• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.471-477
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate area exposure of airborne dust and organic gas during entrance and shipment of chicken in poultry farms Methods: Total dust was measured with NIOSH method 0500. The volume of distributed dust and organic gas(Ammonia, TVOC, Hydrogen Sulfide) were measured using direct reading instrument. Results: The range of concentrations of total dust in area sample was $0.07{\sim}4.91mg/m^3$ during the entrance of chicks and $4.37{\sim}9.4mg/m^3$ during shipment respectively. Concentration of ammonia reached approximately 9 ppm during shipment. There was a difference of concentration of total dust in the area sample between shipment and entrance tasks. Conclusions: It was found that the development of a special intervention program by type of task should be considered for reducing respiratory health effects among poultry farmers.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.15-32
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• 2013

The concrete information technology (IT) has affected ways for supporting agricultural products. However, studies relating IT to agriculture in a broader sense have not been prevalent. The objective of this study is to improve agencies' effectiveness and performance in the use and application of IT through understanding the organizational fit and misfit. This research applied a multi-contingency view to Korean IT supporting agricultural promotion agencies and it evaluated the competitiveness of these agencies with reference to the correspondence of factors (Goal, Strategy, Environment, Knowledge Exchange, Task Design, and Information System) affecting their performance with organizational goals. The results reveal that organizations with good performance show better organizational fit with their organizational goal. This study contributes to the ways of efficient IT management in agricultural organizations in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.785-793
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• 2022

In this study, tomato maturity was estimated based on deep learning for a harvesting robot. Tomato images were obtained using a RGB camera installed on a monitoring robot, which was developed previously, and the samples were cropped to 128 × 128 size images to generate a dataset for training the classification model. The classification model was constructed based on convolutional neural networks, and the mean-variance loss was used to learn implicitly the distribution of the data features by class. In the test stage, the tomato maturity was estimated as a continuous index, which has a range of 0 to 1, by calculating the expected class value. The results show that the F1-score of the classification was approximately 0.94, and the performance was similar to that of a deep learning-based classification task in the agriculture field. In addition, it was possible to estimate the distribution in each maturity stage. From the results, it was found that our approach can not only classify the discrete maturation stages of the tomatoes but also can estimate the continuous maturity.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2001

Major deficiencies of current automation scheme including various robots for bioproduction include the lack of task adaptability and real time processing, low job performance for diverse tasks, and the lack of robustness of take results, high system cost, failure of the credit from the operator, and so on. This paper proposed a scheme that could solve the current limitation of task abilities of conventional computer controlled automatic system. The proposed scheme is the man-machine hybrid automation via tele-operation which can handle various bioproduction processes. And it was classified into two categories. One category was the efficient task sharing between operator and CCM(computer controlled machine). The other was the efficient interface between operator and CCM. To realize the proposed concept, task of the object identification and extraction of 3D coordinate of an object was selected. 3D coordinate information was obtained from camera calibration using camera as a measurement device. Two stereo images were obtained by moving a camera certain distance in horizontal direction normal to focal axis and by acquiring two images at different locations. Transformation matrix for camera calibration was obtained via least square error approach using specified 6 known pairs of data points in 2D image and 3D world space. 3D world coordinate was obtained from two sets of image pixel coordinates of both camera images with calibrated transformation matrix. As an interface system between operator and CCM, a touch pad screen mounted on the monitor and remotely captured imaging system were used. Object indication was done by the operator’s finger touch to the captured image using the touch pad screen. A certain size of local image processing area was specified after the touch was made. And image processing was performed with the specified local area to extract desired features of the object. An MS Windows based interface software was developed using Visual C++6.0. The software was developed with four modules such as remote image acquisiton module, task command module, local image processing module and 3D coordinate extraction module. Proposed scheme shoed the feasibility of real time processing, robust and precise object identification, and adaptability of various job and environments though selected sample tasks.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.277-298
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• 2012

Once a production focused on primary industry, Food, agriculture, forestry and fisheries industry is now trying to shed away and plans to totally transform the paradigm of agricultural R&D with a leaping goal towards being a new growth engine. Promoting the bioindustry through utilizing agricultural bioresources was selected as the primary task and also made all efforts to support by all government department and ministry. In this study, we are raised problems and planned the improvements by the empirical analysis of national R&D policy, investment strategy, the recent progress of R&D program, and the performance of R&D investment to achieve early commercialization in fields of agricultural bioresources utilizing. We also propose the R&D role sharing and cooperations of public/private sector to commercialize the agricultural bioresources from the comprehensive empirical analysis results. It will eventually strengthen the national R&D investment strategy and efficiency and then will contribute towards a successful early commercialization performance in bioindustry through utilizing agricultural bioresources.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.67-74
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• 2016

