• Resources Recycling
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.81-89
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• 2014

Approximately 8.5 million tons of fly ash and 740,000 tons of briquette ash were produced in 2010. Inefficient recycling of coal ash has been a heavy economic and environmental burden and economical coal ash utilization technologies are required to turn coal ash into valuable resources. In this study the patents and literature were analyzed to understand the present situation of coal ash recycling technologies and to promote utilization of coal ash for producing a non-sintering green cement, geopolymer. The survey was based on the open patents of USA, European Union, Japan and Korea, and the papers in SCI - indexed journals published between 1979 and 2013. Technical key words were used for data collection and noise filtering. Trends of recycling technologies in utilization of coal ash for producing geopolymers were discussed in terms of time periods, countries, companies and various forms of technologies.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• 제33권5호
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• pp.407-422
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• 2014

Objective: The purpose of the study is to develop quantitative usability evaluation criteria for senior-friendly autonomous transportation robot. Background: The Republic of Korea has become the most rapidly aging society, and is anticipated to enter the post-aged society in 2026. To raise the quality of life of a senior with limited mobility and to reduce the burden of caregivers, many high-tech assistive products with information technologies are developed nowadays. The senior-friendly autonomous transportation robot is one person robot vehicle to move a senior to the destination for hospitals, nursing homes or silver town complex. With built-in navigation system and environmental monitoring censors, it automatically seeks the path to the destination and avoids collision to obstacles and pedestrians on the way. Due to the early stage of the product, few usability studies in this field have been done, mostly on general service robots to assist seniors, power wheelchairs and delivery robots. ISO and KS standards for the service robots are focused on safety. Method: Based on the reference usability index, the early draft of the usability evaluation questionnaires was developed. After small group tests and interviews, the experts modified the initial draft to the Usability Evaluation Criteria for Senior-Friendly Autonomous Transportation Robot (UEC-SFATR). Result: UEC-SFATR consisted of 4 subscales - Safety, Controllability, Efficiency and Satisfaction. All of the 4 subscales of UEC-SFATR were passed the reliability criteria by 4 groups of seniors, divided by gender and familiarity of smart-devices. Conclusion: UEC-SFATR covers wider area of user experiences of the SFATR and is a good measurement tool to help both the users and developers of the robot. Application: This study provides guide to the future product development and product competitiveness evaluation by quantifying user experiences for the SFATR.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제24권4호
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• pp.253-261
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• 2008

Allergic asthma is a worldwide public health problem and a major socioeconomic burden disease. It is a chronic inflammatory disease marked by airway eosinophilia and goblet cell hyperplasia with mucus hypersecretion. Mouse models have proven as a valuable tool for studying human asthma. In the present report we describe a comparison of mouse asthma models. The experiments were designed as follows: Group I was injected with ovalbumin (OVA, i.p.) on day 1 and challenged with 1% OVA (aerosol exposure) on days $14{\sim}21$. Group II was injected on day 1, 14 and aerosol-immunized on days $14{\sim}21$. Group III was injected on day 1, 14 and immunized by 1% OVA aerosol on days $18{\sim}21$. We assessed asthma induction by determining the total number of white blood cells (WBC) and eosinophils as well as by measuring cytokine levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). In addition, we evaluated the histopathological changes of the lungs and determined the concentration of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in serum. Total WBC, eosinophils, Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-13) and IgE were significantly increased in group I relative to the other groups. Moreover, histopathological studies show that group I mice show an increase in the infiltration of inflammatory cell-in peribronchial and perivascular areas as well as an overall increase in the number of mucus-containing goblet cells relative to other groups. These data suggest that group I can be a useful model for the study of human asthma pathobiology and the evaluation of existing and novel therapeutic agents.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.12-22
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• 1994

Effects of very low level of lead in diet and exposure time on the accumulation and distribution in organs and tissues was investigated with growing rats. 21 days old Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to lead for 7, 14 and 21 days by feeding of 0.03, 0.42, 0.92 and 1.46mg/kg Pb as Pb-acetate containing diet, respectively. Lead concentrations in blood, liver, kidney and bone exhibit a linear relationship with lead levels in diet. After 7 days of exposure, the greatest dose dependent accumulation of lead was found in kidney and followed in bone. However, after 14 and 21 days, the dose dependent accumlation of lead in bone was about two fold greater than that in kidney. The accumulation of lead in liver and blood was relatively low. As continuous exposure to lead, the concentrations of lead in liver, kidney, blood and intestinal tracts were rather not increased with exposure time. However, bone lead concentration was increased with exposure time by feeding of 0.92 and 1.46mg/kg Pb in diet, but not 0.42mg/kg. The lead concentration in gastrointestinal tracts tends also to increasing with lead levels in diet after 7 and 14 days of exposure. However, by 21 days of exposure the lead concentration revealed relatively constant value regardless of the dietary lead levels. It is concluded that the binding capacity of the lead in blood, liver, kidney and bone seems to be increased with increasing lead levels in diet. The lead concentration in these organs, with the exception of the lead in bone, seems, however, to be standing under steady state regulation by continued exposure with the same dietary lead level. Therefore, by chronic exposure condition with environmental relevant lead level bone might be a principle targe organ for lead and blood lead repesents better the current lead exposure than the lead body burden.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.441-468
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• 2004

