• Journal of Practical Agriculture & Fisheries Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.137-150
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• 2010

Traditionally, like many people in mountain region of the Himalaya, the Lwang communities depend on mix of subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, and seasonal migrant labor for their livelihoods. These traditional systems are characterized by low productivity, diverse use of available natural resources (largely for home consumption), limited markets, and some aversion for innovation. The potential to generate wealth through commerce has largely been untapped by these mountain residents and thus is undervalued in local and national economies. Introduction of organic tea farming is a part of Lwang community's several initiatives to break the vicious poverty cycle Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) played facilitating roles in all their efforts since beginning. In five years, the tea plantation emerged as a new means for secured a livelihood. This study aims to analyze the current practices in tea farming both in terms of farm management and soil nutrient status(technical) and the prosperity of the tea farmers (social). The technical aspect covers the soil and tea leaf analysis of various nutrients contents in the soil and tea leaf. Originally, the technical aspect of the study was not planned but later during the consultation with the advisor it was taken into consideration which added value to the research study. The sample were collected from different locations and analyzed on the field itself. The other part of the study i.e. the social aspect was done through questionnaire survey and focus group discussion. the tea farming provided them not only a new opportunity but also earned an identity in the region. This initiative was undertaken as a piloting measure. Now that the tea is in production with processing unit established locally, more serious consideration has to be given for better yield and economic prosperity. This research finding will help the community to analyze their efforts and make correction measures in tea garden management and application of fertilizer. It is also expected to fill up the gaps of knowledge and information required to reduce economic stresses and enhance capacity of farmers to make the tea farming a sustainable and beneficial business. The findings are expected to Sustainability of organic tea farming has direct impacts on biodiversity conservation compared to the other traditional farming practices that are more resource intensive. The study will also contribute to identify key action points required for reducing poverty while conserving environment and enhancing livelihoods

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.142-154
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• 2023

As the importance of the environment has been recognized worldwide, the need to calculate and reduce carbon emissions has been drawing an increasing attention throughout various industrial sections. Thereby the discipline of LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) involving raw material preparation, production processes, transportation and installation has been established. There is a clear research gap between the need and the practice for Korean Case of renewable energy industry, particularly wind power. To bridge the gap, this study conducted LCA research on wind power generation in the Korean area of Yeongdeok, an example of a domestic onshor wind power complex using SimaPro, which is the most widely used LCA system. As a result of the study, the energy recovery period (EPT) of one wind turbine is about 10 months, and the GHG emitted to generate power of 1 kwh is 15 g CO₂/kWh, which is competitive compared to other energy sources. In the environmental impact assessment by component, the results showed that the tower of wind turbines had the greatest impact on various environmental impact sectors. The experience gained in this study can be further used in strengthening the introduction of renewable energy and reducing the carbon emission in line with reducing climate change.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.629-641
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• 2023

Objective: This study investigated the effects of extruded flaxseed with and without herbs mixture on egg performance, yolk fatty acids (FAs), lipid components, blood biochemistry, serological enzymes, antioxidants, and immune system of Hy-Line W-36 hens for nine weeks. Methods: Two hundred forty laying hens were randomly distributed to eight treatments, resulting in six replicates with five hens. Graded levels of dietary extruded flaxseed (0, 90, 180, and 270 g/kg) with and without herbs mixture (24 g/kg: garlic, ginger, green tea, and turmeric 6 g/kg each) were designed as treatments. Results: The two-way analysis of variance indicated that hens fed herbs mixture had a higher value of egg production, yolk high-density lipoprotein (HDL), superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and white blood cell and lower contents of yolk cholesterol, glucose, and blood low-density lipoprotein than those fed diets without herb mixtures (p<0.05). The Flx27 (270 g/kg flaxseed) (153.5 g/kg n-3 FAs) and Flx27+H (270 g/kg flaxseed plus 24 g/kg herbs mixture) (150.5 g/kg n-3 FAs) groups were the most promising treatments in terms of yolk n-3 FAs content. In-teraction effect (herbs- flaxseed) for blood cholesterol, HDL, malondialdehyde, glutaredoxin, alanine transaminase, (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), haemoglobin and immune parameters was significant (p<0.05). The results showed layers fed herbs mixture (Flx9+H, Flx18+H, and Flx27+H) had a better value of total antibody, immunoglobulin M, immunoglobulin G, ALT, AST, and blood HDL as compared with representative flaxseed levels without herbs. Conclusion: High inclusion levels of extruded flaxseed (270 g/kg) without herbs to enrich eggs with n-3 appears to impair the antioxidant system, immunohematological parameters, and sero-logical enzymes. Interestingly, the herbs mixture supplementation corrected those effects. Therefore, feeding layers with flaxseed-rich diets (270 g/kg) and herbs mixture can be a promising strategy to enrich eggs with n-3 FAs.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.41-53
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• 2023

