• Wind and Structures
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.575-595
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• 2020

The characteristics of winds associated with tropical cyclones are of great significance in many engineering fields. This paper presents an investigation of wind characteristics over a coastal urban terrain based on field measurements collected from multiple cup anemometers and ultrasonic anemometers equipped at 13 height levels on a 356-m-high meteorological tower in Shenzhen during severe Typhoon Hato. Several wind quantities, including wind spectrum, gust factor, turbulence intensity and length scale as well as wind profile, are presented and discussed. Specifically, the probability distributions of fluctuating wind speeds are analyzed in connection with the normal distribution and the generalized extreme value distribution. The von Karman spectral model is found to be suitable to depict the energy distributions of three-dimensionally fluctuating winds. Gust factors, turbulence intensity and length scale are determined and discussed. Moreover, this paper presents the wind profiles measured during the typhoon, and a comparative study of the vertical distribution of wind speeds from the field measurements and existing empirical models is performed. The influences of the topography features and wind speeds on the wind profiles were investigated based on the field-measured wind records. In general, the empirical models can provide reasonable predictions for the measured wind speed profiles over a typical coastal urban area during a severe typhoon.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2012

High-resolution wind data were acquired from a 100-m high offshore tower during the passage of Typhoon Hagupit in September, 2008. The meteorological tower was equipped with an ultrasonic anemometer and a number of cup anemometers at heights between 10 and 100 m. Wind characteristics of the strong typhoon, such as mean wind speed and wind direction, turbulence intensity, turbulence integral length scale, gust factor and power spectra of wind velocity, vertical profiles of mean wind speed were investigated in detail based on the wind data recorded during the strong typhoon. The measured results revealed that the wind characteristics in different stages during the typhoon varied remarkably. Through comparison with non-typhoon wind measurements, the phenomena of enhanced levels of turbulence intensity, gust factors, turbulence integral length scale and spectral magnitudes in typhoon boundary layer were observed. The monitored data and analysis results are expected to be useful for the wind-resistant design of offshore structures and buildings on seashores in typhoon-prone regions.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2023.05a
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• pp.87-87
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• 2023

The impact of climate change on typhoons is a major concern in East Asia, especially due to the destructive effects of heavy rainfall on society and the economy, as many megacities are located along coastal regions. Although observations suggest significant changes in typhoon heavy rainfall, the extent to which anthropogenic forcing contributes to these changes has yet to be determined. In this study, we demonstrate that anthropogenic global warming has a substantial impact on the observed changes in typhoon heavy rainfall in the western North Pacific region. Observation data indicates that, in general, typhoon heavy rainfall has increased (decreased) in coastal East Asia (tropical western North Pacific) during the latter half of the 20th century and beyond. This spatial distribution is similar to the "anthropogenic fingerprint" observed from a set of large ensemble climate simulations, which represents the difference between Earth systems with and without human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. This provides evidence to support the claim that the significant increase in the frequency of typhoon heavy rainfall along coastal East Asia cannot be solely explained by natural variability. In addition, our results indicate that the signal of the "anthropogenic fingerprint" has been increasing rapidly since the mid-1970s and departed from natural variability in the early 2000s, indicating that the regional summer climate has already crossed the tipping point.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.301-308
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• 2020

Owing to global climate change, the global resurgence of vector-borne infectious diseases and their potential to inflict widespread casualties among human populations has emerged as a pivotal burden on public health systems. Tsutsugamushi disease (scrub typhus) in the Republic of Korea is steadily increasing and was designated as a legal communicable disease in 1994. The disease is a mite-borne acute febrile disease most commonly contracted from October to December. In this study, we tried to determine the prevalence of tsutsugamushi disease transmitted by chigger mites living on rodents and investigated their target vector diversity, abundance, and distribution to enable the mapping of hotspots for this disease in 2015. A total of 5 species belonging to 4 genera (109 mites): Leptotrombidium scutellare 60.6%, L. pallidum 28.4% Neotrombicula tamiyai 9.2%, Euschoengastia koreaensis/0.9%), and Neoschoengastia asakawa 0.9% were collected using chigger mite collecting traps mimicking human skin odor and sticky chigger traps from April to November 2015. Chigger mites causing tsutsugamushi disease in wild rodents were also collected in Hwaseong for the zoonotic surveillance of the vector. A total of 77 rodents belonging to 3 genera: Apodemus agrarius (93.5%), Crocidura lasiura (5.2%), and Micromys minutus (1.3%) were collected in April, October, and November 2015. The most common mite was L. pallidum (46.9%), followed by L. scutellare (18.6%), and L. orientale (18.0%). However, any of the chigger mite pools collected from rodent hosts was tested positive for Orientia tsutsugamushi, the pathogen of tsutsugamushi disease, in this survey.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.252-263
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• 2018

