• Title/Summary/Keyword: A Feasibility Assessment

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Assessment of Seasonal Variations in the Treatment Efficiency of Constructed Wetlands

  • Reyes, Nash Jett DG.;Geronimo, Franz Kevin F.;Choi, Hyeseon;Jeon, Minsu;Kim, Lee-Hyung
    • Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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    • 2020.06a
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    • pp.231-231
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    • 2020
  • Unlike conventional treatment technologies, the performance of nature-based facilities were susceptible to seasonal changes and climatological variabilities. This study evaluated the effects of seasonal variables on the treatment performance of constructed wetlands (CWs). Two CWs treating runoff and discharge from agricultural and livestock areas were monitored to determine the efficiency of the systems in reducing particulates, organics, and nutrients in the influent. For all four seasons, the mean effluent suspended solids concentration in the agricultural CW (ACW) increased by -2% to -39%. The occurrence of algal blooms in the system during summer and fall seasons resulted to the greatest increase in the amount of suspended materials in the overlying water. unlike ACW, the livestock CW (LCW) performed efficiently throughout the year, with mean suspended solids removal amounting to 61% to 68%. Algal blooms were still present in LCW seasonally; however, the constant inflow in the system limited the proliferation of phytoplankton through continuous flushing. The total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiencies in ACW were higher during the summer (21% to 25%) and fall (8% to 21%) seasons since phytoplankton utilize nitrogen and phosphorus during the early stages of phytoplankton blooms. In the case of LCW, the most efficient reduction in TN (24%) and TP (54%) concentrations were also noted in summer, which can be attributed to the favorable environmental conditions for microbial activities. The mean removal of organics in ACW was lowest during summer season (-52% to 35%), wherein the onset of algal decay triggered a relative increase in organic matter and stimulate bacterial growth. The removal of organics in LCW was highest (54 % to 55%) during the fall and winter seasons since low water temperatures may limit the persistence of various algal species. Variations in environmental conditions due to seasonal changes can greatly affect the performance of CW systems. This study effectively established the contributory factors affecting the feasibility of utilizing CW systems for treating agricultural and livestock discharges and runoff.

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Assessment of the Feasibility of the Hydrochloric Acid Extraction Method and the Chemical Properties of Agricultural Soils in reclaimed mines (폐광산 토양개량‧복원사업 완료 농경지 안정화 효율 및 화학성 평가)

  • Ju-In Ko;Mi-Sun Park;Gwan-In Park;Seung-Han Baek;Il-Ha Koh
    • Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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    • v.29 no.1
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    • pp.10-17
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    • 2024
  • In Korea, the common remedial process for reclamation of agricultural soils nearby abandoned mines involves chemical soil stabilization followed by covering with clean soil. This study investigated the chemical properties of cover soils and the validity of HCl extraction method in assessing the degree of As and heavy metal stabilization in stabilized soils collected from 14 plots where mine reclamation had been completed. The results revealed there were no major differences in contaminants extraction rate between the stabilized soils and contaminated soils, suggesting HCl extraction procedure is a less feasible method to determine the efficiency of the stabilization. Soil quality indicators including OM, SiO2, P2O5, etc. of the land-covering soils were generally lower than those of stabilized soils that used to be the cultivation layer before the stabilization. Nonetheless, the value of those indicators didn't meet the regulatry limits of agricultural soil. Therefore, future strategy for mine reclamation should concentrate not only on contaminant concentration but also on soil quality parameters for agricultural use of the reclaimed soil.

