The electronic structure and magnetic properties of chalcopyrite (CH) AlGaAs2 with dopant Mn at 3.125 and 6.25 % concentrations are investigated using first-principles calculations. The CH AlGaAs2 alloy is a p-type semiconductor with a small band-gap. The AlGaAs2:Mn shows that the ferromagnetic (FM) state is the most energetically favorable one. The Mn-doped AlGaAs2 exhibits FM and strong half-metallic ground states.The spin polarized Al(Ga,Mn)As2 state (Al-rich system) is more stable than the (Al,Mn)GaAs2 state (Ga-rich system), which has a magnetic moment of 3.82mB/Mn. The interaction between Mn-3d and As-4p states at the Fermi level dominates the other states.The states at the Fermi level are mainlyAs-4p electrons, which mediate strong interaction between the Mn-3d and As-4p states. It is noticeable that the FM ordering of dopant Mn with high magnetic moment originates from the As(4p)-Mn(3d)-As(4p) hybridization, which is attributed to the partially unfilled As-4pbands. The high FM moment of Mn is due to the double-exchange mechanism mediated by valence-band holes.

Silicon heterojunction solar cells can achieve high conversion efficiency with a simple structure. In this study, we investigate the passivation characteristics of VOx thin films as a hole-selective contact layer using ALD (atomic layer deposition). Passivation characteristics improve with iVoc (implied open-circuit voltage) of 662 mV and minority carrier lifetime of 73.9 μs after post-deposition annealing (PDA) at 100 oC. The improved values are mainly attributed to a decrease in carbon during the VOx thin film process after PDA. However, once it is annealed at temperatures above 250 oC the properties are rapidly degraded. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is used to analyze the chemical states of the VOx thin film. As the annealing temperature increases, it shows more formation of SiOx at the interface increases. The ratio of V5+ to V4+, which is the oxidation states of vanadium oxide thin films, are 6:4 for both as-deposition and annealing at 100 oC, and 5:5 for annealing at 300 oC. The lower the carbon content of the ALD VOx film and the higher the V5+ ratio, the better the passivation characteristics.

Hydrogen isotopes (i.e. deuterium and tritium) are supplied to the tokamak in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) fuel cycle. One important part of the ITER fuel cycle is the recycling of unused fuel back to the tokamak, as almost 99 % of fuel is unburned during fusion reaction. For this, cryogenic distillation has been used in the isotope separation system (ISS) of ITER, but this technique tends to be energy-intensive and to have low selectivity (typically below 1.5 at 24 K). Recently, efficient isotope separation by porous materials has been reported in the so-called quantum sieving process. Hence, in this study, hydrogen isotope adsorption behavior is studied using chemically stable ZIF-11. At low temperature (40 K ~ 70 K), the adsorption increases and the sorption hysteresis becomes stronger as the temperature increases to 70K. Molar ratio of deuterium to hydrogen based on the isotherms shows the highest (max. 14) ratio at 50 K, confirming the possibility of use as a potential isotope separation material.

A combination of Polycarbonate (PC) material and Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), fabricated using an injection molding machine, has been investigated to determine its advantages, as studied in Ref. 1). This paper aims to investigate the optimization of PMMA/PC blend for both tensile yield strength and impact strength. Furthermore, interaction effects of process conditions on mechanical properties including tensile yield strength and impact strength of PMMA/PC blend by injection molding process are interpreted in this study. Tensile and impact specimens are designed following ASTM, type V, and are fabricated by injection molding process. The processing conditions such as melt temperature, mold temperature, packing pressure, and cooling time are applied; each factor has three levels. As a result, in comparison with optimization of separated responses, mechanical properties of PMMA/PC are found to decrease when optimizing both tensile and impact strengths simultaneously. The melt temperature is found to be the most significant interaction parameter with the mold temperature and packing pressure. In addition, there is more interaction between the mold temperature and cooling time. This investigation provides a useful understanding of the control of injection molding processing of polymer blends in optical application.

A facile microwave assisted solvothermal process is designed for fabricating SnS nanoparticles decorated on graphene nanosheet, which used as visible light driven photocatalyst. Some typical characterization techniques such as XRD, FT-IR, SEM with EDX analysis, and TEM and BET analysis are used to analyse the physical characteristics of as-prepared samples. Spherical SnS nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed on the surface of graphene nanosheet due to ammonia, which can prevent the aggregation of graphene oxide. Meanwhile, microwave radiation provides fast energy that promotes the formation of spherical SnS nanoparticles within a short time. The visible light photocatalytic activity of as-prepared SnS-GR nanocomposites is analysed through photodegradation efficiency of methylene blue with high concentration. According to the higher photocatalytic property, the as-prepared SnS-GR nanocomposites can be expected to be an efficient visible light driven photocatalyst. After five cycles for decolorization, the rate decreases from 87 % to 78 % (about 9 %). It is obvious that the photocatalytic activity of SnS-GR nanocomposite has good repeatability.

