• KIEAE Journal
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.3-8
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• 2005

The objective of this study is to examine the impact of the Phytofiltration system on the improvement of indoor air quality. Measurement was performed in a full-scale mock up model to examine the purification efficiency of air by plants. Seven species of plants, which were recommended by NASA, were used in measurements. Two species of plants that showed outstanding purifying effects were chosen for further measurements. The measurements were performed according to the positions and amounts of plants. Thermal environment, the concentration of Toluene and Formaldehyde were monitored. Ficus Benjamiana and Aglaonema brevispathum were excellent in diluting the concentration of contaminants. The effect of diluting concentration became better as the amount of plants increased. The reducing effect was the best when the plants were placed near window.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.147-155
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• 2005

This study was designed to investigate the effect of plant as a botanical air purification on the indoor pollution by formaldehyde. Three indoor plants such as Dracaena marhginata, Spathiphyllum and Dracaena reflexa, were placed in the artificially contaminated reactor under laboratory condition. Both plant and soil effects on removal of formaldehyde from contaminated indoor air were observed. Reductions in the formaldehyde levels appeared to have been associated with soil medium factors as well as plant factors. The effect of soil on formaldehyde reduction was high in the early stage of the experiment and the results suggest that sorption could be more important factor than microbial degradation in the initial dissipation of contaminants in the soil. It was suggested that the effect of plant on formaldehyde reduction might be related to the plant species, total leaf surface area of plant, degree of contribution of soil medium, and exposed concentration level. The results of this study showed that air purification using plants is an effective means of reduction on indoor formaldehyde level, though, utilization of soil media with high sorption capacity and/or supplementary purifying aids were also suggested when the source is continuous or exposed concentration level is high.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.99-105
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• 2022

Public attention to the indoor environment of underground subway stations, which is a representative multi-use facility, has been increasing along with the increase in indoor activities. In underground stations, fine iron oxide, which affects the health of users, is generated because of the friction between wheels and rails. Among particulate pollutant reduction technologies, plants have been considered as a non-chemical air purification method, and their effects in reducing certain chemical species have been identified in previous studies. The present study aimed to derive the total quantitative and qualitative reduction effects of a bio-filter system comprising air purifying plants, installed in an underground subway station. The experiment proceeded in two ways. First, PM(particulate matter) reduction effect by vegetation biofilter was monitored with the IAQ(indoor air quality) station. In addition, chemical speciation analysis conducted on the samples collected from the experimental and control areas where plants and irrigation using SEM-EDS(scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy). This study confirmed the effect of the vegetation bio-filter system in reducing the accumulation of particulate pollutants and transition and other metals that are harmful to the human body.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.268-276
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• 2018

BACKGROUND: In the month of January 2018, fine dust alerts and warnings were issued 36 times for $PM_{10}$ and 81 times for PM2.5. Air quality is becoming a serious issue nation-wide. Although interest in air-purifying plants is growing due to the controversy over the risk of chemical substances of regular air-purifying solutions, industrial spread of the plants has been limited due to their efficiency in air-conditioning perspective. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study aims to propose a vegetation-based bio-filter system that can assure total indoor air volume for the efficient application of air-purifying plants. In order to evaluate the quantitative performance of the system, time-series analysis was conducted on air-conditioning performance, indoor air quality, and comfort index improvement effects in a lecture room-style laboratory with 16 persons present in the room. The system provided 4.24 ACH ventilation rate and reduced indoor temperature by $1.6^{\circ}C$ and black bulb temperature by $1.0^{\circ}C$. Relative humidity increased by 24.4% and deteriorated comfort index. However, this seemed to be offset by turbulent flow created from the operation of air blowers. While $PM_{10}$ was reduced by 39.5% to $22.11{\mu}g/m^3$, $CO_2$ increased up to 1,329ppm. It is interpreted that released $CO_2$ could not be processed because light compensation point was not reached. As for the indoor comfort index, PMV was reduced by 83.6 % and PPD was reduced by 47.0% on average, indicating that indoor space in a comfort range could be created by operating vegetation-based bio-filters. CONCLUSION: The study confirmed that the vegetation-based bio-filter system is effective in lowering indoor temperature and $PM_{10}$ and has positive effects on creating comfortable indoor space in terms of PMV and PPD.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.214-219
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• 2017

