• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.922-931
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• 2000

Background : It has been well known that bronchia1 asthma is a chronic airway inflammatory disorder. Recently, sputum induced with hypertonic saline was introduced as a simple and useful nonivasive medium to investigate airway inflammation and symptom severity in patients with asthma. We examined the eosinophil, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), interleukin(IL)-3, IL-5, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating facta (GM-CSF), and nitric oxide (NO) derivatives in induced sputum from patients with bronchia1 asthma in order to determine the role of NO and various inflammatory cytokines as a useful markers of airway inflammation or changes in pulmonary function tests and symptoms. Methods : A total 30 patients with bronchia1 asthma received oral prednisolone 30 mg daily for 2 weeks. Forced expiratory volume in one second ($FEV_1$), total blood eosinophil count and induced sputum eosinophil count, ECP, IL-3, IL-5, GM-CSF, and NO derivatives were determined before and after the administration of prednisolone. Results : Of the 30 patients, 13 (43.3%) were male and 17 (56.7%) were female. The mean age of patients was 41.8 years (range 19-64 years). Two patients could not produce sputum at the second study and 3 could not be followed up after their first visit. Two weeks after the prednisolone administration, there was a significant increase in $FEV_1$ (% of predicted value) from 78.1$\pm$20.6 % to 90.3$\pm$ 18.3 % (P<0.001). The eosinophil percentages in induced sputum were significantly decreased after treatment with prednisolone, with values of 56.1$\pm$27.2 % versus 29.6$\pm$21.3 % (P<0.001), and ECP were $134.5\pm68.1\;{\mu}g/L$ versus $41.5\pm42.4\;{\mu}g/L$ (P<0.001) respectively. After the prednisolone treatments, the eotaxin concentration also showed a decreasing tendency from 26.7$\pm$12.8 pg/ml to 21.7$\pm$8.7 pg/ml. There was a decreasing tendency but no significant differences in total blood eosinophil count (425.7$\pm$265.9 vs 287.7$\pm$294.7) and in the concentration of NO derivatives ($70.4\pm44.6{\mu}mol/L$ vs $91.5\pm48.3\;{\mu}mol/L$) after the prednisolone treatments. IL-3, IL-5, GM-CSF were undetectable in the sputum of most subjects either before the prednisolone treatments or after the treatments. Before the prednisolone treatments, a significant inverse correlation was observed between FEV1 and sputum ECP (r=-D.364, P<0.05) and there was a significant correlation between sputum eosinophils and eotaxin (r=0.369, P<0.05) Conclusion : The eotaxin and ECP concentration in induced sputum may be used as markers of airway inflammation after treatments in bronchia1 asthma. In addition, the measurement of sputum eosinophil percent ages is believed to be a simple method displaying the degree of airway inflammation and airway obstruction before and after the prednisolone treatment in bronchia1 asthma. However, unlike exhaled NO, the examination of NO derivatives with Griess reaction in induced sputum is considered an ineffective marker of changing airway inflammation and obstructing symptoms.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.135-166
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• 1977

Some biochemical features of varietal variation in seed protein and their implications for soybean breeding for high protein were pursued employing 86 soybean varieties of Korea, Japan, and the U.S.A. origins. Also, studied comparatively was the temporal pattern of protein components accumulation during seed development characteristic to the high protein variety. Seed protein content of the 86 soybean varieties varied 34.4 to 50.6%. Non-existence of variety having high content of both protein and oil, or high protein content with average oil content as well as high negative correlation between the content of protein and oil (r=-0.73$^{**}$) indicate strongly a great difficulty to breed high protein variety while conserving oil content. The total content of essential amino acids varied 32.82 to 36.63% and the total content of sulfur-containing amino acids varied 2.09 to 2.73% as tested for 12 varieties differing protein content from 40.0 to 50.6%. The content of methionine was positively correlated with the content of glutamic acid, which was the major amino acid (18.5%) in seed protein of soybean. In particular, the varieties Bongeui and Saikai ＃20 had high protein content as well as high content of sulfur-containing amino acids. The content of lysine was negatively correlated with that of isoleucine, but positively correlated with protein content. The content of alanine, valine or leucine was correlated positively with oil content. The seed protein of soybean was built with 12 to 16 components depending on variety as revealed on disc acrylamide gel electrophoresis. The 86 varieties were classified into 11 groups of characteristic electrophoretic pattern. The protein component of Rm=0.14(b) showed the greatest varietal variation among the components in their relative contents, and negative correlation with the content of the other components, while the protein component of Rm=0.06(a) had a significant, positive correlation with protein content. There was sequential phases of rapid decrease, slow increase and stay in the protein content during seed development. Shorter period and lower rate of decrease followed by longer period and higher rate of increase in protein content during seed development was of characteristic to high protein variety together with earlier and continuous development at higher rate of the protein component a. Considering the extremely low methionine content of the protein component a, breeding for high protein content may result in lower quality of soybean protein.n.

• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.1-23
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• 2012

The conflict between major corporations and small and medium-sized businesses is being aggravated, the trickle down effect is not working properly, and, as the controversy surrounding the effectiveness of the business limiting system continues to swirl, the plan proposed to protect the business domain of small and medium-sized businesses, resolve polarization between these businesses and large corporations, and protect small family run stores is the suitable business type designation system for small and medium-sized businesses. The current status of carrying out this system of selecting suitable business types among small and medium-sized businesses involves receiving applications for 234 items among the suitable business types and items from small and medium-sized businesses in manufacturing, and then selecting the items of the consultative group by analyzing and investigating the actual conditions. Suitable business type designation in the service industry will involve designation with priority on business types that are experiencing social conflict. Three major classifications of the service industry, related to the livelihood of small and medium-sized businesses, will be first designated, and subsequently this will be expanded sequentially. However, there is the concern that when designated as a suitable business type or item, this will hinder the growth motive for small to medium-sized businesses, and designation all cause decrease in consumer welfare. Also it is highly likely that it will operate as a prior regulation, cause side-effects by limiting competition systematically, and also be in violation against the main regulations of the FTA system. Moreover, it is pointed out that the system does not sufficiently reflect reverse discrimination factor against large corporations. Because conflict between small to medium sized businesses and large corporations results from the expansion of corporations to the service industry, which is unrelated to their key industry, it is necessary to introduce an advanced contract method like a master franchise or local franchise system and to develop local small to medium sized businesses through a franchise system to protect these businesses and dealers. However, this method may have an effect that contributes to stronger competitiveness of small to medium sized franchise businesses by advancing their competitiveness and operational methods a step further, but also has many negative aspects. First, as revealed by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, the franchise industry is contributing to the strengthening of competitiveness through the economy of scale by organizing existing individual proprietors and increasing the success rate of new businesses. It is also revealed to be a response measure by the government to stabilize the economy of ordinary people and is emphasized as a 'useful way' to revitalize the service industry and improve the competitiveness of individual proprietors, and has been involved in contributions to creating jobs and expanding the domestic market by providing various services to consumers. From this viewpoint, franchises fit the purpose of the suitable business type system and is not something that is against it. Second, designation as a suitable business type may decrease investment for overseas expansion, R&D, and food safety, as well negatively affect the expansion of overseas corporations that have entered the domestic market, due to the contraction and low morale of large domestic franchise corporations that have competitiveness internationally. Also because domestic franchise businesses are hard pressed to secure competitiveness with multinational overseas franchise corporations that are operating in Korea, the system may cause difficulty for domestic franchise businesses in securing international competitiveness and also may result in reverse discrimination against these overseas franchise corporations. Third, the designation of suitable business type and item can limit the opportunity of selection for consumers who have up to now used those products and can cause a negative effect that reduces consumer welfare. Also, because there is the possibility that the range of consumer selection may be reduced when a few small to medium size businesses monopolize the market, by causing reverse discrimination between these businesses, the role of determining the utility of products must be left ot the consumer not the government. Lastly, it is desirable that this is carried out with the supplementation of deficient parts in the future, because fair trade is already secured with the enforcement of the franchise trade law and the best trade standard of the Fair Trade Commission. Overlapping regulations by the suitable business type designation is an excessive restriction in the franchise industry. Now, it is necessary to establish in the domestic franchise industry an environment where a global franchise corporation, which spreads Korean culture around the world, is capable of growing, and the active support by the government is needed. Therefore, systems that do not consider the process or background of the growth of franchise businesses and harm these businesses for the sole reason of them being large corporations must be removed. The inhibition of growth to franchise enterprises may decrease the sales of franchise stores, in some cases even bankrupt them, as well as cause other problems. Therefore the suitable business type system should not hinder large corporations, and as both small dealers and small to medium size businesses both aim at improving competitiveness and combined growth, large corporations, small dealers and small to medium sized businesses, based on their mutual cooperation, should not include franchise corporations that continue business relations with them in this system.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.93-111
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• 2013

