• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.970-976
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• 2016

Determining age structure of the population of an endangered species is critical because it could provide basic information about population dynamics. In this study, we assessed the possibility if the growth lines on dorsal scutes of the national monument as well as endangered Reeves' turtle (Mauremys reevesii) can reliably estimate actual ages of the 100 turtles of which actual ages were known and have been housed in Seoul Zoo. We counted the number of growth lines on the first four dorsal scutes and the first left and right lateral scutes of each turtle and compared those with their known actual ages. Ages estimated by the growth lines were overestimated at between 1 and 5 actual ages, but underestimated at between 6 and 9 actual ages, indicating that age estimation using growth lines is only partially applicable at actual ages of less than 6 years old. In addition, using length and width of turtle's dorsal plates, we produced growth curves with equations to estimate actual ages of females combined with juveniles, but its application to estimate actual ages was not reliably possible because all subject turtles which used were at relatively young ages. In conclusion, when estimating actual ages of Reeves' turtles using the number of growth lines on the dorsal scutes, it is recommend to use minimum values at less than 6 lines, but use maximum values at more than 7 lines. As the first study which estimated actual ages of a turtle species using growth lines on the dorsal scutes in Korea, our results could be useful to estimate ages of the endangered Reeve's turtles in the field although its application might be limited.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.191-198
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• 2015

Objective : The purpose of this study was to conduct biomechanical analysis of varying backpack loads on the lower limb movements during downhill walking over $-20^{\circ}$ ramp. Method : Thirteen male university students (age: $23.5{\pm}2.1yrs$, height: $175.7{\pm}4.6cm$, weight: $651.9{\pm}55.5N$) who have no musculoskeletal disorder were recruited as the subjects. Each subject walked over $20^{\circ}$ ramp with four different backpack weights (0%, 10%, 20% and 30% of body weight) in random order at a speed of $1.0{\pm}0.1m/s$. Five digital camcorders and two force plates were used to obtain 3-d data and kinetics of the lower extremity. For each trial being analyzed, five critical instants were identified from the video recordings. Ground reaction force, loading rate, decay rate, and resultant joint moment of the ankle and the knee were determined by the inverse dynamics analysis. For each dependent variable, one-way ANOVA with repeated measures was used to determine whether there were significant differences among four different backpack weight conditions (p<.05). When a significant difference was found, post hoc analyses were performed using the contrast procedure. Results : The results of this study showed that the medio-lateral GRFs at RHC in 20% and 30% body weight were significantly greater than the corresponding value in 0% of body weight. A consistent increase in the vertical GRFs as backpack loads increased was observed. The valgus joint movement of the knee at RTO in 30% body weight was significantly greater than the corresponding values in 0% and 10% body weight. The increased valgus moment of 30% body weight observed in this phase was associated with decelerating and stabilizing effects on the knee joint. The results also showed that the extension and valgus joint moments of the knee were systematically affected by the backpack load during downhill walking. Conclusion : Since downhill walking while carrying heavy external loads in a backpack may lead to excessive knee joint moment, damage can occur to the joint structures such as joint capsule and ligaments. Therefore, excessive repetitions of downhill walking should be avoided if the lower extremity is subjected to abnormally high levels of load over an extended period of time.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.683-689
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• 2012

This research was carried out to investigate the effect of installation spacing of subsurface drip irrigation pipe on the mineral content, nutrient uptake, yield of lettuce, water requirement for irrigation, and soil chemical properties in greenhouse cultivation. Semi-forcing and retarding culture were implemented in this experiment, with four treatments containing overhead spray irrigation and three subsurface irrigation lateral spacing intervals of 30, 40, 50 cm at a depth of 30 cm from soil surface, respectively. Each mineral content of lettuce grown under subirrigation system did not show significant difference between treatments, however the uptake of nutrients was lower at 50 cm-distance. The yield was largest in 30 cm-subirrigation (SI), followed by 40 cm-SI, overhead spray, and 50 cm-treatment. Water requirement for irrigation was highest in overhead spray, and it was in reverse proportion to the distance of irrigation pipes. $NO_3$-N content in the soil, at a depth of 10 cm, showed a higher value in 50 cm-SI, followed by 40 cm-SI, overhead spray and 30 cm-SI. Exchangeable K content was highest in 50 cm-SI, Mg was highest in 40 cm-SI, and Ca was lowest in 30 cm-SI. In conclusion, the lettuce yield was not different between 30 and 40 cm-SI, but water requirement for irrigation was lower as the distance of irrigation pipes was further. And it seems to be needed more precise research on this theme, because crop yield and the dynamics of soil minerals in subsurface irrigation can vary with the depth and distance of irrigation pipes, dripper, water flow depending on the soil texture, and plant response to soil minerals.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.549-562
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• 2017

