• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.241-249
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• 2005

In this study, instrumental neutron activation analysis was used to measure the concentrations of about 30 trace elements in airborne particulate (PM2.5) samples at urban area of Daejeon city located in the southwestern region of Korea. An inspection of the measurement data indicates that the distribution patterns of trace elements could clearly distinguish the elements with their concentrations ranging over five orders of magnitude. The mean values for Lu and Dy were found to be the lowest at values of 0.01 and $0.04ng/m^3$, while those for K and Fe showed the highest value of 671 and $653ng/m^3$, respectively. The results of correlation analysis showed that PM2.5 concentrations can exhibit much more enhanced correlations with the elements of earth crustal components. The results of factor analysis further indicated that there are no more than six factors with statistical significance, which may exert dominant roles in regulating the elemental concentration levels in the study area. Enrichment factor analysis supports explicit interpretation of results found by this factor analysis.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.113-124
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• 2009

Severe sediment-laden problem has been the hot issue in Korea. It was assumed that agricultural activities and landslides were the primary causes of these problems in watersheds. The USLE-based systems have been widely used in soil erosion studies. However the GIS-based USLE modeling system has limitation in USLE L factors. In this study, the SATEEC L module was developed to reflect the slope length segmentations in the fields. The SATEEC L module was applied to the study watershed to analyze the effects of using the SATEEC L module on estimated sediment. As shown in the comparisons between SATEEC estimated sediment with SWAT values, the SATEEC GA-SDR module derives the SDR with reasonably acceptable accuracies. However, it is worthy to note that the soil erosion using the SATEEC L module for the study watershed was lower than that without using the SATEEC L module by 25%, although the SATEEC estimated sediment values with and without using L module match the SWAT sediment values with similar accuracies. This is because the SATEEC GA-SDR module estimates lower SDR in case of greater soil erosion estimation without the L module and greater SDR in case of lower soil erosion estimation with the L module. This indicates that the SATEEC input parameters, especially L factor, need to be prepared with care for accurate estimation of SDR at a watershed scale and for accurate evaluation of BMPs in the watershed.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.107-121
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• 2011

To assess the impact of climate change on water quality in an impounded river basin, this study estimated future air temperature and rainfall in the years of 2020, 2050 and 2080 by statistically downscaling the simulation results from two GCM models combined with two emission scenarios (A2 and B1). Both scenarios were selected from the Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES) suggested by IPCC. The A2 scenario represents an extreme condition whereas the B1 scenario represents a clean and energy efficient condition which is similar to that of study basin. With the results of estimated climate factors and land use data, the discharge and the concentrations of BOD, TN and TP in the Andong dam basins were simulated using the SWAT model. The change in BOD concentration for the B1 emission scenario was greater than the A2 scenario in the annual increase range and the pollution level. The concentration of TN was decreased during March? June which is drought period and increased again afterward. In contrast to TN, the concentration of TP was generally decreased. The change in TP concentration was greater for the B1 scenario than the A2 scenario.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.12-25
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• 2015

The tributaries of Daechung Lake play an important role in controlling eutrophication in the lake, which is used for agricultural purposes and as potable water. However, water quality properties were not extensively studied in the tributaries of Daechung Lake. The objectives of this study are to investigate spatial and temporal properties of water quality and to characterize streams which could threaten water quality of Daechung Lake. For this study, water samples were weekly or monthly collected from February 2014 to October 2014 in 9 streams. Water quality parameters analyzed in this study include biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen and phosphorus (TN and TP), suspended solids (SS), and chlorophyll a. Based on temporal distribution and principal component analysis, BOD, COD, TOC, SS, and TP were controlled by not only river discharge that increased during summer due to heavy rain fall, but also due to anthropogenic input (e.g., bridge construction and/or agricultural activity). Dilution is also one of the factors explaining TN and conductivity, both of which decreased with increased discharge. Generally, concentrations of contaminants (BOD, COD, TOC, TN and TP) in the tributaries were higher than those of Daechung Lake. However, pollution load indicated that only the main channel of Geum River and Sook Stream may largely influence lake waters, attributed mostly to their large volumes. This implies that the main channel and Sook Stream are the major influences on the water quality of Daechung Lake.

• Hwankyungkyoyuk
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.1-13
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• 2002

The progress of environmental science and technology in the developed countries has been rapid in recent years. Particularly remarkable has been the advancement of various pollutant control measures, which have brought the pollution of inorganic factors such as air and water under control. In contrast, diversity of the ecosphere, of which man is a part, is being steadily impoverished and the biological community is getting unvaryingly uniform. These phenomena were brought about by the expansion of artificial environment such as new industrial complexes, transportation facilities and urban development. Man has constructed uniform and artificial environment, believing in the premise of confrontation with nature, to such a scale that the natural environment and biological community have lost their balance. This will increasingly endanger the soundness of the biotic environment of nature, which constitutes the potential foundation both for the survival environment of man as biological entity and for the development of human civilization. In order to guarantee the soundness of man's body, intelligence and sensitivity as wholesome gene pool on the earth and for the future of man, primarily important environmental education is the understanding of how man can everlasting exist in and with the survival environment. In view of this reality, it is vitally important to create ecologically diverse and well-balanced environment with living materials, i.e., vegetation in order to secure lasting survival environment for man. This task is urgently required in highly artificial environment where non-biological materials have forced the impoverishment of the biological community. Therefore, environmental education for the future should not be totally oriented to technology as that in the past nor it is limited to the medical aspect where well-being of human is the sole object of concern. That is to say, environmental education for the future should be one that provides knowledge that human can understand his place based on the ecological concept and thereby make him to have ethical consciousness that he can control his behavior within the reasonable level for ecological niche who he is located.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.1 s.69
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• pp.1-10
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• 2007

