• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.256-266
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• 2022

It is important to determine the concentration of long-lived radionuclides (e.g., ¹²⁹I) in nuclear waste to ensure safety when handling it. To analyze nuclides in a solid sample (e.g., concrete and soil), it is essential to effectively separate and purify the nuclides of interest in the sample. This study reports the comprehensive efforts made to validate the analytical procedure for ¹²⁹I detection in solid samples, using a high-temperature combustion furnace. ¹²⁹I volatilized from the sample collected in 0.01 M HNO₃ solution with a reducing agent (e.g., NaHSO₃) and was rapidly measured by ICP-MS. Analytical conditions, such as pyrolysis temperature and types of mobile phase gas, catalyst, and trapping solution, were optimized to obtain a high recovery rate of spiked ¹²⁹I. Finally, the optimized method was applied for the simultaneous analysis of other volatile radionuclides, such as ³H and ¹⁴C. The performance test results for the optimized method confirmed that the LSC (for ³H and ¹⁴C) and ICP-MS (for ¹²⁹I) measurements, with the separation of volatile nuclides using a high-temperature combustion furnace, were reliable.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.366-372
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• 2021

BACKGROUND: Ammonia is known as a precursor to fine particulate matter, and according to CAPSS, annual ammonia emissions in the agricultural sector were 249,777 tons as of 2018, accounting for about 79.0% of Korea's total ammonia emissions. In particular, ammonia emissions from agricultural land increased by 19,566 tons (10.2%) compared to the previous year. The Ministry of Environment is setting emission statistics using the ammonia emission coefficient developed in Korea in 2008, but researchers in the agricultural field regard it as a coefficient that does not reflect the reality of Korea's agricultural environment. Accordingly, in order to develop ammonia emission coefficients from the cultivation of apples and pears, Korea's representative fruit type, test agricultural land was set in Iksan, Jeollabuk-do. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study attempted to obtain the ammonia emission coefficient by the treatment of the composite fertilizer (N-P₂O₅-K₂O=12-7-9), and the flux was measured using a dynamic flow-through chamber method. As for the chamber, a total of 12 chambers were installed repeatedly in 4 zones and used to develop emission coefficients. Using compound fertilizers during fruit tree cultivation, the ammonia emission coefficient was evaluated as 10.4 kg NH3/ton for pears and 15.3 kg NH₃/ton for apples. The reason why the ammonia emission coefficient according to the use of composite fertilizers was calculated higher for apple cultivation is believed to be due to the relatively high pH concentration of apple orchard soil. CONCLUSION(S): This study may provide basic data for upgrading the ammonia emission coefficient when using composite fertilizers in agricultural land. In the future, it might be necessary to upgrade the calculation of emissions through the development of ammonia and fine particulate matter emission coefficients considering the agricultural environment of Korea.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.685-696
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• 2022

Although the use of pottery-making soils has a long history, its use in the pottery industry requires that physical and geotechnical properties of the materials be established to define the suitability for various purposes. The main purpose of this study is to identify the different types of clays and mineral composition and to perform the geotechnical evaluation of the clays for making pottery products. Soils investigated in this study include raw materials used for making Baekja (white porcelains), Chungja (celadons), Buncheong, Sancheong, and Johyung. Pottery-making soils are manufactured by using different types of soils and sold by individual ceramic clay company. This study includes physical tests of soil and chemical analysis of major elements using XRF and XRD instrumentation. Grain size distributions, mineralogical composition, and a range of plasticities of soils for making different types of potteries are presented. Correlations between specific type of pottery clays and geotechnical and mineralogical characteristics are determined by comparing the test results. Since quantitative research using laboratory tests for pottery-making soils are rarely performed in Korea, further research should be done in the future to improve the Korean pottery industry.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.31-40
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• 2023