The US railroad network carries 40% of the nation's total freight. Railroad bridges are the most critical part of the network infrastructure and, therefore, must be properly maintained for the operational safety. Railroad managers inspect bridges by measuring displacements under train crossing events to assess their structural condition and prioritize bridge management and safety decisions accordingly. The displacement of a railroad bridge under train crossings is one parameter of interest to railroad bridge owners, as it quantifies a bridge's ability to perform safely and addresses its serviceability. Railroad bridges with poor track conditions will have amplified displacements under heavy loads due to impacts between the wheels and rail joints. Under these circumstances, vehicle-track-bridge interactions could cause excessive bridge displacements, and hence, unsafe train crossings. If displacements during train crossings could be measured objectively, owners could repair or replace less safe bridges first. However, data on bridge displacements is difficult to collect in the field as a fixed point of reference is required for measurement. Accelerations can be used to estimate dynamic displacements, but to date, the pseudo-static displacements cannot be measured using reference-free sensors. This study proposes a method to estimate total transverse displacements of a railroad bridge under live train loads using acceleration and tilt data at the top of the exterior pile bent of a standard timber trestle, where train derailment due to excessive lateral movement is the main concern. Researchers used real bridge transverse displacement data under train traffic from varying bridge serviceability levels. This study explores the design of a new bridge deck-pier experimental model that simulates the vibrations of railroad bridges under traffic using a shake table for the input of train crossing data collected from the field into a laboratory model of a standard timber railroad pile bent. Reference-free sensors measured both the inclination angle and accelerations of the pile cap. Various readings are used to estimate the total displacements of the bridge using data filtering. The estimated displacements are then compared to the true responses of the model measured with displacement sensors. An average peak error of 10% and a root mean square error average of 5% resulted, concluding that this method can cost-effectively measure the total displacement of railroad bridges without a fixed reference.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.135-144
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• 2016

It is essential to lighten the weight of switch girders in order to reduce their costs of manufacturing and make it easier to use them in construction. Lightening the weight of switch is also important to the Maglev 3-way switches system, however, the design variables should be considered very carefully if lightening is to be applied to the system, because these variables are vitally related to the levitation stability. Because Urban Maglev trains have a structure in which train bogie wraps around the guiderail, the adjustment of a girder's height is a possible way to reduce the weight. The safety of the application of this concept is ensured by repeated experiments in a test bed, however, due to a lack of space and budget limits, the design parametric study for the system model can substitute for actual application. The purpose of this paper is to study the design parameters that are concerned with levitation stability while a Maglev train is running on the Maglev 3-way system depending on the weight of the switch girders. In this study, switch girder weight is reduced by adjustment of girder height and girders are and modeled as a flexible body. The effect of the adjustment of girder height on the levitation stability can be analyzed by comparing the velocity of the train when it passes the switch girders, with the lateral gap, and the levitation gap which are obtained from the co-simulation of the Maglev train's dynamics model and flexible switching system. The results of this research will be used to design a Maglev switch.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.251-259
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• 2016

This study examined the DO concentration distribution and ORP distribution using microbubbles on pilot-scale aeration tanks. As a result of MLSS mixing and oxygen transfer phenomenon using microbubbles, different DO concentrations were observed depending on the circulation of the liquid with the microbubble supply location on the lateral of an aeration tank. The simulation results of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) program showed that MLSS mixed with a microbubble supply in the middle the reactor is much better than on the left side of the reactor. A single reactor containing an anaerobic, anoxic, and aerobic zone, was evaluated without partition according to the location of the microbubble supply based on the experiments and CFD analysis. MLSS was separated into solid-liquid by the microbubble supply in the aeration tank. Consequently, selecting the appropriate microbubble size is important for MLSS mixing and was maintained at the proper DO concentration for biological treatment.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.363-374
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• 2018

The Han River serves as an important water resource for the city of Seoul, Korea and in the neighboring metropolitan areas. From the Paldang dam to the Jamsil submerged weir, the 4 water intake stations that are located for the Seoul metropolitan population were under review in this study. Therefore the water quality management in this section is very important to monitor, analyze and review to rule out any safety concerns. In this study, a 3-D hydrodynamic model, EFDC (Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code), was applied to the downstream of the Paldang Dam in the Han River, which is about 23 km in length, to determine issues related to water resource management. The 3-D grid was composed of 2,168 horizontal grids and three vertical layers. In this case, the hydrodynamic model was calibrated and verified with an observed average daily water surface elevation, water temperature and flow rate data for 3 years (2013~2015). The developed EFDC model proved to reproduce the hydrodynamics of the Han River well. The composition ratios of the noted incoming flows at the monitored intake stations for 3 years and their flow patterns in the river were analyzed using the validated model. It was found that the flow of the Wangsuk Stream depended on the Paldnag dam discharge, and it was noted that the composition ratios of the stream at the intake stations changed accordingly. In a word, the Wangsuk Stream moved mainly along the right bank of the Han River under the condition of a normal dam flow. As can be seen, when the dam discharge rate was low, the incidence of lateral mixing was often seen. The scenario analyses were also conducted to predict the transport of conservative pollutants as in the case of a chemical spill accident. Generally speaking, when scenarios were applied, the arrival time and concentration of pollutants at each intake station was thus predicted.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.269-285
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• 2022