E171, a mixture of titanium dioxide, has been widely used as a food additive due to its whitening effect and low toxicity. However, it has been proven that E171 is no longer safe for public health. So far, there are insufficient studies on the toxic effects of E171 on organisms especially using standardized test methods. In this study, toxicity assessments of E171 to two aquatic species, water flea (Daphnia magna) and zebrafish (Danio rerio), were performed using modified standardized test methods based on the physicochemical properties of E171. The hydrodynamic diameter, polydispersity index, and turbiscan stability index (TSI) were measured to ensure the dispersion stability of E171 in exposure media during the test period. The EC₅₀ for immobilization of water flea was 141.7 mg L^-1 while zebrafish was not affected until 100 mg L^-1 of E171. Measurements of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant enzyme activities confirmed that E171 induced oxidative stress, leading to the activation of superoxide dismutase and catalase in both water flea and zebrafish, although the expression of antioxidant enzyme genes differed between species. These results suggested the potential risk of E171 to aquatic organisms and provided toxicological insights into the impacts of E171 on the environment.

• Economic Analysis
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.58-108
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• 2019

This paper analyzes the determining factors in the unemployment rate among young people in their 20s by studying data from 30 OECD countries between 2000 and 2017. It identifies reasons why Korea has a higher youth unemployment rate than Japan, and assesses what implications Japan's youth unemployment measures could have on Korea. The study highlights the variables that have meaningful impacts on youth unemployment. They include the unemployment rate among the working-age population, the percentage of each age bracket in the overall population, the GDP growth rate, the percentage of wage laborers in each age group, the percentage of elderly people, and the percentage of part-time workers. This paper also finds that a decline in the youth population, especially among people in their 20s, does not help to address the issue of youth unemployment. Secondly, this paper explains the additional factors behind Korea's higher youth unemployment rates. One is Korea's disadvantageous employment environment, compared to that in Japan, in terms of wage earnings. Other factors include the existence of fewer decent corporate jobs than in Japan, and wide disparities in wages between large and small corporate jobs. Therefore, while making efforts to resolve long-term and structural problems, it is necessary to actively promote policy measures to solve short-term mismatch problems of youth employment by referring to Japanese policy examples.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2022.10a
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• pp.52-52
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• 2022

Recently, PE (polyethylene) film has been used increasingly in com cultivation. However, PE films often cause soil and environment contamination. In order to reduce this problem, many researches have been carrying out studies on biodegradable films (BF) that are easily decomposed by soil microorganisms. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine which BF is optimal for growth and yield of com crops while also having the highest rates of film decomposition. BFs Farmsbio (Farm Hannong), Heulgro Film (Sejin Bio), Vonto Film (Eco-Hansung) as well as a selected PE film were used in this study. For the control, we used crops grown without any kind of mulching. Experimental fields were fertilized according to conventional cultivation methods, tilled, and then covered by either BF or PE. After 1 week, com (cv. MIBECK2ho) at the 3-leaf stage (16 days after seeding) was transplanted. Plant height was measured at 18 and 32 days after transplanting and heading stages. Yield components and yield were also measured at harvest. In addition, pH, EC, and decomposition and light transmittance levels of films were investigated during the experimental period. Daily average temperature, relative humidity and organic matter in soils were also measured during the experimental period. There was no significant difference in plant height, heading date, and silking between crops with BFs and PE, but the crops grown with BFs and PE films reached higher growth parameters in a shorter amount of time than the crops in the non-mulching control. Additionally, there were no significant differences in yield components such as length of ears, ear width, ear weight, and yield in crops that were grown using films or crops in the control plot. Light transmittance and decomposition levels of films generally increased with time after transplanting, and was highest in the Heulgro film than other BFs. Soil pH and organic matter in crops using BFs and PE films were significantly higher than in the control plot at 99 and 113 days after transplanting. In general, the EC contents in the control plot was lower than in crops using BFs and PE films. The average daily moisture in soil was higher when BFs and PE films were used than in the control plot. However, the daily average soil temperature was higher in crops using BFs and PE films than in the control plots at the beginning of the experimental period, but there was no consistent difference in soil temperature towards the later part of the experimental period. Therefore, the BFs used in this study were shown to be helpful without causing negative impacts on the growth and yield of com.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.121-132
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• 2023

