• Plant Journal
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.32-41
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• 2021

Recently, air environmental issues such as fine dust have rapidly emerged as national issues, and intensive environmental regulations are being applied to coal-fired power plants. This study introduces the case of improving the performance of desulfurization facilities for removing sulfur oxides and dust, which are the main air pollutant emitters of coal-fired power plants, and conducted four case studies to improve the performance of 1,000 MW power plants currently in operation and carried out construction. Liquid ratio was increased by remodeling the absorption tower of desulfurization facilities, and vaporization reaction was promoted by increasing the flow rate of oxidized air. In addition, the gas heater leakage rate was improved to improve the efficiency of final desulfurization facilities. It is expected that performance improvement work considering harmony with existing facilities will satisfy the regulations(25ppm of sulfur oxides, 5mg/Sm³) that will be applied from 2023, and can be referred to other thermal power plants for review and application.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.33-41
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• 2021

Feldspar, along with Quartz, are the most frequently produced minerals in Korea; however, the potential value is estimated to be significantly low because of the scarce research on the development and application of material properties, except for their limited use in manufacturing minerals, glass, and paints. In this study, we analyzed the eco-friendly material and reactivity improvement characteristics of weathered feldspar through activation technique. The joint structural features observed on the surface of the weathered feldspar show that the joint arrangements are irregularly distributed, and the cavities are interconnected. Due to the irregularly connected cavities on the surface of weathered feldspar, the reaction area of the weathered feldspar is increased; hence the weathered feldspar is considered as a highly reactive pozzolan material when combined with cement. As a result of applying the thermal, mechanical, and chemical activation techniques to improve the functionality of the weathered feldspar, the cation exchange capacity, density, and uniaxial compression strength characteristics were improved. It is considered that weathered feldspar by these porous characteristics can be used as an eco-friendly construction material with excellent physical and chemical properties.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.959-964
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• 2022

Lead is an important material, both for fusion or fission reactors. The cross sections of natural lead should be validated because lead is a main component of lithium-lead modules suggested for fusion power plants and it directly affects the crucial variable, tritium breeding ratio. The presented study discusses a validation of the lead transport libraries by dint of the activation of carefully selected activation samples. The high emission standard ²⁵²Cf neutron source was used as a neutron source for the presented validation experiment. In the irradiation setup, the samples were placed behind 5 and 10 cm of the lead material. Samples were measured using a gamma spectrometry to infer the reaction rate and compared with MCNP6 calculations using ENDF/B-VIII.0 lead cross sections. The experiment used validated IRDFF-II dosimetric reactions to validate lead cross sections, namely ¹⁹⁷Au(n, 2n)¹⁹⁶Au, ⁵⁸Ni(n,p)⁵⁸Co, ⁹³Nb(n, 2n)^92mNb, ¹¹⁵In(n,n')^115mIn, ¹¹⁵In(n,γ)^116mIn, ¹⁹⁷Au(n,γ)¹⁹⁸Au and ⁶³Cu(n,γ)⁶⁴Cu reactions. The threshold reactions agree reasonably with calculations; however, the experimental data suggests a higher thermal neutron flux behind lead bricks. The paper also suggests ²⁵²Cf isotropic source as a valuable tool for validation of some cross-sections important for fusion applications, i.e. reactions on structural materials, e.g. Cu, Pb, etc.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.83-87
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• 2023

Y₂SiO₅ Powder based on silicon and yttrium is well known as powder phosphors due to their excellent sustainability and efficiency. A new electroluminescence device was fabricated with Y₂SiO₅:Eu³⁺ powder phosphors though a simple screen printing method. The powder-dispersed electroluminescence device consisted of the Y₂SiO₅:Eu³⁺ powder-dispersed phosphor layer and BaTiO₃-dispersed dielectric layer. The annealing temperature of the phosphor for the best powder electroluminescence performance was optimized to high temperature in ambient atmosphere though a solid-state reaction. The Eu³⁺ concentration for the best device performance was also investigated and furthermore, the thermal dependence of the electroluminescence intensity was investigated at the operating voltage at 100℃, which is the Curie temperature of the BaTiO₃ layer. And the intensity was exponentially increased with voltage and increased linearly with frequency.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.704-709
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• 2023

