where multiple seedlings were planted in high density. The MCP plot was further divided into the plot in which 3 seedlings were planted per m² and the plot of 1 seedling per m². We measured the specimens' survival rate, growth rate (tree height, crown width, and root collar diameter), and cover rate for 26 months from May 2019 and the predicted future tree height growth using the measured tree height. The survival rate and relative growth rate of the MCP were higher than those of the mature tree planting plot. The vertical coverage rate of the tree crown in the MCP exhibited complete coverage of the ground before 23 months, while the coverage rate of the mature tree planting decreased due to transplantation stress. The seedlings in the MCP, which were planted at high density, grew well and were predicted to grow higher than the mature trees in the large tree planting plot within 5 to 6.5 years after planting. It was due to multiple species, seedlings, high-density planting, and planting foundation improvements, such as soil enhancement and mulching. In other words, the seedlings planted in the MCP had a higher survival rate as their environmental adaptation after planting was better, and their early growth was also larger than the trees in the mature planting plot. The high-density mixed planting of various native species not only mitigated the inter-complementary environmental pressures but also facilitated growth by inducing competition between species. Moreover, the planting foundation improvement effectively increased the seedlings' viability and growth rate. A reduction in follow-up management costs is expected as the tree layer coverage sharply increases due to the higher planting density. In the MCP (3 seedlings per m² and 1 seedling per m²), the tree height growth was promoted with the higher planting density, and the crown width and root collar diameter tended to be larger with the lower planting density, but these differences were not statistically significant.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.67-75
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• 2022

The aim of this study is to establish a new QC method that can simultaneously evaluate the resolution of the x/y plane and the z-axis by producing a phantom that can reflect exposure and reconstruction parameter of MDCT system. It was used with Aquilion ONE(Cannon Medical System, Otawara, Japan), and the examination was scanned using of 120 kV, 260 mA, and the D-FOV of 300 mm². It produced new SSP phantom modules in which two aluminum plates inclined at 45° to a vertical axis and a transverse axis to evaluate high contrast resolution of x/y plane and z axis. And it changed factors such as the algorithm, distance from gantry iso-center. All images were reconstructed in five steps from 0.6 mm to 10.0 mm slice thickness to measure resolution of x/y plane and z-axis. The image data measured FWHM and FWTM using Profile tool of Aquarius iNtusion Edition ver. 4.4.13 P6 software(Terarecon, California, USA), and analysed SPQI and signal intensity by ImageJ program(v1.53n, National Institutes of Health, USA). It decreased by 4.09~11.99%, 4.12~35.52%, and 4.70~37.64% in slice thickness of 2.5 mm, 5.0 mm, and 10.0 mm for evaluating the high contrast resolution of x/y plane according to distance from gantry iso-center. Therefore, the high contrast resolution of the x/y plane decreased when the distance from the iso-center increased or the slice thickness increased. Additionally, the slice thicknesses of 2.5 mm, 5.0 mm, and 10.0 mm with a high algorithm increased 74.83, 15.18 and 81.25%. The FWHM was almost constant on the measured SSP graph for evaluating the accuracy of slice thickness which represents the resolution of x/y plane and z-axis, but it was measured to be higher than the nominal slice thickness set by user. The FWHM and FWTM of z-axis with axial scan mode tended to increase significantly as the distance increased from gantry iso-center than the helical mode. Particularly, the thinner slice thickness that increased error range compare with the nominal slice thickness. The SPQI increased with thick slice thickness, and that was closer to 90% in the helical scan than the axial scan. In conclusion, by producing a phantom suitable for MDCT detectors and capable of quantitative resolution evaluation, it can be used as a specific method in the management of research quality and management of outdated equipment. Thus, it is expected to contribute greatly to the discrimination of lesions in the field of CT imaging.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.272-279
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• 2021

A pump-type eDNA filtering system that can control voltage and hydraulic pressure respectively has been developed, and applied a filter case that can filter out without damaging the filter. The filtering performance of the developed system was evaluated by comparing the eDNA concentration with the conventional vacuum-pressured filtering method at the catchment conduit intake reservoir. The developed system was divided into a voltage control (manual pump system) method and a pressure control (automatic pump system) method, and the pressure was measured during filtering and the pressure change of each system was compared. The voltage control method started with 65 [KPa] at the beginning of the filtering, and as the filtering time elapsed, the amount of filtrate accumulated in the filter increased, so the pressure gradually increased. As a result of controlling the pressure control method to maintain a constant pressure according to the designed algorithm, there was a difference in the width of the hydraulic pressure fluctuation during the filtering process according to the feedback time of the hydraulic pressure sensor, and it was confirmed that the pressure was converged to the target pressure. The filtering performance of the developed system was confirmed by measuring the eDNA concentration and comparing the voltage control method and the hydraulic control method with the control group. The voltage control method obtained similar results to the control group, but the hydraulic control method showed lower results than the control group. It is considered that the low eDNA concentration in the hydraulic control method is due to the large pressure deviation during filtering and maintaining a constant pressure during the filtering process. Therefore, rather than maintaining a constant pressure during filtering, it was confirmed that a voltage control method in which the pressure is gradually increased as the filtrate increases with the lapse of filtering time is suitable for collecting eDNA. As a result of comparing the average concentration of eDNA in lentic zone and lotic zone as a control group, it was found to be 96.2 [ng µL^-1] and 88.4 [ng µL^-1l], respectively. The result of comparing the average concentration of eDNA by the pump method was also high in the lentic zone sample as 90.7 [ng µL^-1] and 74.8 [ng µL^-1] in the lentic zone and the lotic zone, respectively. The high eDNA concentration in the lentic zone is thought to be due to the influence of microorganisms including the remaining eDNA.