• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.236-241
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• 2016

This study conducted a screening-level ecological risk assessment for heavy metals in dredged sediment for recycling in terrestrial environment. Toxicological information of six heavy metals (i.e., Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Cr, and Ni) was collected from ECOTOX of US Environmental Protection Agency, and screened and qualified for the use in the screening-level ecological risk assessment. According to the number of terrestrial ecological receptors for which toxicological information is available, PNEC (Predicted No Effect Concentration) of each heavy metal was derived using either stochastic approach (for Cu, Zn, and Cd), or deterministic approach (for Pb, Cr, and Ni). Hazard quotients of the six heavy metals were derived for a field-collected dredged sediment using the PNEC derived and the PEC (Predicted Environmental Concentration) determined for the dredged sediment. The HQs of Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb and Ni were higher than unity indicating a possibility of ecological risk of the five heavy metals when the dredged sediment is applied in terrestrial environment. Accordingly, remediation processes or a higher-level ecological risk assessment would be needed for the recycling of the material.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.7
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• pp.403-411
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• 2017

In this study, the occurrence and temporal variation of eight pharmaceuticals comprising antibiotics (clarithromycin, sulfathiazole, sulfamethazine, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim), scabicide (carbamazepine) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (acetylsalicylic acid, naproxen) in main stream and its tributary of the Nakdong River basin, were investigated. Concentrations of the target compounds ranged from $1.076{\mu}g/L$. The highest average concentration was observed for clarithromycin ($0.0316{\mu}g/L$), followed by sulfamethazine ($0.0170{\mu}g/L$), sulfamethoxazole ($0.0161{\mu}g/L$), naproxen ($0.0129{\mu}g/L$), carbamazepine ($0.0093{\mu}g/L$), acetylsalicylic acid ($0.0047{\mu}g/L$), sulfathiazole ($0.0024{\mu}g/L$) and trimethoprim ($0.0022{\mu}g/L$). The decreasing pattern of pharmaceutical concentrations was observed along with Nakdong River and the higher concentrations in downstream were observed than those in upstream. There was no temporal variation of the target compounds although the highest level was found in February. The calculated hazard quotients (HQs) for eight pharmaceuticals were below 1, indicating no environmental hazard in Nakdong River. However, further monitoring is still needed due to the other pharmaceuticals widely used in Korea.

• Strategy21
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• s.41
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• pp.174-207
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• 2017

Human history shows diverse strategies for survival and prosperity. This study introduces the concept of the expansion of wealth as a key to explain choice and behavior of political entities. American scholar, -Bruce Bueno de Mesquita-, offers theoretical grounds for this concept in that the cores of selectorate theory is settled. The political entity consists of two groups, -the winning coalition that has power to replace leader and non-winning coalition that has not. Leaders implement policies serving for the welfare of winning coalition in return for their loyalty. Both internal problems caused by demographic changes and external ones of climate changes, epidemic disease, or invasion compel leader and winning coalition to adopt policies of expansion that they believe may lead to the acquisition of wealth needed to counter those problems. The process starts by occupying one spot where other entities reside and then connecting it to its own. The line between spots functions as a foothold to form a new line to other spots. By repeating this process, a space is created in which new laws and orders are instated. In the early stage of expansion, war is hardly avoidable. Once finished successfully, the political circumstance tilts to encourage economic activities in order to generate national revenues to strengthen political power of winning coalition. However, as scale of economic activities grows, so does political power of civic classes in production and trade. To gain financial support required to run the political entity, delegation of power or bestowing autonomy to non-winning coalition is inevitable. Thus, expansion is not the ultimate solution, only to prolong the political survival if succeed. Maritime power came to attractive option when overland expansion had become obstructed. It offered much greater advantages in terms of political risks and financial burdens in exploring new regions of precious commodities than overland expansion. Each political entity around world have been, for the first time in human history, connected by maritime means since 15th century. It is worthy of noting that land conditions propelled people out to sea. Political and economic situations created opportunities to exploit geographical position in pursuit of wealth. In the 21st century, we witness the operation of international winning coalition that presides over the rules of expansion. Competing for market is synonymous to the expansion in this era, the cause and aim of it has not been changed though. Energy and dollars are key factors of expansion since the end of the 2nd world war. No matter what the forms and conditions change, naval power is still the most relevant means for expansion as it retains unique characters of maneuver, flexibility, continuity, display and projection of power. The strategy for using naval power should be in line with two different approaches for expansion: Approaches to the international winning coalition by making contribution to world order, and approaches to the non-international winning coalition by enhancing military diplomatic activities. The former will serve our share of winning coalition while the latter will open chances to acquire further prosperity.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.533-536
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• 1998

