• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.561-577
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• 2021

The compacted bentonite buffer in a geological repository for high-level radioactive waste disposal is saturated due to groundwater inflow. Saturation of the bentonite buffer results in bentonite swelling and bentonite penetration into the rock discontinuities present around the disposal hole. The penetrated bentonite is exposed to groundwater flow and can be eroded out of the repository, resulting in bentonite mass loss which can affect the physical integrity of the engineered barrier system. Hence, the evaluation of buffer-rock interactions and coupled behavior due to groundwater inflow and bentonite penetration is necessary to ensure long-term disposal safety. In this study, the effects of the bentonite penetration and swelling on the physical properties of jointed rock mass were evaluated using the quasi-static resonant column test. Jointed rock specimens with bentonite penetration were manufactured using Gyeongju bentonite and hollow cylindrical granite rock discs obtained from the KAERI underground research tunnel. The effects of vertical stress and saturation were assessed using the P-wave and S-wave velocities for intact rock, jointed rock and jointed rock with bentonite penetration specimens. The joint normal and joint shear stiffnesses of each joint condition were inferred from the wave velocity results assuming an equivalent continuum. The joint normal and joint shear stiffnesses obtained from this study can be used as input factors for future numerical analysis on the performance evaluation of geological waste disposal considering rock discontinuities.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.245-253
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• 2022

Objectives: This study was conducted to find out if the dietary iron intake of Koreans estimated by 2 different methods (iron content sources) using the food intake data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) are comparable. One method was based on the KNHANES's Food & Nutrient Database (FND) derived mainly from the Korean Food Composition Table and the other used the iron content (IC) of food samples processed in the Korean Total Diet Study (KTDS). Methods: Dietary intake data from the 2013-2016 KNHANES was used to select representative foods (RFs) in KTDS for iron analysis. Selection of the RFs and cooking methods for each RF (RF × cooking method pair) was performed according to the 'Guidebook for Korean Total Diet Studies' and resulted in a total of 132 RFs and 224 'RF × cooking method' pairs. RFs were collected in 9 metropolitan cities nationwide once or twice (for those with seasonality) in 2018 and made into 6 composites each, based on the origin and season prior to cooking. Then, the RF composites prepared to a 'table ready' state for KTDS were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Dietary iron intake of the Korean population was estimated using only RFs' intake data based on the 2 sources of iron content, namely FND-KNHANES and IC-KTDS. Results: RFs in KTDS covered 92.0% of total food intake of Koreans in the 2016-2018 KNHANES. Mean iron intake of Koreans was 7.77 mg/person/day by IC-KTDS vs 9.73 mg/person/day by FND-KNHANES. The major food groups contributing to iron intake were meats (21.7%), vegetables (20.5%), and grains & cereals (13.4%) as per IC-KTDS. On the other hand, the latter source (FND-KNHANES) resulted in a very different profile: grains & cereals (31.1%), vegetables (16.8%), and meats (15.3%). While the top iron source was beef, accounting for 8.6% in the former, it was polished rice (19.2%) in the latter. There was a 10-fold difference in the iron content of polished rice between 2 sources that iron intakes excluding the contribution by polished rice resulted in very similar values: 7.58 mg/person/day by IC-KTDS and 7.86 mg/person/day by FND-KNHANES. Conclusions: This study revealed that the dietary iron intake estimated by 2 different methods were quite comparable, excluding one RF, namely polished rice. KTDS was thus proven to be a useful tool in estimating a 'closer-to-real' dietary intake of nutrients for Koreans and further research on various nutrients is warranted.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.40-48
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• 2022

In waste lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, the cathode material contains approximately 4% lithium. Recycling the constituent elements of batteries is important for resource circulation and for mitigating the environmental pollution. Li contained in the waste LFP cathode powder was selectively leached using persulfate-based oxidizing agents, such as sodium persulfate, potassium persulfate, and ammonium persulfate. Leaching efficiency and waste LFP powder properties were compared and analyzed. Pulp density was used as a variable during leaching, which was performed for 3 h under each condition. The leaching efficiency was calculated using the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis of the leachate. All types of persulfate-based oxidizing agents used in this study showed a Li leaching efficiency over 92%. In particular, when leaching was performed using (NH₄)₂S₂O₈, the highest Li leaching percentage of 93.3% was observed, under the conditions of 50 g/L pulp density and an oxidizing agent concentration of 1.1 molar ratio.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.265-282
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• 2022

