• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.255-269
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• 2003

The objective of this study was to estimate human exposure to benzo (a)pyrene through multimedia/multi-pathway exposure scenario. The human exposure scenario for benzo(a)pyrene was consisted of 12 multiple exposure pathways, and the multipathway human exposure model based on this scenario constituted. In this study, the multipathway human exposure model was used to estimate the concentrations in the exposure contact media, human intake factors and lifetime average daily dose (LAD $D_{model}$) of benzo(a)pyrene in the environment. Sensitivity analysis was performed to identify the important parameters and Monte-Carlo simulation was undertaken to examine the uncertainty of the model. The total LAD $D_{model}$ was estimated to be 5.52${\times}$10$^{-7}$ mg/kg-day (2.06${\times}$10$^{-7}$ -8.65${\times}$10$^{-7}$ mg/kg-day) using the multipathway human exposure model. The inhalation dose accounted for 78% of the total LADD, whereas ingestion and dermal contact intake accounted for 20.2% and 1.8% of the total exposure, respectively. Based on the sensitivity analysis, the most significant contributing input parameter was benzo (a)pyrene concentration of ambient air. Consequently, exposure via inhalation in outdoor/indoor air was the highest compared with the exposure via other medium/pathways.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.64 no.12
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• pp.1756-1760
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• 2015

This paper focuses on a priori signal to noise ratio (SNR) estimation method for the speech enhancement. There are many researches for speech enhancement with several ambient noise cancellation methods. The method based on spectral subtraction (SS) which is widely used in noise reduction has a trade-off between the performance and the distortion of the signals. So the need of adaptive method like an estimated a priori SNR being able to making a high performance and low distortion is increasing. The decision directed (DD) approach is used to determine a priori SNR in noisy speech signals. A priori SNR is estimated by using only the magnitude components and consequently follows a posteriori SNR with one frame delay. We propose a modified a priori SNR estimator and the weighted rational transfer function for speech enhancement with wind noises. The experimental result shows the performance of our proposed estimator is better Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality scores (PESQ, ITU-T P.862) compare to the conventional DD approach-based systems and different noise reduction methods.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.3-8
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• 2013

Collision cell technology-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (CCT-ICP-MS) was used to measure the concentrations of approximately 19 elements associated with airborne PM2.5 samples that were collected from a roadside sampling station in Daejeon, Korea. Standard reference material (SRM 2783, air particulate on filter media) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology was used for the quality assurance of CCT-ICP-MS. The elemental concentrations were compared statistically with the certified (or recommended) values. The patterns of distribution were clearly distinguished between elements with their concentrations ranging over four orders of magnitude. If compared in terms of enrichment factors, it was found that toxic trace elements (e.g., Sb, Se, Cd, As, Zn, Pb, and Cu) of anthropogenic origin are much more enriched in PM2.5 samples of the study site. To the contrary, the results of the correlation analysis showed that PM2.5 concentrations can exhibit more enhanced correlations with the elements (e.g., Fe, K, Si, and Ti) arising from earth's crust. The findings of strong correlations between PM2.5 and the elements of crustal origin may be directly comparable with the dominant role of those species by constituting a major fraction of even PM2.5 as well as PM10 at the roadside area.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.1780-1787
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• 2014

Arterial oxygen saturation ($SpO_2$) monitoring for newborns requires special attention in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Newborns have very low photo-plethysmogram (PPG) amplitudes and their body movements are difficult to contain. Hardware design and its associated signal processing algorithms should be robust enough so that faulty measurements can be avoided. In this study, improved designs were implemented to deal with low perfusion, motion artifact, and the influence of ambient light. Dynamic range was increased by using different LED intensities and a feedback system. To minimize the effects of motion artifact and to discard other unqualified data, four additional algorithms were used, which were based on dual-trace detection, continuity of DC level, morphology of PPG, and simultaneity check of $SpO_2$. Our $SpO_2$ system was tested with newborns with normal respiration in the NICU. Our system provided fast, real-time responses and 100% artifact detection was accomplished under 84% of $SpO_2$.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.38-44
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• 2015

We have investigated the productivity of microalgae, Nannochloropsis sp., using highly efficient vertical photobioreactor which has been developed by the company IMBiz. This experiment was performed in the field for one month with 2 sets of 2 tons of media under autotrophic cultural mode. In the culture with 0.1% of $CO_2$, the average daily productivity was shown to be up to 0.953g per liter, and 0.574g per liter in the culture with only ambient air. The temperature ranged from $20^{\circ}C$ to $31^{\circ}C$, and it didn't make any differences on the productivity. The light intensity ranged from 5,000 Lux to 40,000 Lux. The light has been appeared to have a very close relationship with the productivity of microalgae. Meanwhile, the harvesting method of pressurefloating attempted in this photobioreactor was found to be very effective.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.235-251
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• 1997

A numerical simulation on the combined natural convection and radiation is carried out in a partially open rectangular enclosure with a heater by using the finite volume and the S-8 discrete ordinate methods. The fluid inside the enclosure is considered as an absorbing, emitting and anisotropic scattering media. The heater causes a natural circulation of the fluid (10$^{5}$ $^{9}$ ) which results in significant in-flow of the ambient cold fluid through the partially open wall. Comparing the results of pure convection with those of the combined convection- radiation, the combined heat transfer results with small Planck numbers (P$_{l}$ <1.0) show much stronger circulation than those of the pure convection, and the fluid circulation is more evident for larger Rayleigh numbers. When one of three radiative properties - the medium absorption coefficient, the wall reflectivity, and the scattering albedo - increases, the fluid circulation and the heat transfer in the enclosure are reduced. The location of the heater and the open ratio of the right wall are also shown to affect the fluid circulation and heat transfer significantly. However, the anisotropy of the scattering phase function is shown to be unimportant for the fluid circulation and heat transfer within the enclosure considered in this study.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.107-113
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• 2017

