• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.63-73
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• 2020

Drought is considered as a devastating hazard that causes serious agricultural, ecological and socio-economic impacts worldwide. Fundamentally, the drought can be defined as temporarily different levels of inadequate precipitation, soil moisture, and water supply relative to the long-term average conditions. From no unified definition of droughts, droughts have been divided into different severity level, i.e., moderate drought, severe drought, extreme drought and exceptional drought. The drought severity classification defined the ranges for each indicator for each dryness level. Because the ranges of the various indicators often don't coincide, the final drought category tends to be based on what the majority of the indicators show and on local observations. Evaporative Stress Index (ESI), a satellite-based drought index using the ratio of potential and actual evaporation, is being used as a index of the droughts occurring rapidly in a short period of time from studies showing a more sensitive and fast response to drought compared to Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). However, ESI is difficult to provide an objective drought assessment because it does not have clear drought severity classification criteria. In this study, U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM), the standard for drought determination used in the United States, was applied to ESI, and the Percentile method was used to classify drought categories by severity. Regarding the actual 2017 drought event in South Korea, we compare the spatial distribution of drought area and understand the USDM-based ESI by comparing the results of Standardized Groundwater level Index (SGI) and drought impact information. These results demonstrated that the USDM-based ESI could be an effective tool to provide objective drought conditions to inform management decisions for drought policy.

• Proceedings of the Korean Quaternary Association Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.48-54
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• 2005

Terrace morphology is so conspicuous in the south eastern coastal areas. Coastal terraces can be divided into 5 main surfaces, including beach and coastal alluvial plain(AP, $4{\sim}5m$), Low Terrace(LT, 8 $^{\sim}$ 25m), Middle Terrace(MT, 36 $^{\sim}$ 55m), High Terrace(HT, 63 $^{\sim}$ 86m) and upper High Terrace(uHT, above 90m). Among them Lower Terrace Formation is distributed between 8m and 20m in altitude. Both Tephra deposited of LT2 formation and OSL datings of sand layers in LT 2 and LT 3 Formations support the age of the LT 2 formation is MIS 5d or 5e, most probably 5e. The age of LT 3 is interpreted MIS 5a, based on tephra production in organic mud layers and OSL dating of sand deposits just above the beach pebbles of the LT 3. Particularly the transgression, possibly equivalent to the well-known Monastirrian episode in the Mediterranean Sea.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.91-101
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• 2007

In this study, domestic regulatory requirement was investigated for self-disposal of concrete waste from nuclear fuel processing facility. And after self-disposal as landfill or recycling/reuse, the exposure dose was evaluated by RESRAD Ver. 6.3 and RESRAD BUILD Ver.3.3 computing code for radiological assessments of the general public. Derived clearance level by the result of assessments for the exposure dose of the general public is 0.1071Bq/g (3.5% enriched uranium) for landfill and $0.05515Bq/cm^2$ (5% enriched uranium) for recycling/reuse respectively. Also, residual radioactivity of concrete waste after decontamination was investigated in this study. The result of surface activity is $0.01Bq/cm^2\;for\;{\alpha}-emitter$ and the result of radionuclide analysis for taken concrete samples from surface of concrete waste is 0.0297Bq/g for concentration of $^{238}U$, below 2w/o for enrichment of $^{235}U$ and 0.0089Bq/g for artificial contamination of $^{238}U$ respectively. Therefore, radiological hazard of concrete waste by self-disposal as landfill and recycling/reuse is below clearance level to comply with clearance criterion provided for Notice No.2001-30 of the MOST and Korea Atomic Energy Act.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2861-2866
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• 2012

Background: The aim of our study was to assess the practical utility of the palliative prognostic index (PPI) as a prognostic tool used by nurse specialists in a hospice consultation setting in Taiwan. Methods: In total, 623 terminal cancer patients under hospice consultation care from one medical center in northern Taiwan were enrolled between January 1 and June 30, 2011. PPI was assessed by a nurse specialist at first hospice consultation and patients categorized into groups by prognosis (good, intermediate, poor). Patient survival was analyzed retrospectively to determine significance of between-group differences. Results: By PPI sum score, 37.2% of patients were in the good prognosis group, 18% in the intermediate prognosis group and 44.8% in the poor prognosis group. The death rates were 56%, 81.2% and 89.6% and median survivals were 76, 18 and 7 days, respectively. The hazard ratio was 0.19 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.10-0.24, p<0.001) for the poor versus good prognosis group and 0.54 (95% CI 0.43-0.69, p<0.001) for the poor versus intermediate prognosis group. The sensitivity and specificity for the poor prognosis group was 66% and 71%; the positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 81% and 52%, respectively, to predict patient death within 21 days (area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic was 0.68). Conclusions: Assessment by PPI can accurately predict survival of terminal cancer patients receiving hospice consultation care. PPI is a simple tool and can be administered by nurse members of hospice consultation teams.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1313-1320
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• 2014