Objective: In tropical, subtropical and arid zones, heat stress is the main cause of productivity reduction in cattle. When climate stressors occur, animals become thermal adapted through differential expression of some genes, including heat shock proteins (HSP) family. The aim of this study was to determine levels of expression of HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90 genes in Simmental cattle raised in tropical environments of Mexico. Methods: In this study, expression of HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90 genes was analyzed in 116 Simmental cattle from three farms with tropical climate located in western Mexico. Animals were sampled twice a day, in the morning and noon. Gene expression was evaluated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction using probes marked with fluorescence. The MIXED procedure of SAS with repeated measures was used for all statistical analysis. Results: HSP60 gene expression differences were found for sex (p = 0.0349). HSP70 gene differences were detected for sampling hour (p = 0.0042), farm (p<0.0001), sex (p = 0.0476), and the interaction sampling hour×farm (p = 0.0002). Gene expression differences for HSP90 were observed for farm (p<0.0001) and year (p = 0.0521). HSP70 gene showed to be a better marker of heat stress than HSP60 and HSP90 genes. Conclusion: Expression of HSP70 gene in Simmental herds of the tropical region of western México was different during early morning and noon, but the expression of the HSP60 and HSP90 genes was similar. Identification of resilient animals to heat stress will be useful in the genetic improvement of the Simmental breed.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.8-18
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• 2022

With rapid industrialization and population growth, fossil fuel use has increased, which has a significant impact on the environment. Hydrogen does not cause contamination in the energy production process, so it seems to be a solution, but it is essential to find an appropriate storage method due to its low efficiency. In this study, Mg-based alloys capable of ensuring safety and high volume and hydrogen storage density per weight was studied, and Mg₂NiH_x synthesized with Ni capable of improving hydrogenation kinetics. In addition, in order to improve thermal stability, a hydrogen storage composite material synthesized with CaO was synthesized to analyze the change in hydrogenation reaction. In order to analyze the changes in the metallurgical properties of the materials through the process, XRD, SEM, BET, etc. were conducted, and hydrogenation behavior was confirmed by TGA and hydrogenation kinetics analysis. In addition, in order to evaluate the impact of the process on the environment, the environmental impact was evaluated through "Material Life Cycle Assessments" based on CML 2001 and EI99' methodologies, and compared and analyzed with previous studies. As a result, the synthesis of CaO caused additional power consumption, which had a significant impact on global warming, and further research is required to improve this.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.30-34
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• 2023

Since dishing in the CMP process is a major factor that hinders the uniformity of the semiconductor thin film, many studies have focused this issue to improve the non-uniformity of the film due to dishing. In the metal layer, the dishing mainly occurs in the central part of the metal due to a difference in a selection ratio between the metal and the dielectric, thereby generating a step on the surface of the metal layer. Factors that cause dishing include the shape of the thin film, the chemical reaction of the slurry, thermal deformation, and the rotational speed of the pad and head, and dishing occurs due to complex interactions between them. This study analyzed the stress generated on the metal layer surface in the CMP process using ANSYS software, a commercial structure analysis program. The stress caused by the vertical load applied from the pad was analyzed by changing the area density and line width of the dummy metal. As a result of the analysis, the stress in the active region decreased as the pattern density and line width of the dummy metal increased, and it was verified that it was valid compared with the previous study that studied the dishing according to the dummy pattern density and line width of the metal layer. In conclusion, it was confirmed that there is a relationship between dishing and normal stress.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.265-272
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• 2023

