• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.219-227
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to quickly and effectively identify the Nosema disease of bumblebees in Gangwon Province in Korea. Bumblebees are crucial pollinators of various crops, and microsporidia are the critical pathogens of these hosts. When bumblebees are infected with Nosema bombi, their abdomens can become distended. Paralyzed and infected workers often become sluggish and die early. We have identified the morphology of the microsporidium by light and electron microscopy, and found it to have fairly small oval spores, as has been described previously in many other articles. For the specific and sensitive diagnosis of the microsporidian parasite N. bombi in bumblebees, we have developed an improved method of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for expeditious diagnosis. Two pairs of primers were tested on N. bombi and the related microsporidia Nosema apis and Nosema sp., both of which infect Bombus ignitus and Bombus hypocrita sapporoensis. Furthermore, we have verified and analyzed the 16SrRNA sequence data of N. bombi in bumblebees by using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) server at the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.137-152
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• 2023

Data is indispensable for digital transformation of agriculture with the development of innovative information and communication technology (ICT). In order to devise and prioritize strategies for enhancing data competitiveness in the agricultural sector, we employed an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) analysis. Drawing from existing research on data competitiveness indicators, we developed a three-tier decision-making structure reflecting unique characteristics of the agricultural sector such as farmers'awareness of the data industry or awareness of agriculture among data workers. AHP survey was administered to experts from both agricultural and non-agricultural sectors with a high understanding of data. The overall composite importance, derived from the respondents, was rated in the following order: 'Employment Support', 'Data Standardization', 'R&D Support', 'Start-up Ecosystem Support', 'Relaxation of Regulations', 'Legislation', and 'Data Analytics and Utilization Technology'. In the case of experts in the agricultural sector, 'Employment Support' was ranked as the top priorities, and 'Legislation', 'Undergrad and Grad Education', and 'In-house Training' were also regarded as highly important. On the other hand, experts in the non-agricultural sector perceived 'Data Standardization' and 'Relaxation of Regulations' as the top two priorities, and 'Data Center' and 'Open Public Data' were also highly rated.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.153-160
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• 1993

Health complaints among vinylhouse workers in Sungjoo county, Kyungpook province led to the investigation of heavy metal levels of air, soil and humans as well as physical conditions of the vinylhouse. The average temperature and humidity inside the vinylhouse were 8 higher and 10% point lower, respectively, as compared to the outside. While discomfort index(D. I.) outside was pleasant level(69.2), D. I. inside was 82 at which point 100% of people feels discomfort. Cadmium concentration of soils inside the vinylhouse(0.116 mg/kg) was 1.8 times higher than the soils outside. Arsenic concentration of soils inside the vinylhouse(4.882 mg/kg) was only slightly higher than the soils outside(4.182 ng/kg). However, both heavy metal concentrations detected in soils inside or outside the vinylhouse were within the normal range. Analysis of 10 air samples taken inside the vinylhouse showed that only one sample had a cadmium concentration above the detectable level and the rest of samples were below the detectable levels. While there were no difference of arsenic concentrations in urine between male and female, cadmium concentrations in urine samples of female (3.31 ug/l) was slightly higher than male(2.38 ug/l). Age-dependent increases of cadmium concentrations in urine samples were also observed. However, there was no concentration difference of these heavy metals in urine between vinylhouse workers and non-vinylhouse workers. Urine concentrations of cadmium and arsenic detected from vinylhouse workers or non-vinylhouse workers were within the normal range. The present study represents a first attempt to evaluate physical and environmental risk factors of the vinylhouse affecting the vinylhouse farmer's health. The study revealed that, while physical conditions of the vinylhouse such as temperature and humidity are the possible factors associated with the farmer's complaints, environmental contamination as judged from heavy metal levels in soil, air and humans is not a risk factor contributing to the vinylhouse farmer's health problem.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.275-284
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• 2023

Objectives: This study aimed to assess hand grip strength and femoral neck bone mineral density levels among Korean fishery workers and investigate their association. Methods: Hand grip strength and femoral neck bone mineral density were measured in a survey and health examination conducted in 2021 among fishery workers in a southern region of South Korea. Covariates including gender, age, education level, income level, smoking behavior, drinking behavior, family history of hip fractures, use of calcium and vitamin D supplements, hypertension, diabetes, regular exercise, and body mass index were investigated. Multiple regression analysis was employed to assess the association between hand grip strength and femoral neck bone mineral density. Results: Among 147 fishery workers, 8.16% exhibited low hand grip strength levels indicative of possible sarcopenia, and a significant association was found between low hand grip strength and decreased femoral neck bone mineral density (β = -89.14, 95% CI = -160.50, -17.78). Additionally, factors such as women gender, advanced age, family history of hip fractures, and a body mass index below 25 kg/m² were associated with decreased femoral neck bone mineral density. In the subgroup analysis by gender, a correlation between low hand grip strength and decreased femoral neck bone mineral density was observed only in men. Conclusions: Further research is needed to explore various determinants and intervention strategies to prevent musculoskeletal disorders among fishery workers, ultimately enhancing their quality of life and well-being.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.41-53
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• 2022

