• Membrane Journal
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.341-347
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• 2009

Nanohybrid based on environmentally friendly and biodegradable polymer, poly propylene carbonate (PPC) and cloisite 20B (PPC/C-20B) have been synthesized by solution blending method and their morphology, thermal and water absorption properties have been evaluated. The structure of PPC/C-20B nanohybrid was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The thermal property of PPC and PPC/C-20B nanohybrid were investigated by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC). The experimental results demonstrated that nanohybrid showed the highest thermal stability in TGA and DSC. TGA tests revealed that the thermal decomposition temperature ($T_{d50%}$) of the nanohybrid increased significantly, being $23^{\circ}C$ higher than that of pure PPC while DSC measurements indicated that the introduction of 5 mass% of clay increased the glass transition temperature from 21 to $30^{\circ}C$. Further the water absorption capacity of the PPC was significantly decreased by the incorporation of clay. Water absorption cause degradation of the coating by the moistures and affect the physical and mechanical performance. This result indicates that organic modifiers have effect on thermal and water absorption capacity of PPC and are of importance for the practical process and application of PPC.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.400-407
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• 2003

In microbial coal desulfurization process (MCDP) by using Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, the effect of process variables on pyritic sulfur removal efficiency has been investigated. The inhibitory effect of toxic materials contained in coal matrix on the activity of desulfurizing bacteria have been evaluated in coal extracts, and the results showed that the method was useful to evaluate the applicability of a coal which is to be desulfurization to MCDP. The removal efficiency increased with decreasing particle size and decreases with increasing pulp density, but has no significant influence of particle size and pup densities at high pulp densities over 20 wt%. The mass transfers of gaseous nutrients such as oxygen and carbon dioxide into coal slurry with various pulp densities and coal particle size has been studied in an airlift bioreactor. Mass transfer coefficient was independent of pulp density in coal slurry with fine particle below 175 $\mu\textrm{m}$, but significantly decreased with increasing pulp density over 225 $\mu\textrm{m}$. The coal particles over 575 $\mu\textrm{m}$ were significantly settled to the bottom of bioreactor resulting in poor mixing. Considering mass transfer, pulp density and coal mixing, an optimal size of coal particle for the microbial coal desulfurization process seems to be about 500 $\mu\textrm{m}$.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.145-152
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• 2008

A fault gouge zone which is about 25cm thick crops out along a small valley in Yangbuk-myeon, Gyeongju city. It is divided into greenish brown gouge and bluish gray gouge by color. Under the microscope, the gouges have a lot of porphyroclasts composed of old gouge fragments, quartz, feldspar and iron minerals. Clay minerals are abundant in matrix, defining strikingly P foliation by preferred orientation. Microstructural differences between bluish pay gouge and greenish brown gouge are as follows: greenish brown gouge compared to bluish gray gouge is (1) rich in clay minerals, (2) small in size and number of porphyroclasts, and (3) plentiful in iron minerals which are mostly hematites, while chiefly pyrites in bluish gray gouge. Hematites are considered to be altered from pyrites in the early-formed greenish brown gouge under the influence of hydrothermal fluids accompanied during the formation of bluish gray gouge that also precipitated pyrites. It is believed that the fault core including bluish gray gouge zone and greenish brown gouge zone was formed by progressive cataclastic flow. In the first stage the fault core initiates from damage zone of early faulting. In the second stage damage zone actively transforms into breccia zone by repeated fracturing. The third stage includes greenish brown (old) gouge formation in the center of the fault core mainly by particle grinding. In the third stage further deformation leads to the formation of new (bluish gray) gouge zone while old gouge zone undergoes strain hardening. Consequently, the whole gouge zone in the core widens.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.166-173
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• 2019

In this paper, the reaction properties of silica source in the accelerated curing conditions using autoclave and the fundamental properties of inorganic Micro Defect Free(MiDF) concrete using silica source are studied. Studies show that Si ions elution rate from silica source in autoclave curing is higher in amorphous source. In tap water conditions, solids which is source after autoclaved curing show a higher mass reduction in amorphous materials, which is attributed to the higher elution rate of ion. In $Ca(OH)_2$ solution conditions, amorphous materials show higher mass increase, due to increase in C-S-H minerals. From experiment for influence on the properties of MiDF concrete by using nano silica materials, the specimen with silica fume shows an increase in compressive strength and a decrease in absorption depending on replacement rate up to 5.5%, while nano silica with amorphous phase and high-fineness shows a decrease in compressive strength and decrease in the water absorption. The specimen with nano silica increases the pore below 10,000nm, but reduces pore between 10,000 and 100,000nm. The above results show that the porosity and absorption rate of MiDF concrete can be reduced by using amorphous nano-size silica. However, to reduce the pore of 50 to 10,000nm, better dispersion of nano material in the cement matrix will be necessary. We will focus on the this item in the next research.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.212-223
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• 2019