In this study, the synthesis of nitrobenzene was carried out using sulfated silica catalyst. The study delved into H₂SO₄/SiO₂ as a solid acid catalyst and the effect of its weight variation, as well as the use of a microwave batch reactor in the synthesis of nitrobenzene. SiO₂ was prepared using the sol-gel method from TEOS precursor. The formed gel was then refluxed with methanol and calcined at a temperature of 600 ℃. SiO₂ with a 200-mesh size was impregnated with 98 % H₂SO₄ by mixing for 1 h. The resulting 33 % (w/w) H₂SO₄/SiO₂ catalyst was separated by centrifugation, dried, and calcined at 600 ℃. The catalyst was then used as a solid acid catalyst in the synthesis of nitrobenzene. The weights of catalyst used were 0.5; 1; and 1.5 grams. The synthesis of nitrobenzene was carried out with a 1:3 ratio of benzene to nitric acid in a microwave batch reactor at 60 ℃ for 5 h. The resulting nitrobenzene liquid was analyzed using GC-MS to determine the selectivity of the catalyst. Likewise, the use of a microwave batch reactor was found to be appropriate and successful for the synthesis of nitrobenzene. The thermal energy produced by the microwave batch reactor was efficient enough to be used for the nitration reaction. Reactivity and selectivity tests demonstrated that 1 g of H₂SO₄/SiO₂ could generate an average benzene conversion of 40.33 %.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.309-318
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• 2023

Huanglongbing (HLB) is one of the most destructive diseases in citrus, which imperils the sustainability of citriculture worldwide. The presumed causal agent of HLB, 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' (CLas) is a non-culturable phloem-limited α-proteobacterium transmitted by Asian citrus psyllids (ACP, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama). A widely adopted method for HLB diagnosis is based on quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Although HLB diagnostic qPCR provides high sensitivity and good reproducibility, it is limited by time-consuming DNA preparation from plant tissue or ACP and the requirement of proper lab instruments including a thermal cycler to conduct qPCR. In an attempt to develop a quick assay that can be deployed in the field for CLas detection, we developed a real-time loop-mediated isothermal amplification (rt-LAMP) assay by targeting the CLas five copy nrdB gene. The rt-LAMP assay using various plant sample types and psyllids successfully detected the nrdB target as low as ~2.6 Log10 copies. Although the rt-LAMP assay was less sensitive than laboratory-based qPCR (detection limit ~10 copies), the data obtained with citrus leaf and bark and ACP showed that the rt-LAMP assay has >96% CLas detection rate, compared to that of laboratory-based qPCR. However, the CLas detection rate in fibrous roots was significantly decreased compared to qPCR due to low CLas titer in some root DNA sample. We also demonstrated that the rt-LAMP assay can be used with a crude leaf DNA extract which is fully deployable in the field for quick and reliable HLB screening.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.435-446
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• 2023

Corrosion behaviors of laser-welded super duplex stainless steel (SDSS) tubes after exposure to an actual power plant environment for one year and those of fin-tube welded SDSS were evaluated. Results showed that corrosion damage on the back side of the SDSS tube in the direction of hot air was higher than that on the front side regardless of weldment location. However, corrosion damage showed no difference between weldment and base metal due to recovery of phase fraction in the weldment through post weld heat treatment (PWHT). Nevertheless, the SDSS tube showed severe corrosion damage along grain boundary due to surface phase transformation (δ → γ) and Cr₂N precipitation caused by PWHT with a high N₂ atmosphere. Corrosion resistance of the SDSS tube was recovered when degraded surface was removed. Corrosion sensitivity of a fin-tube increased significantly due to pre-existing crevice, unbalanced phase fraction, and σ phase precipitation adjacent to the fusion line. Although corrosion resistance was improved by recovered phase fraction and sufficient dissolution of σ phase during PWHT, corrosion reaction was concentrated at the pre-existing crevice. These results suggest that welding conditions for fin-tube steel should be optimized to improve corrosion resistance by removing pre-existing crevice in the weldment.