• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.447-453
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• 2019

In this study, the contamination of 4 types of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury) was monitored in 80 seaweeds and their processed products, and a food safety assessment was also carried out for these heavy metals. Lead, cadmium and arsenic were analyzed by ICP-OES and mercury was analyzed by mercury analyzer. The detection ranges of heavy metals were found as follows: Pb (N.D-0.802 mg/kg), Cd (N.D-0.759 mg/kg), As (0.134-17.296 mg/kg), and Hg (0.0005-0.0331 mg/kg). Pb and Hg showed no significant differences among seaweeds whereas Cd and As were significantly higher in the species hizikia fusiforme (P<0.05). Food safety assessment from seaweed intake was measured by PTWI (Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake), PTMI (Provisional Tolerable Monthly Intake), and MADL (Maximum Allowable Daily Body Load) as set by JECFA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives). Pb and Hg were 0.197%, 0.036% of PTWI respectively, while Cd was 1.877% of PTMI and As was 0.619% of MADL. Therefore, it was found that heavy metal levels of seaweed were low and was considered to be safe for consumption.

• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
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• v.145
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• pp.91-117
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• 2018

This paper aims to clarify the similarities and differences between the Zhouyi and artificial intelligence. The divination of the Zhouyi is rooted in the oldest system of human knowledge, while artificial intelligence stands at the cutting edge of modern scientific revolution. At first sight, there does not appear to be any association that links the one to the another. However, they share the same ground as seen from a semiotic standpoint because both of them depend on the semiotic system as a means of obtaining knowledge. At least four aspects can be pointed out in terms of similarities. First, artificial intelligence and the Zhouyi use artificial language that consists of semiotic signs. Secondly, the principle that enables divination and artificial intelligence lies in imitation and representation. Thirdly, artificial intelligence and the Zhouyi carry out inferences based on mathematical algorithms that adopt the binary system. Fourth, artificial intelligence and the Zhouyi use analogy as a means of obtaining knowledge. However, those similarities do not guarantee that the Zhouyi could arrive at the scientific certainty. Nevertheless, it can give us important insight into the essence of our civilization. The Zhouyi uses intellect in order to get new information about the unknown world. However, it is hard to know what kind of intellect is involved in the process of divination. Likewise, we do not know the fundamental character of artificial intelligence. The intellect hidden in the unknown subject is a mystic and fearful existence to us. Just as the divination of the Zhouyi inspires the sense of reverence toward the supernatural subject, we could not but have fear in front of the invisible subject hidden in artificial intelligence. In the past, traditional philosophy acknowledged the existence of intellect only in conscious beings. Nonetheless, it becomes evident that human civilization ushers into a new epoch. As Ray Kurzweil mentioned, the moment of singularity comes when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence. In my viewpoint, the term of singularity can be used for denoting the critical point in which the human species enters into the new phase of civilization. To borrow the term of Shao Yong(邵雍) in the Northern Song Dynasty, the past civilization belongs to the Earlier Heaven(先天), the future civilization belongs to the Later Heaven(後天). Once our civilization passes over the critical point, it is impossible to go back into the past. The opening of the Later Heaven foretold by the religious thinkers in the late period of Joseon Dynasty was a prophecy in its own age, but it is becoming a reality in the present.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.63-84
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• 2022

One of the ancient nomadic cultures, the Saka is generally regarded as an important intermediary in the ancient Eurasian cultural network. This study is the reinterpretation of the excavations conducted on the Katartobe tombs site of the Saka culture through a joint three-year-long project by the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage in Korea in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Research Institute under the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The main discussion of the study deals with the burial rituals performed by the community who built the Katartobe tombs by the comparison and review of the various researches on the Saka tombs based on the archaeological artifacts discovered during excavation. The research has shown that the Saka tribes maintained the tradition of burying domesticated animals, such as horses, with its owner and performed burial rituals which often involved the use of fire. The archaeological remains of the Saka also show that the burial rituals like these formed the key aspect of their cultural heritage. The archaeological discoveries also show that the Saka mourners built wooden cists under a single mound when they needed to bury multiple corpses at once and sustained the practice of excarnation when burying the bodies of those who died in the different periods of time. Some burials included a tomb passage which was used not only for carrying the deceased but also for a separate burial ritual. The main discussion of this study also deals with the remnants of bones of animals buried with their deceased owners in the same kurgan, as well as the animal species and their locations in the kurgan, resulting in the discovery of diverse meanings connected with them. The pottery buried in the tombs were largely ceremonial offering vessels, just like others excavated at nearby Saka tombs and located around the buried corpse's head facing toward the west. The excavation of the tombs also shows that two vessels were arranged at the corners of the coffin where the feet are located, revealing the characteristic features of the burial practices maintained by the tribe who built the Katartobe tombs. It may be too early to come to a definite conclusion on the burial practices of the Saka due to the relative lack of research on the kurgans across Central Asia. Excavations so far show that the kurgans clustered in a single archaeological site tend to display differences as well as uniformities. In conclusion, the ancient Central Asian tombs need more detailed surveys and researches to be able to make strides in an effort to restore the cultural heritage of the ancient Central Asian tribes who played a crucial role in the Eurasian cultural landscape.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.303-314
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• 2021