Citizens' Perception on and Attitudes toward Use and Management of National Parks in South Korea (국립공원 이용 및 관리 방안에 대한 시민 인식)

  • Lee, Seonghun;Koo, Kyung Ah;Im, Changmin;Yoon, Tae Kyung
    • Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.89-104
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    • 2021
  • This study investigated the public opinion on the use and conservation management of national park, to manage the growing demand of national park visit and to support the policy direction of national park. So far, various surveys and big data analysis on the use and perception of national park have been conducted, but there have been limitations such as lack of survey questions on issues in park management and use. In addition, the object of the previous studies were limited to the national park visitors; therefore, this study expanded the object of survey from national park visitors to ordinary citizens. Unlike previous studies conducted only on national park visitors, ordinary citizens relatively prefered bottom areas rather than high-altitude ones. A policy to limit the visit to high-ridge area of mountain is being currently driven; however, the survey results of ordinary citizens suggested to maintain current policies or to increase visitor reservations system within narrow limits. On the other hand, the proportion of citizens who have used the visitor-reservation system was very small. We discuss the difference between national park visitors and ordinary citizens and the policy conditions according to changes in park management principles and public attitudes toward national parks.

Application of ECVAM as a Indicator for Monitoring National Environment in Korea (국토환경 모니터링 지표로서의 국토환경성평가지도 활용방안)

  • Kim, Eunyoung;Jeon, Seong-Woo;Song, Wonkyong;Kwak, Jaeryun;Lee, June
    • Journal of Environmental Policy
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    • v.11 no.2
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    • pp.3-16
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    • 2012
  • Objectives of the Korean Environmental Conservation Value Assessment Map (ECVAM) is to evaluate environmental value used in comprehensive environmental information in order to encourage eco-friendly land use and management. The first research was conducted in 2001 to establish the evaluation items and the criteria of the ECVAM, and the first nationwide map was established in the period of 2003 to 2005. The maps are updated annually to reflect environmental changes of land. The evaluation items and the criteria have been modified based on feasibility studies to improve the accuracy of the maps. This study re-evaluated the ECVAMs from 2005 to 2010 with criteria used in current environment and analyzed the changes in the area of the maps in 6 years. This is also an investigation on the maps whether they are appropriate as an index for sustainable environmental monitoring. The result shows that the 1st grade level of the ECVAM area with the highest conservation value had been expanding since 2005. These changes were analyzed in terms of updating the 4th Forest Map (2008) produced once every 10 years, reflecting the new legal protected areas such as Baekdudaegan Protected Area(2010), and the environmental/ecological assessment items such as the National Ecological Network (2009). This mean the ECVAM are a monitoring index that integrates individual environmental indexes including the increase of forest age and diameter due to sustainable management of forest areas, and the change of conservation areas. Therefore, ECVAM can be used as a new index integrating national environmental indicators for monitoring changes of national environment and policy. In order to utilize the ECVAM, improving accuracy and reducing renewal cycle time of thematic maps are required.

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Acupuncture in Patients with a Vertebral Compression Fracture: A Protocol for a Randomized, Controlled, Pilot Clinical Trial

  • Lee, Hyun-Jong;Seo, Jung-Chul;Park, Sung-Hoon;Kwak, Min-Ah;Shin, Im Hee;Min, Bo-Mi;Cho, Min-Su;Roh, Woon-Seok;Jung, Jin-Yong
    • Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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    • v.18 no.1
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    • pp.79-85
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    • 2015
  • Objectives: A vertebral compression fracture (VCF) is characterized by back pain and fracture of a vertebral body on spinal radiography. VCFs of the thoraco lumbar spine are common in the elderly. In general, appropriate analgesics should be prescribed to reduce pain and, thus, promote early mobilization. The ideal treatment approach for VCFs has not been determined. In Korea, acupuncture and herbal medication have been used to treat VCFs for many years. There is empirical evidence that acupuncture might benefit patients with a VCF. However, no randomized, controlled, clinical trials evaluating the efficacy and the safety of acupuncture for treating a VCF have been published. Therefore, we designed a randomized, controlled, pilot, clinical trial to obtain information for the design of a further full scale trial. Methods: A five week protocol for a randomized, controlled, pilot, clinical trial is presented. Fourteen patients will be recruited and randomly allocated to two groups: a control group receiving interlaminar epidural steroid injections once a week for three weeks, and an experimental group receiving interlaminar epidural steroid injections plus acupuncture treatment (three acupuncture sessions per week for three weeks, nine sessions in total). The primary outcomes will be the pain intensity (visual analogue scale and PainVision$^{TM}$ system). The secondary outcome measurements will be the answers on the short form McGill pain questionnaire and the oswestry disability index. Assessments will be made at baseline and at one, three, and five weeks. The last assessment (week five) will take place two weeks after treatment cessation. This study will provide both an indication of feasibility and a clinical foundation for a future large scale trial. The outcomes will provide additional resources for incorporating acupuncture into existing treatments, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, narcotics and vertebral augmentation. This article describes the protocol.

