• The Journal of Natural Sciences
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.131-135
• /
• 1999

The objective of this research was to improve moisture retention capacity of pine bark. To achieve this, barks were ground with Wiley mill of hammer mill and were blended with recycled rockwool. Then, changes of soil physical properties were determined. The percentage of particles larger than 5.6 mm was 86.5% in raw materials. The percentage of particles larger than 1 mm decreased and those of particles smaller than 1 mm increased by grinding with Wiley mill or hammer mill. Grinding with Wiley mill showed better effect than those of hammer mill in decreasing particle size distribution. Grinding resulted in decreased total porosity (TP) and air space (AS) and increased container capacity (CC) and residual water content (RW), indication improved moisture retention capacity. The material ground with Wiley mill, than blended with 50% recycled rockwool had 81.1%, 67.7%, 13.5% and 235 ml in TP, CC, AS and RW, respectively. These results indicated that moisture retention capacity was improved by blending with recycled rockwood, but aeration of root media was much better than those of peat+vermiculite(1:1, v/v), which is commonly used in commercial production.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.46 no.2
• /
• pp.119-126
• /
• 2019

This study was conducted to investigate the optimal culture method for gametophyte and sporophyte propagation in Coniogramme japonica (Thunb.) Diels, which can be used in various fields. The propagation of prothallus were cultured in 1/4 - 1 Murashige and Skoog medium and Knop medium for 10 weeks. The results indicated that the fresh weight of prothallus was the highest (14.5 g) in 1MS medium. Subsequently, various concentrations of sucrose, activated charcoal and nitrogen source were also added to 1MS medium and cultured for 8 weeks. The results provided that the sucrose concentration was 3% and the fresh weight of prothallus was the highest 10.8 g. According to the concentration in the range of 8.8 ~ 10.8 g, in the case of activated charcoal, the four treatments showed no significant difference. The nitrogen source was added at a concentration of 30, 60 and 120 mM with the ratio of ${NH_4}^+:{NO_3}^-$ being 1 : 2. As a result, the fresh weight of all treatments increased to similar level but there was no significant difference. We investigated sporophyte formation according to soil type and the highest number of sporophytes at 228.0 was formed in soils mixed with horticultural substrate and decomposed granite at 2 : 1 (v : v). On the other hand, sporophyte was not formed in soils containing peatmoss except for the one with peatmoss and decomposed granite at 2 : 1 (v : v).

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.118-126
• /
• 2019

Background: Government conducts environmental radioactivity surveillance for verification purpose around nuclear facilities based on the Nuclear Safety Law and issues a surveillance report every year. This study aims to evaluate the short and the long-term fluctuation of radionuclides detected above MDC and their origins using concentration ratios between these radionuclides. Materials and Methods: Sample media for verification surveillance are air, rainwater, groundwater, soil, and milk for terrestrial samples, and seawater, marine sediment, fish, and seaweed for marine samples. Gamma-emitting radionuclides including $^{137}Cs$, $^{90}Sr$, Pu, $^3H$, and $^{14}C$ are evaluated in these samples. Results and Discussion: According to the result of the environmental radioactivity verification surveillance in the vicinity of nuclear power facilities in 2017, the anthropogenic radionuclides were not detected in most of the environmental samples except for the detection of a trace level of $^{137}Cs$, $^{90}Sr$, Pu, and $^{131}I$ in some samples. Radioactivity concentration ratios between the anthropogenic radionuclides ($^{137}Cs/^{90}Sr$, $^{137}Cs/^{239+240}Pu$, $^{90}Sr/^{239+240}Pu$) were similar to those reported in the environmental samples, which were affected by the global fallout of the past nuclear weapon test, and Pu atomic ratios ($^{240}Pu/^{239}Pu$) in the terrestrial sample and marine sample showed significant differences due to the different input pathway and the Pu source. Radioactive iodine ($^{131}I$) was detected at the range of < $5.6-190mBq{\cdot}kg-fresh^{-1}$ in the gulfweed and sea trumpet collected from the area of Kori and Wolsong intake and discharge. A high level of $^3H$ was observed in the air (Sangbong: $0.688{\pm}0.841Bq{\cdot}m^{-3}$) and the precipitation (Meteorology Post: $199{\pm}126Bq{\cdot}L^{-1}$) samples of the Wolsong nuclear power plant (NPP). $^3H$ concentration in the precipitation and pine needle samples showed typical variation pattern with the distance and the wind direction from the stack due to the gaseous release of $^3H$ in Wolsong NPP. Conclusion: Except for the detection of a trace level of $^{137}Cs$, $^{90}Sr$, Pu, and $^{131}I$ in some samples, anthropogenic radionuclides were below MDC in most of the environmental samples. Overall, no unusual radionuclides and abnormal concentration were detected in the 2017's surveillance result for verification. This research will be available in the assessment of environment around nuclear facilities in the event of radioactive material release.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.329-338
• /
• 2019

