• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.464-471
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• 2023

In this paper, we propose a method to reduce age distortion in facial expression image generation using StyleGAN Encoder. The facial expression image generation process first creates a face image using StyleGAN Encoder, and changes the expression by applying the learned boundary to the latent vector using SVM. However, when learning the boundary of a smiling expression, age distortion occurs due to changes in facial expression. The smile boundary created in SVM learning for smiling expressions includes wrinkles caused by changes in facial expressions as learning elements, and it is determined that age characteristics were also learned. To solve this problem, the proposed method calculates the correlation coefficient between the smile boundary and the age boundary and uses this to introduce a method of adjusting the age boundary at the smile boundary in proportion to the correlation coefficient. To confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method, the results of an experiment using the FFHQ dataset, a publicly available standard face dataset, and measuring the FID score are as follows. In the smile image, compared to the existing method, the FID score of the smile image generated by the ground truth and the proposed method was improved by about 0.46. In addition, compared to the existing method in the smile image, the FID score of the image generated by StyleGAN Encoder and the smile image generated by the proposed method improved by about 1.031. In non-smile images, compared to the existing method, the FID score of the non-smile image generated by the ground truth and the method proposed in this paper was improved by about 2.25. In addition, compared to the existing method in non-smile images, it was confirmed that the FID score of the image generated by StyleGAN Encoder and the non-smile image generated by the proposed method improved by about 1.908. Meanwhile, as a result of estimating the age of each generated facial expression image and measuring the estimated age and MSE of the image generated with StyleGAN Encoder, compared to the existing method, the proposed method has an average age of about 1.5 in smile images and about 1.63 in non-smile images. Performance was improved, proving the effectiveness of the proposed method.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.19-31
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• 2024

Ports are vital social infrastructures that significantly influence both people's lives and a country's economy. In South Korea, the aging of port infrastructure combined with the increased frequency of various natural disasters underscores the necessity of displacement monitoring for safety management of the port. In this study, the time-series displacements of Yeongilman Port and surrounding areas in Pohang, South Korea, were measured by applying Permanent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PSInSAR) to Sentinel-1 SAR images collected from the satellite's ascending (February 2017-July 2023) and descending (February 2017-December 2021) nodes, and the displacement associated with the 2017 Pohang earthquake in the port was analyzed. The southern (except the southernmost) and central parts of Yeongilman Port showed large displacements attributed to construction activities for about 10 months at the beginning of the observation period, and the coseismic displacement caused by the Pohang earthquake was up to 1.6 cm of the westward horizontal motion and 0.5 cm of subsidence. However, little coseismic displacement was observed in the southernmost part of the port, where reclamation was completed last, and in the northern part of the oldest port. This represents that the weaker the consolidation of the reclaimed soil in the port, the more vulnerable it is to earthquakes, and that if the soil is very weakly consolidated due to ongoing reclamation, it would not be significantly affected by earthquakes. Summer subsidence and winter uplift of about 1 cm have been repeatedly observed every year in the entire area of Yeongilman Port, which is attributed to volume changes in the reclaimed soil due to temperature changes. The ground of the 1st and 2nd General Industrial Complexes adjacent to Yeongilman Port subsided during the observation period, and the rate of subsidence was faster in the 1st Industrial Complex. The 1st Industrial Complex was observed to have a westward horizontal displacement of 3 mm and a subsidence of 6 mm as the coseismic displacement of the Pohang earthquake, while the 2nd Industrial Complex was analyzed to have been little affected by the earthquake. The results of this study allowed us to identify the time-series displacement characteristics of Yeongilman Port and understand the impact of earthquakes on the stability of a port built by coastal reclamation.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.436-445
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• 2023

Methane (CH₄) emissions from rice paddies are mainly observed using the closed chamber method or the eddy covariance method. In this study, a new observation technique combining a portable gas analyzer (Model LI-7810, LI-COR, Inc., USA) and an automatic opening/closing chamber (Model Smart Chamber, LI-COR, Inc., USA) was introduced based on the strengths and weaknesses of the existing measurement methods. A cylindrical collar was manufactured according to the maximum growth height of rice and used as an auxiliary measurement tool. All types of measured data can be monitored in real time, and CH₄ flux is also calculated simultaneously during the measurement. After the measurement is completed, all the related data can be checked using the software called 'SoilFluxPro'. The biggest advantage of the new observation technique is that time-series changes in greenhouse gas concentrations can be immediately confirmed in the field. It can also be applied to small areas with various treatment conditions, and it is simpler to use and requires less effort for installation and maintenance than the eddy covariance system. However, there are also disadvantages in that the observation system is still expensive, requires specialized knowledge to operate, and requires a lot of manpower to install multiple collars in various observation areas and travel around them to take measurements. It is expected that the new observation technique can make a significant contribution to understanding the CH₄ emission pathways from rice paddies and quantifying the emissions from those pathways.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.387-397
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• 2023

