• Title/Summary/Keyword: Combined Environmental Factors

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Evaluation of Biogas Production Rate by using Various Electrodes Materials in a Combined Anaerobic Digester and Microbial Electrochemical Technology (MET) (미생물 전기화학 기술이 적용된 단일 혐기성소화조에서 전극재질에 따른 바이오가스 생성 효율 평가)

  • Shin, Wonbeom;Park, Jungyu;Lee, Beom;Kim, Yonggeun;Jun, Hangbae
    • Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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    • v.39 no.2
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    • pp.82-88
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    • 2017
  • MET (Microbial Electrochemical Technology), such as MFC (Microbial Fuel Cell) and MEC (Microbial Electrolysis Cell), is a promising technology for producing sustainable biogas from an anaerobic digester (AD). At current stage, however, the most likely limiting factors, large internal resistances, should be overcome for successful scale up of this technology. Various researchers reported that application of electrode materials containing high current density, increase of ion strength and conductivity, configuration of electrode are good methods for minimizing internal resistances. Recently, stainless steel is receiving great attention because of not only high performance and durability but also low cost. Therefore, in this study, we evaluate electrochemical characteristics and biogas production rate using various electrode materials and configuration (graphite carbon coated with catalysts ($GC-C_M$) or not (GC), stainless steel mesh (SUS-M) and plate (SUS-P)). As the results, current densities of $GC-C_M$, GC, SUS-P, SUS-M were 2.03, 1.36, 1.04, $1.13A/m^2$, respectively. Methane yields of $GC-C_M$, GC, SUS-P, SUS-M were 0.27, 0.14, 0.19, 0.21 $L-CH_4/g-COD_{rem}$., respectively. Stainless steel shows high current density and methane yield, which are similar as graphite carbon coated with catalysts.

Classification of Convolvulaceae plants using Vis-NIR spectroscopy and machine learning (근적외선 분광법과 머신러닝을 이용한 메꽃과(Convolvulaceae) 식물의 분류)

  • Yong-Ho Lee;Soo-In Sohn;Sun-Hee Hong;Chang-Seok Kim;Chae-Sun Na;In-Soon Kim;Min-Sang Jang;Young-Ju Oh
    • Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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    • v.39 no.4
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    • pp.581-589
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    • 2021
  • Using visible-near infrared(Vis-NIR) spectra combined with machine learning methods, the feasibility of quick and non-destructive classification of Convolvulaceae species was studied. The main aim of this study is to classify six Convolvulaceae species in the field in different geographical regions of South Korea using a handheld spectrometer. Spectra were taken at 1.5 nm intervals from the adaxial side of the leaves in the Vis-NIR spectral region between 400 and 1,075 nm. The obtained spectra were preprocessed with three different preprocessing methods to find the best preprocessing approach with the highest classification accuracy. Preprocessed spectra of the six Convolvulaceae sp. were provided as input for the machine learning analysis. After cross-validation, the classification accuracy of various combinations of preprocessing and modeling ranged between 43.4% and 98.6%. The combination of Savitzky-Golay and Support vector machine methods showed the highest classification accuracy of 98.6% for the discrimination of Convolvulaceae sp. The growth stage of the plants, different measuring locations, and the scanning position of leaves on the plant were some of the crucial factors that affected the outcomes in this investigation. We conclude that Vis-NIR spectroscopy, coupled with suitable preprocessing and machine learning approaches, can be used in the field to effectively discriminate Convolvulaceae sp. for effective weed monitoring and management.