Suction of unsaturated bentonite buffers is a very important input parameter for hydro-mechanical performance assessment and design of an engineered barrier system. This study analyzed suction measurement techniques and constitutive models of unsaturated porous media reported in the literature, and suggested suction measurement techniques and constitutive models suitable for bentonite buffer in an HLW repository. The literature review showed the suction of bentonite buffer to be much higher than that of soil, as measured by total suction including matric suction and osmotic suction. The measurement methods (RH-Cell, RH-Cell/Sensor) using a relative humidity sensor were suitable for suction measurement of the bentonite buffer; the RH-Cell /Sensor method was more preferred in consideration of the temperature change due to radioactive decay heat and measurement time. Various water retention models of bentonite buffers have been proposed through experiments, but the van Genuchten model is mainly used as a constitutive model of hydro-mechanical performance assessment of unsaturated buffers. The water characteristic curve of bentonite buffers showed different tendencies according to bentonite type, dry density, temperature, salinity, sample state and hysteresis. Selection of water retention models and determination of model input parameters should consider the effects of these controlling factors so as to improve overall reliability.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.54 no.4
• /
• pp.428-435
• /
• 2018

In this study, we isolated and identified bacteria from freshwater and soil collected from Osang reservoir, to screen antimicrobial bacteria against various pathogenic bacteria. 38 strains were isolated and assigned to the class Proteobacteria (22 strains), Actinobacteria (7 strains), Bacteroidets (6 strains), and Firmicutes (3 strains) based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Among them, strain OS17 showed a good growth inhibition against 5 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus strains and Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Filobasidium neoformans. As a result of the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain OS17 show the high similarity with Burkholderia ambifaria $AMMD^T$, B. diffusa $AM747629^T$, B. tettitorii $LK023503^T$ 99.8%, 99.7%, 99.6%, respectively. We investigated cell growth and antimicrobial activity according to commercial culture medium, temperature, pH for culture optimization of strain OS17. Optimal conditions for growth and antimicrobial activity in strain OS17 were found to be: YPD medium, $35^{\circ}C$ and pH 6.5. When the strain was cultured in LB, NB, TSB, R2A media at $20^{\circ}C$ and $25^{\circ}C$, the antimicrobial activity did not show. Culture filtrate of strain OS17 showed antimicrobial activity against 5 MRSA strains, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, and Filobasidium neoformans with inhibition zones from 2 to 8 mm. Optimal reaction time was 48 h in YPD medium, 100 rpm and 0.3 vvm in 2 L-scale fed-batch fermentation process for antimicrobial activity. Culture optimization of strain OS17 can be improved on antimicrobial activity. Therefore, the antimicrobial activity of Burkholderia sp. OS17 had potential as antibiotics for pathogens including MRSA.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.341-353
• /
• 2022

Pipelines are buried in urban area, and the position (depth and orientation) of buried pipeline should be clearly identified before ground excavation. Although various geophysical methods can be used to detect the buried pipeline, it is not easy to identify the exact information of pipeline due to heterogeneous ground condition. Among various non-destructive geo-exploration methods, ground penetration radar (GPR) can explore the ground subsurface rapidly with relatively low cost compared to other exploration methods. However, the exploration data obtained from GPR requires considerable experiences because interpretation is not intuitive. Recently, researches on automated detection technology for GPR data using deep learning have been conducted. However, the lack of GPR data which is essential for training makes it difficult to build up the reliable detection model. To overcome this problem, we conducted a preliminary study to improve the performance of the detection model using finite difference time domain (FDTD)-based numerical analysis. Firstly, numerical analysis was performed with homogeneous soil media having single permittivity. In case of heterogeneous ground, numerical analysis was performed considering the ground heterogeneity using fractal technique. Secondly, deep learning was carried out using convolutional neural network. Detection Model-A is trained with data set obtained from homogeneous ground. And, detection Model-B is trained with data set obtained from homogeneous ground and heterogeneous ground. As a result, it is found that the detection Model-B which is trained including heterogeneous ground shows better performance than detection Model-A. It indicates the ground heterogeneity should be considered to increase the performance of automated detection model for GPR exploration.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.321-333
• /
• 2022