Introduction: Although most prostate cancers initially respond to castration with luteinizing hormonereleasing analogues or bilateral orchiectomy, progression eventually occurs. Based on the exciting results of several randomized controlled trials (RCTs), it seems that patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) might benefit more from treatment withabiraterone. Therefore we conducted a systematic review to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of abiraterone in the treatment of mCRPC. Methods: Literature was searched from Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library up to July, 2013. Quality of the study was evaluated according to the Cochrane's risk of bias of randomized controlled trial (RCT) tool, then the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) System was used to rate the level of evidence. Stata 12.0 was used for statistical analysis. Summary data from RCTs comparing abiraterone plus prednisone versus placebo plus prednisone for mCRPC were meta-analyzed. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS), radiographic progression-free survival (RPFS) and time to PSA progression (TTPP); Pooled risk ratios (RR) for PSA response rate, objective response rate and adverse event were calculated. Results: Ten trials were included in the systematic review; Data of 2,283 patients (1,343 abiraterone; 940 placebo) from two phase 3 trials: COU-AA-301 and COU-AA-302 were meta-analyzed. Compared with placebo, abiraterone significantly prolonged OS (HR, 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66 to 0.84), RPFS (HR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.48 to 0.74) and time to PSA progression (HR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.43 to 0.70); it also significantly increased PSA response rate (RR, 3.63; 95% CI, 1.72 to 7.65) and objective response rate (RR, 3.05; 95% CI, 1.51 to 6.15). This meta-analysis suggested that the adverse events caused by abiraterone are acceptable and can be controlled. Conclutios: Abiraterone significantly prolonged OS, RPFS and time to progression patients with mCRPC, regardless of prior chemotherapy or whether chemotherapy-na$\ddot{i}$ve, and no unexpected toxicity was evident. Abiraterone can serve as a new standard therapy for mCRPC.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.501-518
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• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Sodium intake is positively associated with blood pressure, which may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, we assessed the disease burden of CVD attributable to sodium intakes above 2,000 mg/day and prospectively investigated the association between dietary/urinary sodium levels and the risk of all-cause and CVD-mortality using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES). SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 68,578 and 33,113 participants were included for comparative risk assessment (CRA) analysis and mortality analysis, respectively, and mean follow-up time for mortality was 5.4 years. CRA analysis was used to quantify attributable incidences of stroke, ischemic heart disease (IHD), and deaths attributable to sodium intake between 1998 and 2016. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to determine the association between sodium intake and all-cause and CVD-mortality. RESULTS: Mean dietary sodium intake decreased over time, reaching 3,647 mg/day in 2016. Similarly, the population attributable fractions of stroke and IHD, and the number of CVD-associated deaths attributable to high sodium intake/excretion also decreased. In terms of association with mortality, when participants were grouped into quartiles (Q) by energy-adjusted sodium intake, those in Q2 had a lower risk of all-cause mortality than those in Q1 with lower intakes. The risk of CVD-associated mortality was higher only in females with high sodium intake in Q4 than those in Q1. CONCLUSIONS: This nationwide data indicates that, in line with previous studies of multiple cohorts, both low and high sodium intakes may be associated with an increased risk of mortality; therefore, the optimal sodium intake for Koreans needs to be revised.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.59-84
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• 2012

'Planning researchers' believe that losses from floods can be reduced if governments address this issue and adopt appropriate policies in their plan. As a starting point for examining this idea, this research assessed the ability of local government to incorporate flood mitigation policies in their local comprehensive plans using plan quality evaluation methodology. This study analyzed 53 local comprehensive plans in Florida against the protocol developed by including key flood mitigation policies. While flood mitigation through land use management tools, such as permitted land use in floodplain areas and wetland permit, gained widespread acceptance at the local level in Florida, incentive based tools/taxing tools and acquisition tools were rarely adopted. Study results show that 53 local plans in the sample received a mean score for total flood mitigation policy quality of 38.55, which represents 35.69 % of the total possible points. These findings indicate that there is still considerable room for improvement by local governments on flood issues. The scores of local plans varied widely, with coastal communities receiving significantly higher scores than non-coastal communities. Because the concept of the plan quality and its methodology offer an objective and straightforward tool for studying plan quality and guiding plan preparation, they can be applied to various environmental and hazard issues in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.101 no.2
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• pp.244-250
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• 2012

