• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.3-3
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• 2017

The question of how to establish sustainable agricultural systems has become as prominent as questions related to water, energy and climate change. High input/high output agriculture has brought with it many adverse effects; the massive deterioration of soil and water in both quantity and quality, increased greenhouse gas emissions and an increased prevalence of unsafe foods. Additionally, urbanization and climate change has worsened the shortage of farmland and reduced the supply of agricultural water. Given these challenges, maintaining, conserving and efficiently using agri-environmental resources, through fostering of sustainable agriculture, have emerged as key tasks in solving these problems. What is needed therefore is research, based on systematic and comprehensive empirical analyses, that can propose plans and methods for establishing an appropriate sustainable agricultural system. The empirical analysis of sustainable agricultural system is approached separately from economic, environmental and social aspects. An analysis of environment effect reveals that the available phosphate level is 1.3~2.1 times greater than the optimal amount in rice paddies, upland fields and orchards. Further examination has revealed that the excess nutrient is polluting both ground water and surface water. Analytical results for economic feasibility show that factors of production have been invested heavily in the rice crop. Under these conditions, sustainable agriculture, including low-input agriculture, appears to be a possible alternative that will facilitate simultaneous improvements in both economic feasibility and environment effects. Analysis results for sociality reveal that social factors include the value of producer, association and interior networks. Social conditions are comprised of leadership, consumers' awareness, education and conflict solutions. In addition, analysis as to the degree investments contribute to improving agricultural value added has revealed that the direct payment program is the most effective instrument. Experts confirm that economic feasibility can be improved by scientific and well-reasoned nutrient management on the basis of soil testing. Farmers pointed to 'economic factors' as being the largest obstacle to switching to the practice of sustainable agriculture. They also indicate 'uncertainty with regards to sustainable agriculture technology' as an impediment to practicing sustainable agriculture. Even so, farmers who believe environmental and regional issues to be the most pressing problems have expanded their practice of sustainable agriculture. The keys to establishing sustainable agriculture system are classified into the following four aspects. Firstly, from an economic aspect, the research indicates that agricultural policy needs to be integrated with environmental policy and that the function of market making based on the value chain needs to be revitalized. Secondly, from an environmental aspect, there is a need for an optimal resource management system to be established in the agricultural sector. In addition, sustainable agriculture practice will need to be extended with attendant environmentally-friendly and sustainable intensive technology also requiring further development. Thirdly, from a social aspect, green agriculture management needs to be fostered, technology and education extended, and social conflict mediated. Lastly, from a governance aspect, it will be necessary to strengthen good governance, assign and share suitable roles and responsibilities, build a cooperation system and utilize community supported agriculture.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2007

In view of energy supply, biogas can be seen as alternative fuel by substituting considerable amount of fossil fuel and may be utilized for heat and power production or for transport fuel production ($CH_4-enriched$ biogas). The aim of this research is to analyse the emission of $NO_x$ and CO from biogas fired combustion engine for electric power production. The result indicate a significant effect of biogas composition ($CH_4-CO_2$ ratio) and biogas flow rate on the air pollutants emission. The emission factors from this study were compared with those of U.S. EPA. Low $CH_4-CO_2$ ratio condition typically shows the lower $NO_x$ and CO emission than higher $CH_4-CO_2$ ratio condition. At normal $CH_4-CO_2$ ratio (7:3) emission factors of $NO_x$ and CO were 1.29 and 30.43 g/MMBtu, respectively. At low $CH_4-CO_2$, ratio (6:4) emission factors of $NO_x$ and CO were 0.646 and 60.86 g/MMBtu, respectively, It should be emphasized that the actual emission may vary considerably from these results due to operating conditions including torque load and engine speed.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.21 no.9
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• pp.25-32
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• 2020

The underground utilities installed under the ground is an important civil engineering structure, such as water supply and sewerage pipes, underground power lines, various communication lines, and city gas pipes. Such underground utilities can be exposed to risk due to external factors such as concentrated rainfall and vehicle load, and it is important to select and construct an appropriate backfill material. Currently, a method mainly used is to fill the soil around the underground utilities and compact it. But it is difficult to compact the lower part of the buried pipe and the compaction efficiency decreases, reducing the stability of the underground utilities and causing various damages. In addition, there are disadvantages such as a decrease in ground strength due to disturbance of the ground, a complicated construction process, and construction costs increase because the construction period becomes longer, and civil complaints due to traffic restrictions. One way to solve this problem is to use a liquid filler. The liquid filler has advantages such as self-leveling ability, self-compaction, fluidity, artificial strength control, and low strength that can be re-excavated for maintenance. In this study, uniaxial compression strength test and fluidity test were performed to characterize the mixed soil using marine clay, stabilizer, and in-situ soil as backfill material. A freezing-thawing test was performed to understand the strength characteristics of the liquid filler by freezing, and in order to examine the effect of the filling materials on the corrosion of the underground pipe, an electrical resistivity test and a pH test were performed.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.7
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• pp.655-662
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• 2016

