• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.407-419
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• 2022

Soil(vadose zone) gas compositions were measured for about 3 days to suggest a method for monitoring and interpreting soil gas data collected around wells from which methane(CH₄) is outflowing. The vadose zone gas samples were collected within 1 m around two test wells(TB2 and TB3) at Pohang and analyzed for CO₂, CH₄, N₂ and O₂ concentrations in situ. CO₂ flux was measured beside TB2. In addition, gas samples from well head in TB2 and atmospheric air samples were collected for comparison. Carbon isotopes of CO₂(δ¹³C_CO2) of samples collected on the last day of the study period were analyzed in the laboratory. The two test wells (TB2 and 3) were 12.7 m apart and only TB3 was cemented to the surface. According to the bio-geochemical process-based interpretation, the relationships between CO₂ and O₂, N₂, and N₂/O₂ of vadose zone gas were plotted between the lines of CH₄ oxidation and CO₂ dissolution. In addition, the CH₄ concentrations of gas samples from the wellhead of the uncemented well (TB2) were 5.2 times higher than the atmospheric CH₄ concentration. High CO₂ concentrations (average 1.148%) of vadose zone gas around TB2 seemed to be attributed to the oxidation of CH₄. On the other hand, the vadose zone CO₂ around the cemented well(TB3) showed a relatively low concentration(0.136%). This difference indicates that the vadose zone gas(including CO₂) around the CH₄ outflowing well were strongly affected by well completion(cementing). This study result can be used to establish strategies for environmental monitoring of soil around natural gas sites, and can be used to monitor leakage around injection and observation wells for CO₂ geological storage. In addition, the method of this study is useful for soil monitoring in natural gas storage and oil-contaminated sites.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.67-76
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• 2021

Biogasification is a technology that produces environmentally friendly fuel using methane gas generated in the process of stably decomposing and processing organic waste. Biogasification is the most used method for energy conversion of organic waste with high moisture content, and is a useful method for organic waste treatment following the prohibition of direct landfill (2005) and marine dumping (2013). Due to African Swine Fever (ASF), which recently occurred in Korea, recycling of wet feed is prohibited, and consumers such as dry feed and compost are negatively recognized, making it difficult to treat food waste. Accordingly, biogasification is attracting more attention for the treatment and recycling of food waste. Korea's energy consumption amounted to 268.41 106toe, ranking 9th in the world. However, it is an energy-poor country that depends on foreign imports for about 95.8% of its energy supply. Therefore, in Korea, the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) is being introduced. The domestic RPS system sets the weight of the new and renewable energy certificate (REC, Renewable energy certificate) of waste energy lower than that of other renewable energy. Therefore, an additional incentive system is required for the activation of waste-to-energy. In this study, the operation of an anaerobic digester that treats food waste, food waste Leachate and various organic wastes was confirmed. It was intended to be used as basic data for preparing the waste-to-energy incentive system through precise monitoring for a certain period of time. Four sites that produce biogas from organic waste and use them for power generation and heavy gas were selected as target facilities, and field surveys and sampling were conducted. Basic properties analysis was performed on the influent sample of organic waste and the effluent sample according to the treatment process. As a result of the analysis of the properties, the total solids of the digester influent was an average of 12.11%, and the volatile solids of the total solids were confirmed to be 85.86%. BOD and CODcr removal rates were 60.8% and 64.8%. The volatile fatty acids in the influent averaged 55,716 mg/L. It can be confirmed that most of the volatile fatty acids were decomposed and removed with an average reduction rate of 92.3% after anaerobic digestion.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.551-561
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• 2022

