• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.3C
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• pp.127-136
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• 2009

The objective of this study is the development and verification of the 4-electrode resistivity probe (4ERP) for the estimation of electrical properties of the saturated soils. The 4ERPs with wedge and plane types are manufactured to obtain the electrical resistivity without polarization at the electrodes by using Wenner array. The wedge type is for the penetration into the soil samples and the plane type is for the installation into the cells used for the laboratory tests. The consolidation tests are carried out by using 6 types of glass beads and 3 types of sands in size. The test results show that the electrical resistivity increases with a decrease in the porosity, and the constant m used in Archie's law is dependent on the particle shape rather particle size. The one dimensional liquefaction tests show that the porosity obtained by the 4ERP is similar to that determined by the volume fraction. The penetration of the 4ERP into the large scale calibration chamber produces the resistivity profiles. This study demonstrates that the 4ERP may effectively estimate the porosity of the saturated soils.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.167-181
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• 2022

Soil liquefaction has been one of the most important concerns in geotechnical earthquake engineering in recent years, due to its damages to structures and its destructive effects. The cyclic liquefaction of silty sands, in particular, remains of great interest for both research and application. Although many factors are known that affect the liquefaction resistance of sands, the effect of fine grain content is perhaps one of the most studied and still controversial. In this study, 48 deformation-controlled cyclic simple shear tests were performed on BS and CS silt samples mixed with 5%, 15% and 30% by weight of Krk085, Krk042 and Krk025 sands in constant-volume conditions to determine the liquefaction potential of silty sands. The tests were carried out at 30% and 50% relative density and under 100 kPa effective stress. The results revealed that the liquefaction potential of silty sand increases with increasing average particle size ratio (D_50sand / d_50silt) of the mixture for a fixed silt content. Furthermore, for identical base sand, the liquefaction potentials of coarse grained sands increase with increasing silt content, while the respective potentials of fine grained sands generally decrease. However, this situation may vary depending on the silt grain structure and is affected by the nature of the fine grains. In addition, the variation of the void ratio interval was shown to provide a good intuition in determining the liquefaction potentials of silty sands, while the intergranular void ratio alone does not constitute a criterion for determining the liquefaction potentials of silty sands.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.129-147
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• 2022

The properties of soil are naturally highly variable and thus, to ensure proper safety and reliability, we need to test a large number of samples across the length and depth. In pile foundations, conducting field tests are highly expensive and the traditional empirical relations too have been proven to be poor in performance. The study proposes a state-of-art Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) hybridized Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) and Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS); and comparative analysis of metaheuristic models (ANN-PSO, ELM-PSO, ANFIS-PSO) for prediction of bearing capacity of pile foundation trained and tested on dataset of nearly 300 dynamic pile tests from the literature. A novel ensemble model of three hybrid models is constructed to combine and enhance the predictions of the individual models effectively. The authenticity of the dataset is confirmed using descriptive statistics, correlation matrix and sensitivity analysis. Ram weight and diameter of pile are found to be most influential input parameter. The comparative analysis reveals that ANFIS-PSO is the best performing model in testing phase (R² = 0.85, RMSE = 0.01) while ELM-PSO performs best in training phase (R² = 0.88, RMSE = 0.08); while the ensemble provided overall best performance based on the rank score. The performance of ANN-PSO is least satisfactory compared to the other two models. The findings were confirmed using Taylor diagram, error matrix and uncertainty analysis. Based on the results ELM-PSO and ANFIS-PSO is proposed to be used for the prediction of bearing capacity of piles and ensemble learning method of joining the outputs of individual models should be encouraged. The study possesses the potential to assist geotechnical engineers in the design phase of civil engineering projects.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.25-31
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• 2023

Horizontal drainage, which are representative dewatering method of domestic and foreign slope, are applied to reducing pore water pressure. Accordingly, several previous studies have been conducted, but horizontal drainage are standardized which is an unclean standard for a quantity calculation in filed. Therefore, this study presents field soil and laboratory model box to identify a drainage performance and influencing factors of various horizontal drainage. Furthermore, this study verifies the performance comparison of drainage shape or size according to different particle size distributions. In the outflow results for steady state, the study found that all samples are drained at a constant rate after a minimum of 3 minutes to maximum of 15 minutes. In the case of comparing the outflow per hour (Unit flux) in coarse grained soils, it found that drainage shape and size affect drainage performance. In the result, the future expected to be used basic data that experiment of drainage performance on fine grained soils and determine the quantity.