In order to develop a pretreatment solution for cut rose, the effects of surfactants [Tween 20, Triton X-100, polyoxyethylene 4 lauryl ether (PLE)], germicides (aluminum sulfate, $AgNO_3$, dichloroisocyanuric acid, STS, benzalkonium chloride, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate), sucrose, and hormones (ABA and kinetin) on the longevity and quality of 'Red Sandra' were investigated in environment-controlled room. Although 20 and 50 ppm Tween 20, and 500 ppm PLE appeared, in appearance, to be effective in retarding blueing and wilting, respectively, they didn't show statistical differences as compared to distilled water control. Among germicides, $AgNO_3$ was the most effective in delaying petal blueing, petal withering, and reduction of fresh weight, regardless of its concentration, while, in the case of STS, only 1mM treatment was effective in delaying of petal withering. Only 5% sucrose treatment delayed petal blueing, petal withering, and bent neck, but showed no significant difference as compared to 500 ppm aluminum sulfate. Finally, single or combination treatments of ABA and cytokinin were found to rather stimulate the senescence of cut rose.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.175-183
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• 2012

Objectives: This study developed a harmonized method for risk assessment based on the Hazard & Risk Evaluation of Chemicals (HREC) according to the Industrial Safety and Health Act (ISHA). Methods: Three preliminary studies, performed during 2010 and 2011 by the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute and three academic research groups, were compared. The differences in risk assessment, especially in the dose-response assessment method, were analyzed. A new harmonized method for dose-response assessment was suggested and its applicability for the HREC was examined. Results: Considering the various steps of each dose-response assessment, the equivalent steps in quantitative correction, uncertainty factor 2 (UF2) for intra-species uncertainty, and UF3 for the experimental period in the uncertainty correction were relatively high. Using our new method, the total correction values (quantitative correction plus uncertainty correction) ranged from 72~15,789 to 30~60, and the ratio of the threshold limit value (TLV) to the reference concentration decreased from 12.8~1900 to 5.4~11.8. Furthermore, when we performed risk characterization by our new method, hazard quotient (HQ) values for chloroethylene, epichlorohydrin, and barium sulfate became 3.0, 14.1, and 1.13 respectively, whereas three previous studies reported HQ values of 7.1, 4580, and 87.3 considering reasonable maximum exposure (RME) conditions. HQs of the three chemicals were calculated to be 0.6, 2.4, and 0.1 respectively, when compared to their TLVs. Conclusions: Our new method could be applicable for the HREC because the total correction values and the ratio of TLVs were within reasonable ranges. It is also recommended that additional risk management measures be applied for epichlorohydrin, for which the HQ values were greater than 1 when compared with both reference values and the TLV. Our proposed method could be used to harmonize dose-response assessment methods for the implementation of risk assessment based on the HREC according to ISHA.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.753-762
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• 2020

With an increasing interest in integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into interview processes, the Republic of Korea (ROK) army is trying to lead and analyze AI-powered interview platform. This study is to analyze the AI interview data using a unified non-crossing multiple quantile tree (UNQRT) model. Compared to the UNQRT, the existing models, such as quantile regression and quantile regression tree model (QRT), are inadequate for the analysis of AI interview data. Specially, the linearity assumption of the quantile regression is overly strong for the aforementioned application. While the QRT model seems to be applicable by relaxing the linearity assumption, it suffers from crossing problems among estimated quantile functions and leads to an uninterpretable model. The UNQRT circumvents the crossing problem of quantile functions by simultaneously estimating multiple quantile functions with a non-crossing constraint and is robust from extreme quantiles. Furthermore, the single tree construction from the UNQRT leads to an interpretable model compared to the QRT model. In this study, by using the UNQRT, we explored the relationship between the results of the Army AI interview system and the existing personnel data to derive meaningful results.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2007

Medaka(Oryzias latipes) and earthworm(Eisenia fetida) toxicity tests were carried out and ecological risk assessment in water and soil was performed with national monitoring data. NOEC of alachlor was $100\;{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$ in the medaka early life-stage test. Embryonic development, hatchability and time to hatching of medaka eggs were affected by this chemical. The $LC_{50}$ and NOEC of alachlor were $94.1\;mg\;kg^{-1}\;and\;55.0\;mg\;kg^{-1}$, respectively, in the earthworm acute toxicity test. The environmental monitoring has been carrying out by NIER since 1999. Exposure levels of alachlor in water and soil were $ND{\sim}0.54\;{\mu}g\;L^{-1}\;and\;ND{\sim}0.9\;{\mu}g\;kg^{-1}$, respectively, in national monitoring data which had been performed from 2000 to 2004. The measured water and soil exposure levels were applied to evaluate the environmental risk assessment. The PNEC of alachlor in water and in soil were determined as $1\;{\mu}g\;L^{-1}\;and\;55.0\;{\mu}g\;kg^{-1}$, respectively using the safety factors which were suggested in EU and OECD. The HQs (PEC/PNEC) were determined to be below 1 for both water and soil when the maximum exposure levels ($0.54\;{\mu}g\; L^{-1}$ in water and $0.9\;{\mu}g\;kg^{-1}$ in soil) were applied. Conclusively, our study indicated that there was not significant ecological risk of alachlor in water and soil of our monitoring sites.