• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.76-90
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• 2018

To determine the distribution of mercury (Hg) in the coastal surface sediments around the Korean peninsula, the baseline concentration of Hg was estimated, the extent of contamination was assessed, and the factors controlling the distribution were discussed. The concentrations of Hg in surface sediments were significantly high in Jinhae-Masan Bay in the South Sea, Ulsan-Onsan Bay and Yeongil Bay in the East Sea, but Hg in other sediments showed a similar distribution to Cs and relatively very low concentration between 0.21 and $39.5{\mu}g/kg$ ($13.6{\pm}7.80{\mu}g/kg$). Compared to the sediment quality guidelines in Korea, 8 % of the surface sediments (n=282) analyzed in this study exceeded the values of the threshold effects level (TEL), and six sediments collected around Onsan Port were higher than the value of the probable effects level (PEL). The contamination levels of Hg were assessed by the enrichment factors using the baseline concentration (2.06Cs+1.75) based on the residual analysis from the linear regression line for Cs, and further, factors controlling the distribution of Hg were discussed by the comparison with geochemical substances depending upon the Hg enrichment level. Hg concentrations were correlated well with Cs concentration in the range of less than 1.69 of EF implying grain size control, while in the range of 1.69 and 4.03 Hg concentrations were correlated well with Fe oxyhyroxide and organic carbon contents, which indicates Hg was enriched by superior sorption capability. On the meanwhile, samples with higher EFs (4.03 to 74.9) showed fairly positive correlations with other metals (Cu, Zn, Pb) rather than geochemical substances. For samples in Youngil Bay and Ulsan-Onsan Bay (n=30), Hg concentrations were correlated only with other metals rather than geochemical substances implying simultaneous supply of metal particles from metal refineries. But samples at Gosung, Sokcho and Uljin coast were correlated well with organic carbon even though they had high EFs. In addition, samples in Jinhae-Masan Bay with high contents of S were enriched by relatively high sulfide formation.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.163-173
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• 2011

The objective of this study was to determine microbiological risk factors in hot pepper farms for the application of good agricultural practices (GAP). Samples were collected from cultivation environments and utensils, plants, workers, and air at 3 hot pepper farms located in Cheongsong, Korea and were tested to detect sanitary indications [aerobic plate bacteria (APC), coliform, and Escherichia coli], foodborne pathogens, and fungi. APC, coliform, and fungi were detected at the levels of 0.7~6.2, 0.2~4.7, and 0.4~4.3 log CFU, respectively, in the three farms. Four (4.4%; l leaf, l irrigation water, and 2 soil) of 90 samples collected were revealed to be E. coli positives. For foodborne pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus was only detected at $1.0log\;CFU/100cm^2$ in the worker's cloth of B farm, and Bacillus cereus was detected at the levels 1.0~2.5 log CFU in the cultivation environments and utensils and worker of B and C farms. However, other pathogens were not detected. The results demonstrated potential microbiological risks for hot pepper cultivated in the farms. Therefore, a management system to minimize the microbial risk such as GAP is required to ensure the safety of hot pepper.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.145-152
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• 2015

The present study aimed to investigate comparative anti-inflammatory effects of Litsea japonica fruit and leaf extract considering the balance of safety and efficacy. Dose response studies were performed to determine the inhibitory effects of 70% EtOH extract of leaf (L70%) on the pro-inflammatory enzymes expression, COX-2/PGE2 and NO/iNOS, and pro-inflammatory cytokines production, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, and TNF-$\alpha$ in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. We also examined comparative effects of 30 and 70% EtOH extract of fruits (F30% and F70%) at low concentration ($10{\mu}g/ml$ ) in the same conditions. L70% at 50 and $100{\mu}g/ml$ showed inhibitory effects on almost all the inflammatory mediators we examined except for COX-2 regulation, but there were no effects at $10{\mu}g/ml$. Since $100{\mu}g/ml$ of L70% have 18.2% cytotoxicity, we compared the effects of fruit extract, F30% and F70% at $10{\mu}g/ml$ on the regulation of NO/iNOS, PGE2, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, and TNF-$\alpha$ and obtained that fruit extacts are more efficacious and safe than leaf. This study suggests that the 30% EtOH fraction of L. japonica fruit could be a good candidate for development as a functional food supplement in the prevention of inflammatory disorders.

• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.203-234
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• 2019

The concept of denied boarding is defined in Article 2(j) of Regulation 261/2004 thus: "denied boarding means a refusal to carry passengers on a flight, although they have presented themselves for boarding under the conditions laid down in Article 3(2), except where there are reasonable grounds to deny them boarding, such as reasons of health, safety or security, or inadequate travel documentation." So far as relevant to this case, to be entitled to compensation, if denied boarding, Article 3(2) provides a passenger must first come within the scope of the protection of the Regulation, which applies under the following conditions: "${\cdots}$.that passengers (a) have a confirmed reservation on the flight concerned and, except in the case of cancellation referred to in Article 5, present themselves for check-in, as stipulated and at the time indicated in advance and in writing (including by electronic means) by the air carrier, the tour operator or an authorised travel agent, or, if no time is indicated, not later than 45 minutes before the published departure time." This paper reviews the EU Cases such as Rodríguez Cachafeiro v. Iberia [2012] Case C-321/11; Finnair Oyj v. Timy Lassooy [2012] Case C-22/11; Caldwell v. easyJet Airline Co. Ltd. [2015] ScotSC 64. ECJ and Sheriff court of Scotland held that the concept of denied boarding, within the meaning of Articles 2(j) and 4 of Regulation No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights, and repealing Regulation No 295/91, must be interpreted as relating not only to cases where boarding is denied because of overbooking but also to those where boarding is denied on other grounds, such as operational reasons. Also, ECJ ruled that Articles 2(j) and 4(3) must be interpreted as meaning that the occurrence of extraordinary circumstances resulting in an air carrier rescheduling flights after those circumstances arose cannot give grounds for denying boarding on those later flights or for exempting that carrier from its obligation, under Article 4(3) of that regulation, to compensate a passenger to whom it denies boarding on such a flight.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Therapy
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.73-84
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• 2018

Objective : The purpose of this study was to promote R&D of toilet design for the disabled by evaluating the Front-entry sitting toilet applied it to actual wheelchair users to examine the possibility of their application as a toilet that is low physical demanding and high satisfaction. Methods : Forty wheelchair users were asked to demonstrate using Front-entry sitting toilet after collecting the general characteristics and their current wheelchair usage information. Musculoskeletal disease risk assessment and user satisfaction were evaluated throughout Rapid Entire Body Assessment(REBA), Quebec Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology 2.0(QUEST) and subjective opinion questionnaire. Results : Statistical result showed that REBA scores($3.18{\pm}.38$) of Front-Entry Sitting Toilet were significantly lower(z=-5.930, p<.05) than the conventional toilet($6.53{\pm}1.15$). Overall, user satisfaction ratings were high with detailed scores were high in order of durability($4.48{\pm}.62$), safety($4.38{\pm}.63$), necessity($4.33{\pm}.73$) and universal ($4.6{\pm}.61$). Subjective opinion survey showed most were 'it was convenient to not have to rotate(30.8%).' Conclusion : This study found that Front-entry sitting toilet was highly likely to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and users' satisfactions were high. Through this study, we hope to expand the scope of occupational therapists and contribute to the physical, mental and social health in the daily activities of the people by applying various approaches.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.362-373
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• 2021

