• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.211-226
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• 2022

Choline, an essential nutrient for humans, is required for the structural integrity of the cell membranes, methyl-group metabolism, synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, synthesis of the membrane phospholipid components of the cell membranes, and the transport of lipids and cholesterol. Choline can be synthesized in the body, but it is insufficient to meet the daily requirements and hence it must be obtained through the diet. In the United States/Canada, Australia/New Zealand, Europe, China, and Taiwan, the adequate intake (AI) and tolerable upper intake level (UL) of choline have been established, while the establishment of the 2020 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRI) for choline was postponed due to the lack of a choline database for Korean foods and studies on the choline intake of Koreans. However, as part of the preparation work for the 2020 DRI revision and finalization, choline intake and the possibility of disease occurrence were verified through analysis of published data. The groundwork for the subsequent establishment of a choline DRI was laid through a literature search, evaluation, and review of the literature reported from 1949 up to 2019. This can be regarded as the culmination of this project. According to the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, case-control studies, and cross-sectional observational studies in humans, approximately 400-500 mg/day of choline intake was effective in preventing liver function damage (fatty liver), neural tube damage, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and cognitive function improvement. The same amount of choline intake, however, also correlated with the risk of prostate and colorectal cancer. At present, there is limited information available on choline intake and health outcomes, particularly for the Korean population. More human studies, including clinical trials on the requirements and the physiological benefits associated with dietary intake, are needed to establish the KDRI for choline.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-25
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• 2022

The aquaculture industry has developed rapidly over the last three decades and is an important industry that supplies over 15% of humans' animal protein intake; therefore, there is a need to increase production to meet the continuous demand. The fish cage farms on the southern coast (Kyengsangnam-do and Jeollanam-do) of Korea are critical resources in aquaculture because they account for approximately 90% of the national total fish cage farms by water area ratio. However, the current aquaculture environment is being gradually affected by climate change, which is a global issue, and its effects are expected to intensify in the future. Therefore, it is urgently imperative to accurately evaluate the effects of climate change on South Korean aquaculture industries and to develop social and national strategies to minimize damage to the fishing industry. The damage to fish farmed in cage farms on the southern coast is increasing annually and the leading causes are high and low water temperature and red tides, which are directly or indirectly related to climate change. At present, global warming can provide opportunities for aquaculture industrialization of fish or other novel species, with economic implications. However, despite such opportunities, the influx of new species can also cause problems such as ecological disturbances, increase in the reproduction frequency of microalgae such as red tide, increase in disease incidence, and occurrence and periods of high water temperatures in summer. The scale of farmed fish mortality is increasing due to the complex effects of these factors. Increased damages due to fish mortality not only have severe economic impacts on the aquaculture industry, but the social costs of responding to the damage and follow-up measures also increase. various active responses can reduce the mortality damage in fish farms such as improving the management skills in aquaculture, improved species breeding, efficient food management, disease prevention, proactive responses, and system-wide improvements. This review article analyzes the large-scale mortality cases occurring in fish cage farms on the southern coast of Korea and proposes measures to mitigate mortality and enhance responses to such scenarios.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.185-200
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• 2022

The risk of various hazardous substances in aquatic environment comprises not only the concentration of substances in the environmental medium but also their accumulation in fish through complex food web and the health risks to humans through the fish. In Korea, the monitoring of residual toxicant in aquatic ecosystems began in 2016 following the enforcement of the Acts on registration and evaluation for the management of chemicals used in daily life (consumer chemical products), and attention has been paid to potentially hazardous substances attributed to them. Recently, studies have been carried out to investigate the distribution of these hazardous substances in the ecosystem and calculate their emission factors. These include the accumulation and transport of substances, such as detergents, dyes, fragrances, cosmetics, and disinfectants, within trophic levels. This study summarizes the results of recently published research on the inflow and distribution of hazardous substances from consumer chemical products to the aquatic environment and presents the scientific implication. Based on studies on aquatic environment monitoring techniques, this study suggests research directions for monitoring the residual concentration and distribution of harmful chemical substances in aquatic ecosystems. In particular, this study introduces the directions for research on trophic position analysis using compound specific isotope analysis and trophic magnification factors, which are needed to fulfill the contemporary requirements of selecting target fish based on the survey of major fish that inhabit domestic waters and assessment of associated health risk. In addition, this study provides suggestions for future biota monitoring and chemical research in Korea.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.287-316
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• 2023

