• Title/Summary/Keyword: Solar activity

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Phototoxicity: Its Mechanism and Animal Alternative Test Methods

  • Kim, Kyuri;Park, Hyeonji;Lim, Kyung-Min
    • Toxicological Research
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    • v.31 no.2
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    • pp.97-104
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    • 2015
  • The skin exposure to solar irradiation and photoreactive xenobiotics may produce abnormal skin reaction, phototoxicity. Phototoxicity is an acute light-induced response, which occurs when photoreacive chemicals are activated by solar lights and transformed into products cytotoxic against the skin cells. Multifarious symptoms of phototoxicity are identified, skin irritation, erythema, pruritis, and edema that are similar to those of the exaggerated sunburn. Diverse organic chemicals, especially drugs, are known to induce phototoxicity, which is probably from the common possession of UV-absorbing benzene or heterocyclic rings in their molecular structures. Both UVB (290~320 nm) and UVA (320~400 nm) are responsible for the manifestation of phototoxicity. Absorption of photons and absorbed energy (hv) by photoactive chemicals results in molecular changes or generates reactive oxygen species and depending on the way how endogenous molecules are affected by phototoxicants, mechanisms of phototoxcity is categorized into two modes of action: Direct when unstable species from excited state directly react with the endogenous molecules, and indirect when endogeneous molecules react with secondary photoproducts. In order to identify phototoxic potential of a chemical, various test methods have been introduced. Focus is given to animal alternative test methods, i.e., in vitro, and in chemico assays as well as in vivo. 3T3 neutral red uptake assay, erythrocyte photohemolysis test, and phototoxicity test using human 3-dimensional (3D) epidermis model are examples of in vitro assays. In chemico methods evaluate the generation of reactive oxygen species or DNA strand break activity employing plasmid for chemicals, or drugs with phototoxic potential.

STUDY OF FLARE-ASSOCIATED X-RAY PLASMA EJECTIONS : II. MORPHOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION

  • KIM YEON-HAN;MOON Y.-J.;CHO K.-S.;BONG SU-CHAN;PARK Y.-D.
    • Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.37 no.4
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    • pp.171-177
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    • 2004
  • X-ray plasma ejections often occurred around the impulsive phases of solar flares and have been well observed by the SXT aboard Yohkoh. Though the X-ray plasma ejections show various morphological shapes, there has been no attempt at classifying the morphological groups for a large sample of the X-ray plasma ejections. In this study, we have classified 137 X-ray plasma ejections according to their shape for the first time. Our classification criteria are as follows: (1) a loop type shows ejecting plasma with the shape of loops, (2) a spray type has a continuous stream of plasma without showing any typical shape, (3) a jet type shows collimated motions of plasma, (4) a confined ejection shows limited motions of plasma near a flaring site. As a result, we classified the flare-associated X-ray plasma ejections into five groups as follows: loop-type (60 events), spray-type (40 events), jet-type (11 events), confined ejection (18 events), and others (8 events). As an illustration, we presented time sequence images of several typical events to discuss their morphological characteristics, speed, CME association, and magnetic field configuration. We found that the jet-type events tend to have higher speeds and better association with CMEs than those of the loop-type events. It is also found that the CME association (11/11) of the jet-type events is much higher than that (5/18) of the confined ejections. These facts imply that the physical characteristics of the X-ray plasma ejections are closely associated with magnetic field configurations near the reconnection regions.

A Study on Development of Test Site for Wind Turbine Prototype Test (풍력터빈시험을 위한 실증시험장 개발에 관한 연구)

  • Moon, Chae-Joo;Chang, Young-Hag;So, Soon-Yeol;Kim, Tae-Gon;Kim, Young-Gon;Jeong, Moon-Seon;Jeong, Seong-Won
    • Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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    • v.33 no.2
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    • pp.101-107
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    • 2013
  • It is evident that in the wind energy business as an economic activity there is a close relationship between the wind speed and the revenues. The wind turbine test facility for wind turbine accreditation is intended to be used by the industry for testing of both main components and systems. This paper suggest the wind test site for certification of prototype wind turbine with international regulations. The test site has an environmental permit for wind turbines with a maximum hub height of 120m and a rotor diameter up to 120m, and can accommodate prototypes with installed electrical powers up to 5MW each. A wind turbine manufacturer can lease the location for a period of type certification. And also researchers are the development of new methods for measuring the influence, performance and durability of the components, a mathematical and numerical modelling of component responses by using the site.