Magnetic separators that clean the fluid stream from impurities, protect the installations in numerous industries. This paper introduces a graphical user interface (GUI) which proposes an optimized coil separating magnetic particles with a radius from 1 up to 500 µm. High gradient magnetic fields are employed in an arbitrary user defined fluidic channel which is made of a nonmetallic material. The effects of coil parameters are studied and adjusted to design an optimum coil with a minimum Ohmic loss. In addition, to design the coil scheme based on the particle movements, a mathematical particle-tracing model within the fluid channels has been utilized. In comparison to conventional magnetic separators, this model is reconfigurable by the user, produces a weaker magnetic field, allows for continuous purifying and is easy to install, with high separation efficiency. The presented GUI is simple to use, where the coil's manufacturing limitations can be specified.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.1339-1346
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• 2024

Electrorefining in molten salts is used for purifying actinides. Optimizing electrorefining is key to minimizing processing time and radiological waste. One possible way of improving electrorefining efficiency is using an AC superimposed DC waveform. This waveform has demonstrated potential benefits in aqueous solutions but has never been utilized in a molten metal, molten salt application. This work investigates the effects of using an AC superimposed DC waveform on molten bismuth electrorefining in a molten LiCl-KCl-CaCl2 eutectic. Bismuth has been identified as a potential surrogate for plutonium electrorefining and a potential cathode in electrorefining used nuclear fuel (UNF). All electrorefining runs resulted in a high purity cathode ring and high yield with exception of the run using a low-frequency, high-amplitude superimposed AC waveform, which experienced some contamination and a lower yield. The other three AC superimposed DC runs experienced an average yield 6.7 % higher than the average yield of the DC runs. The electrorefining run using the high-frequency, high-amplitude superimposed AC signal had the highest yield. It is recommended in future studies to investigate the statistical variability of electrorefining yield and current efficiency and the impact of AC superimposed DC waveforms on solidified bismuth anodes.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.34 no.6 s.119
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• pp.39-53
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• 2007

Unlike conventional roof landscaping, where various kinds of plants and structures are employed, a grass roof is a roof on which herbaceous plants are grown in planting medium and which is not accessed or maintained, mainly because it doesn't have sufficient load capacity to support a regular roof garden. They are mostly built on existing roofs, whether flat slab or gabled. Planting on roofs has numerous advantages, such as creating a biotope, purifying urban air, adding moisture to the atmosphere, storing rain water, preventing flash floods, reducing energy use for heating and air conditioning, enhancing the urban landscape and providing relaxation to the city dwellers, not to mention the alleviation of global warming by absorbing $CO_2$. In addition to the general merits of roof planting, the grass roof has its own unique qualities. Only herbaceous species are planted on the roof, resulting in light weight which allows roofs of existing buildings to be planted without structural reinforcement. The species chosen are mostly short, tough perennials that don't need to be maintained. These conditions provide an ideal situation where massive planting can be done in urban areas where roofs are often the only and definitely the largest space available to be planted. If roofs are planted on a massive scale they can play a significant role in alleviating global warming, heat island effects and energy shortages. Despite the advantages of grass roofs, there are some problems. The most significant problem is the invasion of neighboring plants. They may be brought in with the planting medium, by birds or by wind. These plants have little aesthetic value comparing to the chosen species and are usually taller. Eventually they dominate and prevail over the original species. The intended planting design disappears and the roof comes to look wild. Since the primary value of a grass roof is ecological, a change in attitude towards what constitutes beauty on the roofscape is necessary. Instead of keeping the roof neat through constant maintenance, people must learn that the wild grass with bird's nests on their roof is more beautiful as it is.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.876-887
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• 2015