We installed temporary strong motion seismometers at the ground surface, 1 m, 2 m, and 9 m at an existing seismic station that houses permanent seismometers installed at 20 m and 100 m, to investigate the influence of installation depth on the recorded ambient and anthropogenic noise level and the characteristics of earthquake signals. Analysis of the ambient noise shows that anthropogenic noise dominates where vibration period T < 1 s at the studied site, whereas wind speed appears to be strongly correlated with the noise level at T > 1 s. Frequency-wavenumber analysis of 2D seismometer array suggests that ambient noise in short periods are predominantly body waves, rather than surface waves. The level of ambient noise was low at 9 m and 20 m, but strong amplification of noise level at T < 0.1 s was observed at the shallow seismometers. Both the active-source test result and the recorded earthquake data demonstrated that the signal level is decreased with the increase of depth. Our result also shows that recorded motions at the ground and 1 m are strongly amplified at 20 Hz (T = 0.05 s), likely due to the resonance of the 3 m thick soil layer. This study demonstrates that analysis of ambient and active-source vibration may help find optimal installation depth of strong motion seismometers. We expect that further research considering various noise environments and geological conditions will be helpful in establishing a guideline for optimal installation of strong motion seismometers.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.55-61
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• 2023

This study aims to develop CLSM fill material for emergency restoration using landfill coal ash. As a result of examining physical properties such as particle size distribution and fines content of landfill coal ash, bottom ash, fly ash, and general soil were mixed, and SP was found to have a density of 2.03 and a residual particle pass rate of 7.8 %. CLSM materials that secure fluidity in unit quantities without using chemical admixtures such as glidants and water reducing agents have a high risk of material separation due to bleeding. As a result of this experiment, it was found that the bleeding ratio did not satisfy the standard in the case of the specimen with a large amount of fly ash and a lot of addition of mixing water. As a result of the compressive strength test, the strength development of 0.5 MPa or more for 4 hours was found to be satisfactory for the specimens using hemihydrate gypsum with a unit binder amount of 200 or more, and the remaining gypsum showed poor strength development. Although it is judged that landfill coal ash can be used as a CLSM material, it is necessary to identify and apply the physical and chemical characteristics of coal ash buried in the ash treatment plant of each power generation company.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.35-45
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• 2007

It is known that the response of piles is affected by the shape of pile as well as soil conditions. In order to investigate the characteristics of the axial responses and bearing capacities of non-displacement tapered and cylindrical piles in sands, 12 model pile load tests using a calibration chamber were conducted on model tapered and cylindrical piles, which were specially manufactured to measure the base and shaft load capacities independently. Results of the model tests showed that the shaft load of tapered piles continuously increased with pile settlement, whereas the shaft load of cylindrical piles reached ultimate values at a settlement equal to 4% of pile diameter. Therefore, taper piles have greater shaft loads than cylindrical one at the same settlement. It is also observed that the total load capacity of tapered piles is lower than cylindrical piles for dense sand but is greater than that of cylindrical piles for medium sand. The ultimate unit base resistance of tapered piles was greater than that of cylindrical piles for lateral earth pressure ratio greater than 0.4, and the shaft resistance was greater than that of cylindrical piles irrespective of lateral earth pressure ratio.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.6C
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• pp.367-377
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• 2008

As part of study to develop LRFD (Load and Resistance Factor Design) codes for foundation structures in Korea, resistance factors for static bearing capacity of driven steel pipe piles were calibrated in the framework of reliability theory. The 57 data sets of static load tests and soil property tests conducted in the whole domestic area were collected and these load test piles were sorted into two cases: SPT N at pile tip less than 50, SPT N at pile tip equal to or more than 50. The static bearing capacity formula and the Meyerhof method using N values were applied to calculate the expected design bearing capacities of the piles. The resistance bias factors were evaluated for the two static design methods by comparing the representative measured bearing capacities with the expected design values. Reliability analysis was performed by two types of advanced methods: the First Order Reliability Method (FORM), and the Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) method using resistance bias factor statistics. The target reliability indices are selected as 2.0 and 2.33 for group pile case and 2.5 for single pile case, in consideration of the reliability level of the current design practice, redundancy of pile group, acceptable risk level, construction quality control, and significance of individual structure. Resistance factors of driven steel pipe piles were recommended based on the results derived from the First Order Reliability Method and the Monte Carlo Simulation method.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.108-122
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• 2023