This study proposes that a diving supervisor, who can perform the role of both a field manager and a supervisor, be introduced in the national qualification system. The goal was achieved by surveying the general status of the commercial diving sector, including the statistics of an underwater construction company, commercial diving equipment operation condition, diver working hours, diver supply and demand status, and underwater construction market size. The national qualification and national competency standard (NCS) systems were also analyzed to deduce the role definition and work scope of the diving supervisor. Consequently, the following proposition is made: the diving supervisor should be an "on-site manager with the highest job skill in the commercial diving field, who can perform the on-site process management as well as guide, supervise, and educate project participants and serve as an intermediary between the contractor and the workers." The responsibilities of the diving supervisor are proposed to include "diving planning and operation of the diving team," "diving with surface-supplied air and mixed-gas diving system," "chamber operation," "underwater construction," and "ship salvage." The persistent issues in commercial diving sectors, such as diver career development, management, and worker supervision, are expected to be largely resolved with the introduction of this qualification.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.105-108
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• 2011

The increased concern for the security of the oil supply and the negative impact of fossil fuels on the environment, particularly greenhouse gas emissions, has put pressure on society to find renewable fuel alternatives. Compared to the traditional biofuel, ethanol, higher alcohols offer advantage as gasoline substitutes because of their higher energy density and lower hygroscopicity. For this reason, microbial fermentation is known as potential producers for sustainable energy carriers. In this study, bacterial responses including cellular and molecular toxicity were studied in three different microorganisms, such as Escherichia coli, Clostridium acetobutylicum, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this study, it was analyzed specific stress responses caused by ethanol and buthanol using four different stress responsive genes, i.e. fabA, grpE, katG and recA. The expression levels of these genes were quantified by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-PCR. It was found that four genes have shown different responsive patterns when E. coli cultures were under stressful conditions caused by ethanol and buthanol, respectively. Therefore, in this study, the stress responsive effects caused by these alcohols and the extent of each stress response can be analyzed using the expression levels and patterns of different stress responsive genes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.147-158
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• 2016

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the assessment of exposure to welding fume and heavy metals among construction welders. Methods: Activity-specific personal air samplings(n=206) were carried out at construction sites of three apartment, two office buildings, and two plant buildings using PVC(poly vinyl chloride) filters with personal air samplers. The concentration of fumes and heavy metals were evaluated for five different types of construction welding jobs: general building pipefitter, chemical plant pipefitter, boiler maker, ironworker, metal finishing welder. Results: The concentration of welding fumes was highest among general building pipefitters($4.753mg/m^3$) followed by ironworkers($3.765mg/m^3$), boilermakers($1.384mg/m^3$), metal finishing welders($0.783mg/m^3$), chemical pipefitters($0.710mg/m^3$). Among the different types of welding methods, the concentration of welding fumes was highest with the $CO_2$ welding method($2.08mg/m^3$) followed by SMAW(shield metal arc welding, $1.54mg/m^3$) and TIG(tungsten inert gas, $0.70mg/m^3$). Among the different types of workplace, the concentration of welding fumes was highest in underground workplaces($1.97mg/m^3$) followed by outdoor($0.93mg/m^3$) and indoor(wall opening as $0.87mg/m^3$). Specifically comparing the workplaces of general building welders, the concentration of welding fumes was highest in underground workplaces($7.75mg/m^3$) followed by indoor(wall opening as $2.15mg/m^3$). Conclusions: It was found that construction welders experience a risk of expose to welding hazards at a level exceeding the exposure limits. In particular, for high-risk welding jobs such as general building pipefitters and ironworkers, underground welding work and $CO_2$ welding operations require special occupational health management regarding the use of air supply and exhaust equipment and special safety and health education and fume mask are necessary. In addition, there is a need to establish construction work monitoring systems, health planning and management practices.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.409-418
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• 2013

