• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.325-353
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• 2018

Agricultural systems in South Asian countries are dominated by smallholder farmers. Additionally, these farmers have limited access to pre- and post-harvest technologies due to their high initial cost. The lack of these technologies in postharvest handling is responsible for 20% to 44% of fruit and vegetable losses. These high losses are largely the result of a generally weak basic postharvest infrastructure for the preservation of products, which avoids damage from improper handling, transportation, packaging, and storage. High postharvest losses of products negatively affect food availability, food security, and nutrition, as the producer is able to sell less of the farm yield and the net availability of these food commodities for consumption is reduced. An underlying cause of these postharvest losses is the limited awareness and knowledge bases of stakeholders (researchers, farmers, governments, non-governmental organizations, and merchants) in the traditional supply chains in which these losses occur. The analysis presented in this paper explores the state of postharvest practice in South Asian countries and discusses options for low-cost postharvest technologies in the region that can support small-scale farmers and provide a viable pathway for supply to the market, joining with modern value chains and bringing about individual and regional reduction in postharvest losses of fruits and vegetables. The improvement of basic and simple low-cost technologies through precise research efforts has the potential to prevent such huge losses of products, and help meet the ever-increasing demand for food in South Asian countries.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2012

Salinity is one of the most relevant abiotic factor limiting crop yield and its net primary productivity. In addition, salinity induces an increased stress ethylene synthesis in plants which, in turn, exacerbate the responses to the stressor. Bacterial single or co-inoculation effect was tested using previously characterized plant growth promoting (PGP) bacteria Brevibacterium iodinum RS16 and Methylobacterium oryzae CBMB20 on maize and sorghum-sudan grass hybrid under different concentrations of NaCl. Non-inoculated maize and sorghum-sudangrass hybrid showed 33.4% and 20.0% reduction in seed germination under highest NaCl (150 mM) level tested. However, under the same NaCl concentration, co-inoculation with B. iodinum RS16 and M. oryzae CBMB20 PGP strains increased the seed germination in maize (16.7%) and sorghum-sudangrass hybrid (4.4%). In Gnotobiotic growth pouch experiments conducted for maize and sorghum-sudangrass hybrid, co-inoculation of PGP B. iodinum RS16 and M. oryzae CBMB20 mitigated the salinity stress and promoted root length by 22.9% and 29.7%, respectively. Thus the results of this study could help in development of potential bioinoculants that may be suitable for crop production under saline conditions.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.175-182
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• 2018

Coastal sediment archives are used as indicators of changes on shore sediment production and fluvial sediment transport, but rivers crossing coastal plains may not be efficient conveyors of sediment to the coast. In some case there is a net loss of sediment in lower coastal plain reaches, so that sediment input from an upstream exceeds the sediment yield (SY) at the river mouth. The main source of sediment in coastal area is the load from land. In Korea, data on suspended SY are limited owing to a lack of logistic support for systematic sediment sampling activities. This paper presents an integrated approach to estimate SY for ungauged coastal basins, using a soil erosion model and a sediment delivery ratio (SDR) model. For applying the SDR model, a basin specific parameter was validated on the basis of field data. The proposed relationships may be considered useful for predicting suspended SY in ungauged basins that have geologic, climatic and hydrologic conditions similar to the study area.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.321-326
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• 2005

We investigated the effects of pollutants on two pine species (Pinus koraiensis and Pinus rigida) in an industrial region, using a physiological approach. We measured the growth and physiological parameters (photosynthetic activity and chemical contents) of the pine trees in relation to environmental pollutants. The concentrations of manganese (Mn), fluorine (F) and chlorine (CI) in needles of two pine species at the damaged site were significantly higher than those at the control site, and concentrations of essential elements (P) and chlorophyll in needles at the damaged site were significantly lower than at the control site. The light-saturated net photosynthesis $(P_{sat})$, apparent quantum yield $(\Phi)$, carboxylation efficiency (CE) of both pines at the damaged site were significantly lower than those at the control site. The length of shoots and survivorship of needles of two pines at the damaged site were significantly lower than those at the control site. Especially, at damaged site, growth of shoots and needle longevity of P. koraiensis are larger than those of P. rigida.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.207-216
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• 2010

Rockfall monitoring systems generally used in the country are mainly based on the detection of tension of protection wire or tilting of protection post due to rock fall. However, rock fall protection net must be installed prior to the monitoring system and continual maintenance work after each rock fall event is required for a normal operation of these detection systems. To solve these problems, we suggested and implemented a non-contact rock fall detection system using multiple photo sensors and additional camera. After a laboratory experiment and field application, we can conclude that this system is effective and reliable for detecting, collecting and analyzing the rock fall information. In addition, lighten and difference operations on two captured images were able to yield rough estimation of size and direction of rock fall.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.519-525
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• 1994

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of sowing date and cutting time on feed value of rye in paddy field at Yesan from Oct. 1990 to June 1991. The field experiment was sown 5 times at 10 day intervals from Oct. 5. The content of crude protein, digestible protein, total digestible nutrient(TDN), minerals(P, K, Ca, Mg), and energy(ENE, NEL, NEM, NEG) were decreased due to earlier sowing, while the content of acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber(NDF) increased. On the other hand, the yields per unit area for crude and digestible protein, TDN, minerals, and energy increased due to earlier sowing, but there was no significant difference among the plots sown on Oct. 5 through Oct. 25. The highest yield of crude protein was shown at late flowering stage, digestible protein and net energy gain (NEG) at heading stage and TDN at milk stage respectively.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.72-86
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• 1990