The interaction between ocean and ice shelf is a critical physical process in relation to water mass transformations and ice shelf melting/freezing at the ocean-ice interface. However, it remains challenging to thoroughly understand the process due to a lack of observational data with respect to ice shelf cavities. This is the first study to simulate the variability and circulation of water mass both overlying the continental shelf and underneath an ice shelf and an ice tongue in the Terra Nova Bay (TNB), East Antarctica. To explore the properties of water mass and circulation patterns in the TNB and the corresponding effects on sub ice shelf basal melting, we explicitly incorporate the dynamic-thermodynamic processes acting on the ice shelf in the Regional Ocean Modeling System. The simulated water mass formation and circulation in the TNB region agree well with previous studies. The model results show that the TNB circulation is dominated by the geostrophic currents driven by lateral density gradients induced by the releasing of brine or freshwater at the polynya of the TNB. Meanwhile, the circulation dynamics in the cavity under the Nansen Ice shelf (NIS) are different from those in the TNB. The gravity-driven bottom current induced by High Salinity Shelf Water (HSSW) formed at the TNB polynya flows towards the grounding line, and the buoyance-driven flow associated with glacial meltwater generated by the HSSW emerges from the cavity along the ice base. Both current systems compose the thermohaline overturning circulation in the NIS cavity. This study estimates the NIS basal melting rate to be 0.98 m/a, which is comparable to the previously observed melt rate. However, the melting rate shows a significant variation in space and time.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.398-405
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• 2022

The research was based on long-term studies on the major physico-chemical and hydrological factors and zooplankton community dynamics in the Hwang River. We had 341 times survey and collected zooplankton samples in the Hwang River of mid-Nakdong River from 1995 to 2013. We identified 97 zooplankton species, including 77 rotifers, 16 cladocerans, and 4 copepods. The total zooplankton abundance and species diversity were shown distinctive temporal variation (ANOVA, p<0.001). Annual average of zooplankton population density was 58.4±3.2 ind L^-1 (n=341) and the lowest was 17.0±3.8 ind L^-1 (1996, n=20), while the highest was 151.5±32.3 ind L^-1 (2010, n=22). For zooplankton, small rotifer groups(e.g., Keratella sp., Brachionus sp., Trichotria sp.) dominated the study site for 19 years survey. Statistical analysis revealed that there were positive relationships with SiO₂ (p=0.002) and water level (p<0.001) for the high abundance of rotifer community. There were considerable variations both the total cladocerans population and the number of cladocerans' species concerning annual precipitation. Despite the appearance of various zooplankton in the Hwang River, the mean population density remained low. Due to the lateral structures in the Nakdong River, the downstream basin of the Hwang River is inevitably affected. The zooplankton community in our study site is considered to be mainly influenced by external factors that can stably increase and maintain the volume of the water body and internal factors that induce an increase in food sources through the inflow of nutrients into the water body.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.1
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• pp.244-257
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• 2023

The study aimed to investigate the effect of low-frequency oscillations on the cow udder, milk parameters, and animal welfare during the automated milking process. The study's objective was to investigate the impact of low-frequency oscillations on the udder and teats' blood circulation by creating a mathematical model of mammary glands, using milkers and vibrators to analyze the theoretical dynamics of oscillations. The mechanical vibration device developed and tested in the study was mounted on a DeLaval automatic milking machine, which excited the udder with low-frequency oscillations, allowing the analysis of input parameters (temperature, oscillation amplitude) and using feedback data, changing the device parameters such as vibration frequency and duration. The experimental study was performed using an artificial cow's udder model with and without milk and a DeLaval milking machine, exciting the model with low-frequency harmonic oscillations (frequency range 15-60 Hz, vibration amplitude 2-5 mm). The investigation in vitro applying low-frequency of the vibration system's first-order frequencies in lateral (X) direction showed the low-frequency values of 23.5-26.5 Hz (effective frequency of the simulation analysis was 25.0 Hz). The tested values of the first-order frequency of the vibration system in the vertical (Y) direction were 37.5-41.5 Hz (effective frequency of the simulation analysis was 41.0 Hz), with higher amplitude and lower vibration damping. During in vivo experiments, while milking, the vibrator was inducing mechanical milking-similar vibrations in the udder. The vibrations were spreading to the entire udder and caused physiotherapeutic effects such as activated physiological processes and increased udder base temperature by 0.57℃ (p < 0.001), thus increasing blood flow in the udder. Used low-frequency vibrations did not significantly affect milk yield, milk composition, milk quality indicators, and animal welfare. The investigation results showed that applying low-frequency vibration on a cow udder during automatic milking is a non-invasive, efficient method to stimulate blood circulation in the udder and improve teat and udder health without changing milk quality and production. Further studies will be carried out in the following research phase on clinical and subclinical mastitis cows.