Global warming due to climate change is a problem facing the entire world. Several factors, such as $CO_2O$ concentration, level of warming, soil temperature, precipitation, water content of soil and denitrification by denitrifying bacteria influence the emission of nitrous oxide ($N_2O$) from soil. In this study, we investigated nitrous oxide emissions from the soil of two wetlands, Jilmoineup in Mt. Odae and Moojechineup in Mt. Jungjok, according to temperature change. Soil collected in Jilmoineup in July showed increasing $N_2O$ emissions as temperature increases, but did not show any significant differences at $10^{\circ}C$ (p<0.05). Soil of $15^{\circ}C$ and $20^{\circ}C$ showed increasing pattern of $N_2O$ emissions until 24 h. After that, however, there was no difference in temperature. Overall, $N_2O$ emissions showed significant differences according to temperature (p<0.05). Soil collected from Moojechineup in July showed increasing $N_2O$ emissions according to temperature increase, but did not show any significant differences at $10^{\circ}C$ (p<0.05) as was the case for Jilmoineup soil. On the other hand, two wetland soils showed a slight increase of $N_2O$ emissions by additional nitrogen supply, but did not show any significant differences in the presence of nitrogen or between nitrogen sources. In conclusion, increasing temperature the wetland soil increased the emission of $N_2O$, which is a known greenhouse gas. In order to more clearly identify $N_2O$ emissions, various subsequent studies such as the influence and correlation of several factors are required.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.61-73
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• 2017

The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster in 2011 and California Power Failure in 2001 are examples of the importance of the power plant safety management that caused huge national loss with a power-related mass casualty incident. In a situation where humans cannot live without electricity, efforts to strengthen the systematic firefighting safety management in power plants that produce electricity with large amounts of hazardous materials as fuel, such as nuclear energy, coal and gas, are essential to protect life and prevent property loss and stable economic growth from fire explosion accident or radiation leak due to the negligence of safety management and natural disasters such as earthquakes, which has recently become an issue. This study examined the operating situation of firefighting safety management in power plants with firefighting officials employed by five power generation companies including Korea Southern Power Co., Ltd. and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. Ltd., which are in charge of the domestic power supply. As a result, for the systematic firefighting safety management of power plants, improvement plans were drawn, including the development of an effective business manual and a comprehensive management system, the substantiality of firefighting safety education, and the strengthening of seismic designs to prepare for earthquakes.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.65-86
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• 1990

Living conditions of the rural elderly were assessed in terms of clothing behavior, health and nutritional status, housing and envioronmental condition, and psychological adjustment. The subjects were eighty individuals over sixty residing in the rural community of Iksan-kun, Chollabukdo. The interview method using questionnaires, direct measurement, and observation was used for this study. Data were compared with those obtained from a previous study of the elderly residing in an urban area. Clothing behavior showed that the elderly residing in the rural community were more concerned about plain and conservative design of clothes than their urban counterparts. Special protective clothes for cropdusting with agricultural chemicals had not been prepared. The following urgent needs were pointed out: development and supply of agricultural chemical protective clothing and development and education of appropriate washing and clothing care methods. The health status of the elderly was generally good, but poor eating habits were found more frequently in the rural elderly than among the urban dwellers. Several dietary nutrient intakes were insufficient. Contrasting the urban elderly with the rural group, it was found that the urban group lacked sufficient vitamin A and vitamin C and the urban women had insufficient calorie whereas the rural group was deficient in protein, vitamin A, calorie, and fat. A significant relationship was found between dietary nutrient intake and health index, food habit points, self recognized health status, meal satisfaction, and economic status. Urgent needs of the development of a nutrition education program for the elderly were pointed out. Most of elderly residing in the surveyed rural communities were living alone or with their spouse only, therefore only one room was used among the three or four available rooms. Most of the rural elderly were living either in a traditional Korean house built with differing floor levels or in a modified Korean style house. Minimal modernization had been made for kitchen facilities such as sink and gas range or for heating facilities with the briquette boiler. However, sanitary space such as lavatory and bathroom had not been remodeled. A housing welfare program for rural communities should be implemented at the national level. The comparison of psychological characteristics of the rural elderly with their city counterparts revealed that the rural elderly have a more stable psychological status and optimistic attitude than those living in a city. However, it was found that most of the elderly did not have any future plan. Community programs for the elderly including hobbies or leisure activities or education programs to generate close interpersonal relationships with their children should be developed and provided.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.40 no.10
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• pp.967-972
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• 2003

The inner-diameter 5 cm cold hollow cathode ion source was designed for the high current density and the homogeneous beam profile of ion beam. The ion source consisted of a cylindrical cathode, a generation part of magnetic field, a plasma chamber, convex type ion optic system with two grid electrode, and DC power supply system. The cold hollow cathode ion sources were classified into standard type (I), electron output electrode modified type (II). The operation of the ion source was done with discharge current, ion beam potential and argon gas flow rate. The modification of electron output electrode resulted in uniform plasma generation and uniform area of ion beam was extended from 5 cm to 20 cm. Improved ion source was evaluated with beam uniformity, ion current, team extraction efficiency, and ionization efficiency.