This study was conducted to establish mosquito distribution density and habitat in Sejong city for the prevention of mosquito-borne infectious diseases. The overall distribution of mosquitoes in the Sejong City was investigated, and the population density of mosquitoes in the old and new city was analyzed. Mosquito populations were determined using MOSHOLE and Blacklight traps once a week overnight. We also compared the mosquito population density of the old city and the new city, and the daily mosquito population was calculated using the data from the smart mosquito trap(DMS). Of all the study sites, Geumnam-myeon had the highest number of mosquitoes captured, and the dominant species were Armigeres subalbatus and Culex pipienspallens. Mosquito species with the potential for transmitting diseases were mainly found in Yeonseo-myeon (106 individual), and Geumnam-myeon (101). Mosquito collection rates by MOSHOLE trap and Blacklight trap were 58.49% and 41.51%, respectively. We concluded that using CO₂ would be the most suitable approach for collecting mosquitoes. The mosquito population density in the old city (92.05±7.04) was approximately twice that of the new city(51.50±4.05). Since Sejong City is divided into old city and new city, it is difficult to spot remarkable effects in a standardized way. For effective quarantine, differentiation of quarantine must be established. This study results provide a basis for Sejong City's integrated mosquito control guidelines, and therefore effective control of which we believe will help control the spread of mosquito-borne diseases and reduce damage from mosquitoes.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.919-928
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• 2022

As seen in the COVID-19 pandemic, unexpected emergence of new viruses presents serious concern on public health. Especially, the absence of effective vaccines or antiviral drugs against emerging viruses significantly increases the severity of disease and duration of viral circulation among population. Natural products have served as a major source for safe and effective antiviral drugs. In this study, we examined the virucidal activity of medical herb extracts with a view to discover novel antiviral agents with desired levels of safety and antiviral efficacy. Ethanol extracts of ten selected medical herbs were tested for antioxidant activity and in-vitro cytotoxicity in various animal cell lines. Of note, the herbal extracts showed broad and potent virucidal activities against rotavirus, hepatitis A virus, and influenza A virus. The extracts of Sorbus commixta and Glycyrrhiza uralensis showed strong virucidal activities against influenza A virus. We also examined whether the extracts of Sorbus commixta and Glycyrrhiza uralensis can be used as inactivating agents to prepare an inactivated viral vaccine. In a mouse model, influenza A virus inactivated by the extracts elicited high levels of neutralizing antibodies, and the vaccination provided complete protection against lethal challenge. These results suggest that herb-derived natural products can be developed to antiviral drugs as well as inactivating agents for preparation of inactivated viral vaccines.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.15-30
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• 2021

This study was conducted to investigate the utilization and satisfaction of meal-kits according to food-related lifestyle among total 357 adults who had experience in using meal-kits. This study can provide basic data for effective menu composition and directions toward improvement. The participants of the study were classified into 5 groups 'health-type group', 'economic-type group', 'safety-type group', 'tasty-type group' and 'convenience-type group'. The 'tastye-type group' were found to spend more on purchasing meal-kits than other groups with the higher proportion(36.66%) of spending '30,000-50,000'won(p<0.05), which is the highest price category. The important factors that contributed to purchasing a meal-kits were 'taste'(50.98%), and 'economic-type group' showed the highest tendency of considering taste (58.46%). About half(49.02%) of the respondents preferred 'Korean-food' for meal-kits as for the type of food. All groups highly preferred 'meat'(42.58%) as the main ingredient, particularly the 'tasty-type group'(53.33%)(p<0.001). The 'tasty-type group' showed the highest satisfaction on 'convenience of cooking'(4.05), and 'convenience-type group' showed the lowest satisfaction on the 'origin of ingredient'(2.98) among groups (p<0.01). The overall response indicated that most respondents are willing to use meal-kits in the future (97.20%); and 93.28% of respondents would recommend the purchase of meal-kits to others, where 'convenience of cooking/purchase' was the factor contributing most for recommending(67.23%). Taken together, 'taste' was the most important factor for all groups. And 'Convenience of cooking' was the factor contributing to satisfaction most while 'origin of ingredient' contributing the least. It is recommended for the growth of meal-kits industry, to improve the quality of the meal-kits products and develop various menus.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.287-316
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• 2023