This study analyzes the impact of long-range transport of biomass burning emissions from northeastern China on the concentration of particulate matter of diameter less than 10 ㎛ (PM₁₀) in Korea using the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem). Korea was impacted by anthropogenic emissions from eastern China, dust storms from northern China and Mongolia, and biomass burning emissions from northeast China between April 4-and 7, 2020. The contributions of long-range PM₁₀ transport were calculated by separating biomass burning emissions from mixed air pollutants with anthropogenic emissions and dust storms using the zeroing-out method. Further, the radiation energy budget over land and sea around the Korean Peninsula was analyzed according to the distribution of biomass burning emissions. Based on the WRF-Chem simulation during April 5-6, 2020, the contribution of long-range transport of biomass burning emissions was calculated as 60% of the daily PM₁₀ average in Korea. The net heat flux around the Korean Peninsula was in a negative phase due to the influence of the large-scale biomass burning emissions. However, the contribution of biomass burning emissions was analyzed to be <45% during April 7-8, 2020, when the anthropogenic emissions from eastern China were added to biomass burning emissions, and PM₁₀ concentration increased compared with the concentration recorded during April 5-6, 2020 in Korea. Furthermore, the net heat flux around the Korean Peninsula increased to a positive phase with the decreasing influence of biomass burning emissions.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.507-520
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• 2022

The Sr isotope ratio, which is used as basic data for rock formation time, crustal and mantle evolution studies, is determined by mass spectrometer such as thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) or multi-detector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). In this technical report, we compared how incomplete chemical separation of elements affects the determination of Sr isotope ratios. For the experiment, commercial resin, NBS987(NIST SRM987) Sr isotope standard, and rock standard samples from the Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ) such as JG1a, JB3 and JA1 were used. As a result of the comparative experiment, it was clearly observed that the measured values of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr change when Rb remains due to incomplete separation of the NBS987 Sr isotope standard sample as well as the rock standard samples of GSJ. This indicates that complete separation is an important factor since the calculated value deviates from the true value even though correction for isotope interference by isobar is performed when measuring the isotope ratio with MC-ICP-MS. This also suggests that, when reporting the measurement result of Sr isotope ratio using MC-ICP-MS, the measurement strength of ⁸⁵Rb should be reported together with the measurement strength of all isotopes of Sr so that isotope interference by isobar can be judged.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.615-623
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• 2021

Human sparganosis is a food-borne parasitic disease caused by the plerocercoids of Spirometra species. Clinical diagnosis of sparganosis is crucial for effective treatment, thus it is important to identify sensitive and specific antigens of plerocercoids. The aim of the current study was to identify and characterize the immunogenic proteins of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei plerocercoids that were recognized by patient sera. Crude soluble extract of the plerocercoids were separated using 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with immunoblot and mass spectrometry analysis. Based on immunoblotting patterns and mass spectrometry results, 8 antigenic proteins were identified from the plerocercoid. Among the proteins, cysteine protease protein might be developed as an antigen for diagnosis of sparganosis.

• Analyses & Alternatives
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.37-78
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• 2022

The U.S.-led international order, sustained by overwhelming national power since the end of the Cold War, is gradually being restructured from a unipolar international system to a bipolar international system or a multipolar international system, coupled with the weakening of U.S. global leadership and the rise of regional powers. Geopolitically, discussions have been constantly raised about the security instability that the reshaping of the international order will bring about, given that East Asia is a region where the national interests of the United States and regional powers sharply overlap and conflict. This study aims to critically analyze whether security discussions in Korea are based on appropriate crisis assessment and evaluation. This paper points out that the security crisis theory emerging in Korea tends to arise due to threat exaggeration and emphasizes the need for objective evaluation and conceptualization of the nature and the level of threats that the restructured international order can pose to regional security. Based on the analysis of changes in conflict patterns (frequency and intensity), occurring in East Asia during the periods divided into a bipolar system (1950-1990), a unipolar system (1991-2008), and a multipolar system (2009-current), this study shows that East Asia has not been as vulnerable to power politics as other regions. This investigation emphasizes that the complexity of Korea's diplomatic and security burden, which are aggravated by the reorganization of the international order, do not necessarily have to be interpreted as a grave security threat. This is because escalating unnecessary security issues could reduce the diplomatic strategic space of the Republic of Korea.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.306-314
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• 2022

