• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.105-115
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• 2020

With the decrease of the agricultural population in Korea, the workers who is vulnerable to labor are increasing in agricultural industry because of aging, feminization of population. They are exposed in poor working environment with higher temperature and concentrations of dust, gas. Higher concentration of harmful gas and dust can cause chronic and acute disease to workers depending on exposure intensity and frequency. In order to improve the working environment in the livestock facilities, It is important to secure monitoring data of the thermal environment and the concentration of harmful gases and fine dust. Multi-point measurement was performed to analyze the regional environmental conditions in the pig rooms. When analyzing the working environment, video monitoring was conducted to analyze the concentration changes of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and fine dust according to worker movement and work type. Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide monitoring result showed 1.5~2 times higher concentrations than other work when working in the pigs living zone, and 2~4 times higher than other work when working to increase the activity of pigs. In the case of fine dust, the result was 1.3 times higher than the worker's exposure standard in a specific work. The concentrations of gases and dusts from pig farms are not of concern for acute poisoning in normal work, but there is a risk of chronic respiratory disease if they are continuously exposed. Accordingly, there is a need for development of work environment monitoring device tailored to workers and preparation of alternatives.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.192-202
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• 2018

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are accumulative disorders that are most frequently found in agricultural farmers. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that affect symptoms resulting from work-related musculoskeletal disorders among Cambodian farm workers working in fruit plantations in the eastern region of Thailand. Methods: The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, Rapid Upper Limb Assessment, and Hazard Zone Jobs Checklist techniques were used to interview 861 farmers who participated in the study. Results: The data showed that men who had been working for >10 years were more at risk of neck pain than those working for <1 year with adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.90, 14.5). Among women those who had been working for >10 years experienced lower back pain with aOR 8.13, 95% CI (1.04, 63.74), compared with those who had been working for <1 year. Men whose tasks required raising the arms above shoulder height had a risk factor contributing to neck pain of aOR 1.68, 95% CI (1.08, 2.61) when compared with those who did not work with this posture, and women had aOR 1.82, 95% CI (1.07, 3.12) when compared with those who did not work with this posture. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that work-related health conditions are monitored in migrant plantation workers to reduce the risks of musculoskeletal disorders.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.5-13
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• 2013

The water leakage of reservoir embankment usually occurs around channelling pipes, which gives little influence on the embankment in a normal state. However, the embankment can be destroyed when the water level of reservoir increases with heavy rain and the rainy season in summer. Investigating the water vein and its path is therefore very important from the viewpoint of disaster prevention and embankment maintenance. The water leakage in dams and levees where the channelling pipes are working as weak zone was analyzed by using both numerical simulation and experimental method in this study. To detect the water leakage, an electrical resistivity survey was used and investigated for its' usability. The numerical results show the size and location of weak zone increases the importance of selection of electrode spacing. The leakage experiments of model embankment present the best result is obtained under the conditions of electrode spacing of 0.3m and dipole-dipole array. By studying the water leakage in dams and levees, the electrical resistivity survey is observed it is a very useful method to predict the leakage.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.2352-2366
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• 2024

Reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls with precast steel-concrete composite modular (PSCCM) are strongly recommended in the structural design of nuclear power plants due to the need for a large number of process pipeline crossings and industrial construction. However, the effect of the PSCCM on the mechanical behavior of the whole RC shear wall is still unknown and has received little attention. In this study, three 1:3 scaled specimens, one traditional shear wall specimen (TW) and two shear wall specimens with the PSCCM (PW1, PW2), were designed and investigated under cyclic loadings. The failure mode, hysteretic curve, energy dissipation, stiffness and strength degradations were then comparatively investigated to reveal the effect of the PSCCM. Furthermore, numerical models of the RC shear wall with different PSCCM distributions were analyzed. The results show that the shear wall with the PSCCM has comparable mechanical properties with the traditional shear wall, which can be further improved by adding reinforced concrete constraints on both sides of the shear wall. The accumulated energy dissipation of the PW2 is higher than that of the TW and PW1 by 98.7 % and 60.0 %. The failure of the shear wall with the PSCCM is mainly concentrated in the reinforced concrete wall below the PSCCM, while the PSCCM maintains an elastic working state as a whole. Shear walls with the PSCCM arranged in the high stress zone will have a higher load-bearing capacity and lateral stiffness, but will suffer a higher risk of failure. The PSCCM in the low stress zone is always in an elastic working state.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.348-354
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• 2011

Objectives: This cross-sectional study was performed in the Dental School of Prince of Songkla University to ascertain noise exposure of dentists, dental assistants, and laboratory technicians. A noise spectral analysis was taken to illustrate the spectra of dental devices. Methods: A noise evaluation was performed to measure the noise level at dental clinics and one dental laboratory from May to December 2010. Noise spectral data of dental devices were taken during dental practices at the dental services clinic and at the dental laboratory. A noise dosimeter was set following the Occupational Safety and Health Administration criteria and then attached to the subjects' collar to record personal noise dose exposure during working periods. Results: The peaks of the noise spectrum of dental instruments were at 1,000, 4,000, and 8,000 Hz which depended on the type of instrument. The differences in working areas and job positions had an influence on the level of noise exposure (p < 0.01). Noise measurement in the personal hearing zone found that the laboratory technicians were exposed to the highest impulsive noise levels (137.1 dBC). The dentists and dental assistants who worked at a pedodontic clinic had the highest percent noise dose (4.60 ${\pm}$ 3.59%). In the working areas, the 8-hour time-weighted average of noise levels ranged between 49.7-58.1 dBA while the noisiest working area was the dental laboratory. Conclusion: Dental personnel are exposed to noise intensities lower than occupational exposure limits. Therefore, these dental personnel may not experience a noise-induced hearing loss.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.313-321
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• 2009