Shear wave velocity of fiber reinforced cemented Toyoura silty sand

  • Safdar, Muhammad;Newson, Tim;Schmidt, Colin;Sato, Kenichi;Fujikawa, Takuro;Shah, Faheem
    • Geomechanics and Engineering
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    • v.25 no.3
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    • pp.207-219
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    • 2021
  • Several additives are used to enhance the geotechnical properties (e.g., shear wave velocity, shear modulus) of soils to provide sustainable, economical and eco-friendly solutions in geotechnical and geo-environmental engineering. In this study, piezoelectric ring actuators are used to measure the shear wave velocity of unreinforced, fiber, cemented, and fiber reinforced cemented Toyoura sand. One dimensional oedometer tests are performed on medium dense specimens of Toyoura sand-cement-fiber-silica flour mixtures with different percentages of silica flour (0-42%), fiber and cement (e.g., 0-3%) additives. The experimental results indicate that behavior of the mixtures is significantly affected by the concentration of silica flour, fiber and cement additives. Results show that with the addition of 1-3% of PVA fibers, the shear wave velocity increases by only 1-3%. However, the addition of 1-4% of cement increases the shear wave velocity by 8-35%. 10.5-21% increase of silica flour reduces the shear wave velocity by 2-5% but adding 28-42% silica flour significantly reduces the shear wave velocity by 12-31%. In addition, the combined effect of cement and fibers was also found and with only 2% cement and 1% fiber, the shear wave velocity increase was found to be approximately 24% and with only 3% cement and 3% fibers this increased to 35%. The results from this study for the normalized shear modulus and normalized mean effective stress agree well with previous findings on pure Toyoura sand, Toyoura silty sand, fiber reinforced, fiber reinforced cemented Toyoura sand. Any variations are likely due to the difference in stress history (i.e., isotropic versus anisotropic consolidation) and the measurement method. In addition, these small discrepancies could be attributed to several other factors. The potential factors include the difference in specimen sizes, test devices, methods of analysis for the measurement of arrival time, the use of an appropriate Ko to convert the vertical stresses into mean effective stress, and sample preparation techniques. Lastly, it was investigated that there is a robust inverse relationship between α factor and 𝞫0 exponent. It was found that less compressible soils exhibit higher 𝜶 factors and lower 𝞫0 exponents.

Relationship of Riboflavin and Niacin with Cardiovascular Disease (심혈관 질환과 리보플라빈 및 나이아신과의 상관성 연구)

  • Ahn, Ji Yeong;Kim, In Sik;Lee, Ji-Sook
    • Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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    • v.51 no.4
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    • pp.484-494
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    • 2019
  • Cardiovascular disease is caused by different factors. These factors include innateness factors such as aging, biological factors such as high blood pressure, and environmental factors such as stress. This study examined the factors associated with cardiovascular disease and the ways to reduce its prevalence by analyzing the data within the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Reports from 2013 to 2017, and particularly the survey and examination data for people over 50 years old. The study population was divided into two groups: members of the first group consumed riboflavin and niacin at the recommended rate while those in the second group did not. Riboflavin intake was correlated with hypertension, hyperglycemia, and a low HDL-cholesterol level, whereas niacin intake was correlated with hypertension, hyperglycemia, waist size, and a low HDL-cholesterol level. The combination of niacin and riboflavin intakes was correlated with hypertension, hyperglycemia, waist size, and a low HDL-cholesterol level (P<0.05). The combined intake of the recommended levels of riboflavin and niacin reduced the average physiological factor abnormality rate to 80%. Taken together, the beneficial effects of riboflavin and niacin can reduce the prevalence of cardiovascular disease.

Typicality Evaluation of Attribution Structure Reflected in Design Representation (디자인 표상에 반영된 속성 구조의 전형성 평가)

  • Lee, Seong-Nam;Lee, Chul-Young
    • Archives of design research
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    • v.19 no.1 s.63
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    • pp.191-200
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    • 2006
  • A design representation is reflected in the typicality of branch representation as a syntagm in combination with design factors. And the design factors form up paradigm as an attributive category which is reflected object and value of branch representations, and they are consisted of selection and combination in representative process. Selection and combination of the design attributive category also reflect the representation consciousness of operating in representative process, and they imply a cognizance about object and value of the representation. Therefore, branch representation appears an attributive structure which is required of a given field by means of the representative object and value. This is made up of the divided differentiation according to a combined mode. This study is to investigate the fact verification between typicality of attributive structure and each divided differentiation to measure consideration degree of attributive category which is consisted in the design representation. The attributive structure of representation which is affected the industrial design, the visual communication design, and the environmental design fields identifies to take the typical differentiation by means of evaluations and results of this study.

