• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.353-368
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• 2013

All Koreans had suffered heavily from municipal and industrial air pollution problems since 1960's to 1980's. However the levels of $SO_2$, CO, and Pb have been dramatically decreased since 1990's due to various air pollutants' reduction policies under the provisions of the 1978 Environmental Preservation Act and the 1990 Air Quality Preservation Act such as increasing the supply of low-sulfur fuel, the use of cleaner fuel, no use of solid fuel, and so on. Even though the national ambient air quality standard has been strengthened to protect public health and welfare, the levels of $NO_2$, $O_3$, and $PM_{10}$ frequently exceed the corresponding standards; for example, only 4 stations (1.7%) out of 239 nationwide monitoring stations satisfied the 24-hr based PM10 standard in 2011. Moreover, upto the present time, since there are serious underlying policies of economism and growth-first which can not be solely solved by the environmental laws, it is difficult to root out undesirable social evils such as public indifference, passive academic activities, complacent government bureaucracy, insufficient social responsibility of enterprise, and radical activities of environmental groups. The paper initially reviewed air pollution history of Korea with surveying various environmental factors affecting in/out-door air pollution in the past Korea. Further this study extensively investigated legal and political changes on air pollution control and management for the last 50 years, and then intensively discussed the present environment-related laws and policies unreasonably enforced in Korea. It is necessary to practically revise many outdated legal policies based on health-oriented thinking and on our current economic levels as well.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.33-36
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• 2017

China is suffering from severe air pollution especially fine $PM_{2.5}$ pollution. In 2015, the annual average $PM_{2.5}$ concentration of the 338 municipal cities was $50{\mu}g/m^3$, 78% cities at or above the prefectural level failed to comply with the $PM_{2.5}$ concentration standards. The $13^{th}$ Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development set the goal that the annual average concentration of $PM_{2.5}$ in the municipal cities which failed to attain the ambient air quality standards shall be decreased by 18% by 2020 (CCCPC, 2016). In this study, an air pollution control scenario during the $13^{th}$ Five-Year Plan period was proposed and the $SO_2$, $NO_x$ and PM emission reductions in response to different measures in 31 provincial-level regions mainland China by 2020 were estimated. The air quality in the target year (2020) was simulated using the WRF-CMAQ model. The results showed that by 2020, the emissions of $SO_2$, $NO_x$ and primary PM in mainland China will be reduced by 4.19 million tons, 3.94 million tons and 4.41 million tons, a drop of 23%, 21% and 25% respectively compared with that in 2015, and the annual average concentration of $PM_{2.5}$ will decrease by 19%. Coal-fired power plant contributes the most pollutant emission reduction.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.465-472
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• 2005

Objectives : The aim of this study was to assess the effect of air pollution on the daily respiratory symptoms of elementary school children in Seoul. Methods : Using the panel study design, we collected diary data for the children's respiratory symptoms during the 1st day$\sim$15th day of April, July, October and December in 2003 among the 2nd and 3rd grade elementary school students. We merged the respiratory symptom data with the ambient air pollution data that was monitored by Ministry of Environment. Using a generalized estimate equation, we evaluated the relationship between the daily symptoms of the subjects and the exposure to ai r pollution after controlling for various potential confounders. Results : The nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure of the current day significantly increased the upper respiratory symptoms (adjusted odds ratio=1.12, 95% CI=1.01-1.24) and the lower respiratory symptoms (adjusted odds ratio=1.18, 95% CI=1.06-1.31) in the elementary school children. The sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) exposure in the current day was associated with the lower respiratory symptoms (adjusted odds ratio=1.12, 95% CI=1.01-1.25 for SO2; adjusted odds ratio=1.16, 95% CI=1.02-1.32 for CO). Conclusions : We found that exposure to air pollution affects the daily respiratory symptoms in children. This study suggests that the effect on children's health? due to the short term changes in air pollution levels needs to be considered as an important public health problem.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.680-688
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• 2017

