• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2010

Environmental-friendly agriculture (EFA) is defined as the cultivation of crops with reduced amounts or without chemical-synthetic pesticides. Recently, the use of chemical pesticides has decreased significantly; therefore, we cultivated peppers following EFA- and conventional methods and compared their antioxidant activities. To accomplish this, the environmental-friendly cultivated peppers (EFPE) and conventionally cultivated peppers (CCPE) were extracted with 70% methanol and the effects of the extracts on the cell viability, intracellular ROS generation, lipid peroxidation and catalase activity of HepG2 cells were evaluated. EFPE showed a stronger protective effect against oxidative stress induced-cell death than that of CCPE. EFPE also reduced intracellular ROS generation (42.7% to 26.4%) following treatment with hydrogen peroxide more effectively than that of CCPE (24.2% to 6.3%). Furthermore, EFPE and CCPE showed protective effects against lipid peroxidation and induced catalase activity, although these effects were not statistically significant. Taken together, these results suggest that EFPE showed stronger antioxidant activities than CCPE, and thus represent evidence that EFA with biocontrol materials may improve the functional properties of crops and/or secondary metabolites with antioxidant activities when compared with conventional agricultural practices.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.128-133
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• 2015

BACKGROUND: Plant extracts have been used as environment friendly agricultural materials for organic farming in South Korea. However safety evaluation on the plant extracts was not properly tested. The aim of this study was to evaluate safety of the extracts from Melia azedarach, Nerium indicum and Coptis chinensis on cultivating rice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Pant extarcts 300-fold diluted were treated on rice, and residues of M. azedarach, N. indicum and C. chinensis were determined. The analytes from the rice samples were detected by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The method was validated, and good linearities ($r^2=0.995-0.998$), specificity, and recoveries were obtained. Limits of detection were 0.01 mg/kg for all of the target compounds. Recoveries were 79.3-118.3% at 0.1 mg/kg and 75.2-111.5% at 0.5 mg/kg. The residue levels were below 0.030 mg/kg for azadirachtin, 0.320 mg/kg for oleandrin and 1.460 mg/kg for berberine. CONCLUSION(S): The extracts of M. azedarach, N. indicum and C. chinensis contained azadirachtin, oleandrin and berberine as an active ingredient, respectively. The residue of three active ingredients dramatically decreased after treatment in all fruits, stems and roots of rice.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.307-313
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• 2019

BACKGROUND: An intensive farming system may be of the most important source for agricultural non-point source (NPS) pollution, which is a major concern for agricultural water management in South Korea. Various management practices have therefore been applied to reduce NPS loads from upland fields. This study presents performances of sediment trap for reducing NPS and soil loss from rainfall runoff in cropland. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 2018 and 2019, three sediment traps (L1.5 m × W1.0 m × D0.5 m = 0.75 ㎥) and their controls were established in the end of sloped (ca. 3%) upland field planted with maize crops. Over the seasons, runoff water was monitored, collected, and analyzed at every runoff. Soils deposited in sediment traps were collected and weighed at the season end. Sediment traps reduced runoff amount (p<0.05) and NPS concentrations, though the decreased NPS concentrations were not always statistically significant. In addition, sediment traps had a significant prevention effect on soil loss from rainfall runoff in a sloped cropland. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the sediment trap could be a powerful and the best management practice to reduce NPS pollution and soil loss in a sloped upland field.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.98-107
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• 2011

This study was conducted via survey of 300 enrolled male and female high school students in the Chungnam area. The survey focused on students' dietary habits, changes in dietary habits based on the school lunch menu, and satisfaction of school lunches, in order to identify new methods for changing dietary habits and improving satisfaction of school lunches. Regarding the general characteristics of those surveyed, most were 17 years old, and of the same gender. Ninety-nine percent of those surveyed lived in farming areas, and the majority of students' parents graduated from high school and are self-employed. Research on dietary habits according to gender found that male students ate more regularly than did female students, with a difference of (p<0.001) between the two genders. Regarding the degree of which students ate only what they want, differences of (p<0.05) were found between the genders. The types of snacks frequently consumed were found to be flour-based snacks for the male students, whereas the females mostly consumed sweet foods and bread snacks. Research on satisfaction of school lunches according to gender also showed a difference of (p<0.5). Specifically, 48.7% of male students responded 'average', whereas only 45.3% of female students responded in the same way. The reason for dissatisfaction of school lunches were quality and nutrition for the male students (30%) and taste for the female students (60.4%), with a significant difference according to gender (p<0.05). Regarding the types of food most left over, both female and male students answered fish, bean curd, and soy products.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.31
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• pp.6.1-6.10
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• 2016