As global energy crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic have emerged as social issues, there is a growing demand for companies to move away from profit-centric business models and embrace sustainable management that balances environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. ESG activities of companies vary across industries, and industry-specific weights are applied in ESG evaluations. Therefore, it is important to develop strategic management approaches that reflect the characteristics of each industry and the importance of each ESG factor. Additionally, with the stance of strengthened focus on ESG disclosures, specific guidelines are needed to identify and report on sustainable management activities of domestic companies. To understand corporate sustainability strategies, analyzing ESG reports and news articles by industry can help identify strategic characteristics in specific industries. However, each company has its own unique strategies and report structures, making it difficult to grasp detailed trends or action items. In our study, we analyzed ESG reports (2019-2021) and news articles (2019-2022) of six companies in the 'Finance,' 'Manufacturing,' and 'IT' sectors to examine the sustainability strategies of leading domestic ESG companies. Text mining techniques such as keyword frequency analysis and topic modeling were applied to identify industry-specific, ESG element-specific management strategies and issues. The analysis revealed that in the 'Finance' sector, customer-centric management strategies and efforts to promote an inclusive culture within and outside the company were prominent. Strategies addressing climate change, such as carbon neutrality and expanding green finance, were also emphasized. In the 'Manufacturing' sector, the focus was on creating sustainable communities through occupational health and safety issues, sustainable supply chain management, low-carbon technology development, and eco-friendly investments to achieve carbon neutrality. In the 'IT' sector, there was a tendency to focus on technological innovation and digital responsibility to enhance social value through technology. Furthermore, the key issues identified in the ESG factors were as follows: under the 'Environmental' element, issues such as greenhouse gas and carbon emission management, industry-specific eco-friendly activities, and green partnerships were identified. Under the 'Social' element, key issues included social contribution activities through stakeholder engagement, supporting the growth and coexistence of members and partner companies, and enhancing customer value through stable service provision. Under the 'Governance' element, key issues were identified as strengthening board independence through the appointment of outside directors, risk management and communication for sustainable growth, and establishing transparent governance structures. The exploration of the relationship between ESG disclosures in reports and ESG issues in news articles revealed that the sustainability strategies disclosed in reports were aligned with the issues related to ESG disclosed in news articles. However, there was a tendency to strengthen ESG activities for prevention and improvement after negative media coverage that could have a negative impact on corporate image. Additionally, environmental issues were mentioned more frequently in news articles compared to ESG reports, with environmental-related keywords being emphasized in the 'Finance' sector in the reports. Thus, ESG reports and news articles shared some similarities in content due to the sharing of information sources. However, the impact of media coverage influenced the emphasis on specific sustainability strategies, and the extent of mentioning environmental issues varied across documents. Based on our study, the following contributions were derived. From a practical perspective, companies need to consider their characteristics and establish sustainability strategies that align with their capabilities and situations. From an academic perspective, unlike previous studies on ESG strategies, we present a subdivided methodology through analysis considering the industry-specific characteristics of companies.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.42-55
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• 2023

A methodology to predict the carbon performance of newly created urban greening plans is required as policies based on quantifying carbon performance are rapidly being introduced in the face of the climate crisis caused by global warming. This study developed a tree carbon calculator that can be used for carbon reduction designs in landscaping and attempted to verify its effectiveness in landscape design. For practical operability, MS Excel was selected as a format, and carbon absorption and storage by tree type and size were extracted from 93 representative species to reflect plant design characteristics. The database, including tree unit prices, was established to reflect cost limitations. A plantation experimental design to verify the performance of the tree carbon calculator was conducted by simulating the design of parks in the central region for four landscape design, and the causal relationship was analyzed by conducting semi-structured interviews before and after. As a result, carbon absorption and carbon storage in the design using the tree carbon calculator were about 17-82% and about 14-85% higher, respectively, compared to not using it. It was confirmed that the reason for the increase in carbon performance efficiency was that additional planting was actively carried out within a given budget, along with the replacement of excellent carbon performance species. Pre-interviews revealed that designers distrusted data and the burdens caused by new programs before using the arboreal carbon calculator but tended to change positively because of its usefulness and ease of use. In order to implement carbon reduction design in the landscaping field, it is necessary to develop it into a carbon calculator for trees and landscaping performance. This study is expected to present a useful direction for ntroducing carbon reduction designs based on quantitative data in landscape design.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.56-71
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• 2023