The objective of this study was to analyze the above-ground biomass and crown fuel characteristics of Pinus densiflora stands in Yangyang, Gangwon province. A total of thirteen representative trees were destructively sampled in Yangyang region. The results showed that the stem density ($g{\cdot}cm^{-3}$) was 0.347~0.409, whereas the above-ground biomass expansion factors ranged from 1.251~1.419. In terms of crown fuel biomass, the above-ground biomass was $161.6Mg{\cdot}ha^{-1}$ while the stem biomass, branch biomass and needle biomass were $126.4Mg{\cdot}ha^{-1}$, $29.3Mg{\cdot}ha^{-1}$ and $5.9Mg{\cdot}ha^{-1}$, respectively. Needles and twigs with less than 1 cm diameter accounted 45.2% of the total crown fuel load. The available crown bulk density, which was calculated by dividing the crown fuel load to the crown volume, was $0.178kg{\cdot}m^{-3}$. The results of this study on the biomass and carbon stocks estimation of the Pinus densiflora together with the crown fire hazard assessment based on crown fuel loads are very significant information for the forest managers.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.369-375
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• 2013

Objectives: This study was conducted to identify factors determining the toxicity of manufactured silver nano-particles (AgNPs) on aquatic organisms. Methods: For this purpose, we prepared several AgNPs with varied characteristics, including hydrodynamic size (nano-$^{ABC}Ag^{Cit}\;vs$-sized-$^{ABC}Ag^{Cit}$), impurities ($^{ABC}Ag$ stock vs $^{ABC}Ag$), and citrate capping ($^{ABC}Ag^{Cit}$), using a commercially available manufactured AgNP ($^{ABC}Ag$ stock). Acute tests were conducted using larval zebrafish (Danio rerioI). In addition, in order to determine the ecotoxicological potentials of various capping agents, toxicity tests were conducted with microbes, waterfleas, and fish for eight different capping agents that are used for NPs. Results: The toxicity of AgNPs in terms of 96 h fish $LC_{50}$ increased in the following order: $^{ABC}Ag$ stock < $^{ABC}Ag=^{ABC}Ag^{Cit}=nano-^{ABC}Ag^{Cit}$ < ${\mu}$-sized-$^{ABC}Ag^{Cit}$ < $AgNO_3$. After removing impurities by dialysis, 96 h $LC_{50}$ value decreased significantly from $126.6{\mu}g/L$ (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 107.0-146.2) ($^{ABC}Ag$ stock) to $78.6{\mu}g/L$ (CI: 72.7-84.8) ($^{ABC}Ag$). For ${\mu}$-sized-$^{ABC}Ag^{Cit}$ (ranging between 3.9 and 40.6 nm) and $^{ABC}Ag^{Cit}$ (40.6 nm and $9.1{\mu}m$), the 96 h $LC_{50}$ of the former ($43.9{\mu}g/L$, CI: 36.0-51.7) was approximately two-fold lower than that of the latter ($87.0{\mu}g/L$, CI: 73.5-100.3). Conclusions: In this study, we found that for acute lethality, the contribution of impurities and particle size was significant, but that of citrate was negligible.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.9-20
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• 2019

This study was examined fire risk properties of wood specimen for the constructional interiors, especially focusing on the fire performance index (FPI) and the fire growth index (FGI) as heat hazard characteristics. Flame retardants were synthesized using boric acid, boronic acid and tetraethoxyorthosilicate. Heat release characteristics were measured by using a cone calorimeter (ISO 5660-1) and cypress was used. The external heat flux as fire intensity was maintained at 50 kW/㎡. The measured fire performance index (FPI) after burning was increased by 1.6 times for boric acid/silicone (BA/Si) sol, each 1.1 times for isobutylboronic acid/silicone (IBBA/Si) sol and phenylboronic acid/silicone (PBA/Si) sol compared with cypress. Fire risk by the fire performance index was increased BA/Si, IBBA/Si ≈ PBA/Si order. The fire growth index was decreased 94% for the BA/Si and 8% for the IBBA/Si sol, and was increased by 17% for the PBA/Si sol. Fire risk by the fire growth index was increased BA/Si, IBBA/Si, PBA/Si order. Overall fire risk was higher in the order of BA/Si < IBBA/Si < PBA/Si.