Development and Evaluation of a Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) Scale for Breast Cancer

  • Zhang, Jun;Yao, Yu-Feng;Zha, Xiao-Ming;Pan, Li-Qun;Bian, Wei-He;Tang, Jin Hai
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.16 no.18
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    • pp.8573-8578
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    • 2016
  • Background: This study was guided by principles of the theoretical system of evidence-based medicine. In particular, when searching for evidence of breast cancer, a measuring scale is an instrument for evaluating curative effects in accordance with the laws and characteristics of medicine and exploring the establishment of a system for medically assessing curative effects. At present, there exist few tools for evaluating curative effects. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) refer to outcomes directly reported by patients (without input or explanations from doctors or other intermediaries) with respect to all aspects of their health. Data obtained from PROs provide evidence of treatment effects. Materials and Methods: In accordance with the tenets of theoretical medicine and ancient medical theory regarding breast cancer, principles for developing a PRO scale were established, and a theoretical model was developed and a literature review was performed, items from this pool were combined and split, and an initial scale was constructed. After a pilot survey and additional modifications, a pre-questionnaire scale was formed and used in a field investigation. After the application of statistical methods, the item pool was used to create a formal scale. The reliability, validity and feasibility of this formal scale were then assessed. Results: In a clinical investigation, 479 responses were recovered, with an acceptance rate of 95%. a combination of various methods was employed, and the items that were selected by all methods or more than half of the methods were employed in the questionnaire. In these cases, the screening methods were combined with certain features of the item, A total of four domains and 38 items were reserved. The reliability analysis indicated that the PRO scale was relatively reliable. Conclusions: Scientific assessment proved that the proposed scale exhibited good reliability and validity. This scale was readily accepted and could be used to assess the curative effects of medical therapy. However, given the limited scope of this investigation, the capacity for adapting this scale to incorporate other theories could not be determined.

A Study on Safety Assessment for Low-flashpoint and Eco-friendly Fueled Ship (친환경연료 선박의 가스누출 피해저감을 위한 연구)

  • Ryu Bo Rim;Duong Phan Anh;Kang Ho Keun
    • Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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    • v.47 no.1
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    • pp.25-36
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    • 2023
  • To limit greenhouse gas emissions from ships, numerous environmental regulations and standards have been taken into effect. As a result, alternative fuels such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ammonia, and biofuels have been applied to ships. Most of these alternative fuels are low flashpoint fuels in the form of liquefied gas. Their use is predicted to continue to increase. Thus, management regulations for using low flash point fuel as a ship fuel are required. However, they are currently insufficient. In the case of LNG, ISO standards have been prepared in relation to bunkering. The Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF), a non-governmental organization (NGO), has also prepared and published a guideline on LNG bunkering. The classification society also requires safety management areas to be designated according to bunkering methods and procedures for safe bunkering. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a procedure for setting a safety management area according to the type of fuel, environmental conditions, and leakage scenarios and verify it with a numerical method. In this study, as a feasibility study for establishing these procedures, application status and standards of the industry were reviewed. Classification guidelines and existing preceding studies were analyzed and investigated. Based on results of this study, a procedure for establishing a safety management area for bunkering in domestic ports of Korea can be prepared.