To understand how to efficiently observe the biomass and community of phytoplankton, phytoplankton sampling was carried out from June to October 2019 at the Yeongju dam sediment control reservoir(YJ) and Bohyeonsan dam reservoir(BH1 and BH2). The results derived from microscopic observation, such as the conventional phytoplankton qualitative/quantitative analysis, and from the CHEMTAX method based on the pigments, were compared. The relative contribution of phytoplankton, calculated by the microscopy and CHEMTAX methods, showed a significant difference in all four classes: cryptophyta, chlorophyta, cyanobacteria, and diatoms. In addition, the correlation between the two observation methods was poor. This might be caused by methodological differences in microscopy that do not consider the varying cell sizes among phytoplankton species. In this study, by converting the cells into carbon, the slope between both carbon biomasses based on microscopy and CHEMTAX was improved close to the 1 : 1 line, and the y-intercept was closer to 0 for cryptophyta and diatoms. For cyanobacteria, the slope increased, the y-intercept decreased, and the plot approached 1 : 1 although the correlation coefficients were not improved in all classes. The present study suggests that application of CHEMTAX based on pigment analysis could be a possible approach to efficiently determine the relative carbon proportions of individual classes of phytoplankton community composition.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.131-138
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• 1996

Soil crusting and hardening as a result of drying after rainfall were examined in relation to seedling emergence by employing five rice varieties (Italiconaverneco, Dadazo, and Galsaekggarakshare, Dongjinbyeo and Sumjinbyeo) and two barnyardgrass species (E. crus-gallj var. oryzjcola and E. crus-galli var. praticola). Sandy loam, loam, and silty loam soils were used. The artificial rainfall of 0, 20 and 40mm were applied after sowing and covering with 4cm soil. Air temperature and solar radiation averaged over 9 days after seeding was 31.3$^{\circ}C$ and 16.9MJ /m$^2$, respectively. Soil strength increased rapidly by drying after artificial rainfall, being greater in soils with greater amount of clay and artificial rainfall. Soil crust was formed on the surface with artificial rainfall in all soils tested. However, soil crust was exfoliated in silty loam and loam soil, and lifted as seedlings emerge. Seedling emergence of rice varieties was decreased by rainfall treatments. Sumjinbyeo and Dongjinbyeo showed much poorer seedling emergence especially in sandy loam soil than the other varieties. Poor seedling emergence of these varieties might have been caused by delayed seedling emergence which had made them expose to greater soil strength. Seedling emergence of barnyardgrasses showed no differences among soil textures and rainfall treatments, because they emerged rapidly before soil crusting and hardening were proceeded enough to hamper seedling emergence. Seedling emergence of Sumjinbyeo and Dongjinbyeo decreased with increasing soil strength averaged over 3 days to 5 days after seeding, being lowered to 80% at soil strength of 1.0kg/cm$^2$ and to 50% at 1.7kg/cm$^2$. Emergence speed of barnyardgrasses was faster than rice varieties, and E. crus-galli var. oryzjcola than E. crus-galli var. praticola. Italiconaverneco and Dadazo showed faster emergence in rice varieties. Galsaekggarakshare showed slower emergence speed than these two varieties with similar seedling emergence percentage. The greater and faster elongations of mesocotyl and incomplete leaf in rice, and of mesocotyl in barnyardgrass were the characteristics responsible for higher seedling emergence rate in the environment examined.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.49-59
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• 2023

The rapid advance of technology has accelerated global warming. As 50.4 percent of South Korea's population is concentrated in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, which has become a considerable emitter of greenhouse gases, the city's average temperature is expected to increase more rapidly than in other areas in the country. A rise in the average temperature would affect everyday life and urban ecology; thus, appropriate measures to cope with the forthcoming disaster are in need. This study analyzed the changes in plant phenological phases from the past to the present based on temperatures (average temperature of Feb, Mar, April) observed in seven different weather stations nearthe Seoul Metropolitan Area (Ganghwa, Seoul, Suwon, Yangpyeong, Icheon, Incheon, and Paju) and the first flowering dates of Plum tree (Prunus mume), Korean forsythia (Forsythia koreana), Korean rosebay (Rhododendron mucronulatum), Cherry tree (Prunus serrulate), Peach tree (Prunus persica), and Pear tree (Pyrus serotina). Then, RCP (Representative Concentration Pathways) 2.6 and 8.5 scenarios were used to predict the future temperature in the Seoul Metropolitan Area and how it will affect plant phenological phases. Furthermore, the study examined the differences in the flowering dates depending on various strategies to mitigate greenhouse gases. The result showed that the rate of plant phenological change had been accelerated since the 1900s.If emission levels remain unchanged, plants will flower from 18 to 29 earlier than they do now in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, which would be faster than in other areas in the country. This is because the FFD (First Flowering Date), is highly related to temperature changes. The Seoul Metropolitan Area, which has been urbanized more rapidly than any other areas, is predicted to become a temperature warming, forcing the FFDs of the area to occur faster than in the rest of the country. Changes in phenology can lead to ecosystem disruption by causing mismatches in species interacting with each otherin an ecosystem. Therefore, it is necessary to establish strategies against temperature warming and FFD change due to urbanization.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.164-171
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• 2022