As Internet and information technology (IT) continues to develop and evolve, the issue of big data has emerged at the foreground of scholarly and industrial attention. Big data is generally defined as data that exceed the range that can be collected, stored, managed and analyzed by existing conventional information systems and it also refers to the new technologies designed to effectively extract values from such data. With the widespread dissemination of IT systems, continual efforts have been made in various fields of industry such as R&D, manufacturing, and finance to collect and analyze immense quantities of data in order to extract meaningful information and to use this information to solve various problems. Since IT has converged with various industries in many aspects, digital data are now being generated at a remarkably accelerating rate while developments in state-of-the-art technology have led to continual enhancements in system performance. The types of big data that are currently receiving the most attention include information available within companies, such as information on consumer characteristics, information on purchase records, logistics information and log information indicating the usage of products and services by consumers, as well as information accumulated outside companies, such as information on the web search traffic of online users, social network information, and patent information. Among these various types of big data, web searches performed by online users constitute one of the most effective and important sources of information for marketing purposes because consumers search for information on the internet in order to make efficient and rational choices. Recently, Google has provided public access to its information on the web search traffic of online users through a service named Google Trends. Research that uses this web search traffic information to analyze the information search behavior of online users is now receiving much attention in academia and in fields of industry. Studies using web search traffic information can be broadly classified into two fields. The first field consists of empirical demonstrations that show how web search information can be used to forecast social phenomena, the purchasing power of consumers, the outcomes of political elections, etc. The other field focuses on using web search traffic information to observe consumer behavior, identifying the attributes of a product that consumers regard as important or tracking changes on consumers' expectations, for example, but relatively less research has been completed in this field. In particular, to the extent of our knowledge, hardly any studies related to brands have yet attempted to use web search traffic information to analyze the factors that influence consumers' purchasing activities. This study aims to demonstrate that consumers' web search traffic information can be used to derive the relations among brands and the relations between an individual brand and product attributes. When consumers input their search words on the web, they may use a single keyword for the search, but they also often input multiple keywords to seek related information (this is referred to as simultaneous searching). A consumer performs a simultaneous search either to simultaneously compare two product brands to obtain information on their similarities and differences, or to acquire more in-depth information about a specific attribute in a specific brand. Web search traffic information shows that the quantity of simultaneous searches using certain keywords increases when the relation is closer in the consumer's mind and it will be possible to derive the relations between each of the keywords by collecting this relational data and subjecting it to network analysis. Accordingly, this study proposes a method of analyzing how brands are positioned by consumers and what relationships exist between product attributes and an individual brand, using simultaneous search traffic information. It also presents case studies demonstrating the actual application of this method, with a focus on tablets, belonging to innovative product groups.

• Atmosphere
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.275-295
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• 2023

In Korea, there are four institutions related to atmospheric science: the university's atmospheric science-related department, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), the ROK Air Force Weather Group, and the Meteorological Industry Association. These four institutions have developed while maintaining a deep cooperative relationship with the Korea Meteorological Society (KMS) for the past 60 years. At the university, 6,986 bachelors, 1,595 masters, and 505 doctors, who are experts in meteorology and climate, have been accredited by 2022 at 7 universities related to atmospheric science. The KMA is carrying out national meteorological tasks to protect people's lives and property and foster the meteorological industry. The ROK Air Force Weather Group is in charge of military meteorological work, and is building an artificial intelligence and space weather support system through cooperation with universities, the KMA, and the KMS. Although the Meteorological Industry Association has a short history, its members, sales, and the number of employees are steadily increasing. The KMS greatly contributed to raising the national meteorological service to the level of advanced countries by supporting the development of universities, the KMA, the Air Force Meteorological Agency, and the Meteorological Industry Association.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.9
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• pp.125-147
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• 1968