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol) and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), are the causal agent of Fusarium wilt disease of tomato and banana, respectively, and cause significant yield losses worldwide. A cost-effective measure, such as biological control agents, was used as an alternative method to control these pathogens. Therefore, in this study, six isolates of the Streptomyces-like colony were isolated from soils and their antagonistic activity against phytopathogenic fungi and plant growth-promoting (PGP) activity were assessed. The results showed that these isolates could inhibit the mycelial growth of Fol and Foc. Among them, isolate STRM304 showed the highest percentage of mycelial growth reduction and broad-spectrum antagonistic activity against all tested fungi. In the pot experiment study, the culture filtrate of isolates STRM103 and STRM104 significantly decreased disease severity and symptoms in Fol inoculated plants. Similarly, the culture filtrate of the STRM304 isolate significantly reduced the severity of the disease and symptoms of the disease in Foc inoculated plants. The PGP activity test presents PGP activities, such as indole acetic acid production, phosphate solubilization, starch hydrolysis, lignin hydrolysis, and cellulase activity. Interestingly, the application of the culture filtrate from all isolates increased the percentage of tomato seed germination and stimulated the growth of tomato plants and banana seedlings, increasing the elongation of the shoot and the root and shoot and root weight compared to the control treatment. Therefore, the isolate STRM103 and STRM104, and STRM304 could be used as biocontrol and PGP agents for tomato and banana, respectively, in sustainable agriculture.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.4C
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• pp.231-238
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• 2008

A column testing device capable of measuring the electrical resistivity of soil at 3 different locations was developed to verify applicability of bulk electrical conductivity (BEC) breakthrough curves in monitoring contaminant transport. Tracer injection tests were conducted with three different types of saturated sands to obtain average linear velocities and longitudinal hydrodynamic dispersion coefficients based on BEC breakthrough curves and effluent solute breakthrough curves. Comparative analysis of transport parameters obtained from curve fitting the results into the analytical solutions confirmed the validity of resistance measurements in estimating time-continuous resident solute concentration. Under the assumption that a linear relationship exists between ${\sigma}_{sat}-{\sigma}_w-C$, the BEC breakthrough curves are able to effectively reduce the laborious and time-consuming processes involved in the conventional method of sampling and analysis. In order to reduce possible uncertainties in analyzing the BEC breakthrough curves, it was recommended that resistance measurements take place nearby the effluent boundary. In addition, a sufficient electrical contrast or difference in the electrical conductivity of the influent and the saturating solution is required to conduct reliable analysis.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.188-192
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• 2023

Abiotic and biotic stresses have been a serious threat to crop growth and productivity in the agricultural system. In this study, four strains (HS1, H30-3, KJ40, and BC42), which have biological activities related to disease suppression or alleviation of salinity and drought stresses, were tested for broad-spectrum biocontrol activity against anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum orbiculare, a bacterial fruit blotch caused by Acidovorax citrulli, and Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum in cucumber plants. As a result of test, when the four strains were drenched into the soil, anthracnose in cucumber leaves significantly decrease; strain KJ40 suppressed disease incidence by A. citrulli; strain BC42 significantly reduced bacterial fruit blotch and Fusarium wilt compared to control. Therefore, strain KJ40 could be a biocontrol candidate for controlling anthracnose through induced systemic resistance and the disease caused by A. citrulli as well as alleviating drought stress; strain BC42 has broad-spectrum biocontrol activity against anthracnose, Fusarium wilt, and bacterial fruit blotch.