Marine heatwaves (MHWs), referring to anomalously high sea surface temperatures, have drawn significant attention from marine scientists due to their broad impacts on the surface marine ecosystem, fisheries, weather patterns, and various human activities. In this study, we examined the impact of the distribution of Changjiang diluted water (CDW), a significant factor causing oceanic property changes in the East China Sea (ECS) during the summer, on MHWs. The surface salinity distribution in the ECS indicates that from June to August, the eastern extension of the CDW influences areas as far as Jeju Island and the Korea Strait. In September, however, the CDW tends to reside in the Changjiang estuary. Through the Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis of the cumulative intensity of MHWs during the summer, we extracted the loading vector of the first mode and its principal component time series to conduct a correlation analysis with the distribution of the CDW. The results revealed a strong negative spatial correlation between areas of the CDW and regions with high cumulative intensity of MHWs, indicating that the reinforcement of stratification due to low-salinity water can increase the intensity and duration of MHWs. This study suggests that the CDW may still influence the spatial distribution of MHWs in the region, highlighting the importance of oceanic environmental factors in the occurrence of MHWs in the waters surrounding the Korean Peninsula.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2024

Lagoon, attributed to the postglacial sea-level rise, has experienced rapid geomorphological changes due to increasing human impact. This study tried to infer how rapidly increasing human impact during the Holocene affects on geomorphological changes of lagoons and their surroundings, especially on Cheongchoho, Gyeongpoho and Pungho with significant changes in area and shapes. It was confirmed that the period of rapid artificial change commonly began in the 1960s to 1970s and geomorphological landscape rapidly changed since human impact intensified afterward. Intensive development not only affected on depth, area and shape changes, but also had significant impacts on water environment and biodiversity, attributed to disturbed flow between freshwater and seawater due to dredging and the installation of artificial structures. Lastly, various types of human impact were observed to be complexly interrelated, which seems to be associated with the geomorphologic process influenced by both terrestrial and marine environments. It is thought to be the result of complex interactions between humans who develop and utilize the terrain and changes in environmental conditions.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.228-240
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• 2023

Growing complexity in ecosystem structure and functions, under impacts of climate and land-use changes, requires interdisciplinary understandings of processes and the whole-system, and accurate estimates of the changing functions. In the last three decades, observation networks for biodiversity, ecosystems, and ecosystem functions under climate change, have been developed by interested scientists, research institutions and universities. In this paper we will review (1) the development and on-going activities of those observation networks, (2) some outcomes from forest carbon cycle studies at our super-site "Takayama site" in Japan, and (3) a few ideas how we connect in-situ and satellite observations as well as fill observation gaps in the Asia-Oceania region. There have been many intensive research and networking efforts to promote investigations for ecosystem change and functions (e.g., Long-Term Ecological Research Network), measurements of greenhouse gas, heat, and water fluxes (flux network), and biodiversity from genetic to ecosystem level (Biodiversity Observation Network). Combining those in-situ field research data with modeling analysis and satellite remote sensing allows the research communities to up-scale spatially from local to global, and temporally from the past to future. These observation networks oftern use different methodologies and target different scientific disciplines. However growing needs for comprehensive observations to understand the response of biodiversity and ecosystem functions to climate and societal changes at local, national, regional, and global scales are providing opportunities and expectations to network these networks. Among the challenges to produce and share integrated knowledge on climate, ecosystem functions and biodiversity, filling scale-gaps in space and time among the phenomena is crucial. To showcase such efforts, interdisciplinary research at 'Takayama super-site' was reviewed by focusing on studies on forest carbon cycle and phenology. A key approach to respond to multidisciplinary questions is to integrate in-situ field research, ecosystem modeling, and satellite remote sensing by developing cross-scale methodologies at long-term observation field sites called "super-sites". The research approach at 'Takayama site' in Japan showcases this response to the needs of multidisciplinary questions and further development of terrestrial ecosystem research to address environmental change issues from local to national, regional and global scales.

• Journal of Venture Innovation
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.201-223
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• 2024

This study undertook an empirical analysis to examine the impact of various factors on entrepreneurial intention among young people, with a particular focus on the role of startup mentoring. Employing a survey distributed nationwide, data from 250 valid respondents were subjected to structural equation modeling to investigate these dynamics. The analysis uncovered that workplace stress, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control positively influence the entrepreneurial intentions of youth. Meanwhile, technological constraints negatively affected these intentions. The study did not explore the potential effects of future uncertainty and the burden of failure. Significantly, it was found that startup mentoring plays a crucial role in mitigating the negative impacts that may deter young individuals from pursuing entrepreneurship. Mentoring was instrumental in reducing negative influences, thereby fostering a more conducive environment for entrepreneurial ambition. By integrating the Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) models, this research not only validates these frameworks within the context of youth entrepreneurship but also underscores the essential function of startup mentoring in enhancing entrepreneurial intentions. The insights from this study highlight the importance of mentoring programs in nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit among the youth, suggesting that targeted mentoring support can play a pivotal role in overcoming barriers to entrepreneurship.