Lateral Oropharyngeal Wall Coverage with Buccinator Myomucosal and Buccal Fat Pad Flaps

  • Jung, Bok Ki;Song, Seung Yong;Kim, Se-Heon;Kim, Young Seok;Lee, Won Jai;Hong, Jong Won;Roh, Tai Suk;Lew, Dae Hyun
    • Archives of Plastic Surgery
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    • v.42 no.4
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    • pp.453-460
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    • 2015
  • Background Reconstruction of oropharyngeal defects after resection of oropharyngeal cancer is a significant challenge. The purpose of this study is to introduce reconstruction using a combination of a buccinator myomucosal flap and a buccal fat pad flap after cancer excision and to discuss the associated anatomy, surgical procedure, and clinical applications. Methods In our study, a combination of a buccinator myomucosal flap with a buccal fat pad flap was utilized for reconstruction after resection of oropharyngeal cancer, performed between 2013 and 2015. After oropharyngectomy, the defect with exposed vital structures was noted. A buccinator myomucosal flap was designed and elevated after an assessment of the flap pedicle. Without requiring an additional procedure, a buccal fat pad flap was easily harvested in the same field and gently pulled to obtain sufficient volume. The flaps were rotated and covered the defect. In addition, using cadaver dissections, we investigated the feasibility of transposing the flaps into the lateral oropharyngeal defect. Results The reconstruction was performed in patients with squamous cell carcinoma. The largest tumor size was $5cm{\times}2cm(length{\times}width)$. All donor sites were closed primarily. The flaps were completely epithelialized after four weeks, and the patients were followed up for at least six months. There were no flap failures or postoperative wound complications. All patients were without dietary restrictions, and no patient had problems related to mouth opening, swallowing, or speech. Conclusions A buccinator myomucosal flap with a buccal fat pad flap is a reliable and valuable option in the reconstruction of oropharyngeal defects after cancer resection for maintaining functionality.

Validity and Reliability of a Korean Version of the Flow State Scale for Occupational Task (한글판 작업과제 몰입상태척도(Korean version of Flow State Scale for Occupational Task: K-FSSOT)의 타당도 및 신뢰도연구)

  • Lee, Jeong-Hoon;Park, Ji-Hyuk
    • Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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    • v.10 no.4
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    • pp.53-63
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    • 2021
  • Objective : This study aimed to develop a Korean version of the Flow State Scale for Occupational Task (K-FSSOT), to measure the level of a flow experience of a subject in occupational therapy activities. Methods : To develop a measure of K-FSSOT, validity and reliability were verified through a systematic development process. The validity was verified by calculating the content validity index (CVI) through the content validity of 10 occupational therapists and a question-and-answer survey of 20 patients. Reliability was verified by investigating the internal consistency and examination-re-test reliability of 33 patients. Results : The item-CVI for each question in the content feasibility study was .90 to 1.00, and the scale-CVI, which is the average of the whole item, was found to be appropriate at .97. The verification of reliability indicated that the intrinsic value of the entire question was high at .855, and the test-retest reliability value was high at .894 (p<.01), showing a high correlation, and very high reliability. Conclusion : K-FSSOT could be used as a useful tool to measure the level of a flow experience of the target in performing occupational therapy activities for occupational therapists concerned about the participation and flow experience of the target.

A Method to Design Components using Commonality and Variability Analysis (공통성 및 가변성 분석을 활용한 컴포넌트 설계 기법)

  • 장수호;김수동
    • Journal of KIISE:Software and Applications
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    • v.31 no.6
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    • pp.716-727
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    • 2004
  • Component-based software development (CBD) technology has been widely accepted as a new effective paradigm for building software systems with reusable components, consequently reducing efforts and shortening time-to-market. Hence, components should provide standard or common functionalities in a domain, yielding a higher level of reusability. Especially, micro-level variability within the commonality should also be modeled so that a product member-specific business logic or requirement can be supported through component tailoring or customization The importance of commonality and variability (C&V) analysis has been emphasized in several CBD methods, but they lack of well-defined systematic process, detailed instructions, and standard artifact templates. As the result, the development of components has been carried out in ad-hoc fashion, depending on developer's experience. In this paper, we propose a systematic process and work instructions to design components. The process consists of phases and their activities and each activity is specified with detailed instructions and artifact templates in order to facilitate effective development of components. To verify a feasibility of the propose method, a case study in a banking domain and comparison and assessment between the proposed method and other methods are additionally provided. With proposed processes and instructions, reusability and efficiency of developing components can be better supported.