This experiment was carried out as a part of the studies on reasonable application of nitrogen in rice plant to determine: (I) Nitrogen absorption. and rooting of rice seedlings as affected by urea foliar application at late seedling stage (II) Effect of leaf prunning and foliar application of urea at late heading stage on the maturation and yield of rice (III) Effect of foliar application of urea and its time during the stage of ear formation on yield of rice plant. Results obtained are summarized as follows. Exp.I: Nitrogen absorption and rooting of rice seedlings as affected be urea foliar application at late seedling stage. 1 : The foliar application of urea plots$(T_{1},T_2)$ snowed mare N-content than non-urea foliar application plot(T0) at lane seedling stage, being significant among treatments and foliar application of urea seemed more effective in increasing the N-content of seedlings. and promoted root settlement and early growth alter the transplanting. 2 : The carbon contents of the plants of $T_1$, and $T_2$ at late seedling stage increased than T0, and the carbon contents. of $T_1$ and $T_2$ plots became higher in amount in proportion to the nitrogen absorption as compared with those of $T_0$. 3 : C/N ratio appeared significant among soil application plots($N_1, \;N_2$) and foliar application of urea plots ($T_1$, $T_2$ and $T_0$). C/N ratio was lower in case of increased amount of nitrogen. The higher contents of nitrogen and carbon and lower C/N ratio resulted in the increment of root numbers and root lengths. Exp.II: Effect of leaf prunning and foliar application of urea at late heading stage on the maturation and yield of rice. 1 : There was a highly significant decrease in the maturing rate by severe leaf prunning. In the mean time, significant increase in maturing rate was observed with urea foliar application and it was found the more frequent application the more effective for higher maturing rate with a moderate significance. A correlationship between the level of prunning and maturing rate was enumerated to 0.961 of correlation coefficient, which indicated an increased maturing rate by the increased number of remaining leaves. 2 : The 1.000 grain weight, grain weight and hulled rice yield increased by leaf prunning in order (plot a$A_1$, $A_3$, $A_2$ and $A_0$ were 89.8%, 89.4%, 87.8% and 87.5% respectively, showing the highest of rate in $A_1$ and $A_3$ in methods of ear fertilization and being highly significant between its treatment. 3 : 1000 grain weights were highly significant between time of application, showing a tendency of increase of weights with the time lagging until days before earings as that of maturing rates. High significance was recognized between methods of ear fertilization, showing the highest in $A_2$ 23.18 gr. 4 : Yields per $3.3m^2$ were not significant between time of ear fertilization, whereas were highly significant between methods of ear fertilization. Those of $A_1$, $A_3$, $A_2$ and $A_0$ were 1.486 kg, 1.491 kg, 1.381 kg and 1.328 kg, respectively, showing the highest in $A_1$ and $A_3$. 5 : Hulling ratios showed significant different between time of ear fertilization, showing the highest in $T_2$, whereas those of methods of ear fertilization were highly significant between its treatment, Those of $A_1$, $A_3$, $A_2$ and $A_0$ were 84.72%, 84.06%, 83.29%, and 82.56% respectively, showing the highest m $A_2$ and $A_3$ among others. 6 : Yields of hulled rice per $3.3m^2$ showed significant different between time of ear fertilization, showing the highest in $T_1$ 1.192 kg. Whereas, those were highly significant between methods of ear fertilization. Those of $A_1$, $A_3$, $A_2$ and $A_0$ were 1.259 kg, 1.254 kg, 1.149 kg and 1.095 kg, respectively, showing the highest in $A_1$ and $A_2$. 7 : Contents of nitrogen on rice plant increased in case of nitrogen application as ear fertilizer and showed that the case of urea foliar application was more effective than that of soil application, showing the increased nitrogen content of rice plant was accompanied by carbon content.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.45-52
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• 2006

Objective: Our purpose was to investigate the relationship between the levels of IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ in the peritoneal fluid of women with and without endometriosis and infertile women. Methods: This study is prospective and case-control study in University hospital, enrolled thirty-four women with laparoscopic findings of minimal to severe endometriosis, and thirty-seven women with no visual evidence of pelvic endometriosis and with benign gynecologic disease. IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ levels in peritoneal fluid were determined using commercial ELISA. IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ concentrations were compared among women with and without endometriosis, and with infertile and fertile women, and then also compared according the revised American Fertility Society classification. Results: IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ concentrations were higher than in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis than in matched normal controls. Cyclic variations in IL-6 concentrations were seen in peritoneal fluid from patients with endometriosis: the concentrations in the secretory phase were significantly higher than those in the proliferative phase. The concentrations were higher than among of infertile women than in fertile women. A significant correlation between IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ concentrations and endometriosis stage III and IV was noted. Conclusion: Increased levels of IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ in patients with endometriosis in the peritoneal fluid may be relate to the pathogenesis of endometriosis suggesting that partially contribute to the disturbed immune regulation observed in patients with endometriosis.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.307-319
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• 2009

Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technology has been regarded as one of the most possible and practical option to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) and consequently to mitigate the climate change. Korean government also have started a 10-year R&D project on $CO_2$ storage in sea-bed geological structure including gas field and deep saline aquifer since 2005. Various relevant researches are carried out to cover the initial survey of suitable geological structure storage site, monitoring of the stored $CO_2$ behavior, basic design of $CO_2$ transport and storage process and the risk assessment and management related to $CO_2$ leakage from engineered and geological processes. Leakage of $CO_2$ to the marine environment can change the chemistry of seawater including the pH and carbonate composition and also influence adversely on the diverse living organisms in ecosystems. Recently, IMO (International Maritime Organization) have developed the risk assessment and management framework for the $CO_2$ sequestration in sub-seabed geological structures (CS-SSGS) and considered the sequestration as a waste management option to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. This framework for CS-SSGS aims to provide generic guidance to the Contracting Parties to the London Convention and Protocol, in order to characterize the risks to the marine environment from CS-SSGS on a site-specific basis and also to collect the necessary information to develop a management strategy to address uncertainties and any residual risks. The environmental risk assessment (ERA) plan for $CO_2$ storage work should include site selection and characterization, exposure assessment with probable leak scenario, risk assessment from direct and in-direct impact to the living organisms and risk management strategy. Domestic trial of the $CO_2$ capture and sequestration in to the marine geologic formation also should be accomplished through risk management with specified ERA approaches based on the IMO framework. The risk assessment procedure for $CO_2$ marine storage should contain the following components; 1) prediction of leakage probabilities with the reliable leakage scenarios from both engineered and geological part, 2) understanding on physio-chemical fate of $CO_2$ in marine environment especially for the candidate sites, 3) exposure assessment methods for various receptors in marine environments, 4) database production on the toxic effect of $CO_2$ to the ecologically and economically important species, and finally 5) development of surveillance procedures on the environmental changes with adequate monitoring techniques.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.515-527
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• 2014

This study conducted experiment for understanding engineering characteristics of domestic sands by examining standard sand and sand from Yokji Island and Nakdong River in terms of confining pressure, $K_0$, over consolidation and relative density factors through triaxial compression test. The test showed that deviator stress by strain positively changed as confining pressure and relative density grow while $K_0$ and over consolidation factors do not directly correlated with it. Angle of internal friction decreases as confining pressure increases which strengthens contact force between particles, and declines as relative density drops, whereas $K_0$ and over consolidation factors hardly affect the results. When it comes to volumetric strain, volume expansion decreases as confining pressure increase due to crushability and rearrangement of particles while $K_0$ and over consolidation shows same movement unconditionally, and relative density appears compressed as it grows at the beginning however it expands as axial strain increases. Modulus of elasticity ($E_{sec}$) by strain has tendency into convergence resulting in initial secant modulus of elasticity ($E_{ini}$) > secant modulus of elasticity($E_{sec}$) > tangent modulus of elasticity ($E_{tan}$). On the other hand, it grows as confining pressure and relative density increase while indicating similar modulus of elasticity ($E_{sec}$) regarding on $K_0$ and over consolidation. Slope of critical line (M) tended to decrease as confining pressure increases, follow same line according to $K_0$, confining pressure and relative density, and increase as relative density grows.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.341-348
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• 2013

Maintenance of adequate soil tension or content during the period of crop growth is necessary to support optimum plant growth and yields. A better understanding of soil tension and content for precision irrigation would allow optimal soil water condition to crops and minimize the adverse effects of water stress on crop growth and development. This research reports on a comparison of soil water tension and content variations in differently textured soils over time under drip irrigation using two different water management methods, i.e. pulse time and required water irrigation methods. The pulse time-based irrigation was performed by turning the solenoid valve on and off for preset times to allow the wetting front to disperse in root zone before additional water was applied. The required water estimation method was a new water control logic designed by Rural Development Administration that applies the amount of water required based on a conversion of the measured water tension into water content. The use of the pulse time irrigation method under drip irrigation at a high tension of -20 kPa and high temperatures over $30^{\circ}C$ was not successful at maintaining moisture tensions within an appropriate range of 5 kPa because the preset irrigation times used for water control could not compensate for the change in evapotranspiration during day and night. The response time and pattern of water contents for all of the tested soils measured with capacitance-based sensor probes were faster and more direct than those of water tensions measured with porous and ceramic cup-based tensiometers when water was applied, indicating water content would be a better control variable for automatic irrigation. The required water estimation-based irrigation method provided relatively stable control of moisture tension, even though somewhat lower tension values were obtained as compared to the target tension of -20 kPa, indicating that growers could expect to be effective in controlling low tensions ranging from -10 to -20 kPa with the required water estimation system.