Citizens' needs for urban green spaces are on the rise due to improved quality of life and increased interest in environments. The garden is noteworthy because it is small in size, making it less controversial to create in the city, and it is adjacent to the residential area, improving citizens' daily environment. Moreover, recently gardens is attracting attention as a tool for urban regeneration, such as being created in declining areas as part of a government project. Therefore, it is time to study the role and value of urban gardens in deteriorated areas in terms of space welfare. However, there are few studies that quantitatively evaluate the effects of gardens, and many prior studies are limited to focusing the green space larger than a certain size (e.g., parks and forests). Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the effect of garden and gardening quantitatively, paying attention to social aspects such as life satisfaction and community of inhabitants. The study was conducted in an old row housing complex in Gojan1-dong, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do. In there, some of the dwellers voluntarily created outdoor gardens and engaged in gardening for a long time. In addition, after the 2017 Gyeonggi-do Garden Fair, several gardens have been maintained and used by residents there. For the first step, the field trip was done to research the status of the garden in the area, and then, a survey was conducted on whether or not gardening has an impact on the life satisfaction and community of residents. The results were analyzed by t-test and ANOVA. As a result, residents who are engaged in gardening are more active in the "neighborhood exchange" and "resident participation" than those who are not engaged in gardening. In addition, if residents voluntarily create a garden, the level of "satisfaction of life" is higher than those staying in the garden which is constructed by the government. And a resident who is gardening in the complex shows higher life satisfaction than those who garden outside of the complex. These results confirmed that the garden has positive effects promoting "exchanges with neighbors", "participation in the community", and "life satisfaction" of residents. It shows that it is important to ensure the right of residents to participate in the garden-making process as much as possible, and the garden's location should be paid attention to maximize the positive effect of gardens.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.737-760
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• 2022

For the geological disposal of high-level radioactive wastes (HLW), an understanding of deep subsurface environment is essential through geological, hydrogeological, geochemical, and geotechnical investigations. Although South Korea plans the geological disposal of HLW, only a few studies have been conducted for characterizing the geochemistry of deep subsurface environment. To guide the hydrogeochemical research for selecting suitable repository sites, this study overviewed the status and trends in hydrogeochemical characterization of deep groundwater for the deep geological disposal of HLW in developed countries. As a result of examining the selection process of geological disposal sites in 8 countries including USA, Canada, Finland, Sweden, France, Japan, Germany, and Switzerland, the following geochemical parameters were needed for the geochemical characterization of deep subsurface environment: major and minor elements and isotopes (e.g., ³⁴S and ¹⁸O of SO₄^2-, ¹³C and ¹⁴C of DIC, ²H and ¹⁸O of water) of both groundwater and pore water (in aquitard), fracture-filling minerals, organic materials, colloids, and oxidation-reduction indicators (e.g., Eh, Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺, H₂S/SO₄^2-, NH₄⁺/NO₃^-). A suitable repository was selected based on the integrated interpretation of these geochemical data from deep subsurface. In South Korea, hydrochemical types and evolutionary patterns of deep groundwater were identified using artificial neural networks (e.g., Self-Organizing Map), and the impact of shallow groundwater mixing was evaluated based on multivariate statistics (e.g., M3 modeling). The relationship between fracture-filling minerals and groundwater chemistry also has been investigated through a reaction-path modeling. However, these previous studies in South Korea had been conducted without some important geochemical data including isotopes, oxidationreduction indicators and DOC, mainly due to the lack of available data. Therefore, a detailed geochemical investigation is required over the country to collect these hydrochemical data to select a geological disposal site based on scientific evidence.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.603-614
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• 2022