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Review and Future Development of New Culture Methods for Unculturable Soil Bacteria (난배양성 토양세균을 위한 신배양기술의 고찰과 향후 발전 방향)

  • Kim, Jai-Soo
    • Korean Journal of Microbiology
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    • v.47 no.3
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    • pp.179-187
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    • 2011
  • This review describes the characteristics of various unculturable soil bacteria, successfully-cultivating examples of those bacteria, and the diverse factors to be considered for successful cultivation. Most importantly, the selection of proper media is very important because unculturable bacteria demand different types of nutrients at various concentrations of substrates, nitrogens and phosphorus. To develop a new medium to successfully culture unculturable bacteria from soil, molecular ecological studies should be combined together. The inoculum size on a plate is also important: less than 50 bacterial cells are recommended to be plated on a single culture plate. The environmental factors such as pH and salt concentration of the medium need to be adjusted as similar as possible to mimic the original soil environments, and the trial of the various temperatures and extended period of cultivation are better. Since one cannot simply tell about which one was unculturable among a great number of colonies grown on a newly developed medium, some suitable detection methods and fast identification methods are required. Many soil bacteria live with cooperation one another in their communities, so that enrichment such as coculture of using other bacterial metabolites and subsequent pure cultures can also guarantee successful cultivation of the previously uncultured bacteria in soil. Here, this review will discuss for the future perspectives to culture the unculturable soil bacteria.

Current Status of Hip Fracture amongthe Elderly in Pusan (부산지역 노인들의 고관절골절발생실태에 관한 연구)

  • Kim, Yong-Kwon
    • Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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    • v.8 no.1
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    • pp.841-850
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    • 2001
  • This study was conducted to find out current status and characteristics, so that the result could provide basic data to establish prevention programs for hip fracture among the elderly. The data were coolected from 199 cases hospitalized in 4 university hospitals in Pusan during three years period from January, 1966 to December, 1998. The data were obtained from medical records and by using questionnaires through telephone contact or direct personal interview with the subjects or their family, and were analyzed with x2-test. The results were as follow: The mean age of elderly hip fractured cases was 75.7 years, and 61.8% were female. The average hospital stay of the cases was 30.8 days, and 73.9% survived. Femur neck fracture cases comprised 51.7% of the toral cases, while trochanteric fracture cases comprised 48.3%. The hip fracture occurred more frequently during the day, shown as 66.9%, and the most frequently due to trips(44.2%), followed by slips(322%), c1ash(14.6%), dizziness(7.5%), and 00 on. Femur neck fracture, however, occurred the most frequently due to trips(51.5%) and, on the other hand, trochanteric fracture due to slips(40.6%) and trips(36.5%). About two third of hip fracture(67.8%) occurred inside of the building. The most frequently mentioned location for hip fractures was rooms or floors(32.1%), followed by streets(24.1%), bathrooms(17.6%), stairways(13.1%), and so on. Trochanteric fracture, especially, more frequently occurred inside of the building(71.9%) as compared to femur neck fracture(64.1 %). The rate of independent indoor walking in femur neck fractured cases reduced from 88.3% to 74.8% after fracture incidences, while the rate reduced from 86.0% to 45.8% in trochanteric fracture cases. It indicated that trochanteric fractures affected the walking ability of the elderly more severely that femur neck fractures. In conclusion, hip fracture occurs as a combined result of aging characteristics, environmental factors, and health related characteristics. Future studies that investigaterisk factors of hip fracture in elderly are recommended.