Impact of Science Club Activities Associated with STEAM Activities on Students' Self-Efficacy and Attitudes toward Science (과학 동아리 활동과 연계된 STEAM 활동이 학생들의 자기효능감과 과학에 대한 태도에 미치는 영향)

  • Jung, Ji-ye;Wee, Soo-meen;Lim, Sung-man
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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    • v.8 no.2
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    • pp.183-192
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    • 2015
  • The purpose of this study was to identify STEAM education program fit for club activities in consideration of the present curriculum and investigate its effect on science club students' self-efficacy and attitude toward science by applying it to science club students. In consideration of such chapters as 'Solar System' and 'Exosphere and Space Development' in the 2009 Revised Curriculum, this study developed a STEAM education program related to the observation of the solar system and the measurement of a distance of the stars in consideration of the present curriculum. For this study we selected 14 science club students in H Middle School, located in G Province and applied a 7 weeks' program to them. To find out change in their self-efficacy and attitude toward science, this study conducted tests of self-efficacy and attitude toward science for a single group before and after introducing this program and analyzed the results. The results of this study could be summarized as below. Firstly, science club activities with this STEAM education program applied improved students' self-efficacy significantly. Secondly, there was a significant difference found in students' attitude toward science through science club activities with this STEAM education program applied as they showed higher scores in the attitude toward science in the posttest than the pretest. Lastly, despite a research limit that this science inquiry program was conducted for a short period of time, this program was found to have positive effect on the improvement of students' self-efficacy and attitude toward science.

Improvement of Photocatalytic Performance using Near-Infrared Upconversion Nanoparticles (근적외선 업컨버전 나노입자를 이용한 광촉매 성능 향상)

  • Park, Yong Il
    • Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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    • v.32 no.2
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    • pp.125-131
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    • 2021
  • Semiconductor-based photocatalysts can only be activated with ultraviolet or visible light due to their intrinsic bandgap, and they cannot use the energy in the near-infrared region, which accounts for about 50% of solar energy. Therefore, in order to improve the performance of the semiconductor photocatalyst, it is necessary to utilize more solar energy in a broad band ranging from ultraviolet to near-infrared. Combining upconversion nanoparticles with semiconductor photocatalysts for near-infrared absorption have thus been reported. Upconversion nanoparticles can sequentially absorb multiple near-infrared photons and convert them into ultraviolet or visible to activate photocatalysts. In addition, by coupling the semiconductor photocatalyst and the upconversion nanoparticles with the plasmonic metal nanoparticles, the photocatalytic activity can be further improved. This review summarizes the recent studies on improving the photocatalytic performance with near-infrared absorption by using upconversion nanoparticles.

Reliability of a Cobalt Silicide on Counter Electrodes for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (코발트실리사이드를 이용한 염료감응형 태양전지 상대전극의 신뢰성 평가)