This study was carried out to get the basic information of irrigation plans for upland crops such as the optimum irrigation level and the project water requirement. Red peppers and cucumbers were cultivated in PVC pot lysimeters filled with 60cm deep clay loam soil. Four tensiometers were installed in each pot to measure the soil water pressure head. Six levels of irrigation were used. The results obtained from this study are summarized as follows: 1.The optimum irrigation level. The irrigation level of FC-PF2.7 was found to be the optimum level for both red pepper and cucumber with respect to the yield and the weight per fruit. In case of FC-PF2.7, total ET during the irrigation period were 1005.2mm for red pepper, and 429.6mm for cucumber, respectively. 2.soil moisture extraction patterns. Average soil moisture extraction patterns (SMEP)during the irrigation period were from 1st soil layer 43% : 32% : 16% : 9% for red pepper and 39% : 34% : 15% : 12% for cucumber, respectively. The extraction ratio of the upper soils showed very large values during the early stage of growth and decreased largely during the middle stage, and became larger in the last stage. 3.The project water requirement. Among the reference crop evapotranspiration(ETo) computation methods presented by FAO, the Penman method was found to be the best. The effective rainfall was computed by a modified USDA-SCS curve number equation. Availability ratios of the total rainfall during irrigation season were 59.2% for red pepper and 48.9% for cucumber, respectively. Net project water requirement of design year are 837.3mm for red pepper. and 502.Smm for cucumber, respectively.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.400-403
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: By the year 2050, thirty-eight percent of the Korean population will be over the age of 65. Health care costs for Koreans over age 65 reached 15.4 trillion Korean won in 2011, accounting for a third of the total health care costs for the population. Chronic degenerative diseases, including coronary heart disease (CHD), drive long-term health care costs at an alarming annual rate. In the elderly population, loss of independence is one of the main reasons for this increase in health care costs. Korean heath policies place a high priority on the prevention of CHD because it is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This evidence-based study aims to the estimate potential health care cost savings resulting from the daily intake of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. Potential cost savings associated with a reduced risk of CHD and the medical costs potentially avoided through risk reduction, including hospitalizations and physician services, were estimated using a Congressional Budget Office cost accounting methodology. RESULTS: The estimate of the seven-year (2005-2011) net savings in medical costs resulting from a reduction in the incidence of CHD among the elderly population through the daily use of omega-3 fatty acids was approximately 210 billion Korean won. Approximately 92,997 hospitalizations due to CHD could be avoided over the seven years. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that omega-3 supplementation in older individuals may yield substantial cost-savings by reducing the risk of CHD. It should be noted that additional health and cost benefits need to be revisited and re-evaluated as more is known about possible data sources or as new data become available.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.445-453
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• 2013

Walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma fisheries in Korean waters have changed dramatically during the last three decades: the highest catches occurred in 1981, followed by continuous decreases through the 1990s, ending with a complete collapse of the population in the 2000s. The major spawning ground of walleye pollock is located in North Korean waters, and some juveniles (called nogari in Korean, <300 mm) migrate to the south for feeding and growth. Since the 1960s, Korean fishermen have often caught juveniles, and the weight (metric tons) of juvenile catch was recorded from 1975-1997. However, because the walleye pollock were not aged, the population age structure was not delineated. We developed a model to estimate the number of walleye pollock of each size class based on catch statistics of adults and juveniles, the catch proportion of each size class, and length and weight information on specimens collected by Danish-seine and drift-gill-net fisheries. The model results demonstrated that the recruitment size of walleye pollock was consistently within the 200-250mm size class, and the highest number of this size class occurred in 1981, although values greatly fluctuated interannually. The number of juvenile pollock was 10.4 times higher than that of adult pollock during 1975-1997. The total yield of juvenile pollock was 0.95 million tons, which was equivalent to about 68.2% of total pollock production. The number of juvenile pollock caught during the same period, however, was 16 billion, comprising about 91.2% of the total number caught. Such high fishing pressure on juvenile pollock is considered one of the main factors causing the collapse of the pollock population.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.673-679
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• 2003

Glutamine and urea, abundant in body fluids or plasma, yield net ammonium ions upon hydrolysis by ${\gamma}-glutamyl$ transpeptidase (${\gamma}-GTP$) and urease, respectively, and these two enzymes are largely produced from Helicobacter pylori. To investigate bacterial potential of ammonium production, we first quantified those in whole-cell systems and found that the relative ratio of their amounts varied greatly, especially with pH values and the cell's aging. During the H. pylori cultivation, the ratio appeared to be inversely proportional to each other, showing a progressive increase of the ${\gamma}-GTP$ with decreasing of the urease. Under the urease-defective conditions due to low pH or coccoids, the bacterial cells still possessed a considerable amount of ${\gamma}-GTP$, which was found exclusively in the external compartment, therefore, the cell's ammonium production was found to be solely dependent upon glutamine, and the external ammonium concentration was constant without any contribution of urea concentration. Such ammonium constancy would definitely have an adverse effect on the host, because of its absolute requirement for vacuolar degeneration by H. pylori VacA, maximized at approximately 10 mM $NH_4Cl$. It was also found that, by using the metal-saturated membrane vesicles, ammonium ions were likely to be involved in the pH-dependent cation-flux across the H. pylori membrane, where the role of ${\gamma}-GTP$ in ammonium homeostasis around cells was suggested, especially under the hostile conditions against H. pylori.