Geophysical exploration methods are very useful for generating high-resolution images of underground structures, and such methods can be applied to investigation of buried cultural properties and for determining their exact locations. In this study, image feature extraction and image segmentation methods were applied to automatically distinguish the structures of buried relics from the high-resolution ground-penetrating radar (GPR) images obtained at the center of Silla Kingdom, Gyeongju, South Korea. The major purpose for image feature extraction analyses is identifying the circular features from building remains and the linear features from ancient roads and fences. Feature extraction is implemented by applying the Canny edge detection and Hough transform algorithms. We applied the Hough transforms to the edge image resulted from the Canny algorithm in order to determine the locations the target features. However, the Hough transform requires different parameter settings for each survey sector. As for image segmentation, we applied the connected element labeling algorithm and object-based image analysis using Orfeo Toolbox (OTB) in QGIS. The connected components labeled image shows the signals associated with the target buried relics are effectively connected and labeled. However, we often find multiple labels are assigned to a single structure on the given GPR data. Object-based image analysis was conducted by using a Large-Scale Mean-Shift (LSMS) image segmentation. In this analysis, a vector layer containing pixel values for each segmented polygon was estimated first and then used to build a train-validation dataset by assigning the polygons to one class associated with the buried relics and another class for the background field. With the Random Forest Classifier, we find that the polygons on the LSMS image segmentation layer can be successfully classified into the polygons of the buried relics and those of the background. Thus, we propose that these automatic classification methods applied to the GPR images of buried cultural heritage in this study can be useful to obtain consistent analyses results for planning excavation processes.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.40-53
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• 2022

This study carried out to provide the methodology and basic status material of using Korean national statistics needed to find the actual state of the landscape architecture industry. The landscape architecture industry was classified into 'Design', 'Construction Management', 'construction', 'Maintenance & Management', 'Materials', 'Research', 'Education', and 'Administration' areas. In each field, business types were systemized and associated in accordance with Korean standard industrial classification and legislations pertinent to construction. Among them, the business types directly defined in the construction related legislations under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport were focused on, and the establishment, association, integration, distribution, duplication, and omission of national statistics were analyzed. As a result, the business types of statistical analysis were selected. In order for commonality of statistical items and minimized error of interpretation, semantic analysis was conducted. Finally, the number of registered business types, the number of workers, and sales were selected. Based on them, the analysis framework applicable to fundamental analysis and evaluation of the actual state of the industry was proposed. Actual national statical data were applied for analysis and evaluation. In 2019, the number of registered business types related to the landscape architecture industry was 12,160, the number of workers by business type was 106,296, and the sales by business type were 8,308.5 billion KRW. The number of registered business types and the number of workers had been on the rise from 2017, whereas the sales had been on the decrease. It is required to come up with a plan for industrial development. This study was conducted with the national statistics established by multiple public institutions, so that there are limitations in securing consistency and reliability. Therefore, it is necessary to establish systematic and consistent national statistics in accordance with 「Landscaping Promotion Act」. In the future, it will planned to research application and development plans of national statistics according to subjects including park and green.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.56-63
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• 2023

In this study, two cases of food poisoning caused by Salmonella that occurred in Gyeongsangnam-do in September 2021 are reported. One of the outbreaks occurred in a school and the other in a company. The molecular epidemiological characteristics of the isolated strains in the two outbreaks were analyzed. In the case of the school outbreak, 29 (4.9%) of 588 individuals experienced diarrhea and abdominal pain. As a result of a test of 36 individuals (patients, n=29; cook workers, n=7), Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis was detected in 17 (47.2%) patients, suggesting this serotype was the principal cause. Meanwhile, Salmonella spp. were not detected in 35 food and environmental samples. In the company outbreak, 87 (3.0%) of 2,900 individuals who had intaked from the same source experienced diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever. In a test of 50 individuals (patients, n=40; cook workers, n=10), S. Enteritidis was detected in 28 patients (56.0%). Also, Vibrio cholerae (NAG) was detected in four patients with S. Enteritidis, and V. cholerae (NAG) only was detected in one patient. Salmonella spp. were not detected in 118 preserved foods, but S. Enteritidis was detected in one eaten food (toast) delivered in group by the company. Through PFGE genetic homology analysis of the isolated strains, all S. Enteritidis detected in patients and consumed foods were the same type. It seems that these S. Enteritidis isolates were the same type as detected in a previous school outbreak and in patients of group food poisoning in other regions, leading to an enhanced problem of food poisoning and epidemiology. Our analytic results can provide data for epidemiological management and food poisoning prevention based on molecular characteristics.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.489-495
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• 2023