Background: Due to the rapid aging of the South Korean population, neurological diseases such as dementia are increasing. Many studies have reported that the incidence of dementia is associated with environmental factors along with age. Objectives: This study analyzed the association between cognitive function and ten heavy metals in the body: arsenic, aluminum, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, iron, copper, zinc, and lead. Methods: From 2018 to 2019, a total of 120 participants who suffered from cognitive impairment were recruited for this study. Blood and urine samples were collected and analyzed for heavy metal concentrations using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Demographic information was obtained through face-to-face questionnaires completed by a trained investigator. Cognitive function was evaluated with the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Korean version of the Boston Name Waiting Test. The associations between cognitive function scores and heavy metal concentrations were analyzed using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: The average age of the 120 participants was 72.7 years, and 69.2% were female. The mean of the MMSE-K and K-BNT scores were 22.9 and 37.9, respectively. The geometric mean of aluminum (Al) was 8.42 ㎍/L. MMSE-K was associated with iron (Fe), but the significance was removed in the logistic regression based on 24 points. K-BNT was significantly associated with aluminum and the odds ratio for K-BNT above 38 decreased by 45% as the aluminum concentration increased. Conclusions: The association between aluminum and the K-BNT score indicated that aluminum is associated with language-related cognitive decline. Based on this result, further study will be conducted by considering co-exposure effects of heavy metals including aluminum.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.67-74
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• 2023

High waves and storm surges due to tropical cyclones cause great damage in coastal areas; therefore, accurately predicting storm surges and high waves before a typhoon strike is crucial. Meteorological forcing is an important factor for predicting these catastrophic events. This study presents an improved methodology for determining accurate meteorological forcing. Typhoon Chaba, which caused serious damage to the south coast of South Korea in 2016, was selected as a case study. In this study, symmetric and asymmetric parametric vortex models based on the typhoon track forecasted by the Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) were used to create meteorological forcing and were compared with those models based on the best track. The meteorological fields were also created by blending the meteorological field from the symmetric / asymmetric parametric vortex models based on the MPAS-forecasted typhoon track and the meteorological field generated by the forecasting model (MPAS). This meteorological forcing data was then used given to two-way coupled tide-surge-wave models: Advanced CIRCulation (ADCIRC) and Simulating Waves Nearshore (SWAN). The modeled storm surges and waves correlated well with the observations and were comparable to those predicted using the best track. Based on our analysis, we propose using the parametric model with the MPAS-forecasted track, the meteorological field from the same forecasting model, and blending them to improve storm surge and wave prediction.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.1-12
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• 2019

Based on the capabilities of smartphone cameras which have developed rapidly in recent decades, coupled with and the global market penetration rate, it will study the possibility of various international exchanges through smartphone filmmaking. This aims to achieve a civilian-oriented cultural exchange, instead of simply providing capital-oriented exchanges and film production education. The Smartphone Film Workshop was held as an auxiliary event of the Korea-Vietnam Film Festival, which ran from November 17 to 22, 2017. The three-day workshop, which took place within the festival period, drew attention for its international collaboration project between Korean film directors and Vietnamese film students. The researcher conducted practical-based research while participating as a mentor at this workshop. A step-by-step approach to the entire process of production and post-production was administered, including workshop team composition, scenario, and pre-production in Korea such as shooting equipment, schedule, completion of local works, and screening. Through an analysis of exchange cases at international workshops, we will use trial and error as ways to improve and consider the results of cultural exchanges and the effects of future expectations. Taking this empirical case study into account, we anticipate more active international exchanges through the smartphone workshops.