Objectives This study examined the spatial distribution and the extent of soil contamination by heavy metals resulting from primitive, unconventional informal electronic waste recycling in the Agbogbloshie e-waste processing site (AEPS) in Ghana. Methods A total of 132 samples were collected at 100 m intervals, with a handheld global position system used in taking the location data of the soil sample points. Observing all procedural and quality assurance measures, the samples were analyzed for barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn), using X-ray fluorescence. Using environmental risk indices of contamination factor and degree of contamination ($C_{deg}$), we analyzed the individual contribution of each heavy metal contamination and the overall $C_{deg}$. We further used geostatistical techniques of spatial autocorrelation and variability to examine spatial distribution and extent of heavy metal contamination. Results Results from soil analysis showed that heavy metal concentrations were significantly higher than the Canadian Environmental Protection Agency and Dutch environmental standards. In an increasing order, Pb>Cd>Hg>Cu>Zn>Cr>Co>Ba>Ni contributed significantly to the overall $C_{deg}$. Contamination was highest in the main working areas of burning and dismantling sites, indicating the influence of recycling activities. Geostatistical analysis also revealed that heavy metal contamination spreads beyond the main working areas to residential, recreational, farming, and commercial areas. Conclusions Our results show that the studied heavy metals are ubiquitous within AEPS and the significantly high concentration of these metals reflect the contamination factor and $C_{deg}$, indicating soil contamination in AEPS with the nine heavy metals studied.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.92-95
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• 2016

The black soldier fly is economically important because its prepupae are used as feed for many animals, including fish and swine. In Korea, black-soldier-fly farms have attempted to increase annual breeding and mass egg production for use in animal feed, as well as the decomposition of organic waste. Such efforts require an understanding of optimal mating and oviposition techniques. Specifically, adult densities and cage size may both improve the efficiency of mass egg production. Our study used four sizes of nylon cages ($1.0{\times}1.0{\times}2.5m$, $1.5{\times}1.5{\times}2.5m$, $2.0{\times}2.0{\times}2.5m$, $2.5{\times}2.5{\times}2.5m$) and three density treatments (4 kg, 8 kg, and 10 kg of pupae) to investigate optimal habitat size and adult density. We found that cage size (independent of density) did not significantly influence female fecundity (number of egg clutches and egg weight), whereas higher densities increased egg number and weight regardless of cage size. Thus, we recommend manipulating adult density to enhance productivity in commercial black-soldier-fly farming. However, we also propose further detailed research to develop methods that account for seasonal changes and environmental conditions, as climatic variables (temperature, sunlight) likely influence female fecundity as well.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.167-177
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• 2015

This study was conducted to establish an inventory and propose conservation strategies for 'village wetlands' in Asan city, Korea, using GIS. As results, the village wetlands are defined as such places as 'palustrine' wetland, village embankment, agricultural reservoir or small reservoirs located in or near the village and related to everyday life or farming. Firstly 807 provisional village wetlands(draft) were identified in Asan by using Arc-GIS 10.1, then 196 wetlands(final) were defined finally as village wetlands and listed the inventory of Asan Village Wetlands after being validated through office works and field survey. The office works analyzed minimum area(greater than $625m^2$), satellite images, the Korea Land Information System, land use map and land coverage map. To evaluate the function and conservation values, the 37 wetlands were selected for detailed surveying and function assessment based on the following criteria : 1) doubled code both wetland and reservoir at digital map, 2) located less than 100m from village and 3) ecologically connected to such ecological resources as seaside mudflats, mountains and green area and ecological passages for small size wildlifes. As the result of the wetland function assessments by the RAM method, 7 wetlands were found to have 'high' wetland function (conservation) 18 wetlands were 'medium' (enhancement) and 12 wetlands were 'low' (restoration or enhancement). Enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services through ecological management of wetlands in Asan and connecting with the Ecological Natural Degree were proposed.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.33-48
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• 1977