Dicer, an ribonuclease type III type endonuclease, is the key enzyme involved in biogenesis of microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and thus plays a critical role in RNA interference through post transcriptional regulation of gene expression. This enzyme has not been well studied in the Indian water buffalo, an important species known for disease resistance and high milk production. In this study, the primary coding sequence (5,778 bp) of bubaline dicer (GenBank: AB969677.1) was determined and the bubaline Dicer1 biocomputationally characterized to determine the phylogenetic signature among higher eukaryotes. The evolutionary tree revealed that all the transcript variants of Dicer1 belonging to a specific species were within the same node and the sequences belonging to primates, rodents and lagomorphs, avians and reptiles formed independent clusters. The bubaline dicer1 is closely related to that of cattle and other ruminants and significantly divergent from dicer of lower species such as tapeworm, sea urchin and fruit fly. Evolutionary divergence analysis conducted using MEGA6 software indicated that dicer has undergone purifying selection over the time. Seventeen divergent sequences, representing each of the families/taxa were selected to study the specific regions of positive vis-$\grave{a}$-vis negative selection using different models like single likelihood ancestor counting, fixed effects likelihood, and random effects likelihood of Datamonkey server. Comparative analysis of the domain structure revealed that Dicer1 is conserved across mammalian species while variation both in terms of length of Dicer enzyme and presence or absence of domain is evident in the lower organisms.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.659-663
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• 2006

The extracts of Plocamium telfairiae using several solvents with different polarities were prepared and their growth inhibitory effects were examined on the human cancer cells. We investigated the cytotoxic effects of P. telfairiae extracts on HT-29 cells by the MTT reduction assay and examining the morphological change under the inverted microscope. Among three extracts, the methanol extract showed the strongest inhibitory effect on the growth of HT-29 cells. The methanol extract was further fractionated sequentially with n-hexane, diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, and aqueous for purifying crude methanol extract. The n-hexane layer among the fractioned layers showed remarkable inhibitory activity on the growth of HT-29 cells. Moreover n-hexane layer showed the notable growth inhibition effects with a dose-dependent manner against SW620, HeLa, and MCF-7 cells as well as HT-29 cells. These results indicated that P. telfairiae extracts may be contained bioactive materials with inhibitory effect on the growth of human cancer cells.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.409-419
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• 2001

The reference study was performed to investigate the nursing importance which was based a theoretical background related to horticultural therapy and to examine the possibility which horticultural therapy was applicable as a nursing intervention through analysis on a preceding study. The research subjects related to the areas of horticultural therapy which related as a nursing intervention, were psychological, physical, environmental, and psycho-social aspects. It is judged that the horticultural therapy is effective in treating depression, emotional disruption or anxiety. It seems to be also effective in increasing the muscular tension and, thereby, expanding the scope of joint movements. Such theories show that horticultural therapy may be a good alternative nursing means. Plants act to create a pleasant interior atmosphere by generating anion, controlling the temperature and humidity and purifying the air, and therefore, the horticultural therapy may be applied to clinic or environmental therapy. When horticultural therapy is used as a nursing intervention, patients' sociopsychological needs may be fulfilled. It has been found that horticultural therapy is instrumental in treating perceptive or emotional disruption, depression, loss of self-respect, disrupted everyday activities and social behaviors. In particular, horticultural therapy seems to be effective in managing chronic patients' crisis or improving life quality. Intervention method applied on a preceding study was activity therapy and scene therapy in the horticultural therapy The above findings suggest that the pro-environmental horticultural therapy is useful as a new paradigm of nursing or holistic nursing conducive to improvement of health. So, it is desirable to prove its effects by applying it in the clinic. In order to apply horticultural therapy as a nursing intervention, it will be necessary to educate nurses on principles and methods of horticultural therapy and encourage them to apply it in nursing and clinics. Moreover, it may well be necessary to develop landscape therapy as nursing intervention as well as a variety of horticultural therapy programs befitting the clinic conditions. On the other hand, we need to provide for some scientific ground for horticultural therapy through continued studies. In this regard, this study which focuses on patients' health improvement through change of environment. may well provide for a framework for such studies.