• Mycobiology
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.379-387
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• 2023

In this study, twenty-five yeast strains were isolated from soil samples collected in the gold mining ore in Gia Lai, Vietnam. Among them, one isolate named GL1^T could highly tolerate Cu²⁺ up to 10 mM, and the isolates could also grow in a wide range of pH (3-7), and temperature (10-40 ℃). Dried biomass of GL1 was able to remove Cu²⁺ effectively up to 90.49% with a maximal biosorption capacity of 18.1 mg/g at pH 6, temperature 30 ℃, and incubation time 60 min. Sequence analysis of rDNA indicated this strain was closely related to Rhodotorula mucilaginosa but with 1.53 and 3.46% nucleotide differences in the D1/D2 domain of the 28S rRNA gene and the ITS1-5.8S rRNA gene-ITS2 region sequence, respectively. Based on phylogenetic tree analysis and the biochemical characteristics, the strain appears to be a novel Rhodotorula species, and the name Rhodotorula aurum sp. nov. is proposed. This study provides us with more information about heavy metal-tolerant yeasts and it may produce a new tool for environmental control and metal recovery operations.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.21-25
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• 1990

The amounts of monosaccharides in acid hydrolysates of decomposing plant residues under laboratory conditions were determined. Straw of cereal rice and barley, wild grass cutting, and litters of deciduous and coniferous forest trees were treated to decompose for 90 days. Samples for the analysis of mono-saccharides were taken at 3 different periods of incubation. 1. Fractions of monosaccahrides in plant residues steadily decreased with the time of decomposition. In some samples there appeared an intermediate stages where the fractions reached the highest level. 2. Decomposition of barley straw occured at a faster rate than that of rice straw, and so did the decomposition of deciduous litter than that of coniferous litter. 3. Cereal crop residues of rice and barley were richer in monosaccharides than residues of wild grass cutting and forest litters. 4. Distiction between monosaccharides of plant origin and those of microbial origin was not possible to make in this study. 5. Glucose was the predominent monosaccharide and fucose was the monosaccharide contained in the smallest amount. No measurable ribose was detected from any sample. 6. The relative proportion of galactose in creased with the time of incubation. 7. In general, the proportion of fucose decreased with time and so did that of rhamnose, rhamnose of rice straw residue being the exception. 8. The orders of abundance of monosaccharides after decomposition of 90 days were as the following: in rice straw; glucose > xylose > arabinose > galactose > rhamnose > mannose > fucose, in barley straw; glucose > xylose > arabinose > galactose> mannose > rhamnose > fucose, in wild grass cutting; glucose > xylose > galactose arabinose> rhamnose mannose > fucose, in deciduous litter; glucose > arabinose > xylose galactose > mannose > rhamnose = fucose, and in coniferous litter; glucose > xylose > galactose > arabinose mannose > rhamnose > fucose.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.126-137
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• 2011

Although Sumunmulbangdui wetland at the Halla Mountain in Jeju Island, a kind of montane wetlands, has been considered to bear high biodiversity, no study has been reported on the bacterial diversity. In this study, soil and water samples were collected from the wetland in order to isolate novel bacterial species. Bacterial strains belonging to the phyla Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria were isolated after spreading soil and water samples onto solid agar media. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of the strains assigned to the three phyla were compared to those of type strains of the species in the phyla. The strains that showed less than 98.7% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to the validly published species were considered to be novel species candidates. A total of 32 strains were regarded as novel species candidates in the phyla Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. Diversity of novel species candidates was very low; the candidates were confined to only few genera. In the Bacteroidetes, 13 novel candidate species were affiliated with the genera Mucilaginibacter, Sphingobacterium, Pedobacter, Flavobacterium, and Chryseobacterium. A total of 13 novel candidate species that assigned to the genera Paenibacillus Lysinibacillus, and Bacillus were identified in the phylum Firmicutes. Only two candidate species that belonged to the genera Mycobacterium and Nocardia were excavated in the Actinobacteria. Cultural, physiological, and chemotaxonomic characteristics have been determined for the novel species candidates, and the characteristics are described in this study.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.283-292
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• 2013