In this research, we performed a SWOT analysis to analyze the feasibility of cultivating tropical fruits in Korea, using the mango as a case study. The opportunities for domestic tropical fruit (mango) cultivation are that the domestic cultivation environment is improving due to global warming, the consumer market is expanding due to the increase in domestic demand, and some local governments are supporting the cultivation of tropical fruits as a new high-income crop. The strengths are that it is possible to produce high quality fresh fruits in Korea and that they are still distributed in small quantities, so they can be differentiated from imported ones. There are regular customers and the mango is recognized as a medicinally functional fruit. The threats are that the price competitiveness of imported goods is likely to be further strengthened due to the implementation of the FTA and that it is difficult to cope with the unpredictable climate changes, such as heavy snowfall and extremely cold weather. The weak points are that the initial investment cost is high, the operating costs such as heating bills are also very high, and there is no supply system for the chemicals, fertilizers and cultivation technology required for tropical fruits. In order for tropical fruits such as mangoes to become major fruits, we must make full use of these strengths and opportunities while, at the same time, complementing the weaknesses and eliminating the threats in the value chain.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.691-698
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• 2019

The seasonal abundance of hard ticks that transmit severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus was monitored with a collection trap method every April to November during 2015-2018 and with a flagging method every July and August during 2015-2018 in Ganghwa-do (island) of Incheon Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea. This monitoring was performed in a copse, a short grass field, coniferous forest and broad-leaved forest. A total of 17,457 ticks (8,277 larvae, 4,137 nymphs, 3,389 females, and 1,654 males) of the ixodid ticks comprising 3 species (Haemaphysalis longicornis, H. flava, and Ixodes nipponensis) were collected with collection traps. Of the identified ticks, H. longicornis was the most frequently collected ticks (except larval ticks) (94.26%, 8,653/9,180 ticks (nymphs and adults)), followed by H. flava (5.71%, 524/9,180) and Ix. nipponensis (less than 0.04%, 3/9,180). The ticks collected with collecting traps were pooled and assayed for the presence of SFTS virus with negative results. In addition, for monitoring the prevalence of hard ticks, a total of 7,461 ticks (5,529 larvae, 1,272 nymphs, 469 females, and 191 males) of the ixodid ticks comprising 3 species (H. longicornis, H. flava, and Ix. nipponensis) were collected with flagging method. H. longicornis was the highest collected ticks (except larval ticks) (99.53%, 1,908/1,917 ticks (nymphs and adults)), followed by H. flava (1.15%, 22/1,917).

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.5
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• pp.551-558
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• 2020

The flaviviruses are small single-stranded RNA viruses that are typically transmitted by mosquitoes or tick vectors and are etiological agents of acute zoonotic infections. The viruses are found around the world and account for significant cases of human diseases. We investigated population of culicine mosquitoes in central region of Korean Peninsula, Incheon Metropolitan City and Hwaseong-si. Aedes vexans nipponii was the most frequently collected mosquitoes (56.5%), followed by Ochlerotatus dorsalis (23.6%), Anopheles spp. (10.9%), and Culex pipiens complex (5.9%). In rural regions of Hwaseong, Aedes vexans nipponii was the highest population (62.9%), followed by Ochlerotatus dorsalis (23.9%) and Anopheles spp. (12.0%). In another rural region of Incheon (habitat of migratory birds), Culex pipiens complex was the highest population (31.4%), followed by Ochlerotatus dorsalis (30.5%), and Aedes vexans vexans (27.5%). Culex pipiens complex was the predominant species in the urban region (84.7%). Culicine mosquitoes were identified at the species level, pooled up to 30 mosquitoes each, and tested for flaviviral RNA using the SYBR Green-based RT-PCR and confirmed by cDNA sequencing. Three of the assayed 2,683 pools (989 pools without Anopheles spp.) were positive for Culex flaviviruses, an insect-specific virus, from Culex pipiens pallens collected at the habitats for migratory birds in Incheon. The maximum likelihood estimation (the estimated number) for Culex pipiens pallens positive for Culex flavivirus was 25. Although viruses responsible for mosquito-borne diseases were not identified, we encourage intensified monitoring and long-term surveillance of both vector and viruses in the interest of global public health.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.25-34
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• 2002