Background : There has been renewed interest in complementary alternative medicine around the world far a decade. On the other hand, the issue of safety of herbal medicine in Korea has been continuously questioned. Issues raised have included not only chemical residue or heavy metals caused by pollution, but also the toxicity of herbal medicine itself. Objectives : The purpose of this study was to review some herbal medicines subject to controversy of toxicity and figure out what kind of problems they evidence. Methods : In this review, PubMed was used to search medical journals. Keywords such as 'herb, or herbal medicine', 'safety, or adverse events, or adverse effect, or toxicity, or liver injury' were applied. Journals were selected by four inclusion criteria, as objectives should be human, researchers should be medical doctors, literature written in the English language, and types of journals should be meta-analysis or practice guideline or reviews. Finally, 9 cases from 60 journals were included in this review. Results : We reviewed 13 herbal medicines for controversy of toxicity such as ephedra(Mahuang), Arisolochia fangchi, Aristolochia manshuriensis, licorice, skullcap , germander, Syo-saiko-to(Xiao-chai-hu-tang), Chelidonium majus, mistletoe, Dictamnus dasycarpus and madder. Conclusions : It suggested that 'who it is prescribed for' is one of the most important factors to identify the causes of toxicity in herbal medicine and dietary supplements, under specific conditions in Korea.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.379-389
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• 2007

This paper presents an attempt to determine natural background levels of heavy metals which could be used for assessing heavy metal contamination. For this study, a large archive dataset of heavy metal concentration (Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn) for more than 900 surface sediment samples from various Korean coastal environments was newly compiled. These data were normalized for aluminum (grain-size normalizer) concentration to isolate natural factors from anthropogenic ones. The normalization was based on the hypothesis that heavy metal concentrations vary consistently with the concentration of aluminum, unless these metals are of anthropogenic origin. So, the samples (outliers) suspected of receivingany anthropogenic input were removed from regression to ascertain the "background" relationship between the metals and aluminum. Identification of these outliers was tested using a model of predicted limits at 95%. The process of testing for normality (Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test) and selection of outliers was iterated until a normal distribution was achieved. On the basis of the linear regression analysis of the large archive (please check) dataset, background levels, which are applicable to heavy metal assessment of Korean coastal sediments, were successfully developed for Cu, Cr, Ni, Zn. As an example, we tested the applicability of this baseline level for metal pollution assessment of Masan Bay sediments.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.337-351
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• 2006

In this study, to describe the basic characteristics of strong odorous sources, the emissions of odorous compounds from a large-scale sewage treatment plant in K city were investigated. According to this study, the emission patterns of major odorous compounds were distinguished clearly by several factors such as treatment processing types, chemical compositions of odors released, and temporal changes (e.g., seasonal variations). For the purpose of this study, emission rates of odorous compounds were quantified using a dynamic flux chamber (DFC) method from three major treatment (T) processes including T1 (Grit sedimentation basin), T2 (Aeration tank), and T3 (Final sedimentation). When the relative strengths of each emission source were compared, the strongest one was seen from T1 with the maximum of $NH_{3}\;(34.5\;{\mu}g/m^{2}/min)$ followed by $H_{2}S\;(20.4\;{\mu}g/m^{2}/min)($. While the strongest emissions of most odorous compounds were seen commonly from T1, those seen from T2 and T3 were significantly reduced relative to the ones found in T1. Considering the general patterns of odorous emission, it is concluded that control of odors from T1 unit is most important because of its considerably high emission strengths.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 1995

Water pollution, which is caused by surfactants, is increased by insolubility and excessive uses of detergents. The detergency properties of nine kinds of amphoteric surfactants derived from imidazoline were investigated and compared with sodium lauryl sulfats(SLS) of petrochemical surfactant by using detergent formulations. Several physico-chemical properties were measured to investigate the effective factors on detergency. From the comparision of these compounds with SLS, it was found that 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1- (3-sulfonatedpropyl)-2-undecyl-2-imidazolinum [IV] has the most outstnading characteristics of detergency and various fundamental properties. Therefore, this result is expected to do its environmental stability as a nonpolluting detergent. Detergency process of surfactants were discussed in relation to physico-chemical treatments. Performance improvement on detergency is made work of adhesion to soil as small as possible. Therefore these results show that contamination is easily removed and industrial applications may be respected.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.187-194
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• 2017

As the environmental pollution and the global warming have become more and more serious, the green management has been growing more and more critical to small and medium enterprises. In order to explore factors positively influencing small and medium enterprises' green management performance, this study presents the two major implications through the ordinary least squares regression based on the 2,200 data from the small and medium enterprises in the Republic of Korea. First, small and medium enterprises' external technology R&D information network diversity positively influences their green management performance from technology R&D. Second, small and medium enterprises' production process improvement is a partial mediator between their external technology R&D information network diversity and green management performance from technology R&D.