Plant height is a growth parameter that provides visible insights into the plant's growth status and has a high correlation with yield, so it is widely used in crop breeding and cultivation research. Investigation of the growth characteristics of crops such as plant height has generally been conducted directly by humans using a ruler, but with the recent development of sensing and image analysis technology, research is being attempted to digitally convert growth measurement technology to efficiently investigate crop growth. In this study, the canopy height of rice grown at various nitrogen fertilization levels was measured using a laser scanner capable of precise measurement over a wide range, and a comparative analysis was performed with the actual plant height. As a result of comparing the point cloud data collected with a laser scanner and the actual plant height, it was confirmed that the estimated plant height measured based on the average height of the top 1% points showed the highest correlation with the actual plant height (R² = 0.93, RMSE = 2.73). Based on this, a linear regression equation was derived and used to convert the canopy height measured with a laser scanner to the actual plant height. The rice growth curve drawn by combining the actual and estimated plant height collected by various nitrogen fertilization conditions and growth period shows that the laser scanner-based canopy height measurement technology can be effectively utilized for assessing the plant height and growth of rice. In the future, 3D images derived from laser scanners are expected to be applicable to crop biomass estimation, plant shape analysis, etc., and can be used as a technology for digital conversion of conventional crop growth assessment methods.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.258-266
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• 2023

This study analyzed methodologies for estimating carbon stocks of perennial woody crops and the research cases in overseas countries. As a result, we found that Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, and Japan are using the stock-difference method, while Austria, Denmark, and Germany are estimating the change in the carbon stock based on the gain-loss method. In some overseas countries, the researches were conducted on estimating the carbon stock change using image data as tier 3 phase beyond the research developing country-specific factors as tier 2 phase. In South Korea, convergence studies as the third stage were conducted in forestry field, but advanced research in the agricultural field is at the beginning stage. Based on these results, we suggest directions for the following four future researches: 1) securing national-specific factors related to emissions and removals in the agricultural field through the development of allometric equation and carbon conversion factors for perennial woody crops to improve the completeness of emission and removals statistics, 2) implementing policy studies on the cultivation area calculation refinement with fruit tree-biomass-based maturity, 3) developing a more advanced estimation technique for perennial woody crops in the agricultural sector using allometric equation and remote sensing techniques based on the agricultural and forestry satellite scheduled to be launched in 2025, and to establish a matrix and monitoring system for perennial woody crop cultivation areas in the agricultural sector, Lastly, 4) estimating soil carbon stocks change, which is currently estimated by treating all agricultural areas as one, by sub-land classification to implement a dynamic carbon cycle model. This study suggests a detailed guideline and advanced methods of carbon stock change calculation for perennial woody crops, which supports 2050 Carbon Neutral Strategy of Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs and activate related research in agricultural sector.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.281-302
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• 2023

Carbon is not only an essential element for life but also a key player in climate change. The radiocarbon (¹⁴C) analysis using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is a powerful tool not only to understand the carbon cycle but also to track pollutants derived from fossil carbon, which have a distinct radiocarbon isotope ratio (Δ¹⁴C). Many studies have reported Δ¹⁴C of carbon compounds in streams, rivers, rain, snow, throughfall, fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), and wastewater treatment plant effluents in South Korea, which are reviewed in this manuscript. In summary, (1) stream and river carbon in South Korea are largely derived from the chemical weathering of soils and rocks, and organic compounds in plants and soils, strongly influenced by precipitation, wastewater treatment effluents, agricultural land use, soil water, and groundwater. (2) Unprecedentedly high Δ¹⁴C of precipitation during winter has been reported, which can directly and indirectly influence stream and river carbon. Although we cannot exclude the possibility of local contamination sources of high Δ¹⁴C, the results suggest that stream dissolved organic carbon could be older than previously thought, warranting future studies. (3) The ¹⁴C analysis has also been applied to quantify the sources of forest throughfall and PM_2.5, providing new insights. The ¹⁴C data on a variety of ecosystems will be valuable not only to track the pollutants derived from fossil carbon but also to improve our understanding of climate change and provide solutions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.779-793
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• 2023

Intensive and long-term aquaculture activities in Korea have generated considerable amounts of organic matter, deteriorating the sedimentary environment and ecosystem. The Korean government enacted the Fishery Management Act to preserve and manage the environment of fish farms. Based on this, a fisheries environment assessment has been conducted on fish cage farms since 2014, necessitating the development of a scientific and objective evaluation method suitable for the domestic environment. Therefore, a benthic health index (BHI) was developed using the relationship between benthic polychaete communities and organic matter, a major source of pollution in fish farms. In this study, the development process and calculation method of the BHI have been introduced. The BHI was calculated by classifying 225 species of polychaetes appearing in domestic coastal and aquaculture areas into four groups by linking the concentration gradient of the total organic carbon in the sediment and the distributional characteristics of each species and assigning differential weights to each group. Using BHI, the benthic fauna communities were assigned to one of the four ecological classes (Grade 1: Normal, Grade 2: Slightly polluted, Grade 3: Moderately polluted, and Grade 4: Heavily polluted). The application of the developed index in the field enabled effective evaluation of the Korean environment, being relatively more accurate and less affected by the season compared with the existing evaluation methods like the diversity index or AZTI's Marine Biotic Index developed overseas. In addition, using BHI will be useful in the environmental management of fish farms, as the environment can be graded in quantified figures.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.730-741
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• 2023