Water quality monitoring for flow rates and BOD/COD/T-N/T-P/SS/TOC concentrations has been conducted in Nakdong river tributaries since 2011. In this study concentrations and loading rates of BOD, T-P, and TOC were analyzed to evaluate water quality monitoring stations using accumulated data at 206 tributary monitoring stations in Nakdong river 2012 ~ 2016. Average concentration ranges for 206 monitoring stations were 0.3 ~ 6.4 mg/L, 0.025 ~ 1.562 mg/L, and 0.6 ~ 10.7 mg/L for BOD, T-P, and TOC, respectively. Additionally, average loading rate ranges were 0.96 ~ 46,040 kg/d, 0.087 ~ 1,834 kg/d, and 1.51 ~ 80,425 kg/d for BOD, T-P, and TOC, respectively. Average concentration for BOD, T-P, and TOC at each monitoring station was evaluated using ambient water quality standards of rivers and water quality regulation level for medium-sized management areas. Average loading rate and specific loading rate (loading rate/drainage basin area) for BOD, T-P, and TOC at each monitoring station was considered to evaluate monitoring stations using suggested classification (BOD, TOC: -1, 1 ~ 10, 10 ~ 100, 100 ~ 1,000, and 1,000 ~ kg/d; T-P: -0.1. 0.1 ~ 1, 1 ~ 10, 10 ~ 100, and 100 ~ kg/d) Using results of this study, various water quality status maps were provided, and three evaluation methods were suggested to determine priority monitoring stations in Nakdong river for rational water quality control and tributaries basin management.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.137-147
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• 2012

GRS is an effective urban ecology restoration technique that can manage a variety of environmental functions such as ecological restoration, rainwater spill control and island heat effect from a low-impact development standpoint that can be utilized in new construction and retrofits. Recently, quantitative evaluation studies, both domestic and abroad, in the areas related to these functions, including near-earth surface climate phenomenon, heavy rainwater regulation, thermal environment of buildings, have been actively underway, and there is a trend to standardize in the form of technological standards. In particular, centered on the advanced European countries, studies of standardizing the specific insulation capability of buildings with green system that comprehensively includes the green roof, from the perspective of replacing the exterior materials of existing buildings, are in progress. The limitation of related studies in the difficulties associated with deriving results that reflect material characteristics of continuously evolving systems due in part to not having sufficiently considered the main components of green system, mechanisms of vegetation, soils. This study attempts to derive, through EnergyPlus, the effects that the vegetation-related indicators such as vegetation height, FCV, etc. have on building energy load, by interpreting vegetation and soil mechanisms through plant canopy model and using an ecological standard indicator LAI that represent the condition of plant growth. Through this, the interpretations that assume green roof system as simple heat insulation will be complemented and a more practical building energy performance evaluation method that reflects numerical methods for heat fluxes phenomena that occur between ecology restoration systems comprised of plants and soil and the ambient space.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.179-197
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• 2012

This study presents the findings of the structural health monitoring and the real time system identification of one of the first large scale building instrumentations in Turkey for earthquake safety. Within this context, a thorough review of steps in the instrumentation, monitoring is presented and seismic performance evaluation of structures using both nonlinear pushover and nonlinear dynamic time history analysis is carried out. The sensor locations are determined using the optimal sensor placement techniques used in NASA for on orbit modal identification of large space structures. System identification is carried out via the stochastic subspace technique. The results of the study show that under ambient vibrations, stocky buildings can be substantially stiffer than what is predicted by the finite element models due to the presence of a large number of partitioning walls. However, in a severe earthquake, it will not be safe to rely on this resistance due to the fact that once the partitioning walls crack, the bare frame contributes to the lateral stiffness of the building alone. Consequently, the periods obtained from system identification will be closer to those obtained from the FE analysis. A technique to control the validity of the proportional damping assumption is employed that checks the presence of phase difference in displacements of different stories obtained from band pass filtered records and it is confirmed that the "proportional damping assumption" is valid for this structure. Two different techniques are implemented for identifying the influence of the soil structure interaction. The first technique uses the transfer function between the roof and the basement in both directions. The second technique uses a pre-whitening filter on the data obtained from both the basement and the roof. Subsequently the impulse response function is computed from the scaled cross correlation between the input and the output. The overall results showed that the structure will satisfy the life safety performance level in a future earthquake but some soil structure interaction effects should be expected in the North South direction.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.7-11
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• 2016