Radiation shielding facilities are constructed in locations where diagnostic radiation generators are installed, with the aim of preventing exposure for patients and radiation workers. The purpose of this study is seek to compare and validate the trend of attenuation thickness of lead, the primary material in these radiation shielding facilities, at different maximum tube voltages by Monte Carlo simulations and measurement. We employed the Monte Carlo N-Particle 6 simulation code. Within this simulation, we set a lead shielding arrangement, where the distance between the source and the lead sheet was set at 100 cm and the field of view was set at 10 × 10 cm². Additionally, we varied the tube voltages to encompass 80, 100, 120, and 140 kVp. We calculated energy spectra for each respective tube voltage and applied them in the simulations. Lead thicknesses corresponding to attenuation rates of 50, 70, 90, and 95% were determined for tube voltages of 80, 100, 120, and 140 kVp. For 80 kVp, the calculated thicknesses for these attenuation rates were 0.03, 0.08, 0.21, and 0.33 mm, respectively. For 100 kVp, the values were 0.05, 0.12, 0.30, and 0.50 mm. Similarly, for 120 kVp, they were 0.06, 0.14, 0.38, and 0.56 mm. Lastly, at 140 kVp, the corresponding thicknesses were 0.08, 0.16, 0.42, and 0.61 mm. Measurements were conducted to validate the calculated lead thicknesses. The radiation generator employed was the GE Healthcare Discovery XR 656, and the dosimeter used was the IBA MagicMax. The experimental results showed that at 80 kVp, the attenuation rates for different thicknesses were 43.56, 70.33, 89.85, and 93.05%, respectively. Similarly, at 100 kVp, the rates were 52.49, 72.26, 86.31, and 92.17%. For 120 kVp, the attenuation rates were 48.26, 71.18, 87.30, and 91.56%. Lastly, at 140 kVp, they were measured 50.45, 68.75, 89.95, and 91.65%. Upon comparing the simulation and experimental results, it was confirmed that the differences between the two values were within an average of approximately 3%. These research findings serve to validate the reliability of Monte Carlo simulations and could be employed as fundamental data for future radiation shielding facility construction.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-29
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• 2022

This study surveyed the Mt. Teomo·Hyeolgu and surrounding areas in Ganghwa Island, located in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, to identify vascular flora and alien plants to be used as basic data for systematic management of the remarkable plants and biodiversity conservation. The survey was carried out 13 times from March 2019 to October 2020. The identified vascular flora of Mt.Teomo·Hyeolgu was 101 families, 321 genera, 517 species, 13 subspecies, 38 varieties, 5 forms, and 573 taxa. They accounted for about 12.35% of a total of 4,641 taxa of vascular plants in Korea. The identified Northern lineage plants, endemic plants, and rare plants on the Korean Peninsula as designated by IUCN were 68 taxa, 10 taxa, and 9 taxa, respectively. 69 taxa were classified as floristic target species. Three taxa, including Maui sedge [Carex thunbergii var. appendiculata (Trautv. & C.A.Mey.) Ohwi] were identified s Class IV and 14 taxa, including Violet Stanavoi clematis (Clematis fusca var. violacea Maxim.) were identified as Class III. The naturalized plants that appeared in the study site were 63 taxa, including daisy fleabane [Erigeron annuus(L.) Pers.], common ragweed [Ambrosia artemisiifoliaL.] and Canadian fleabane [Conyza canadensis(L.) Cronquist]. The above three species were found to have spread throughout Ganghwa Island and surrounding areas such as Seokmo Island, Gyodong Island, and Gimpo city. As introduced disturbing plants like prickly lettuce [Lactuca scariola L.], bur cucumber [Sicyos angulatus L.] and field dock [Rumex acetosella L.] have been newly reported in the Mt. Teomo·Hyeolgu area, mid- to long-term conservation measures should be established for native plants, such as remarkable plants, and also management measures like physical removal should be prepared at an early stage.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.55-72
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• 2023