  • Kim, Kwangbae;Park, Taeyeul;Song, Ohsung
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.18 no.4
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    • pp.1-7
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    • 2017
  • Cobalt silicide was used as a counter electrode in order to confirm its reliability in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) devices. 100 nm-Co/300 nm-Si/quartz was formed by an evaporator and cobalt silicide was formed by vacuum heat treatment at $700^{\circ}C$ for 60 min to form approximately 350 nm-CoSi. This process was followed by etching in $80^{\circ}C$-30% $H_2SO_4$ to remove the cobalt residue on the cobalt silicide surface. Also, for the comparison against Pt, we prepared a 100 nm-Pt/glass counter electrode. Cobalt silicide was used for the counter electrode in order to confirm its reliability in DSSC devices and maintained for 0, 168, 336, 504, 672, and 840 hours at $80^{\circ}C$. The photovoltaic properties of the DSSCs employing cobalt silicide were confirmed by using a simulator and potentiostat. Cyclic-voltammetry, field emission scanning electron microscopy, focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectrometry analyses were used to confirm the catalytic activity, microstructure, and composition, respectively. The energy conversion efficiency (ECE) as a function of time and ECE of the DSSC with Pt and CoSi counter electrodes were maintained for 504 hours. However, after 672 hours, the ECEs decreased to a half of their initial values. The results of the catalytic activity analysis showed that the catalytic activities of the Pt and CoSi counter electrodes decreased to 64% and 57% of their initial values, respectively(after 840 hours). The microstructure analysis showed that the CoSi layer improved the durability in the electrolyte, but because the stress concentrates on the contact surface between the lower quartz substrate and the CoSi layer, cracks are formed locally and flaking occurs. Thus, deterioration occurs due to the residual stress built up during the silicidation of the CoSi counter electrode, so it is necessary to take measures against these residual stresses, in order to ensure the reliability of the electrode.

Development and Application of Activity-Based STEAM Education Program for Elementary School Students - Focused on Theme of "Ultraviolet(UV)" (초등학생을 위한 활동중심 STEAM 교육프로그램의 개발 및 적용 - '자외선' 주제를 중심으로)

  • Han, Shin;Kim, Hyoungbum
    • The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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    • v.19 no.6
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    • pp.513-523
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    • 2019
  • The purpose of this study is to develop and apply activity-based STEAM education programs to verify elementary school students' logical thinking skills, attitudes to STEAM, and changes in satisfaction. The activity-based STEAM education program was developed in a total of 3 rounds under the theme of 'Let's get through Ultraviolet rays.' The finally developed program, which was revised and supplemented by process of preliminary commitment to elementary school students, proved its effectiveness through statistical methods in 168 sixth-grade in S elementary school students in Gyeonggi-do. The results of the study are as follows: First, the activity-based STEAM education program was developed around the topic of "Let's get through Ultraviolet rays" based on the "The solar system and Star" unit of the 5th and 6th grades of elementary school science. Second, by applying the developed activity-based STEAM education program to elementary school students, their cognitive development level by science behavioral system was improved after class, and proportion of the logical thinking skills and logic of variable control represented a significant value(p<.05). Third, the attitudes toward STEAM education, consisting of seven sub-factors, presented significant statistical test results across other factors, except for communication and usability factors(p<.05). Fourth, in the satisfaction test, the average value of the lower section was 3.59 to 3.85 points, and overall it was positive.

Comparison of Network-RTK Surveying Methods at Unified Control Stations in Incheon Area (인천지역 통합기준점에서 Network-RTK 측량기법의 비교)

  • Lee, Yong Chang
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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    • v.32 no.5
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    • pp.469-479
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    • 2014
  • N-RTK(Network based RTK) methods are able to improve the accuracy of GNSS positioning results through modelling of the distance-dependent error sources(i.e. primarily the ionospheric and tropospheric delays and orbit errors). In this study, the comparison of the TTFF(Time-To-Fix-First ambiguity), accuracy and discrepancies in horizontal/vertical components of N-RTK methods(VRS and FKP) with the static GNSS at 20 Unified Control Stations covering Incheon metropolitan city area during solar storms(Solar cycle 24 period) were performed. The results showed that the best method, compared with the statics GNSS survey, is the VRS, followed by the FKP, but vertical components of both VRS and FKP were approximately two times bigger than horizontal components. The reason for this is considered as the ionospheric scintillation because of irregularities in electron density, and the tropospheric scintillation because of fluctuations on the refractive index take the place. When the TTFF at each station for each technique used, VRS gave shorter initialization time than FKP. The possible reasons for this result might be the inherent differences in principles, errors in characteristics of different correction networks, interpolating errors of FKP parameters according to the non-linear variation of the dispersive and non-dispersive errors at rover when considering both domestic mobile communication infra and the standardized high-compact data format for N-RTK. Also, those test results revealed degradation of positing accuracy, long initialization time, and sudden re-initialization, but more failures to resolve ambiguity during space weather events caused by Sunspot activity and solar flares.