Objective: The aim of this study is to develop a farming shovel to reduce workload, which helps farmers lower the risk of musculoskeletal disease. Background: Most of work using farming tools including shovels requires repetitive works and awkward postures on body parts, and it could possibly cause work-related musculoskeletal disorders. It is necessary to develop and distribute farm equipment and tools in order to reduce physical workload. Method: To improve the most uncomfortable task perceived by ten farmers during the work with a shovel, the improved shovel was designed and made as a prototype for experiment for the comparison of the existing and improved shovels. Twenty males were recruited for this experiment, and muscle activity (%MVC) of six body parts and subjective discomfort ratings by body parts while working with a shovel were measured. A paired t-test was performed to compare physical workload between the existing shovel and the developed one. Results: A shovel applying foothold tied between shaft and blade was designed, which can help workers reduce repetitive bending of back and pressures for upper limbs while digging soil. According to compared evaluation of the developed shovel and the existing shovel, the developed shovel's %MVCs in all experimental muscles were significantly lower than those of the existing shovel. The developed shovel showed the biggest drop in perceived subjective discomfort rating of back, followed by arm and neck, compared to the existing shovel. Conclusion: It was confirmed that attaching a foothold to a shovel was an effective way of reducing workload in back and upper limbs during digging. Application: In the near future, if we put the prototype of developed shovel to practical use after making up for defects, it will help farm work environment be healthier and safer.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.159-166
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the personal exposure to $PM_{10}$ by body parts for the development of dust monitoring wearable device for swine farmers. Methods: Tasks were classified by using motion pictures taken by action cameras attached to swine farmers. Concentrations of $PM_{10}$ were measured by attaching direct-reading instruments at the head, neck and waist of worker. Differences of $PM_{10}$ exposure between body parts were analyzed with linear regression. Results: We identified three tasks(vaccination, moving pigs, and manure treatment). $PM_{10}$ concentration during vaccination was the highest among the tasks, and the body part showing the highest concentration of $PM_{10}$ was the waist regardless of task. In all tasks, the closer distance between the body parts, the higher were the R-squared values(vaccination 0.4221, moving pigs 0.6990, and manure treatment 0.2164). Conclusions: We presumed that $PM_{10}$ concentrations were affected by the parts of the body in which they were measured. In order to develop swine farmer's wearable device for monitoring dust concentration in air, the determination of the positions of monitoring sensor to ensure accurate measurement is essential. Considering the results of this study, wearable sensor should be positioned at the waist.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.785-795
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• 2022

Traditional germplasms are unsuitable for mechanized production, limiting adzuki bean production. The creation of cultivars that can be harvested by mechanized means is an urgent task for breeders. The bottom pod height (BPH), lodging resistance, and synchronous maturing of adzuki beans are critical factors for the reduction of losses due to mechanized harvesting. In this study, 14 traits of 806 adzuki bean accessions were analyzed. All growth stages and the yield, lodging score, and synchronous maturing correlated negatively with the BPH. These negative correlations reflect the increased difficulty of breeding to simultaneously satisfy the needs for no lodging, high synchronous maturing rates, BPHs > 10 cm, and high yield. We screened three germplasms with no lodging, high synchronous maturing rates, and BPHs > 10 cm that were used as mechanization-adapted breeding material for crossing with high-yield cultivars. Agronomic trait diversity in adzuki beans was also examined in this study. Principal component and cluster analyses were conducted for 806 germplasms resulting in three clusters with the yield and three growth stage traits serving as the main discriminating factors. Cluster 1 included high-yield germplasms with the number of pods per plant and the number of seeds per pod being the major discriminant factors. Cluster 2 included germplasms with long growth periods and large 100-seed weights while cluster 3 contained germplasms with high BPHs. In general, the characteristics that make mechanical harvesting feasible and those assessed in this study could be utilized to choose and enhance adzuki beans production.

• Journal of Drive and Control
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.23-29
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• 2024

Potatoes are one of the world's four major crops, and domestic consumption is currently increasing in Korea. However, the mechanization rate of potatoes is very low, and especially, harvesting is the most labor-intensive task in potato production. In Korea, potato-collecting work depends on manpower, so it is necessary to develop a gathering-type harvester that can be used for processes from digging to harvesting. Therefore, in this study, a self-propelled-type potato harvester was developed, and its performance was analyzed to mechanize harvesting. The potato harvester was developed to have a crawler-type driving part with a 60 hp diesel engine and consisted of a digging part that digs potatoes from the ground, a vertical transporting part that transfers the dug potatoes to the height of the collection bag, a separating part that separates debris, such as stones and soil, and a collecting part that loads the collection box. A field test of the potato harvester was conducted, and performance was evaluated by the damage, loss, and debris mixing proportions, which were 2.5%, 2.8%, and 2.6%, respectively. The working capacity was 1.2 h/10 a. The economic analysis results showed that the cost of harvesting work could be reduced by 12.7% compared to manual harvesting.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.241-271
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• 2012

The objectives of this study were to explore the duties and tasks of educational program operation, to develop the performance model including the duties and tasks, and to construct the action manual of the tasks and duties in related with implementing effectively the educational program. The findings of this study were as follows. First, The identifying duties and tasks was 1,942 related with implementing educational program operation based on theoretical job model through activity analysis and experience sampling techniques. Second, the finding duties and tasks was reconstructed through classifying with 9 duties and 88 tasks, and then it was developed as educational program operation model of Korean Rural HRD Center. Finally Third, the implementing manual was constructed including the contents and task-elements.