This study investigated the characteristics of fish communities in the Bangtaecheon Stream in Korea from April to October 2020. The survey collected 4,640 fish of 26 species in 9 families from 11 survey stations. The dominant and subdominant species were Rhynchocypris kumgangensis(relative abundance at 31.5%) and Zacco koreanus(27.8%), respectively. The next most abundant species were Ladislavia taczanowskii(15.9%), Pungtungia herzi(4.0%), Brachymystax lenok tsinlingensis(3.7%), Microphysogobio longidorsalis(2.4%), and Zacco platypus(2.3%). Among the collected fish species, 17 (65.4%) were Korean endemic species, 4 (15.4%), including Acheilognathus signifer, Pseudopungtungia tenuicorpa, Gobiobotia brevibarba, and B. l. tsinlingensis,were class II endangered wildlife as designated by the Ministry of Environment, and 1 species, Hemibarbus mylodon, was a natural monument. Moreover, two landlocked species (B. l. tsinlingensisand C. koreanus) were also collected. Additionally, four cold-water species (R. kumgangensis, L. taczanowskii, B. l. tsinlingensis,and Cottus koreanus) were collected, and all of them mainly inhabited the upper and middle streams. Fish community analysis showed a tendency for dominance and uniformity to decrease and abundance and diversity to increase from upstream to downstream and that the community structure was divided into upstream and downstream groups. The river health was rated as excellent (9 stations) and good (2 stations). Compared to the previous studies, three species (Carassius auratus, Leiocassis ussuriensis,and Siniperca scherzeri) appeared in the past but did not appear in this survey, and three species (Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis, Microphysogobio yaluensis,and Orthrias nudus) that did not appear in the past appeared in this survey. Bangtaecheon Steam is well-preserved, and climate-sensitive species, endangered wildlife, and natural monuments inhabit the stream. Therefore, continuous attention and systematic conservation measures are required.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.566-574
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• 2022

Heavy metals are one of the dangerous pollutants that threaten urban biodiversity due to their accumulation over a long period without being decomposed in vivo. Accordingly, there is a need for biological monitoring to compare accumulation concentrations in living organisms according to the degree of heavy metal exposure to evaluate heavy metal contamination in the air in urban areas. This study aims to examine the possibility of using nesting materials as heavy metal monitoring samples and determine the effects of heavy metals on Paridae. We installed 54 artificial nest boxes in the research areas that included campus green spaces (14), urban forests (11), and urban parks (29) on a university campus in Cheonan City, Chungcheongnam Province. The birds' use rate of artificial nest boxes was 11/14 (78.57%) in campus green spaces, 8/11 (72.72%) in urban forests, and 6/29 (20.68%) in urban parks. Moss materials were collected from collected nests, and the heavy metal accumulation characteristics of each type of urban green space and the effects of heavy metals on the success of fledging of Paridae were compared through heavy metal analysis. The analysis showed that the average concentrations of zinc and lead were 228.08±209.62 ㎍/dry g and 17.67 ± 6.72 ㎍/dry g, respectively. There was no significant difference in zinc concentration for each type of urban green space (Kruskal-Wallis test, p-value=0.28), but lead concentration showed a significant difference (Kruskal-Wallis test, p<0.05^*). Of the 21 Paridae, nests analyzed for heavy metals, fledging of birds was observed in 11 nests (52.38%). Fledging of birds observed in each urban green space type was 7 campus green spaces (77.78%), 6 in urban forests (85.71%), and 1 in urban park (20%), mainly in urban forests and green spaces on campus. Heavy metal concentrations were compared to check the effect of heavy metal accumulation on the successful fledging of Paridae, but there was no statistically significant difference (Zn: W=44, p-value=0.74, Pb: t=0.64676, df =7.2422, p-value=0.54). This study is a basic study using the nesting materials of Paridae as heavy metal monitoring samples, and it is determined that it can be used as basic data for non-invasive biological monitoring.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.403-417
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• 2023

In this research, a methodology was developed for constructing an appropriate rainfall image database for estimating rainfall intensity based on CCTV video. The database was constructed in the Large-Scale Climate Environment Chamber of the Korea Conformity Laboratories, which can control variables with high irregularity and variability in real environments. 1,728 scenarios were designed under five different experimental conditions. 36 scenarios and a total of 97,200 frames were selected. Rain streaks were extracted using the k-nearest neighbor algorithm by calculating the difference between each image and the background. To prevent overfitting, data with pixel values greater than set threshold, compared to the average pixel value for each image, were selected. The area with maximum pixel variability was determined by shifting with every 10 pixels and set as a representative area (180×180) for the original image. After re-transforming to 120×120 size as an input data for convolutional neural networks model, image augmentation was progressed under unified shooting conditions. 92% of the data showed within the 10% absolute range of PBIAS. It is clear that the final results in this study have the potential to enhance the accuracy and efficacy of existing real-world CCTV systems with transfer learning.