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the function of microclimate amelioration of urban trees regarding the environmental benefits of street trees in summer, focusing on the heat pollution-urban heat island, tropical climate day's phenomenon and air pollution. We measured the diurnal variation of air/ground temperatures and humidity within the vegetation canopy with the meteorological tower observation system. Summertime air temperatures within the vegetation canopy layer were 1-2$^{\circ}C$ cooler than in places with no vegetation. Due to lack of evaporation, the ground surface temperatures of footpaths were, at a midafternoon maximum, 8$^{\circ}C$ hotter than those under trees. This means that heat flows from a place with no vegetation to a vegetation canopy layer during the daytime. The heat is consumed as a evaporation latent heat. These results suggest that the extension of vegetation canopy bring about a more pleasant urban climate. Diurnal variation of air/ground temperatures and humidity within the vegetation canopy were measured with the meteorological tower observation system. According to the findings, summertime air temperatures under a vegetation canopy layer were 1-2$^{\circ}C$ cooler than places with no vegetation. Due mainly to lack of evaporation the ground surface temperature of footpaths were up to 8$^{\circ}C$ hotter than under trees during mid-afternoon. This means that heat flows from a place where there is no vegetation to another place where there is a vegetation canopy layer during the daytime. Through the energy redistribution analysis, we ascertain that the major part of solar radiation reaching the vegetation cover is consumed as a evaporation latent heat. This result suggests that the expansion of vegetation cover creates a more pleasant urban climate through the cooling effect in summer. Vegetation plays an important role because of its special properties with energy balance. Depended on their evapotranspiration, vegetation cover and water surfaces diminish the peaks of temperature during the day. The skill to make the best use of the vegetation effect in urban areas is a very important planning device to optimize urban climate. Numerical simulation study to examine the vegetation effects on urban climate will be published in our next research paper.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.199-206
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• 2005

C. neoformans-associated cryptococcosis is primarily a disease of immunocompromised persons, has a world-wide distribution, and is often spread by pigeons in the urban environment. In contrast, C. gattii causes infection in normal hosts, has only been described in tropical and semi-tropical areas of the world, and has a unique niche in river gum Eucalyptus trees. Cryptococcosis is acquired through inhalation of the yeast propagules from the environment. C. gattii has been identified as the cause of an emerging infectious disease centered on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. No cases of C. gattii-disease were diagnosed prior to 1999; the current incidence rate is 36 cases per million population. A search was initiated in 2001 to find the ecological niche of this basidiomycetous yeast. C. gattii was found in the environment in treed areas of Vancouver Island. The highest percentage of colonized-tree clusters were found around central Vancouver Island, with decreasing rates of colonization to the north and south. Climate, soil and vegetation cover of this area, called the Coastal Douglas fir biogeoclimatic zone, is unique to British Columbia and Canada. The concentration of airborne C. gattii was highest in the dry summer months, and lowest during late fall, winter, and early spring, months which have heavy rainfall. The study of the emerging colonization of this organism and subsequent cases of environmentally acquired disease will be informative in planning public health management of new routes of exposure to exotic agents in areas impacted by changing climate and land use patterns.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.193-198
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• 2004

Seasonal effects of the newly evolved bivoltine hybrid namely CSR$_2$${\times}$SR$_{5}$, SR$_1$ ${\times}$SR$_4$ and control hybrid KA${\times}$NB$_4$D$_2$ along with their parents SR$_1$, SR$_4$, SR$_{5}$, CSR$_2$ KA and NB$_4$D$_2$ were evaluated during different seasons of the year to understand genotype and environment interactions. Data were collected on five economic importance namely, pupation rate, cocoon yield, cocoon weight, cocoon shell ratio and filament length of the lines, hybrids and the control breeds/hybrid in three different seasons i.e., Pre-Monsoon, Monsoon and post-monsoon and subjected to relevant statistical methods. Seasonal performance of CSR$_2$, SR$_1$, SR$_4$ and SR$_{5}$ revealed superiority over control breeds KA and NB$_4$D$_2$. Both the hybrids i.e., CSR$_2$${\times}$SR$_{5}$ and SR$_1$${\times}$SR$_4$ performed well under diversified environmental conditions of tropical climate in a year indicating overall stability. These hybrids revealed highly significant (P < 0.01) variations for majority of the traits studied over the control hybrid KA${\times}$NB$_4$D$_2$.$.