As global energy crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic have emerged as social issues, there is a growing demand for companies to move away from profit-centric business models and embrace sustainable management that balances environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. ESG activities of companies vary across industries, and industry-specific weights are applied in ESG evaluations. Therefore, it is important to develop strategic management approaches that reflect the characteristics of each industry and the importance of each ESG factor. Additionally, with the stance of strengthened focus on ESG disclosures, specific guidelines are needed to identify and report on sustainable management activities of domestic companies. To understand corporate sustainability strategies, analyzing ESG reports and news articles by industry can help identify strategic characteristics in specific industries. However, each company has its own unique strategies and report structures, making it difficult to grasp detailed trends or action items. In our study, we analyzed ESG reports (2019-2021) and news articles (2019-2022) of six companies in the 'Finance,' 'Manufacturing,' and 'IT' sectors to examine the sustainability strategies of leading domestic ESG companies. Text mining techniques such as keyword frequency analysis and topic modeling were applied to identify industry-specific, ESG element-specific management strategies and issues. The analysis revealed that in the 'Finance' sector, customer-centric management strategies and efforts to promote an inclusive culture within and outside the company were prominent. Strategies addressing climate change, such as carbon neutrality and expanding green finance, were also emphasized. In the 'Manufacturing' sector, the focus was on creating sustainable communities through occupational health and safety issues, sustainable supply chain management, low-carbon technology development, and eco-friendly investments to achieve carbon neutrality. In the 'IT' sector, there was a tendency to focus on technological innovation and digital responsibility to enhance social value through technology. Furthermore, the key issues identified in the ESG factors were as follows: under the 'Environmental' element, issues such as greenhouse gas and carbon emission management, industry-specific eco-friendly activities, and green partnerships were identified. Under the 'Social' element, key issues included social contribution activities through stakeholder engagement, supporting the growth and coexistence of members and partner companies, and enhancing customer value through stable service provision. Under the 'Governance' element, key issues were identified as strengthening board independence through the appointment of outside directors, risk management and communication for sustainable growth, and establishing transparent governance structures. The exploration of the relationship between ESG disclosures in reports and ESG issues in news articles revealed that the sustainability strategies disclosed in reports were aligned with the issues related to ESG disclosed in news articles. However, there was a tendency to strengthen ESG activities for prevention and improvement after negative media coverage that could have a negative impact on corporate image. Additionally, environmental issues were mentioned more frequently in news articles compared to ESG reports, with environmental-related keywords being emphasized in the 'Finance' sector in the reports. Thus, ESG reports and news articles shared some similarities in content due to the sharing of information sources. However, the impact of media coverage influenced the emphasis on specific sustainability strategies, and the extent of mentioning environmental issues varied across documents. Based on our study, the following contributions were derived. From a practical perspective, companies need to consider their characteristics and establish sustainability strategies that align with their capabilities and situations. From an academic perspective, unlike previous studies on ESG strategies, we present a subdivided methodology through analysis considering the industry-specific characteristics of companies.

• Journal of Practical Agriculture & Fisheries Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.19-34
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• 2018

This study was initiated because many studies would be necessary to promote Korean ginseng products when the sales of Korean ginseng are declining and many Korean ginseng farmers are facing economic difficulties. The increase in domestic sales is important, but this study is targeting for foreigner's perceptions of Korean ginseng and how to improve the products. The goal of this study is to analyze how to increase their purchase intentions of Korean ginseng products. Questionnaire survey research methods were used to learn more about making certain improvements to ginseng products, consumers are hoping, how affect their perceptions and purchase intentions of Korean ginseng, as well as how foreigners' perceptions of Korean ginseng products affects purchase intentions. Because it's difficult to find any studies about foreigner's Korean ginseng purchase intentions, the survey was expanded to include how people take care of their health, the accessibility of purchasing ginseng products, psychological factors as well as consumer characteristics, satisfaction with Korean ginseng, and intentions of buying Korean ginseng products. The result of the analysis on how making certain desired improvements to and perceptions of Korean ginseng products affect purchase intentions indicated that Korean ginseng perceptions highly affected the purchase intentions; however making certain improvements to ginseng products showed a low impact on the purchase intentions. In other words, making certain improvements, such as convenience of the ginseng products, doesn't affected Korean ginseng purchase intentions directly. On the other hand, it showed that the usefulness, its high quality, and safety trust of Korean ginseng have a big impact on purchasing intentions. If the ginseng that is grown and processed in Korea is better promoted for its high value, the Korean ginseng farmers who are facing many economic difficulties will be able to raise their income.