The concentration of TVOCs in public transportation in the spring and summer of 2018 was measured. Public transportation measured the concentration of TVOCs on six subway lines in Seoul, two lines of high-speed trains, and intercity buses. The measurements were taken during the operation of each route of the surveyed public transportation from the origin to the destination. In addition, the measurement time was divided into the congestion time and the non-congestion time. In the spring of 2018, in the order of subway, train A, train B, and intercity buses, TVOC concentrations during the congestion time zone were 205.9 μg/m3, 121.3 μg/m3, 171.1 μg/m3, and 88.7 μg/m3, respectively. During the non-congestion time zone, the concentrations were 177.2 μg/m3, 108.8 μg/ m3, 118.2 μg/m3, and 126.1 μg/m3, respectively. In the summer of 2018, TVOC concentrations in the order of the aforementioned transportation modes during the congestion time zone were 169.8 μg/m3, 175.8 μg/m3, 78.0 μg/ m3, and 185.3 μg/m3, respectively. During the non-congestion time zone, the concentrations were 210.8 μg/m3, 116.1 μg/m3, and 162.7 μg/m3, respectively. An analysis of BTEX concentration among VOCs in public transportation in descending order were followed by toluene > xylene > ethylbenzene > benzene. Toluene, which has the highest concentration among the BTEX compounds, was found to be 12.86 μg/m3 to 91.41 μg/m3 during spring congestion time and 7.10 μg/m3 to 39.52 μg/m3 during non-congestion time. During the summer congestion time, the concentration was 6.68 μg/m3 to 249.48 μg/m3 and 13.23 μg/m3 to 214.5 μg/m3 during the non-congestion time. The concentration of benzene was mostly less than 5 μg/m3 in transportation. Particularly in the case of toluene, the concentration is significantly higher than that of other VOCs. Accordingly, further study of toluene exposure hazards will be needed. Five percent of the surveyed TVOC concentrations exceeded the recommended indoor air quality standard of 500 μg/m3, and all 13 cases representing this percentage were found in the subway. In addition, nine of the 13 cases that exceeded the recommended standard were measured during congestion time. Therefore, VOCs in public transportation vehicles during congestion time need to be managed.

We investigated the distributions of airborne radon concentration on the platforms of the stations of Seoul Metro by the underground depth of each subway line, and explored the correlation between the radon concentration and the depth and geological conditions around each underground station. The measurements of radon levels were performed in 254 subway stations within Seoul Metro Lines 1 to 8 using the passive sampler (RADUET). Radon concentration data from 2007 to 2017, as well as the depth of each subway station were obtained from the Seoul Metro corporation. The geological information of each subway station were purchased from the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources. Student t-test and correlation analyses were performed to compare the levels of radon by the depth of subway stations, and to investigate the association of radon levels based on geological information. The geometric mean concentration of the all subway stations was 27.9 Bq/m3 ( range, 3 . 7Bq/ m3~124.0 Bq/m3). The depth of Lines 5-8 (geometric mean, –20.3 m) was significantly deeper by about 50% or more than that of Lines 1-4 (–13.1 m) (P<0.01). The radon levels increased significantly in deeper depths and as the number of Lines increased (P<0.05). A significant higher mean concentration of radon above the igneous rock (33.0 Bq/m3) was observed, comparing to that of non-igneous rock (27.5 Bq/m3) (P<0.00001). Our findings indicate that the deeper the subway is built or the more it is constructed on the granite area, the more careful management, including frequent ventilation and measurement monitoring, is necessary.

This study investigated 180 students’ indoor environmental awareness of rest spaces and measured the indoor and outdoor concentrations of PM10, TVOCs, and HCHO in 8 rest spaces from October 2019. 89.4% of the students responded that they use rest spaces at least once a day and most of the respondents are using rest spaces in the university. The largest number of students responded to the tight space as the main cause of air pollution in rest spaces. 62.1% of the students answered they experienced health symptoms from using rest spaces. Among them, 32.5% said they experienced irritation symptoms of eyes, neck, nose, and 12.1% answered that they experienced headaches. Indoor PM10, TVOCs, and HCHO levels did not exceed indoor air quality recommendations nor the maintenance standard for multi-use facilities. Indoor PM10, TVOCs, and HCHO levels did not exceed indoor air quality recommendations nor the maintenance standard for multi-use facilities. According to the type of rest space, concentrations of PM10, TVOCs, and HCHO were higher among the closed-type than open-type rest space. Even if the concentration of pollutants is less than the environmental standard, continuous exposure may cause negative health effects. In addition, considering that 62.1% of the respondents experienced health symptoms, it is deemed necessary to take measures to manage indoor environments in rest spaces and to develop measures to reduce pollutants.