In this study, the concentration and distribution characteristics of BTEX (benzene toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) emitted from Daesan Petrochemical Industrial Complex were examined to determine their potential hazards to local residents. Residents living nearby the complex areas may be exposed to the chemicals through various media (air, water, and soil), especially by air. This study evaluated human health risks by inhalation using both deterministic and probabilistic risk assessment approaches. As a result of the deterministic risk assessment, the non-cancer risk was much lower than the regulation limit of hazard index (HI 1.0) for all the points. However, in case of cancer risk evaluation, it was found that the risk of excess cancer for benzene at point A located in the industrial complex was 2.28×10^-6, which slightly exceeded the standard regulatory limit of 1.0×10^-6. In addition, the probabilistic risk assessment revealed that the percentile exceeding the standard of 1.0×10^-6was found to be 45.3%. The sensitivity analysis showed that exposure time (ET) had the greatest impact on the results. Based on the risk assessment study, it implied that ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylene had little adverse effects on potential human exposure, but benzene often exceeded the cancer risk standard (1.0×10^-6). Further studies on extensive VOCs monitoring are needed to evaluate the potential risks of industrial complex areas.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.24 no.8
• /
• pp.5-12
• /
• 2008

Biot proposed the frequency dependent formulation for the propagation of elastic waves in saturated media based on the coupled theory mixtures. Based on Biot theory, a special frequency called 'the characteristic frequency' contains unique information of the permeability of soils. The characteristic frequency is measured from I/Q (inverse quality factor) versus frequency curve by an acoustic sweep test, and the permeability of soils is computed from Biot equation. In this paper, laboratory tests are performed at The University of Mississippi using a large test box. The measured characteristic frequency is consistently obtained at 3500 Hz for mortar sands. The computed permeability of mortar sands based on Biot equation turned out 2.01 $10^{-4}m/sec$, while the permeability from the laboratory constant head test turned out 1.49 $10^{-4}m/sec$. This paper addresses the theoretical background and experimental procedure of this technique.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.50 no.1
• /
• pp.65-73
• /
• 2022

This study aimed to isolate wild yeasts from seawaters and soils samples of the Haeundae and Mongdol beaches on the southern coast of Korea, and to characterize these unrecorded wild yeast strains. In total, 41 strains, representing 37 different species of wild yeast were isolated from 70 samples collected from the beaches. Among these, 14 strains were isolated from the alkalophilic medium of yeast extract-peptone-dextrose (YPD) medium (pH 9.0), and 27 strains were isolated concurrently on general YPD medium (pH 6.5). Among the 41 isolated wild yeast strains, Candida insectorum HUD 16-3(JSL-KSS-002) and Metschnikowia citriensis HUD 12-5(JSL-KSS-001) had not previously been recorded. We investigated the microbiological characteristics of these two unrecorded yeast strains and three other strains-, Cystobasidium lysinophilum JSC 52-2(JSL-GGU-019), Candida takata NMD 11-1(JSL-GGU-017) and Candida panamensis ASG 58M-2(JSL-GGU-018) from Jangseoncheon in Jellabuk-do and Jangtaesan in Deajeon city. All five previously unrecorded yeasts were oval and did not form spores. All strains grew well in YPD and yeast extract-malt extract media in a vitamin-free medium. Two strains, including C. insectorum HUD 16-3(JSL-KSS-002) grew well in a 15% NaCl-containing YPD medium. Three strains, including Cys. lysinophilum JSC52-2(JSL-GGU-019) assimilated lactose, and all strains assimilated starch.

• Journal of Naturopathy
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.71-77
• /
• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the far-infrared emissivity of patented ocher quilt cotton fabrics and to investigate the microorganisms that survived the washing of cotton fabrics up to 20 times. Methods: A 16S rRNA assay was performed using a far-infrared radiometer and a single colony in which microorganisms grew in nutrient media. Results: The far-infrared emissivity of ocher quilt was 0.902 (90.2%) at 5~20 ㎛ at 40℃, and the radiation energy was 3.63 × 10² w/m². The number of viable cells was 2.0 × 10² cells/ml in ocher duvet cotton fabric, and no viable bacteria found in regular cotton fabric. The base sequence of 16S rRNA of B-2 strain isolated into single colonies was 1,419 bases, and the base sequence of strain A-4 was 1,284 bases. The base sequence of 16S rRNA of these two strains showed high homology with Bacillus spp. The B-2 bacteria showed high homology with 99.0% of the 16S rRNA sequence of B. aryabhattai EF114313 and 99.0% of the A-4 bacteria of B. bingmayongensis AKCS01000011. Consequently the colony strain B-2 finally identified as B. aryabhattai BJ-2 and A-4 as B. bingmayongensis BJ-4 strain. Concusions: Soil Bacillus strains survived in ocher quilt cotton fabric after 20 washing. The material can be useful because quilt cotton fabric emits a large amount of far-infrared and far-infrared radiation energy.