This study aims to identify the fault zone architecture and geometric and kinematic characteristics of the Yeongdeok Fault, based on the geometry and kinematic data of various structural elements obtained by detailed field survey and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of the fault rocks. The Yeongdeok Fault extends from Opo-ri, Ganggu-myeon, Yeongdeok-gun to Gilgok-ri, Maehwa-myeon and Bangyul-ri, Giseong-myeon, Uljin-gun, and cuts various rock types from the Paleo-proterozoic to the Mesozoic with a range of 4.6-5.0 km (4.77 km in average) of right-lateral offset or forms the rock boundaries. The fault is divided into four segments based on its geometric features and shows N-S to NNW strikes and dips of an angle of ≥ 54° to the east at most outcrops, even though the outcrops showing the westward dipping (a range of 54°-82°) of fault surface increase as it goes north. The Yeongdeok Fault shows the difference in the fault zone architecture and in the fault core width ranging from 0.3 to 15 m depending on the bedrock type, which is interpreted as due to differences in the physical properties of bedrock such as ductility, mineral composition, particle size, and anisotropy. Combining the results of paleostress reconstruction and AMS in this and previous studies, the Yeongdeok Fault experienced (1) sinistral strike-slip under NW-SE maximum horizontal principle stress (σ_Hmax) and NE-SW minimum horizontal principle stress (σ_Hmin) in the late Cretaceous to early Cenozoic, and then (2) dextral strike-slip under NE-SW maximum horizontal principle stress (σ_Hmax) and NW-SE minimum horizontal principle stress (σ_Hmin) in the Paleogene. It is interpreted that the deformation caused by the Paleogene dextral strike-slip movement was the most dominant, and the crustal deformation was insignificant thereafter.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.85-100
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• 2023

In this study, in order to improve the installation periodical inspection method of waste treatment facilities, we conducted on-site surveys of waste treatment facilities classified into six fields, grasped the problems of inspection methods, and made improvements accordingly. And revised the inspection method for waste treatment facilities. As a result, in the field of incineration and incineration heat recovery, inspection methods such as total temperature measurement and one-year TMS data comparison using a thermal imaging camera were established. And for the safety of the inspected person, it was applied so that the waste can be replaced with a document without opening it. In the case of landfill facilities, the details regarding the use of video information processing equipment and the management of facilities covering the upper part of the landfill facility are presented in the law, but the items that do not have a inspection methods were applied to the inspection method. In the case of Food Waste Treatment Facility, inspection methods were put in place to ensure compliance with standards for foul-smelling fish in odor control, a major cause of complaints. As a result, 10 out of 18 improvement proposals were reflected in the incineration and sterilization grinding, cement kiln, and incineration heat recovery facilities, and 11 out of 12 improvement proposals were reflected in the landfill facility. In the case of food distribution waste treatment facilities, 10 out of 12 improvement proposals were reflected, and a total of 31 inspection methods were improved.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.413-422
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• 2022

Barnea manilensis is a bivalve which bores soft rocks, such as, limestone or mudstone in the low intertidal zone. They make burrows which have narrow entrances and wide interiors and live in these burrows for a lifetime. In this study, the morphology and the microstructure of the valve of rock-boring clam B. manilensis were observed using a stereoscopic microscope and FE-SEM, respectively. The chemical composition of specific part of the valve was assessed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. 3D modeling and structural dynamic analysis were used to simulate the boring behavior of B. manilensis. Microscopy results showed that the valve was asymmetric with plow-like spikes which were located on the anterior surface of the valve and were distributed in a specific direction. The anterior parts of the valve were thicker than the posterior parts. EDS results indicated that the valve mainly consisted of calcium carbonate, while metal elements, such as, Al, Si, Mn, Fe, and Mg were detected on the outer surface of the anterior spikes. It was assumed that the metal elements increased the strength of the valve, thus helping the B. manilensis to bore sediment. The simulation showed that spikes located on the anterior part of the valve received a load at all angles. It was suggested that the anterior part of the shell received the load while drilling rocks. The boring mechanism using the amorphous valve of B. manilensis is expected to be used as basic data to devise an efficient drilling mechanism.