We estimate carbon embodied in the export goods of Korea. A commodity-by-industry IO model ($CO_2$ hybrid IO model) is constructed for the estimation. In the model, all monetary units of energy commodities are converted to physical unit, carbon tons. Results show that total $CO_2$ embodied in the exports of non-energy goods of Korea equals 51.18 million carbon ton or 44% of total $CO_2$ emissions in Korea in 2000. Overall carbon intensity of export goods is estimated as 0.227 carbon ton per million Won. These findings suggest Korea's responsibility on global warming may be imputed to the countries who import and consume Korean goods. It is in accordance with the user pay principle. It is also argued that if UNFCCC impose the burden of $CO_2$ mitigation on importing countries rather than exporting countries, we can prevent '$CO_2$ emission leakages' effectively.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.313-326
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• 2008

This paper is concerned with the effect of an increase in the import price of LNG on the Korean economy and industries. A computable general equilibrium analysis is applied to compute the comparative-statical effect of 10% rise of LNG price. The price increase places relatively heavy burden on the city gas, oil products and thermal power, decreasing their outputs and domestic sales by relatively larger percentages than other industries. The 10% increase in the LNG price reduces GDP by 0.4% and raises the general price level by 0.08%. The increase in oil price resulting in the same decreasing rate of GDP caused by the 10% LNG price rise turns out to raise the general price level and reduce the consumer's welfare in terms of equivalent variation by less percentage than the increase in LNG price.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.2027-2036
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• 2013

Comparison of removal performance between reverse osmosis(RO), nanofiltration(NF), electrocoagulation(EC) and electroadsorption(EA) for removal of nitrate and fluoride often exceeded the limits of water quality in small water treatment plants. Removals of nitrate and fluoride were 72-92% and 74-85% in RO, 5-15% and 1% in NF, 99% and 44% in EA equipped with MWCNT coated electrodes, 82% and 77% in EA equipped with Cu-MWCNT electrodes, and 11-46% and 69-99% in EC. Consequently, high removals of both ions were anticipated in RO. Effective removal of both ions are possible for EC, but great production of sludge is a big burden. EA equipped with the MWCNT electrodes showed a great fluctuation in removal efficiency, and electrode stability should be upgraded.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.1-10
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• 2006

Drug dependence deals a heavy socioeconomic burden to the society. For adolescents, the damage from drug dependence is greater than adults considering their higher susceptibility to drug effect and increasing chance for violence leading to criminal punishment process. Habitual drug use depends on genetic and environmental factors and the complex interactions between the two. Mammalian model systems have been useful in understanding the neurochemical and cellular impacts of abused drugs on specific regions of the brain, and in identifying the molecular targets of drugs. More elucidation is required whether biological effects of drugs actually cause the habitual dependence at the cellular level. Although there is much insight available on the nature of drug abuse problems, none of the systems designed to help drug dependent individuals is efficient in screening functional ingredients of the drug, and thus resulting in the failure of helping drug dependent individuals recover from drug dependence. Alternative model systems draw the attention of researchers, such as the invertebrate model systems of nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans) and fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). These models should provide new insight into the mechanisms leading to the behavior of drug users (even functional studies analyzing molecular mechanism), and screening useful components to help remove drug dependence among drug users. The relatively simple anatomy and gene expression of the invertebrate model systems should enable researchers to coordinate current knowledge on drug abuse. Furthermore, the invertebrate model systems should facilitate advance in experiments on the susceptibility of specific genetic backgrounds and the interaction between genetic factors to drug dependence.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 한국철도학회 2009년도 춘계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.284-290
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• 2009

As the increased importance is placed on the new transit systems owing to the environmental pollution caused by the road traffic congestion, the policy for the introduction of the new transit systems as an alternative solution to ease the heavy burden of the construction expenses is being actively established. Since the explicit recognition of such transit systems and the review on the method of its adoption have been a pressing matter in the light of reducing the pending traffic congestion, the development of the rolling stock systems in modes of new transportation has been made in various ways taking into consideration the regional circumstances to alleviate traffic congestion, and offer a more efficient service with the application of their intrinsic characteristics. Such systems also have been developed as a mix of punctuality for railway systems operating on the runway and flexibility for buses. This paper, therefore, deals in more detail with 3 modes of systems such as low-floor articulated buses, GRT(Guided Rapid Transit) and tram cars, and studies the overseas cases of the operation of those systems involving both negative and positive aspects.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• 제34권6호
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• pp.1881-1891
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• 2014

Full system of turnkey deliberation committee in 2010 was abolished and permanent Deliberation committee was introduced. So far, ordering organization selected the best method suitable for the design and comprehensive evaluation method in the turnkey bid construction. Comprehensive evaluation method have bid price design score coordination, weighted basis, the best design approach fixed amount, five successful bidder decision method in addition. Design deliberation branch committee in the successful bidder decision way configured and operated branch members of special design consultation committee, But main agent changed from committee deliberation pull system to permanent committee deliberation, as well as and The lobby burden was not improved. This similar to the past at the portion of the design deliberation and the way of the design deliberation in the turnkey bid construction. Therefore it is necessary to improve the design deliberation system. In other words, design score and technology competition should be adapted to determine a successful bid. This study suggested the operating system of the design deliberation, the decision method problems of the successful bidder and ways to improve the design deliberation.