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Temporal and spatial variations of vegetation in a riparian zone of South Korea

  • Park, Hyekyung;Kim, Jae Geun
    • Journal of Ecology and Environment
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    • v.44 no.2
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    • pp.62-71
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    • 2020
  • Understanding vegetation structure and the relationship with environmental factors has been crucial for restoration and conservation of riparian zones. In this study, we conducted field survey in a riparian zone of Namhan River in South Korea both before and after flooding in order to understand temporal and spatial variations of riparian vegetation. There were significant temporal and spatial variations in species composition, and distribution patterns of vegetation were different along a gradient of elevation above the water level. At low elevation, Zizania latifolia was dominant throughout the field survey periods, and Bidens frondosa began to grow late and dominated both in post-flooding 1 and 2. Prior to flooding, Scirpus radicans and Polygonum thunbergii were widely distributed at middle elevation, while Artemisia vulgaris, Phragmites australis, and Miscanthus sacchariflorus were dominant at high elevation. After flooding, P. thunbergii was dominant at middle elevation with most other species decreasing, and more invasive or pioneer plants, including Artemisia princeps, H. scandens, and Sicyos angulatus, were observed at high elevation. Species composition and distribution patterns were homogeneous at low elevation, whereas dynamic variations of vegetation were observed both temporally and spatially at higher elevations. Elevation and distance from the water front were the most principal factors governing vegetation structure. Furthermore, soil physicochemical properties were also found to determine species composition and distribution patterns. These results indicate that vegetation structure in the riparian zones is formed by the combined effects of hydrological regime and soil physicochemical properties, inherent characteristics of species, and interspecific competition. Understanding of temporal and spatial variations of riparian vegetation may provide useful insights into ecological restoration and conservation of the vegetation within the riparian zones.

Improvement of Soil Strength by Injection of Water-Glass Chemical Grout (물유리계 주입재(注入材)를 주로 한 지반강도증대(地盤強度增大))

  • Jin, Byung Ik;Chun, Byung Sik
    • KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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    • v.4 no.2
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    • pp.89-99
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    • 1984
  • Engineering properties of soils is studied by permeating injection of water-glass chemical grout by use of a large sized grouting equipment of 1.5 shot system. Furthermore, the effectiveness of chemical groutinig by taking water-glass chemical grout combined with portland-cement for the purpose of improving the soil strength is confirmed. Relationships between main factors which cause the effectiveness of chemical grouting are described, and the factors are velocity and temperature of flowing water; grain size distribution and density of soils; density, viscosity, gel time and volume of grouts; injection pressure and grouting process. Improvement of the effectiveness of chemical grouting in flowing water by preventing the dilution and flowing down of grouts is investigated. Moreover, local shear failures and upheaval phenomena of ground are also investigated by field measurement.

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Magnetite for phosphorus removal in low concentration phosphorus-contained water body

  • Xiang, Heng;Liu, Chaoxiang;Pan, Ruiling;Han, Yun;Cao, Jing
    • Advances in environmental research
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    • v.3 no.2
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    • pp.163-172
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    • 2014
  • Magnetite was chosen as a typical adsorbent to study its phosphate adsorption capacity in water body with low concentration of phosphorus (below $2mg\;PL^{-1}$). Magnetite was collected from Luoyang City, Henan Province, China. In this research, three factors have been studied to describe the adsorption of phosphate on magnetite, which was solution concentration (concentration ranging from 0.1 to $2.5mg\;PL^{-1}$), suspension pH (1 to 13) and temperature (ranging from $10^{\circ}C$ to $40^{\circ}C$). In addition, the modified samples had been characterized with XRD and FE-SEM image. The results show that iron ions contains in magnetite were the main factors of phosphorus removal. The behavior of phosphorus adsorption to substrates could be fitted to both Langmuir and Freundlich isothermal adsorption equations in the low concentration phosphorus water. The theoretical saturated adsorption quantity of magnetite is 0.158 mg/g. pH has great influence on the phosphorus removal of magnetite ore by adsorption. And pH of 3 can receive the best results. While temperature has little effect on it. Magnetite was greatly effective for phosphorus removal in the column experiments, which is a more practical reflection of phosphorous removal combing the adsorption isotherm model and the breakthrough curves. According to the analysis of heavy metals release, the release of heavy metals was very low, they didn't produce the secondary pollution. The mechanism of uptake phosphate is in virtue of chemisorption between phosphate and ferric ion released by magnetite oxidation. The combined investigation of the magnetite showed that it was better substrate for water body with low concentration of phosphorus.