• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.550-557
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• 2009

The concepts of 'sustainable development', 'sustainable construction' and 'green building' have been elevated to priority levels in all types and phases of construction project development worldwide. Consultants and contractors are now required to seriously consider the impact of their operations on the natural environment and the society, and consequently adopt sustainable construction practices in the development process to minimize and mitigate the negative impacts of their activities. However, existing sustainability rating tools apply to the design, post-construction and operation phases of a building; no tool exists for the rating of the performance of the contractor or the project team at the construction phase. This study aimed to develop a model for evaluating the sustainability of construction operations, drawing on the global best practice standards on sustainability. Practical applications of the model were carried out through case studies to evaluate the performances of fifteen construction firms in New Zealand. The developed model and the outcomes of the case studies were presented, including potential areas of weaknesses, strengths, constraints to achievement or adoption of sustainable construction practices and areas for improvement in the operations of the firms. The successful application of the developed model in practice shows its usefulness and ease of application. It is therefore recommended for adoption as a simple but effective system for measuring and reporting on sustainability performance or sustainability of construction operations of firms in New Zealand and elsewhere.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.247-254
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• 2008

Non-point source pollution that originates from surface applied chemicals in either liquid or solid form is a part of urban activities and it appears in the surface runoff caused by rainfall. This study investigates the characteristics of non point source pollution in relation to storm events and the first washing effect in the Study area, which is comprised of different land use types. Then, a Best Management Practices (BMP) model, for urban areas, is applied with the Storm water Management Model (SWMM) Windows Interface which was developed by the EPA in the USA. During the storm event analysis of the hydrographic and pollutographic data showed that the peak of pollutants concentration was within the peak flow, 30 to 60 minute into the storm event in the Study area. The results of simulation using SWMM Windows Interface, Structure Techniques as applied in the study were highly efficient for removal of pollutants. Predicted removal efficiency was 26.0% for SS, 22.1 for BOD, 24.1% for COD, 20.6% for T-N, and 21.6% for T-P, respectively.

• Weed & Turfgrass Science
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.405-412
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• 2015

Forty schools having natural turf playgrounds were investigated by on-spot investigation and oral interviews with relevant school officials to find out basic information on turfgrass management practices of school playgrounds in Gyeonggi province. Average area of playground was $3,890m^2$ per school and $12m^2$ per student. Ninety five percent of turf playgrounds were managed by school staff and ninety percent of schools spent less than 5 million won per year for turf management. The difficulties in turfgrass management were considered as a major challenge for the schools, followed by turfgrass management cost. Among the management practices, school officials pointed out weed management as the most difficult work, followed by irrigation. The average number of fertilization and mowing was 2 and 6 times per year, respectively. About the half of playgrounds were irrigated only when there was wilting symptom. Zoysiagrass was the most popular choice for the school playgrounds and only three school playgrounds were established with pop-up irrigation system. Fourteen school playgrounds had good turf quality but the rest of school playgrounds had inadequate turf quality requiring minor or full renovation.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.547-552
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• 2024

Satellite technology has emerged as a powerful tool in modern agriculture, offering capabilities for Earth observation, land-use pattern analysis, crop productivity assessment, and natural disaster prevention. This mini-review provides a concise overview of the applications and benefits of satellite technologies in agriculture. It discusses how satellite imagery enables the monitoring of crop health, identification of land-use patterns, evaluation of crop productivity, and mitigation of natural disasters. Farmers and policymakers can make informed decisions to optimize agricultural practices, enhance food security, and promote sustainable agriculture by leveraging satellite data. Integrating satellite technology with other advancements, such as artificial intelligence and precision farming techniques, holds promise for further revolutionizing the agricultural sector. Overall, satellite technology has immense potential for improving agricultural efficiency, resilience, and sustainability in the face of evolving environmental challenges.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.933-942
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree of waterbody impairment according to the flow conditions and present to the appropriate water quality improvement alternatives using observed water quality and flow for Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implementation at 39 unit watersheds the nakdong river basin. Observed water quality data for 7 years are divided into five cumulative flow frequency group and comparing the each observed water quality data and TMDL Target water quality (TWQ) the last evaluate the water quality is impaired group. We found that the cumulative flow frequency group-specific the average excess rate of V group was the highest (32.86%), followed by the IV group (26.04%), group III (23.36%), II group (22.67%), I group (20.70%), the degree of impaired waterbody tended to be inversely proportional to the flow rate. Resulted from cumulative flow frequency group of impaired water quality assessment, 13 unit watersheds are impaired from a group IV and group V affected by point sources. Therefore, improvement of sewage discharge and the initial composition of the riparian buffer zone are needed. Nakbon F, Namkang D and Namkang E within 13 unit watersheds are impaired from group II and III affected by non-point sources. Therefore, application of Best Management Practices (BMPs) is needed for these watersheds. Evaluation of impaired waterbody using Cumulative flow frequency group is able to determine the extent of the judgment to TWQ exceeded by the flow conditions and helps proper setting Standard flow and planning pollutant reduction for TMDL.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2013

