• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.258-266
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• 2017

Background: Welders are exposed to many known and suspected carcinogens. An excess lung cancer risk among welders is well established, but whether this is attributable to welding fumes is unclear. Excess risks of other cancers have been suggested, but not established. We investigated welding cancer risks in the population-based Canadian Census Health and Environmental Cohort. Methods: Among 1.1 million male workers, 12,845 welders were identified using Standard Occupational Classification codes and followed through retrospective linkage of 1991 Canadian Long Form Census and Canadian Cancer Registry (1992-2010) records. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using Cox proportional hazards models based on estimated risks of lung cancer, mesothelioma, and nasal, brain, stomach, kidney, and bladder cancers, and ocular melanoma. Lung cancer histological subtypes and risks by industry group and for occasional welders were examined. Some analyses restricted comparisons to blue-collar workers to minimize effects of potential confounders. Results: Among welders, elevated risks were observed for lung cancer [HR: 1.16, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-1.31], mesothelioma (HR: 1.78, 95% CI: 1.01-3.18), bladder cancer (HR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.15-1.70), and kidney cancer (HR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.01-1.67). When restricted to blue-collar workers, lung cancer and mesothelioma risks were attenuated, while bladder and kidney cancer risks increased. Conclusion: Excess risks of lung cancer and mesothelioma may be partly attributable to factors including smoking and asbestos. Welding-specific exposures may increase bladder and kidney cancer risks, and particular sources of exposure should be investigated. Studies that are able to disentangle welding effects from smoking and asbestos exposure are needed.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.248-257
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• 2009

In this paper, human exposure and risk of environmental pollutants were predicted using an emission assessment model and multimedia fate model. Eight environmental pollutants, acetaldehyde, acrylonitrile, aniline, benzene, carbon tetrachloride, dichloromethane, formaldehyde and vinyl chloride, were selected for the risk assessment in an urban and industrial area in Korea. The emission rate of target pollutants were estimated after considering a variety of point and non-point emission sources including geographical information. A spatially refined multimedia fate model was applied to predict the environmental concentration and fate of pollutants. Hazard data of target materials were obtained from the IRIS(Integrated Risk Information System) database. Using the modeling results with hazard data, the human risks were assessed. Modeling results demonstrate that the considerable risks were observed for several pollutants.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.152-159
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• 2006

Electro-magnetic fields and static magnetic fields generated from diverse home/environmental sources have been reported that these could make harmful effects on the human health such as suppression of immunity and tumorigenesis. However, the mechanisms for the biologic effects of electro-magnetic fields or static magnetic fields are still remained unclear. In this study, we examined the in vitro effects of static magnetic fields (SMF) on murine peritoneal macrophages. The cells were exposed in vitro to SMF of $150{\sim}250$ or $350{\sim}450$ G in 5% $CO_2$-incubator. The phagocytic activity of murine peritoneal macrophages was inhibited under exposure to SMF. In order to provide a more complete picture of molecular mechanism for the biological effect of SMF, we compared the levels of total proteins from macrophages with or without exposure to SMF using quantitative proteomic analysis. Proteins which were differentially expressed in macrophages exposed to SMF compared with non-exposed macrophages, were identified. Among them, the levels of trypsinogen 16, lactose-binding lectin Mac-2, galactoside-binding lectin, actin-like (Put. ${\beta}-actin$, vimentin) and electron transferring flavoprotein beta polypeptide were enhanced under exposure to SMF. These results suggest that SMF can affect the phagocytic activity of macrophages via diverse mechanisms.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.267-273
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• 2020