This study is to investigate the relationship between microstructural factors and tensile properties after aging heat treatment of the 15-5PH stainless steel at the temperature range of $450^{\circ}C$, $500^{\circ}C$ and $550^{\circ}C$ for various time. For the aging time of 2 hours, hardness showed maximum at $450^{\circ}C$ and then decreased with increasing aging temperature. While, hardness decreased gradually during aging $450^{\circ}C$, $500^{\circ}C$ and $550^{\circ}C$ from 1 hour to 5 hours but the hardness nearly unchanged until the 100 hours after 5 hours aging. When aging at $450^{\circ}C$, Cu atoms preferentially aggregated at the prior austenite grain boundaries and martensite lath boundaries, and Cu concentration at those boundaries was nearly unchanged even after aging for 100 hours. Therefore it was suggested that the coherency is still maintained after 100 hours aging at $450^{\circ}C$. Aging at $500^{\circ}C$ and $550^{\circ}C$ results in an increase in the concentration of Ni at the martensite lath boundaries and prior austenite grain boundaries, resulting in the formation of reversed austenite. Especially, when aged at $550^{\circ}C$ for 100 hours, the concentration of Ni remarkably increased at those boundaries, and thus the microstructure of herring bone shape was appeared. Considering the migration of Ni atom to the lath boundaries and prior austenite grain boundaries, Ni atoms contributed greatly to the formation of reversed austenite. On the other hand, it was found that Cu atoms hardly moving to those boundaries may not be contributed to the formation of reversed austenite. When aging at $450^{\circ}C$, the coarsening of the precipitated Cu atoms proceeded very slowly with increasing aging time, therefore the decrease in strengths were small but the reduction area was considerably increased due to the softening of the matrix. At the aging temperature of $500^{\circ}C$ and $550^{\circ}C$, the strengths decreased and the elongation and reduction area increased due to the appearance of the reversed austenite. Especially, the increase of reduction area was remarkable.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.55-69
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• 2018

As disaster risk and climate change volatility increase, there are more efforts to adapt to disasters such as forest fires, floods, and landslides. Most of the research, however, is about influence of human activities on disaster and there is few research on disaster adaptation for species. Previous studies focusing on biodiversity in selecting conservation areas have not addressed threats of disaster in the habitats for species. The natural disasters sometimes play role of drivers of ecological successions in the long run, but they might cause serious problems for the conservation of vulnerable species which are endangered. The purpose of this study is to determine whether soil loss (SL) is effective in selecting habitat management areas for amphibians and reptiles. RUSLE model was used to calculate soil loss (SL) and the distribution of each species (SD) was computed with MaxEnt model to find out the biodiversity index. In order to select the habitat management area, we estimated the different results depending if value of soil loss was applied or not by using MARXAN, a conservation priority selection tool. With using MARXAN, conservation goals can be achieved according to the scenario objectives, and the study has been made to meet the minimum habitat area. Finally, the results are expressed in two; 1) the result of soil loss and biodiversity with MATRIX method and 2) the result of regional difference calculated with MARXAN conservation prioritization considering soil loss. The first result indicates that the area with high soil loss and low species diversity have lower conservation values and thus can be managed as natural disturbances. In the area where soil loss is high and species diversity is also high, it becomes where a disaster mitigation action should be taken for the species. According to the conservation priorities of the second result, higher effectiveness of conservation was obtained with fewer area when it considered SL in addition to SD, compared to when considered only biodiversity. When the SL was not taken into consideration, forest area with high distribution of species were important, but when SL considered, the agricultural area or downstream of the river were represented to be a major part of habitats. If more species data or disaster parameters other than soil loss are added as variables later, it could contribute as a reference material for decision-making to achieve various purposes.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.34-37
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• 2019