Frankliniella occidentalis is an invasive pest insect, which affects over 500 different species of host plants and transmits viruses (tomato spotted wilt virus; TSWV). Despite their efficiency in controling insect pests, pesticides are limited by residence, cost and environmental burden. Therefore, a fixed-precision level sampling plan was developed. The sampling method for F. occidentalis adults in pepper greenhouses consists of spatial distribution analysis, sampling stop line, and control decision making. For sampling, the plant was divided into the upper part(180 cm above ground), middle part (120-160 cm above ground), and lower part (70-110 cm above ground). Through ANCOVA, the P values of intercept and slope were estimated to be 0.94 and 0.87, respectively, which meant there were no significant differences between values of all the levels of the pepper plant. In spatial distribution analysis, the coefficients were derived from Taylor's power law (TPL) at pooling data of each level in the plant, based on the 3-flowers sampling unit. F. occidentalis adults showed aggregated distribution in greenhouse peppers. TPL coefficients were used to develop a fixed-precision sampling stop line. For control decision making, the pre-referred action thresholds were set at 3 and 18. With two action thresholds, N_max values were calculated at 97 and 1149, respectively. Using the Resampling Validation for Sampling Program (RVSP) and the results gained from the greenhouses, the simulated validation of our sampling method showed a reasonable level of precision.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.73-82
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• 2016

Best drought tolerance index was determined through statistics analysis and growth appearance of drought tolerant plants was determined by cultivation in pot and sloping land. For determination of best drought tolerant indicators, RD(Resistant dry days), LD(Leaf area), UTR(Unit transpiration), RWC(Relative water content), RWL(Relative water loss), LA(Leaf area), SN(Stoma unmber) and SA(Stoma area) were carried out by correlation and PCA analysis. RWL and UTR were affected on plant drought tolerance according to comparison among six indices for resistant dry days. The PCs axes separated SA, LA, RD and RWC and SN. UTR was negatively correlated with SA, RWL were also negatively correlated with RWC and SN. RWL and UTR were proved best selection indicator for the selection of drought tolerant species. Ulmus parvifolia, Bidens bipinnata, Patrinia villosa, Kummerowia striata, Arundinella hirta, Artemisia gmelini etc. were selected drought tolerant plants. Shoot growth appearance of drought resistant plants was differed pot and sloping land. Shoot growth and leaf number was no significant differences between the pot and sloping land. However, root growth of drought tolerant plants was all the difference between two cultivation. T/R ratio of drought tolerant plants was also found a big difference. T/R ratio of drought tolerant plants in sloping land was lower than that of pot. These results will be served efficiently plant breeding.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.369-380
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• 2023

Developing and breeding improved legume-based food resources require collecting useful genetic traits with heritability even though requiring some time-consuming, costly, and labor intensive. We attempted to infer heritability of nine genetic traits-days to flowering, days to maturity, period from flowering to maturity, the number of seeds per pod, 100-seeds weight, and four contents such as crude protein, crude oil, crude fiber, and dietary fiber-using 455 homologous chloroplast gene sets of six species of legumes. Correlation analysis between genetic trait differences and phylogenetic distance of homologous gene sets revealed that days to flowering, the number of seeds per pod, and crude oil content were influenced by genetic factors rather than environmental factors by 62.86%, 69.45%, 57.14% of correlated genes (P-value ≤ 0.05) and days to maturity showed intermediate genetic effects by 62.42% (P-value ≤ 0.1). The period from flowering to maturity and 100-seeds weight showed different results compared to those of some previous studies, which may be attributed to highly complicated internal (epistatic or additive gene effects) and external effects (cultural environment and human behaviors). Despite being slightly unexpected, our results and method can widely contribute to analyze heritability by including genetic information on mitochondria, nuclear genome, and single nucleotide polymorphisms.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.62-71
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• 2024

To assess the ecological changes of Korean fir (Abies koreana E. H. Wilson) under climate change conditions, growth and physiological responses were analyzed over a 5-year period in a control group (outdoors) and in a treatment group where the temperature and CO2 levels were elevated to closely resemble RCP 4.5 conditions. The results showed an increasing trend in annual branch length of A.koreana in the climate change treatment group over time. While climate change conditions did not significantly impact the morphological differences of A.koreana leaves, they did influence the biomass of the leaves, suggesting that as climate change progresses, the productivity of A.koreana leaves may decline. On the other hand, the chlorophyll content in A.koreana under climate change conditions was higher in the climate change treatment group, whereas the photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, water use efficiency and stomatal conductance was higher in the control group. This suggests that an environment with elevated temperature and CO2 could influence an increase in stomatal density, but having a negative impact on photosynthetic reactions. Further research on stomatal density under each environmental treatment will be required to confirm this hypothesis. Additionally, as this study only observed changes in leaf biomass, further empirical research should be considered to understand the changes in biomass of A.koreana under climate change conditions. In conclusion, the environmental adaptability of A.koreana is expected to weaken in the long term under elevated temperatures and CO2.