Recently, various Best Management Practices (BMPs) have been applied at a field to reduce soil erosion. Hourly Runoff and Sediment Model for Best Management Practices (HRSM4BMP) model could be used to evaluate soil erosion reduction for various agricultural BMPs at fields. Runoff and sediment yield from source areas have to be predicted with greater accuracies to evaluate sediment reduction efficiently with BMPs. To achieve this, the best parameters related with runoff and sediment modules of the HRSM4BMP model should be identified with proper calibration processes. Although manual calibration is often utilized in calibrating runoff and sediment using the HRSM4BMP, objective calibration method would be recommended. The purpose of the study was to develop an automatic calibration tool of the HRSM4BMP model with PARASOL method. This automatic calibration tool was applied to Bangdongri, Chuncheon-si to evaluate its calibration performance. The $R^2$, NSE and RMSE value for runoff estimation were 0.92, 0.92, $0.3m^3$, and for sediment yield estimation were 0.94, 0.94, 0.0027 kg. As shown in this result, automatic calibration tool of HRSM4BMP model would be used to determine the best parameters and can be used to simulate runoff and sediment yield with acceptable accuracies.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.290-295
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• 2011

This study was carried out to investigate the quality of soil, irrigation water, and status of agrochemicals application in relation to good agriculture practices system in the major cultivation area of Disocorea batatas. The concentrations of heavy metals as Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn in soils and irrigation waters were lower than those of standard level for Environmental Conservation Act of Soil and Water in Korea. The dominant weed have been appeared Digitaria sanguinalis and Portulaca oleraceamite. The dominant insect pests and plant pathogens have been appeared aphid and anthracnose. Average yearly application of pesticide was 2 to 4 times for herbicide and 4 to 6 times for plant pathogens and insect pests. In order to safety production of medicinal crops could be achieved by proper cultivation management such as minimum application of agro-chemicals, effective use of by-product fertilizer, and technology development of organic farming.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.71-82
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• 2013

Objectives: This study was performed in order to investigate hand hygiene practices among food-service businesses employees based on the awareness of hand-washing and load of indicator bacteria on their hands. It focused on the comparison of full-time and part-time workers in food-service workplaces. Methods: A direct-interview questionnaire survey and microbiological analysis were carried out with sixty workers each. Samples for microbiological analysis were collected through a modified glove-juice method from the hands of the food-service workers and were analyzed for aerobic plate count, total coliform, fecal coliform, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella spp. Microbiological analysis was done according to the Food Code of Korea. Results: Significant differences (p<0.01) were found in the survey between the full-time and part-time workers in hand-washing frequency, use of hand-washing agents, and hand-drying methods. More full-time workers responded to washing their hands after preparing food, after visiting outside, after handling raw materials, and before putting on gloves/when changing gloves than did part-time workers (p<0.05). No remarkable difference was found in bacterial load on the hands except in the aerobic plate count between the two groups. The detection of E. coli, S. aureus, and Salmonella spp. on the hands of some food-service workers in both groups revealed poor hand hygiene practices. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that there is a need for training programs in order to improve hand hygiene practices and strict hand hygiene compliance by food-service workers.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.12
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• pp.941-949
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• 2020

This study aims to investigate the factors which impact the possibility of Environmental Management Accounting (EMA) implementation in automobile companies in Vietnam. A survey was carried out with automobile enterprises' managers, getting 198 usable respondents, with data and theoretical model analyzed by using SPSS with EFA method. Results indicated that in Vietnamese automobile enterprises, the possibility of EMA implementation was driven by elements including motivation to reduce production costs, reactions to environmental issues, compliance to legislation, procedures and processes in the working environment which they are in business. The government and professional institutions should play a vital role in promoting EMA practices by issuing specific guidelines and continuous training. Besides, tax authorities should apply the favor policies such as tax incentives to stimulate interest enterprises to implement EMA. However, this study's results only reflect about 63.7% of the impact to the implementation of EMA in Vietnamese automotive enterprises, so there are still some other factors that should be found out in the future researches. This is the first attempt to systematically analyze enterprises' perception and willingness to apply EMA in Vietnamese automobile industry. This study contributes to not only the existing empirical literature of EMA but also enterprises' managers in Vietnam and other transitional economies.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.448-455
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• 2016

Diffuse pollution management in Korea initiated by the Ministry of Environment (MOE) resulted to the construction of pilot facilities termed Best Management Practices (BMPs). Twelve BMPs installed for the diffuse pollution management in the Kyung-An Stream were monitored since 2006. Data on the mass loading, removal efficiency, maintenance activities, etc. were gathered and utilized to conduct the evaluation of long-term performance of BMPs. The financial data such as actual construction, design and maintenance cost were also collected to evaluate the lifecycle cost (LCC) of BMPs. In this study, most of the maintenance activity was focused in the aesthetic maintenance that resulted to the annual maintenance cost of the four BMP types was closely similar ranging from 8,483 $/yr for retention pond to 8,888 $/yr infiltration system. The highest LCC were observed in constructed wetland ($418,324) while vegetated system had the lowest LCC ($210,418). LCC of BMPs was not so high as compared with the conventional treatment facility and sewage treatment plant. On the other hand, the relationship of removal efficiency on unit cost for TSS and TN was significant. This study will be used to design the cost effective BMP for diffuse pollution management and become models for LCC analysis.