The construction of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) boats is decreasing trend since the application of international regulations on the control of marine environmental pollution, which recommended the use of environmentally friendly materials. The aluminum alloy used with material for ship is a superior to FRP. It is environmental friendly, easy to recycle, and provides a high added value to fishing boats. However, the welding for Al alloy materials have many problems, such as deformation by welding heat and effect of the working environment. In this paper, it was carried out welding by robot with welding material of ER5183 and ER5556 on 6061-T6 Al alloy for ship. The mechanical and electrochemical characteristics evaluated for specimen welded by robot. The cathodic polarization trend for the base metal and welding metal showed the effects of concentration polarization due to oxygen reduction and activation polarization due to hydrogen generation. The hardnesses of welding zone and heat affected zone are lower than that of base metal. At the result of tensile test, the specimen welded with ER5183 presented excellent property compared with ER5556.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.236-242
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• 2011

The two objectives of this study were, first, to determine the optimal friction welding process parameters using finite element simulations and, second, to evaluate the mechanical properties of the friction welded zone for large piston rods in marine diesel engines. Since the diameters of the rod and its connecting part are very different, the manufacturing costs using friction welding are reduced compared to those using the forging process of a single piece. Modeling is a generally accepted method to significantly reduce the number of experimental trials needed when determining the optimal parameters. Therefore, because friction welding depends on many process parameters such as axial force, initial rotational speed and energy, amount of upset and working time, finite element simulations were performed. Then, friction welding experiments were carried out with the optimal process parameter conditions resulting from the simulations. The base material used in this investigation was AISI 4140 with a rod outer diameter of 280 mm and an inner diameter of 160 mm. In this study, various investigation methods, including microstructure characterization, hardness measurements and tensile and fatigue testing, were conducted in order to evaluate the mechanical properties of the friction welded zone.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.126-133
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• 2012

Semi-solid forming of the high melting point alloys such as steel is a promising near-net shape forming process for decreasing manufacturing costs and increasing the quality of the final products. This paper presents the microstructure characteristics of SKH51 (high speed tool steel) during heating and holding in the mushy zone between $1233^{\circ}C$ and $1453^{\circ}C$, which has been measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results of heating/holding experiments showed that the grain size and the liquid fraction increased gradually with temperature up to $1350^{\circ}C$. The drastic grain growth occurred at heating above $1380^{\circ}C$. The strain-induced melt-activated (SIMA) process has been applied to obtain globular grains in the billet materials. Working by mechanical upsetting and successive heating of SKH51 into the temperatures in the mushy zone resulted in globular grains due to recrystallization and partial melting.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.400-408
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• 2020

Hydrodynamic study of Activated Sludge Process (ASP) is important to optimize the reactor performance and detect anomalies in the system. Residence time distribution (RTD) study has been performed using LiCl as tracer on a pilot scale aeration tank (AT) and ASP, treating the pulp and paper mill effluent. The hydraulic performance and treatment efficiency of the AT and ASP at different operating parameters like residence time, recycle rate was investigated. Flow anomalies were identified and based on the experimental data empirical models was suggested to interpret the hydrodynamics of the reactors using compartment modelling technique. The analysis of the RTD curves and the compartment models indicated increase in back-mixing ratio as the mean hydraulic retention time (MHRT) of the tank was increased. Bypassing stream was observed at lower MHRT. The fraction of dead zone in the tank increased by approximate 20-25% with increase in recycle rate. The fraction of the stagnant zone was found well below 5% for all performed experiments, which was under experimental error. The substrate removal of 91% for Chemical oxygen demand and 96% for Biochemical oxygen demand were observed for the ASP working at a hydraulic mean residence time 39 h MRT with a 20% recycling of activated sludge.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.250-258
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• 2024

Forests are crucial for ecosystem stability, societal advancement, and subsistence; however, environmental changes since the 1970s, including shifting agriculture, deforestation, urbanization, increasing human population, and drought, have significantly impacted the region. The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of temporal forest cover changes in the Benchi-Sheko zone in Southwestern Ethiopia. Two types of data were collected: spatial data from satellite images of 1973, 1988, 2003, and 2017, and GPS point data. GIS software, ERDAS version 2015 software, and a handheld GPS were used for data analysis. The data of both GIS from image classification and ERDAS quantification revealed that forest cover decreased from 46,306.17 (92.67%) hectares in 1973 to 27,937.89 (55.91%) hectares in 2017; therefore 18,368.28 hectares (36.76%) decrease in forest cover was detected in the last 44 years by an average annual change of 417.46 hectares and. Based on this, it is recommended that partners working on forest conservation in the locality should enhance local people's awareness to protect forests and forest products in their day-to-day activities.