In order to develop a sprayable ethylene antagonist, unlike 1-methylcyclopropene (MCP), we synthesized 2-decylcyclopropene-1-carboxylic acid ethyl ester (DCPE) as a derivative of cyclopropene and tested its effect on the flesh softening of 'Fuyu' persimmon fruits. The fruits on trees were sprayed with $4{\cdot}10^{-4}$ M DCPE solution before harvest. After harvest, the persimmon fruits were stored at a low temperature for 1.5 months. The ripening progress of the fruits was then evaluated during storage at ambient temperature ($20^{\circ}C$). Flesh softening, a measure of ethylene response, was considerably delayed up to 7 days after DCPE treatment. However control fruits was rapidly softened after 3-day storage. The treatment effect of DCPE at $4{\cdot}10^{-4}$ M was also compared to that of 1-MCP at 1 ppm. DCPE was storable at refrigerated conditions for at least one month without any loss. The results show that DCPE could be a potential sprayable agent for the prevention of flesh softening of persimmon fruit.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.857-861
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• 2010

Recently photochemical smog has become a serious urban air pollution. And VOC is the major pollutant for it. With the advance of industrialization and urbanization, MSWI fly ash and sewage sludge and melting slag were generated. It is necessary to de-toxificate ashes, because they contain many toxic constituents and probably lead to contaminate the environment. The objective of this research was to prepare multi-functional brick which is able to remove VOCs in ambient air. The bricks were made of MSWI fly ash, sewage sludge and slag. The benzene adsorption experiment by brick was acted to evaluate its adsorptivity. And also photocatalyst material was coated to enhance its adsorptivity and the endurance on the brick. According to the result, the benzene showed 74~96%. The removal efficiency was increased and the breakpoint time was lengthened by coating a brick.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.747-752
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• 2011

Wireless technology has enabled farmers monitor and control protected production environment more efficiently. Utilization of USN (Ubiquitous Sensor Network) devices also brought benefits due to reduced wiring and central data handling requirements. However, wireless communication loses signal under unfavorable conditions (e.g., blocked signal path, low signal intensity). In this paper, performance of commercial wireless communication devices were evaluated for application to protected crop production. Two different models of wireless communication devices were tested. Sensors used in the study were weather units installed outside and top of a greenhouse (wind velocity and direction, precipitation, temperature and humidity), inside ambient condition units (temperature, humidity, $CO_2$, and light intensity), and irrigation status units (irrigation flow and pressure, and soil water content). Performance of wireless communication was evaluated with and without crop. For a 2.4 GHz device, communication distance was decreased by about 10% when crops were present between the transmitting and receiving antennas installed on the ground, and the best performance was obtained when the antennas were installed 2 m above the crop canopy. When tested in a greenhouse, center of a greenhouse was chosen as the location of receiving antenna. The results would provide information useful for implementation of wireless environment monitoring system for protected crop production using USN devices.

• Water for future
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.115-121
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• 1994

Cohesie sediment movement in estuarine systems is strongly affected by the phenomena of aggregation and flocculation. Aggregation is the process where primary particles are clustered together in tightly-packed formations; flocculation is the process where aggregates and single particles are bonded together to form large particle groups of very low specific density. The size, shape and strength of the flocculants control the rate of deposition and the processes of pollutant exchange between suspended sediments and ambient water. In estuarine waters, suspended sediments above the lutocline form the mobile suspension zone while below the lutocline they form the stationary suspension zone. Suspended particles in the mobile zone are generally in a dispersed state and the controlling forces are the Brownian motion and the turbulent flow fluctuations. In the stationary suspension zone, the driving force is the gravity. This paper discusses the settling and particle flocculation characteristics under quiescient flow conditions. Particles are entering the study domain randomly. Particles in the mobile suspension zone are simulated by using the Smoluchowski's model. Flocs created in the mobil suspension zone are moving into the stationary suspension zone where viscosity and drag effects are important. Utilizing the concepts of the maximum Feret's diameter and the Minkowski's sausage logic, the fractal dimension of the flocs within the stationary suspension is estimated and then compared with results obtained by other studies.