This study experimentally investigates hydrophobic surfaces fabricated via additive manufacturing. Additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, is the process of joining materials to fabricate parts from 3D model data, usually in a layer-upon-layer manner. Digital light processing is used to fabricate hydrophobic surfaces in this study. This method uses photo-curable resins and ultraviolet (UV) sources. Moreover, this technique generally has faster shaping speeds and is advantageous for the fabrication of small components because it enables the fabrication of one layer at a time. Two photo-curable resins with different compositions are used to fabricate micro-patterns of hydrophobic surfaces. The resins are composed of a photo-initiator, monomer, and oligomer. Experiments are conducted to determine suitable process conditions for the fabrication of hydrophobic surfaces depending on the type of resin. The most important factors affecting the process conditions are the UV exposure time and slice thickness. The fabrication capability according to the process conditions is evaluated using the side and top views of the micro-patterns observed using a microscope. The micro-patterns are collapsed and intertwined when the exposure time is short because sufficient light (heat) is not applied to cure the photo-curable resin with a given slice thickness. On the other hand, the micro-patterns are attached to each other when the exposure time is prolonged because the over-curing time can cure the periphery of a given shape. When the slice is thicker, the additional curing area is enlarged in each slice owing to the straightness of UV light, and the slice surface becomes rough.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.181-188
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• 2020

This study was conducted to identify the optimal conditions for seedling growth in Veronica rotunda var. subintegra (Nakai) T.Yamaz. which a endemic plant and can be development as ornamental plants. We sowed V. rotunda var. subintegra (Nakai) T.Yamaz. seeds, and exposed the seedling was different treatment conditions. We varied soil type and fertilizer concentration, shading ratio, additional fertilizer concentration, pretreatment light exposure and collection time of seeds. We found that seedling growth was good in horticultural substrate (with no additional fertilizer), but mixed soils supplemented with fertilizer inhibited growth, regardless of the fertilizer concentration. In the 55% shading treatment, seedling growth was greater than in the non-shading treatment. High concentration addition of fertilizer (Hyponex) promoted plant growth, in terms of both plant length and fresh weight. Exposure of seeds to a red light-source prior to germination had a greater effect on seedling growth than exposure to other light sources. Seedlings exhibited better growth when grown from seed collected in 2018, rather than 2017.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.411-429
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• 2015

The Korea Ministry of Environment has established an air quality standard for $PM_{2.5}$ in 2012 and it is effective from January 2015. In this study, we review various aspects of $PM_{2.5}$ in China, including its measurement, modeling, source apportionment, and health effect, and suggest future research directions for $PM_{2.5}$ studies in Korea. Measurements studies for $PM_{2.5}$ have examined organic marker compounds and $^{14}C$ as well as inorganic aerosols for distinguishing sources. Modeling results supported that the control of $PM_{2.5}$ pollution in big city needs effective cooperation between city and its surrounding regions. The major $PM_{2.5}$ sources in China have been identified to be secondary sulfur, motor vehicle emissions, coal combustion, dust, biomass burning, and industrial sources, however, they have seasonal dependency. Especially, the severe haze pollution event during January 2013 over eastern and northern China was driven to a large extent by secondary aerosol formation. Short-term exposure to $PM_{2.5}$ is strongly associated with the increased risk of morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as total non-accidental mortality. Considered previous $PM_{2.5}$ studies in China, analysis of specific organic species using online measurement, chamber experiment for secondary aerosol formation mechanism, and development of parameterizing this process in the model are needed to elucidate factors governing the abundance and composition of $PM_{2.5}$ in Korea.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.59-64
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• 2018

PURPOSES : We propose a parameter-setting-free harmony-search (PSF-HS) algorithm to determine the individual sound power levels of noise sources in the cases of industrial or road noise environment. METHODS :In terms of using methods, we use PSF-HS algorithm because the optimization parameters cannot be fixed through finding the global minimum. RESULTS:We found that the main advantage of the PSF-HS heuristic algorithm is its ability to find the best global solution of individual sound power levels through a nonlinear complex function, even though the parameters of the original harmony-search (HS) algorithm are not fixed. In an industrial and road environment, high noise exposure is harmful, and can cause nonauditory effects that endanger worker and passenger safety. This study proposes the PSF-HS algorithm for determining the PWL of an individual machine (or vehicle), which is a useful technique for industrial (or road) engineers to identify the dominant noise source in the workplace (or road field testing case). CONCLUSIONS : This study focuses on providing an efficient method to determine sound power levels (PWLs) and the dominant noise source while multiple machines (or vehicles) are operating, for comparison with the results of previous research. This paper can extend the state-of-the-art in a heuristic search algorithm to determine the individual PWLs of machines as well as loud machines (or vehicles), based on the parameter-setting-free harmony-search (PSF-HS) algorithm. This algorithm can be applied into determining the dominant noise sources of several vehicles in the cases of road cross sections and congested housing complex.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2001

