• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.225-227
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• 2012

The seroepidemiological status of toxoplasmosis was surveyed among the residents of Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon-do by means of ELISA using a crude extract antigen of Toxoplasma gondii. The sera of 1,661 adult residents (866 males and 795 females) were collected and checked for IgG antibody titers, which showed 17.0% positive rate (282 sera). The positive rate was significantly different between the sex; 20.6% for males and 13.1% for females (P<0.05). The positive rates were higher in fifties of males (28.7%) and forties of females (20.0%). This positive rate of toxoplasmosis in Cheorwon-gun residents is regarded as the highest among the surveys of different geographical regions of Korea. This high positive rate may due in part to peculiar geographical locality of the surveyed area near the naturally well preserved demilitarized zone (DMZ) or presumably consumption of the pork imported from high endemic nations. Therefore, it is necessary to study further the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis in Cheorwon-gun.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 2014

Biting midges (Culicoides: Ceratopogonidae) were collected by Mosquito Magnet$^{(R)}$ traps at the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) camp and Daeseongdong village inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) and near the military demarcation line (MDL) separating North and South Korea and at Warrior Base (US Army training site) and Tongilchon 3 km south of the DMZ in northern Gyeonggi Province, Republic of Korea (ROK), from May-October 2010-2012, to determine their seasonal distributions. A total of 18,647 Culicoides females (18,399; 98.7%) and males (248; 1.3%) comprising 16 species were collected. Overall, the most commonly collected species was Culicoides nipponensis (42.9%), followed by C. erairai (29.2%), C. punctatus (20.3%), C. arakawae (3.3%), C. pallidulus (1.8%), and C. circumscriptus (1.4%), while the remaining 10 species accounted for only 1.1% of all Culicoides spp. collected. The seasonal distribution of C. nipponensis was bimodal, with high numbers collected during May-June and again during September. C. erairai was more frequently collected during June-July, followed by sharply decreased populations from August-October. C. punctatus was collected in low numbers from May-September with high numbers collected during October. C. erairai was predominantly collected from the NNSC camp (85.1% of all C. erairai collected) located adjacent to the MDL at Panmunjeom in the northernmost part of Gyeonggi-do (Province), while other sites yielded low numbers of specimens.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.522-529
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• 2009

To supply safe drinking water to areas lacking in water supply and drainage system, such as rural area and military bases in proximity to Demilitarized Zone, effective method for treating organic contaminants such as MTBE is required. This study focuses on seeking optimal conditions for effective degradation of MTBE using a bath type ultrasound reactor. Effectiveness of MTBE degradation by ultrasound is dependent on the frequency, power, temperature, treatment volume, initial concentration, catalyst, etc. In this study the degradation rate of MTBE by ultrasound was proportional to power/unit volume ratio and removal is relatively more efficient for 0.1 mM than for 1 mM of MTBE solution. Efficiency of ultrasound treatment for 1 mM MTBE solution was enhanced under bath temperature of $30^{\circ}C$ compared to $4^{\circ}C$, but the temperature effect was negligible for 0.1 mM MTBE solution. Also for 0.1 mM MTBE solution, effect of catalyst such as $TiO_2$ and $Fe^0$ on treatment speed was negligible, and zeolite even increases the time taken for the degradation. Under these specific experimental conditions of this study, the most determinant factor for degradation rate of MTBE in solution was frequency and power of ultrasound. The results have shown that a continuous ultrasound reactor system can be used for small scale remediation of organically polluted groundwater, under optimal conditions.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.162-171
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• 2012

We investigated food webs of a $Salix$ $subfragilis$-dominated wetland in the Janghang wetland in the Hangang estuary, which is very close to the Demilitarized Zone, along the west coast of Korea. Our study focused on understanding sesarmine crab ($Sesarma$ $dehaani$)-related food webs in a $S.$ $subfragilis$ forest. For our study, we used carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes and fatty acid biomarkers. We collected samples of plants, animals, and detrital sediment from four quadrats ($5{\times}5m^2$) set in the $S.$ $subfragilis$ community. Samples were collected from September 2006 to June 2009, except during the winter hibernation period of $S.$ $dehaani$. In the wet season, the sediment showed relatively high ${\delta}^{13}C$ and low ${\delta}^{15}N$ signatures compared with relatively low ${\delta}13C$ and high ${\delta}15N$ signatures in the dry season. Mature $S.$ $dehaani$ appeared to feed on fresh leaves and other carbon sources, such as immature individuals or fish, in addition to detrital sediment, which appeared to be the main carbon source for immature crabs. Principal component analysis of fatty acid biomarkers of $S.$ $dehaani$ showed a clear difference between immature individuals (10-30 mm) and mature ones (larger than 30 mm), indicating that the main food source for immature crabs was detrital sediment, whereas mature crabs foraged plants in addition to consuming detrital sediment. On the basis of our results from stable isotope and fatty acid analyses, mature $S.$ $dehaani$ appeared to feed on detrital sediment and fresh leaves of $S.$ $subfragilis$ in summer in addition to engaging in cannibalism of immature individuals.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.10
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• pp.906-915
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• 2016