Transporting agricultural products and the other material by the two-wheel-tractor (power-tiler)and trailer system may be one of its most widely used farming functions.The safety and hitching load for all the previaling performing conditions may be the general concern over the operation of the tiller-trailer system. In this study, a mathematical model to determine the static and dynamic forces excerting on the hitch point were developed . Based on the analysis of the model and the field measurements. the limiting hitching load and critical slope were analyzed. The results of the study are summarized as follows ; 1) The limit angle of slope land for the safety steering that two-wheel tractor-single axle trailer system was able to transport agricultural products was the direct angle (${\gamma}$) = 8 ; the cross angle$\beta$) 15 ; and it was decreased in accordance with the increase of carrying load ($W_4). 2) The critical velocity for safe operation in case of running on downward hill road was about 1.08m/sec. 3) The limiting carrying load for the safe steering was W$_4$=600kg. The degree of the safe steering for different braking methods was given in order as follows ; Simulataneous braking the tractor and trailer , braking the trailer only, and braking tractor only. 4) Among the three components of impact loads excerting on the hitch point, the component in the lateral direction ($P_{Vy}$) was near zero in spite of increase of hitching load ($W_4) , while the components in the other two mutually perpedicular directions ($P_{Vx}$ and ($P_{Vz}$) ) had larger values in horizontal plane than those in the slope lands. 5) Moment of forces on the lateral direction (M$y$) had the largest value among the three components of impact moment acting on the hitch point, however all the components were sharply increased in accordance with the increase of hitching loads ($W_4. Three components of the moment were the negative values.

• KIPS Transactions on Software and Data Engineering
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.91-98
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• 2018

Automatic detection of pig wasting diseases is an important issue in the management of group-housed pigs. In particular, porcine respiratory diseases are one of the main causes of mortality among pigs and loss of productivity in intensive pig farming. In this paper, we propose a noise-robust system for the early detection and recognition of pig wasting diseases using sound data. In this method, first we convert one-dimensional sound signals to two-dimensional gray-level images by normalization, and extract texture images by means of dominant neighborhood structure technique. Lastly, the texture features are then used as inputs of convolutional neural networks as an early anomaly detector and a respiratory disease classifier. Our experimental results show that this new method can be used to detect pig wasting diseases both economically (low-cost sound sensor) and accurately (over 96% accuracy) even under noise-environmental conditions, either as a standalone solution or to complement known methods to obtain a more accurate solution.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.147-159
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• 2014

This study aims to draw up a basic plan to construct an agricultural theme park in a farming city as a way of establishing its regional identity represented by "Three Whites". Sangju, Kyongsangbuk-do which is the subject area of the study has been well-known for "Three Whites (rice, silkworm cocoon and dried persimmon)." The purpose of the study is to take a closer look at the folk life and culture of Sangju and develop tourism resources to promote regional development and competitiveness of the city. This study was conducted in several phases in consideration of the characteristics of plan and design, on the basis of the theoretical review of agricultural tourism. In the first phase, planning conditions were analyzed as per development objectives. In the second phase, strategies and concepts were established for the theme park, based on which development methods were decided by phase and facility. Then, a preliminary review was conducted on functions and facilities to introduce to the theme park. In the third phase, a comprehensive plan was drawn up, which includes basic plans for respective parts. In consideration of the characteristics of the study, construction was not looked at in detail. The total size of land subject to the study is approx. $97,960m^2$, which was divided into four separate zones--Sambaek Cultural Experience Zone, Natural Observation & Experience Zone, Agricultural Life Experience Zone and other facilities zone--in order to connect facilities, functions and experience with the physical characteristics of the city, and separate space planning was conducted for each zone. The outcome of the study carries significance as an example of alternative tourism which considers regional characteristics, develops local resources and makes use of obsolete rural facilities, in what is called the eco-friendly development where nature and eco-system, landscape and culture, and recreation and leisure come together as one.