Purpose: The 2020 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRIs) serves as a foundation for daily nutrient and energy recommendations aiming to enhance public health and prevent chronic diseases. They act as guidelines for maintaining proper nutrition and overall health. Using KDRIs is crucial for promoting healthier lifestyles and making informed dietary choices. Thus, this study explores the influence of a nutrition education program, based on the 2020 KDRIs, on the nutrition knowledge and dietary habits of undergraduates in Gyeongsangnam-do and Gyeonggi-do. Methods: The nutrition education program, designed with diverse instructional materials, was executed across a wide range of universities. The education group (n = 75) engaged in the program for a 6-week instructional period, while the control group (n = 53) underwent the survey without participating in the education program. Nutrition Quotient (NQ) and knowledge assessments were administered to both groups immediately before and after the instructional period. Results: Within the education group, the nutrition education program positively impacted responses to NQ practice items, including knowledge of nutrition, daily intake, and portion sizes (p < 0.05). In contrast, there were no significant differences between the before and after responses of the control group for most survey items. Post-program evaluations showed significantly higher self-assessment scores and increased satisfaction levels (p < 0.05), with the satisfaction rate for the education program using the 2020 KDRIs reaching 99.2%. Conclusion: This study has demonstrated the positive impact of an effective nutrition education program. However, there is a need for the continuous development and implementation of nutrition education programs to sustain these outcomes and further enhance the nutritional education experience.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.217-238
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• 2023

Currently, automobile tax in Korea is imposed by multiplying the vehicle's engine displacement by a certain tax rate. However, the need for revision is being raised as it is pointed out that the current system does not reflect the immediate task of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Accordingly, this study focuses on the positive relationship between engine displacement and CO₂ emissions, and seeks to calculate an appropriate automobile tax rate considering average CO₂ emissions. To this end, first, we estimated the average annual CO₂ emissions (kg/vehicle) for each engine displacement using the average CO₂ emissions for each vehicle displacement as of 2020. Next, multiple scenarios were analyzed considering the standard tax rate at $75 per ton of CO₂ emissions proposed by the IMF (2019). In particular, we compared the case of imposing a uniform carbon tax of $75 and the case of imposing a progressive tax based on CO₂ emissions by displacement. According to the results, it was confirmed that the uniform tax rate proposed by the IMF is difficult to apply to Korea as it is due to the impact of a decrease in tax revenue, and a tax scheme needs to be designed appropriately considering maintenance of tax revenue according to the current automobile tax, greenhouse gas reduction effect, and automobile tax reform trends in developed countries. For example, in the case of the K3 (1,598cc) of Kia Motors, a representative compact car sold in Korea, if we compare the tax burdens for each tax scenario, the tax burden will be about 220,000 KRW under the current system, about 79,000 KRW under the uniform tax rate, about 83,000 KRW under the progressive tax rate, and about 240,000 KRW under the progressive tax rate similar to the UK tax system, respectively. In this way, this study identified the current statuses of automobile registration and tax in Korea, and automobile tax reform trends in major developed countries, and analyzed the impact of automobile tax reform considering engine displacement and CO₂ emissions, focusing on the tax burden of the people.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.902-909
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• 2023

This study evaluated the performance test of a small-sized LTE-Maritime(LTE-M) transceiver that was developed and promoted to expand the use of intelligent maritime traf ic information services led by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries with the aim of supporting the prevention of maritime accidents. Accoriding to statistics, approximately 30% of all marine accidents in Korean water occur with ships weighing less than 3 tons. Therefore, the blind spots of maritime safety must be supplemented through the development of small-sized transceivers. The small transceiver may be used in fishing boats that are active near coastal waters and in water leisure equipment near the coastline. Therefore, verifying whether sufficient performance and stable communication quality are provided is necessary, considering the environment of their real usage. In this study, we reviewed the communication quality goals of the LTE-M network and the performance requirements of small-sized transceivers suggested by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and proposed a test plan to appropriately evaluate the performance of small-sized transceivers. The validity of the proposed test method was verified for six real-sea areas with a high frequency of marine accidents. Consequently, the downlink and uplink transmission speeds of the small-sized LTE-M transceiver showed performances of 9 Mbps or more and 3 Mbps or more, respectively. In addition, using the coverage analysis system, coverage of more than 95% and 100% were confirmed in the intensive management zone (0-30 km) and interesting zone (30-50 km), respectively. The performance evaluation method and test results proposed in this paper are expected to be used as reference materials for verifying the performance of transceivers, contributing to the spread of government-promoted e-navigation services and small-sized transceivers.