This study aims to identify perceptions on ESG management evaluation priorities based on public value in the agricultural and rural sector with the focus on the Korea Rural Community Corporation. We conduct Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to analyze how ESG management evaluation priorities are perceived by distinctive groups across industrial fields. To this end, experts working in the agricultural and rural sector and the general public in non-agricultural sector were questioned to derive and compare the weights for each class of ESG management. Results show the followings: First, the weight for the environment (E) was derived as 0.51774 in the first layer, which was found to be the most important evaluation item among the environment (E), society (S), and governance (G). Second, "ecosystem restoration," "urban-rural exchange expansion and regional development," and "increasing transparency" were the most important items in the second layer. Third, priorities between the agricultural and non-agricultural respondents groups were different in environmental (E) and social (S) categories, which explained that perceptions on ESG management by workers and policy makers in the agricultural and rural sector are different from those by general public in the non-agricultural sector.

• Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.54-58
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• 2005

In this study, tele-robotics was researched to actualize robots in agriculture. The robot system consisted of a data collecting robot, several robots that performed their own agricultural operations, a server, client computers and networks between robots and computers. In this paper, as a first step, harvesting experiments were carried out. From the results, it was observed that the tele-robotics had feasibility to propel the robotization in agriculture. The tele-robotics has advantages not only that human workers are released from the severe working environment but also that the greenhouse can be monitored and controlled anytime and anywhere.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2012

Bumblebees are widely used to pollinate various crops, especially tomato, in greenhouses and fields. Here, we investigated whether different sugar solutions have any effects on the oviposition and colony development of Bombus terrestris queens. The types of sugar solution used were a white sugar solution, brown sugar solution, dark brown sugar solution, and prepared sugar solution; all solution contained with a 40% sugar concentration and 0.3% sorbic acid. Among these sugar solutions, B. terrestris queens reared on the white sugar solution exhibited the best results; the rates of oviposition, colony foundation and progeny-queen production were $75.0{\pm}11.0$, $33.0{\pm}9.6$ and $21.7{\pm}7.3$, respectively, which corresponded to 1.1-33.0-fold increases over the results of other sugar solutions. Queens reared on the prepared sugar solution did not found any colonies. The death rate within one month was lowest for the queens reared on the white sugar solution at $26.1{\pm}10.9%$, which was 1.2-2.0-fold lower than the rate for the other sugar solutions. Furthermore, the numbers of progeny produced by queens reared on the white sugar solution, $131.4{\pm}38.8$ workers and $51.0{\pm}40.6$ queens, were also higher, corresponding to 1.1-1.2-fold increases compared to queens raised on the other sugar solutions. Therefore, the white sugar solution was the favorable sugar solution for the egg-laying and colony developmental characteristics of B. terrestris queens.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.135-164
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• 2010

This paper compares the earnings effect of inter-industry technology differences between the self-employed and wage earners. It is assumed that primary skills utilized by the self-employed and paid workers differ in nature, and thus the earnings effect of technology differences and its skill-biasness also differ for each type of workers. For the empirical analysis. Heckman's two-stage method and quantile regressions are fitted to Korean panel data. The earnings effect of technology differences turns skill- biased for wage earners (job-specific skills), but prevails for all self-employed workers (entrepreneurial skills) regardless of their schooling level. This sectoral difference holds for each different quantile of earnings distribution.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.346-351
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• 2018

Objective: This study aims to provide information needed to determine the wages paid for replacement labor for work lost following accidents in agricultural operations. Methods: Visits and interviews were conducted with 171 farmers who experienced a loss of at least one day of work due to an agricultural workplace accident. Results: It was found that only 35.1% of the study participants hired replacement labor, and more replacement labor was hired in greenhouse and fruit workplaces than in open field work. The mean number of days of hiring replacement labor was 14.6 days, and no significant differences were found between the national average wage and the surveyed value, while female workers were paid less than their male counterparts. Conclusions: The results from this study would be of help in determining a reasonable level of compensation for lost work.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.357-365
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• 2010

Workers in the agricultural industry have been exposed to many work-related musculoskeletal disorders. So, our objectives in this study were to measure and analyze worker's physiological bio-information to reduce musculoskeletal disorders in relation to agricultural works. We investigated worker's bio-information of physiological signals during the repeated lifting work such as body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, physical activity, and heart rate variability. Moreover, we analyzed the workloads of lumbar spine during the repeated lifting work using the 3-axis acceleration and angular velocity sensors. The changes of body temperature was not significant, but the mean heart rate increased from 90/min to 116/min significantly during 30 min of repeated lifting work (p<0.05). The average worker's physical activity(energy consumption rate) was 206 kcal/70kg/h during the repeated lifting work. The workers' acute stress index was more than 80, which indicated a stressful work. Also, the maximum shear force on the disk (L5/S1) of a worker's lumbar spine in static state was 500N, and the maximum inertia moment was 139 $N{\cdot}m$ in dynamic state.