In this study, a network monitoring system, including a secure 460-Network and a 460-Gateway, is designed and developed according with the requirements of the IEC (International Electro-Technical Commission) 61162-460 network standard for the safety and security of networks on board ships. At present, internal or external unauthorized access to or malicious attack on a ship's on board systems are possible threats to the safe operation of a ship's network. To secure the ship's network, a 460-Network was designed and implemented by using a 460-Switch, 460-Nodes, and a 460-Gateway that contains firewalls and a DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) with various application servers. In addition, a 460-firewall was used to block all traffic from unauthorized networks. 460-NMS (Network Monitoring System) is a network-monitoring software application that was developed by using an simple network management protocol (SNMP) SharpNet library with the .Net 4.5 framework and a backhand SQLite database management system, which is used to manage network information. 460-NMS receives network information from a 460-Switch by utilizing SNMP, SNMP Trap, and Syslog. 460-NMS monitors the 460-Network load, traffic flow, current network status, network failure, and unknown devices connected to the network. It notifies the network administrator via alarms, notifications, or warnings in case any network problem occurs. Once developed, 460-NMS was tested both in a laboratory environment and for a real ship network that had been installed by the manufacturer and was confirmed to comply with the IEC 61162-460 requirements. Network safety and security issues onboard ships could be solved by designing a secure 460-Network along with a 460-Gateway and by constantly monitoring the 460-Network according to the requirements of the IEC 61162-460 network standard.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.334-343
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• 2014

The number of malaria cases has been undulating for the past 10 years in Korea since the reemergence of malaria in early 1990's. Considering the spatial variations of malaria incidence across the northmost border areas near the demilitarized zone (DMZ), the occurrence of the disease seems to be influenced by the natural and human environment in the region. Malaria is an infectious disease that is transmitted to humans by the bites of vector-mosquitoes that carry malaria parasites, and its incidence rate depends on specific climatic and sociodemographic factors. This study found that the spatial characteristics of malaria incidence have varied depending on relative proportions of mosquito habitats, distance between mosquito habitats and human residence, the physical and sociodemographic environments of the city by urbanization, and local topography.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.293-297
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• 1997

Malaria, caused by any of four species of protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium, is charaterized by high fever, anemia and splenomegaly. Although malaria is a cause of significant morbidity and mortality worldwide, in Korea indigenous malaria has been believed to be eradicated by 1984. However, since the case report of native malaria in 1993, reported cases have been increased annually, reaching more than 300 cases in 1996. We experienced a 2 years-old male with fever, severe anemia and splenomegaly who resided in Inchon city. He had the history of travelling to the area (Yunchon) near western Demilitarized Zone for 1 month this summer. After more than 2 weeks without special attention, he was presented with pallor, anemia and splenomegaly. He was diagnosed to have malaria by Plasmodium vivax with the help of peripheral blood smears which showed various forms of malaria, i.e., ring form, trophozoites, shizonts and gametocytes. He was treated successfully with hydroxychloroquine and primaquine. We report this case with brief review of related literature.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.531-543
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• 2018

Historically, Plasmodium vivax malaria has been one of the most highly endemic parasitic diseases in the Korean Peninsula. Until the 1970s, vivax malaria was rarely directly lethal and was controlled through the Korean Government Program administered by the National Malaria Eradication Service in association with the World Health Organization's Global Malaria Eradication Program. Vivax malaria has re-emerged in 1993 near the Demilitarized Zone between South and North Korea and has since become an endemic infectious disease that now poses a serious public health threat through local transmission in the Republic of Korea. This review presents major lessons learned from past and current malaria research, including epidemiological and biological characteristics of the re-emergent disease, and considers some interesting patterns of diversity. Among other features, this review highlights temporal changes in the genetic makeup of the parasitic population, patient demographic features, and spatial distribution of cases, which all provide insight into the factors contributing to local transmission. The data indicate that vivax malaria in Korea is not expanding exponentially. However, continued surveillance is needed to prevent future resurgence.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.31-42
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• 2019

Background: Han River estuary is a national wetland reserve near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between South Korea and North Korea. This trans-boundary estuary area has been well preserved and shows distinctive plant communities along the salinity gradient. To elucidate energy flows and nutrient cycling in this area, we studied trophic relations between the dominant sesarmid crab, Sesarma dehaani, and food sources in three wetlands with different environments along the estuarine gradients. Results: Stable isotope signatures (${\delta}^{13}C$ and ${\delta}^{15}N$) of the crabs were significantly different among the sites and body size classes. Seasonal changes in ${\delta}^{13}C$ of small crabs were distinct from those of large individuals at all the sites. The isotopic values and fatty acid profiles of the crabs were more different among the sites in September than in May. In May, large-sized crabs utilized more plant materials compared to other dietary sources in contrast to small-sized crabs as revealed by a stable isotope mixing modeling, whereas contributions to diets of crabs were not dominated by a specific diet for different body size in September except at site 1. Based on PCA loadings, fatty acid content of $18:3{\omega}3$, known as a biomarker of plant materials, was the main factor to separate size groups of crabs in May and September. The ${\delta}^{13}C$ value of sediment had high correlation with those of small-sized crabs at site 1 and 2 when 1-month time lag was applied to the value for crabs during the surveyed period. Conclusions: Based on the stable isotope and fatty acid results, the consumption habits of S. dehaani appear to be distinguished by sites and their size. In particular, smaller size of S. dehaani appears to be more dependent on fewer food sources and is influenced more by the diet sources from the sediments in Han River estuary.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.39-59
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• 2019

The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) has the great ecosystem as all the artificial activities in DMZ have been prohibited over half a century. The ecosystem should be conserved even after the reunification of Korea and hence the conservation plan should be established not after the reunification but before it. It requires a considerable budget to conserve DMZ, considering management of ecology resource, recovery, and research. The objective of this paper is to analyze a fund-raising measure for DMZ conservation, using economic incentives mechanism when multiple developers participate in the auction to get the right to develop North Korean regions, have private information about their sunk costs and pay a part of their profits for the fund. First, we analyze the real option model to decide the optimal investment time. Second, we construct the auction for bidders not to misrepresent their private information, based on Bayesian Nash equilibrium.