This study describes (1) the impact of positive sampling artifacts caused by not only a filter-based sampling, but also a denuder-based sampling in the determination of particle-phase organic carbon (POC), (2) the effect of sample flow rate on positive artifacts, and (3) an optimum flow rate that provides a minimized negative sampling artifact for the denuder-based sampling method. To achieve the goals of this study, four different sampling media combinations were employed: (1) Quartz filter-alone (Q-alone), (2) quartz filter behind quartz-fiber filter (QBQ), (3) quartz filter and quartz filter behind Teflon filter (Q-QBT), and (4) quartz filter behind carbon-based denuder (Denuder-Q). The measurement of ambient POC was carried out in an urban area. In addition, to determine gas-phase OC (GOC) removal efficiency of the denuder, a Teflon filter and a quartz filter were deployed upstream and downstream of the denuder, respectively with varying sample flow rates: 5, 10, 20, and 30 LPM. It was found that Q-alone sampling configuration showed a higher POC than QBQ, Q-QBT, and Denuder-Q by 12%, 28%, and 23%, respectively at a sample flow rate of 20 LPM due to no correction for positive artifact caused by adsorption of GOC onto the filter. A lower quantity of GOC was collected from the backup quartz filter on QBQ than that from Q-QBT. This was because GOC was not in equilibrium with that adsorbed on the front quartz filter of QBQ during the sampling period. It is observed that the loss of particle number and mass across the denuder increases with decreasing sample flow rate. The contribution o f positive arti facts to POC decreased with increasing sample flow rate, showing 29%, 25%, and 22% for 10, 20, and 30 LPM, respectively. The 20 LPM turns out to be the optimum sample flow rate for both filter and denuder-based POC sampling.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.455-460
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• 2010

This study was carried out to find out any inherent problems occurring in the sampling and analytical procedures, and to suggest the relevant solutions to the problems. In addition, an optimal condition of clean-up process was developed, which was based on a method using silica glass column. As a result of experiments to test any artificial contamination of blank samples such as glassware and collection media, artifacts of DBP and DEHP appeared to be detected in various kinds of laboratory tools and apparatuses used in the sampling and analytical works. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate a degree of contamination before laboratory works by conducting a prior check any possible contaminations in all experimental tools and apparatus. It is also necessary to devise a method to avoid a tool, if possible, or to use a substitute of phthalate free. If the use of any plastic tool to cause contamination is inevitable, it should be properly corrected with a blank level, as is equally treated as the sample. The clean-up process demonstrated in this study can give us a significant benefit in terms of the quantity and quality of a target compound by GC/MS analysis.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.167-176
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• 2006

We investigate the correlation between the peak energy and the burst duration using available long GRB data with known redshift, whose circumburst medium type has been suggested via afterglow light curve modeling. We find that the peak energy and the burst duration of the observed GRBs are correlated both in the observer frame and in the GRB rest frame. For our total sample we obtain, for instance, the Spearman rank-order correlation values ${\sim}0.75\;and\;{\sim}0.65$ with the chance probabilities $P=1.0{\times}10^{-3}\;and\;P=6.0{\times}10^{-3}$ in the observer frame and in the GRB rest frame, respectively. We note that taking the effects of the expanding universe into account reduces the value a bit. We further attempt to separate our GRB sample into the 'ISM' GRBs and the 'WIND' GRBs according to environment models inferred from the afterglow light curves and apply statistical tests, as one may expect that clues on the progenitor of GRBs can be deduced directly from prompt emission properties other than from the ambient environment surrounding GRBs. We find that two subsamples of GRBs show different correlation coefficients. That is, the Spearman rank-order correlation are ${\sim}0.65\;and\;{\sim}0.57$ for the 'ISM' GRBs and 'WIND' GRBs, respectively, after taking the effects of the expanding universe into account. It is not yet, however, statistically very much significant that the GRBS in two types of circumburst media show statistically characteristic behaviors, from which one may conclude that all the long bursts are not originated from a single progenitor population. A larger size of data is required to increase the statistical significance.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.651-658
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• 2018

Particulate matter (PM) emitted from fossil fuel-combustion facilities can be classified as either filterable or condensable PM. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defined condensable PM as material that is in the phase of vapor at the stack temperature of the sampling location which condenses, reacts upon cooling and dilution in the ambient air to form solid or liquid in a few second after the discharge from the stack. Condensable PM passed through the filter media and it is typically ignored. But condensable PM was defined as a component of primary PM. This study investigates the change of condensable PM according to the variation in the sulfur dioxide of combustion gas. Domestic oil boilers were used as the source of emission ($SO_2$) and the level of $SO_2$ concentration (0, 50, 80, and 120 ppm) was adjusted by diluting general light oil and marine gas oil (MGO) that contains sulfur less than 0.5%. Condensable PM was measured as 2.72, 6.10, 8.38, and $13.34mg/m^3$ when $SO_2$ concentration in combustion gas were 0, 50, 80, and 120 ppm respectively. The condensable PM tended to increase as the concentration of $SO_2$ increased. Some of the gaseous air pollutants emitted from the stack should be considered precursors of condensable PM. The gas phase pollutants which converted into condensable PM should reduced for condensable PM control.