BACKGROUND: A region can be divided into agroclimatic zones based on homogeneity in weather variables that have greatest influence on crop growth and yield. The agro-climatic zone has been used to identify yield variability and limiting factors for crop growth. This study was conducted to classify agro-climatic zones in the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil for predicting crop productivity and assessing crop suitability etc. METHODS AND RESULTS: For agro-climatic zonation, monthly mean temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation data from Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, USA) between 1980 and 2010 were collected. Altitude and vegetation fraction of Brazil from Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) were also used to classify them. The criteria of agro-climatic classification were temperature in the hottest month ($30^{\circ}C$), annual precipitation (600 mm and 1000 mm), and altitude (200 m and 500 m). The state of Mato Gross in Brazil was divided into 9 agro-climatic zones according to these criteria by using matrix classification method. CONCLUSION: The results could be useful as information for estimating agro-meteorological characteristics and predicting crop development and crop yield in the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.111-123
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• 2021

Objective: Using domestic cats as a biomedical research model for fertility preservation, the present study aimed to characterize the influences of ovarian tissue encapsulation in biodegradable hydrogel matrix (fibrinogen/thrombin) on resilience to cryopreservation, and static versus non-static culture systems following ovarian tissue encapsulation and cryopreservation on follicle quality. Methods: In experiment I, ovarian tissues (n=21 animals; 567 ovarian fragments) were assigned to controls or hydrogel encapsulation with 5 or 10 mg/mL fibrinogen (5 or 10 FG). Following cryopreservation (slow freezing or vitrification), follicle viability, morphology, density, and key protein phosphorylation were assessed. In experiment II (based on the findings from experiment I), ovarian tissues (n=10 animals; 270 ovarian fragments) were encapsulated with 10 FG, cryopreserved, and in vitro cultured under static or non-static systems for 7 days followed by similar follicle quality assessments. Results: In experiment I, the combination of 10 FG encapsulation/slow freezing led to greater post-thawed follicle quality than in the control group, as shown by follicle viability (66.9%±2.2% vs. 61.5%±3.1%), normal follicle morphology (62.2% ±2.1% vs. 55.2%±3.5%), and the relative band intensity of vascular endothelial growth factor protein phosphorylation (0.58±0.06 vs. 0.42±0.09). Experiment II demonstrated that hydrogel encapsulation promoted follicle survival and maintenance of follicle development regardless of the culture system when compared to fresh controls. Conclusion: These results provide a better understanding of the role of hydrogel encapsulation and culture systems in ovarian tissue cryopreservation and follicle quality outcomes using an animal model, paving the way for optimized approaches to human fertility preservation.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.56 no.9
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• pp.587-602
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• 2023

Due to climate change, population growth, and economic development, the demand for water in the urban water system (UWS) and the energy required for water use constantly increase. Therefore, beyond the traditional method of considering only the water sector, the Nexus approach, which considers synergies and trade-offs between the water and energy sectors, has begun to draw attention. In previous researches, the Nexus methodology was used to demonstrate that the UWS is an energy-intensive system, analyze the water-energy efficiency relationship surrogated by energy intensity, and identify climate (long-term climate change, drought, type), geographic characteristics (topography, flat ratio, location), system characteristics (total supply water amount, population density, pipeline length), and operational management level (water network pressure, leakage rate, water saving) effects on the UWS. Through this, it was possible to suggest the direction of policies and institutions to UWS managers. However, there was a limit to establishing and implementing specific action plans. This study built the energy intensity matrix of the UWS, quantified the impact of city conditions, external influences, and operational management levels on the UWS using the water-energy Nexus model, and introduced water-energy efficiency criteria. With this, UWS managers will be able to derive strategies and action plans for efficient operation management of the UWS and evaluate suitability and validity after implementation.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.39-50
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• 2024

Color is an essential visual element that has a significant impact on the formation of a city's image and people's perceptions. Quantitative analysis of color in urban environments is a complex process that has been difficult to implement in the past. However, with recent rapid advances in Machine Learning, it has become possible to analyze city colors using photos shared by tourists. This study selected Dali City, a popular tourist destination in China, as a case study. Photos of Dali City shared by tourists were collected, and a method to measure large-scale city colors was explored by combining machine learning techniques. Specifically, the DeepLabv3+ model was first applied to perform a semantic segmentation of tourist sharing photos based on the ADE20k dataset, thereby separating artificial elements in the photos. Next, the K-means clustering algorithm was used to extract colors from the artificial elements in Dali City, and an adjacency matrix was constructed to analyze the correlations between the dominant colors. The research results indicate that the main color of the artificial elements in Dali City has the highest percentage of orange-grey. Furthermore, gray tones are often used in combination with other colors. The results indicated that local ethnic and Buddhist cultures influence the color characteristics of artificial elements in Dali City. This research provides a new method of color analysis, and the results not only help Dali City to shape an urban color image that meets the expectations of tourists but also provide reference materials for future urban color planning in Dali City.