Development of a Daily Solar Major Flare Occurrence Probability Model Based on Vector Parameters from SDO/HMI

  • Lim, Daye;Moon, Yong-Jae;Park, Jongyeob;Lee, Kangjin;Lee, Jin-Yi
    • The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.42 no.2
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    • pp.59.5-60
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    • 2017
  • We present the relationship between vector magnetic field parameters and solar major flare occurrence rate. Based on this, we are developing a forecast model of major flare (M and X-class) occurrence rate within a day using hourly vector magnetic field data of Space-weather HMI Active Region Patch (SHARP) from May 2010 to April 2017. In order to reduce the projection effect, we use SHARP data whose longitudes are within ${\pm}60$ degrees. We consider six SHARP magnetic parameters (the total unsigned current helicity, the total photospheric magnetic free energy density, the total unsigned vertical current, the absolute value of the net current helicity, the sum of the net current emanating from each polarity, and the total unsigned magnetic flux) with high F-scores as useful predictors of flaring activity from Bobra and Couvidat (2015). We have considered two cases. In case 1, we have divided the data into two sets separated in chronological order. 75% of the data before a given day are used for setting up a flare model and 25% of the data after that day are used for test. In case 2, the data are divided into two sets every year in order to reduce the solar cycle (SC) phase effect. All magnetic parameters are divided into 100 groups to estimate the corresponding flare occurrence rates. The flare identification is determined by using LMSAL flare locations, giving more numbers of flares than the NGDC flare list. Major results are as follows. First, major flare occurrence rates are well correlated with six magnetic parameters. Second, the occurrence rate ranges from 0.001 to 1 for M and X-class flares. Third, the logarithmic values of flaring rates are well approximated by two linear equations with different slopes: steeper one at lower values and lower one at higher values. Fourth, the sum of the net current emanating from each polarity gives the minimum RMS error between observed flare rates and predicted ones. Fifth, the RMS error for case 2, which is taken to reduce SC phase effect, are smaller than those for case 1.

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Degradation of the Pd catalytic layer electrolyte in dye sensitized solar cells (염료감응태양전지에서 Pd 촉매층의 전해질과의 반응에 따른 특성 저하)

  • Noh, Yunyoung;Song, Ohsung
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.14 no.4
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    • pp.2037-2042
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    • 2013
  • A TCO-less palladium (Pd) catalytic layer on the glass substrate was assessed as the counter electrode (CE) in a dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) to confirm the stability of Pd with the $I^-/I_3{^-}$electrolyte on the DSSC performance. A 90nm-thick Pd film was deposited by a thermal evaporator. Finally, DSSC devices of $0.45cm^2$ with glass/FTO/blocking layer/$TiO_2$/dye/electrolyte(10 mM LiI + 1 mM $I_2$ + 0.1 M $LiClO_4$ in acetonitrile solution)/Pd/glass structure was prepared. We investigated the microstructure and photovoltaic property at 1 and 12 hours after the sample preparation. The optical microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), cyclic voltammetry measurement (C-V), and current voltage (I-V) were employed to measure the microstructure and photovoltaic property evolution. Microstructure analysis showed that the corrosion by reaction between the Pd layer and the electrolyte occurred as time went by, which led the decrease of the catalytic activity and the efficiency. I-V result revealed that the energy conversion efficiency after 1 and 12 hours was 0.34% and 0.15%, respectively. Our results implied that we might employ the other non-$I^-/I_3{^-}$electrolyte or the other catalytic metal layers to guarantee the long term stability of the DSSC devices.