A series of monitoring studies were carried out to evaluate the residue level of pesticides in different native soils from 1999 to 2006. The nation-wide collection of soil samples from paddy, greenhouse, upland and orchard, were analyzed by GLC (ECD or NPD) and GC/MS. The results obtained are summarized as follows; out of 14 pesticides detected from paddy soils in 1999, the highest residue level was 0.25 mg $kg^{-1}$, and the frequency was 21.7% as butachlor, 20.0% as isoprothiolane, and 16.7% as iprobenfos. In 2003, 7 pesticides were detected and their frequencies were 0~36.0%; the frequency was 36.0% as isoprothiolane and 33.3% as oxadiazon. In the year 2000, 57 pesticides in the greenhouse soil samples were detected with the highest frequency of 65.3%. Of the pesticides detected, endosulfan and procymidone showed the frequency of 65.3 and 50.0%, respectively. In 2004, 19 pesticides were detected from greenhouse soils, and their frequencies and residue levels were decreased. Endosulfan and procymidone showed high detection frequencies and concentrations of 21.3 and 9.3% and 0.76 and 0.31 mg $kg^{-1}$, respectively. In 2001, a total of 25 pesticides were detected through monitoring in 170 upland soils and the highest residue level was 2.24 mg $kg^{-1}$. The detection frequencies showed the range of 0~53.5%. Especially, endosulfan showed the highest frequency of 53.5%. Residue levels and frequencies of pesticide in the year 2005 were almost the same compared with that of the year 2001. As a result of monitoring in 150 orchard soils in 2002, 26 pesticides were detected and the highest residue level was 1.43 mg $kg^{-1}$. Of them, the frequency of endosulfan showed the highest as 45.3%. In 2006, 20 pesticides were detected in orchard soils. The frequency of total endosulfan was the highest as 5.3% but was lower than that of the year 2002.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.477-491
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• 2013

Natural radionuclides in groundwater in the Danyang area were investigated to characterize the behaviors of uranium and radon with respect to lithology and physico-chemical components, which can aid our understanding of their occurrence, properties, and origins. To this end, a total of 100 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed, and radionuclide levels were used to construct detailed concentration maps. The water type of the groundwater, assessed using a Piper diagram, is mainly Ca-Na-$HCO_3$. The concentrations of uranium range from 0.02 to $251.0{\mu}g/L$ (average, $3.85{\mu}g/L$) and only 1% exceed USEPA's MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level). Uranium is enriched in groundwaters of Cretaceous granites and Precambrian metamorphic rocks, whereas it is depleted in groundwaters of sedimentary rocks. The concentrations of radon range from 13 to 28,470 pCi/L (average, 2397 pCi/L). Only 15% of the samples exceed AMCL (Alternative Maximum Contaminant Level) of 4000 pCi/L. The radon concentration is highest in groundwater of Cretaceous granites and lowest in groundwater of sedimentary rocks. In conclusion, the distribution and occurrence of radionuclides are intimately related to the basic geological characteristics of the rocks in which the radiogenic minerals are primarily contained. The behavior of uranium is only weakly related to that of radon (correlation coefficient = 0.15). There are also weak correlations between radionuclides and the main chemical components, pH, EC, Eh, and well depth. Of note, the correlation coefficient between radon and $SiO_2$ is 0.68, and that between radon and $HCO_3$ is -0.48. Factor analysis shows that radionuclides behave somewhat independently of each other because there are no significant factors that control the behavior of chemical components as well as radionuclides. The detailed concentration maps during this study will be used to establish useful database of radionuclide distribution and geological properties throughout Korea.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.673-684
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• 2012

Quantitative understanding of total carbon, total inorganic carbon and total organic carbon contained in ocean sediments is a basic data for interpretation of oceanic sediment environments. Elemental analyzer(EA) is frequently used for the analysis of carbon contents in inland soils and ocean sediments. Carbon and nitrogen contents of the soil reference material analyzed by an EA were 2.30% and 0.21% with standard deviations of 0.02 and 0.01, respectively. Relative standard deviations were 0.01 and 0.06, respectively, representing a high precision. Regression analysis of TOC and TC analysis results for the samples with TOC of less than 2.0% for the site in Hyung-Do showed a linear relationship with a slope of 0.9743($R^2$=0.9989, n=38), and the results of a relationship regression analysis between total organic carbon contents less than 0.5% and average grain size except for two samples showed a linear relationship with a slope of 0.0444($R^2$=0.6937 n=36). TOC contents of surface sediments were in the ranges of 0.10~1.67%(Average $0.26{\pm}0.37%$) with TOC values of 1.67% at S02 sampling site, 1.13% at S07 sampling site, and less than 1.00% at remaining sites. In the case of PC 01 core sediments, TOC showed the highest value of 0.20% near 70 cm. In the case of PC 02 core sediments, the highest value of 0.24% was indicated near 60 cm. The analysis method of organic carbon obtained from Hyung-Do Intertidal zone sediment sample results may be considered applicable to an organic carbon analysis for ocean sediments and useful for organic carbon analysis experiments of ocean sediments with a reduction in time required for the analysis and a high precision coupled with a high accuracy.