The main purposes of this study are to know the contents and forms of impressions that the general public, and the consumerists and environmentalists have of irradiated food, and to know what information of irradiated food influences their impressions. Other purposes are to know what sources those impressions derive from, to know which media they have recently been exposed to and paid attention to irradiated food through, to know which sources they trust of information regarding irradiated food most greatly, and finally to suggest policies and strategies of communication in order to shed positive impressions of irradiated food on people. This study was conducted through the person-to-person interview survey toward 1,200 adults, and 150 consumerists and environmentalists in 1999. Adults are sampled nationally in South Korea. Only 8.7% of the general public have heard of irradiated food. Impressions of irradiated food that the general public mentioned most frequently are: harmful, insecure, negative, etc. The consumerists and environmentalists were found to have the most inaccurate knowledge of irradiated food. Television and newspaper were the major sources of impressions of, exposure to and focus of attention on irradiated food. Based on these results, we seem to devise methods to enhance impression of irradiated food by disseminating information of advantages and benefits that irradiation provides food with and to promote the fact that irradiation on food is totally irrelevant to being radioactive, danger of a nuclear power plant, genetically modifying food, etc.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.32-42
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• 2013

Objectives: Cryptosporidium, a protozoan parasite, has been recognized as a frequent cause of waterborne disease due to its extremely strong resistance against chlorine disinfection. Although there has as yet been no report of a Cryptosporidium outbreak through drinking water in Korea, it is important to estimate the health risk of Cryptosporidium in water supply systems because of the various infection cases in human and domestic animals and frequent detection reports on their oocysts in water environments. Methods: This study evaluated the annual infection risk of Cryptosporidium in tap water using the quantitative microbial risk assessment technique. Exposure assessment was performed upon the results of a national survey on Cryptosporidium on the water sources of 97 large-scale water purification plants in Korea, water treatment efficacy, and daily unboiled tap water consumption. The estimates of the US Environmental Protection Agency on the mean likelihood of infection from ingesting one oocyst were applied for effect assessment. Results: Using probabilistic methods, mean annual infection risk of Cryptosporidiosis by the intake of tap water was estimated to fall within the range of $2.3{\times}10^{-4}$ to $1.0{\times}10^{-3}$ (median $5.7{\times}10^{-4}$). The risk in using river sources was predicted to be four times higher than with lake sources. With 0.5-log higher removal efficacy, the risk was estimated to be $1.8{\times}10^{-4}$, and could then be lowered by one-third. Conclusions: These estimations can be compared with acceptable risk and then used to determine the adequacy and priority of various drinking water quality strategies such as the establishment of new treatment technology.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 2003

Aspergillus nidulans, a homothalic ascomycete, has a complete sexual reproductive cycle as well as an asexual one. Both sexual and asexual development are known to be genetically programmed, but are also strongly affected by environmental factors including nutrients, light, temperature and osmolarity. We have examined these factors to define favored conditions for fruiting body (cleistothecium) formation. In general, fruiting body formation was enhanced where carbon and nitrogen sources were sufficient. Limitation of C-source caused predominant asexual development while inhibiting sexual development. When higher concentrations of glucose were supplied, more cleistothecia were formed. Other carbon sources including lactose, galactose and glycerol made the fungus develop cleistothecia very well, whereas acetate caused asexual sporulation only. Organic nitrogen sources like casein hydrolysate and glycine, and an increase in nitrate or ammonium concentration also enhanced sexual development. In addition to nutrient effects, low levels of aerobic respiration, caused either by platesealing or treatment with various chemicals, favored sexual development. Carbon limitation, light exposure and a high concentration of salts promoted asexual development preferentially, suggesting that stress conditions may drive the cell to develop asexual sporulation while comfortable and wellnourished growth conditions favored sexual development.