This experiment evaluated the efficiency of mechanical ventilation, one of the measures to reduce indoor radon concentration in residential spaces. In the most popular ventilation rates of the air conditioning system, the most efficient air conditioning system was confirmed by checking the time when the radon concentration reached the lowest level, the radon reduction rate, and the radon concentration that could be lowered as much as possible. The results showed a reduction rate of up to 80% or more as a result of conducting the experiment by blocking the inflow of outside air. It was confirmed that the time to reach the lowest concentration after starting the mechanical ventilation was about 6 hours to a maximum of 7 hours. Therefore, this study verified that indoor radon concentrations can be efficiently reduced by using a mechanical ventilation system.

In this study, the effect of improving indoor air quality according to the installation of plants was evaluated in classrooms where students spend much time. The purpose was to prepare sustainable and eco-friendly measures to improve the indoor air quality of school classrooms. A middle school in Bucheon was selected as an experiment subject, and IAQ monitoring equipment based on IoT was installed to monitor indoor air quality. After measuring the basic background concentration, plants and air purifiers were installed and the effects of improving indoor air quality using plants and air purifiers were evaluated based on the collected big data. As a result of evaluating the effects of indoor air quality improvement on the installation of plants and air purifiers, the reduction rates of PM10 and PM2.5 in descending order were plant- and air purifier- installed classes, air purifier-installed classes, and plant-installed classes. CO2 levels were reduced in the classrooms with only plants, and increased in two classrooms with air purifiers. The increase in CO2 concentration in the classrooms with plants and air purifiers was lower than in those with only air purifiers.

In this study, actual odor conditions were investigated in restaurants, livestock facilities, and major odor discharge facilities around daily life, and an odor modeling program was performed to find ways to improve odors in odor discharge facilities. The odor modeling results of restaurants around daily life showed that the complex odor concentration of large restaurants, which are close to residential areas, is higher than the acceptable complex odor standard at the receiving point. It was judged that a plan to increase the height of the restaurant odor outlets and a plan to reduce the amount of odor discharge was necessary. As a result of modeling the life odor of livestock housing facilities, when the distance from the housing facility is far away, the actual emission concentration is much lower than the acceptable emission concentration at the receiving point. It was judged that such facilities need to be reviewed for ways to reduce the emission of odorous substances, such as sealing the livestock housing facilities or improving the livestock environment. The main odor emission business sites that show complex odor concentration as 1,000 times or greater than the outlet odor emission standard were businesses associated with surfactant preparation, compounded feed manufacturing, textile dyeing processing, and waste disposal. Due to the separation distance and high exhaust gas flow rate, it was found that odor reduction measures are necessary. In this study, it was possible to present the allowable odor emission concentration at the discharge facilities such as restaurants, livestock houses, and industrial emission facilities by performing the process of verifying the discharge concentration of the actual discharge facility and the result of living odor modeling. It is believed that suitable odor management and prevention facilities can be operated.

This study conducted a survey on environmental awareness and analyzed outdoor PM10 and heavy metals (cadmium, lead) for 60 local residents living in the Gwangyang national industrial complex from July 2019. 40.0% of subjects responded that local environmental pollution was serious. Especially, there was a high proportion of residents living near the industrial complex or roads where it was perceived that local environmental pollution was serious. The average concentration of PM10 in the outdoors of the houses was 10.95 μg/m3 and the average concentration of heavy metals in PM10 was 1.90 ng/m3 for Cd and 24.92 ng/m3 for Pb. Overall, the average concentration of PM10 and heavy metals revealed a tendency to be high in the houses located near the industrial complex or the roads. As a result of a risk assessment carried out, the cancer risk of Cd was estimated to exceed 106 in the CTE, RME and Monte Carlo analysis. These results suggest that the urgent implementation of specific environmental health education for local residents is necessary.

Radon is a radioactive gas material, which is not detectable by humans because of the absence of color and odor. Radon gas can exist indoors through a number of pathways and long-term exposure to such material can affect the human body, which may result in serious health issues such as lung-cancer. It is thus essential to reduce and maintain indoor radon concentration in order that potential health risks from radon can be diminished. In order to achieve the aforementioned goals, it is requisite to utilize a practical detector which is capable of continuous radon monitoring. In relation to this, a recently developed prototype radon detector, i.e., RS9A, provides highperformance comparable to existing research-grade radon detectors for the purpose of continuous radon monitoring in the air. Furthermore, RS9A is a convenient piece of equipment for use by the public as it is compact in size and affordable. In this paper, we conducted continuous measurements of indoor radon concentrations by using sets of RS9A and evaluated the equivalence of RS9A in terms of quality assurance.

In this paper, we conducted a survey to reveal the general perception of parents toward outdoor air quality, particulate matter (PM), and indoor air quality (IAQ) at schools where their children attend. A total of 1,030 parents participated in this survey, where the age of their children ranged between 7 years to over 19 years of age. Each participant was either a member of a non-governmental organization (NGO) with a keen interest in air quality or an ordinary public panel member with less interest. The result of the survey indicated that the participants had a negative perception of air quality, and parents believed that the outdoor and indoor air is extremely polluted. The participants pointed out that they believe that the main reason for the pollution is due to particulate matter (PM) and school classrooms are the location where their children are exposed to PM the most. Based on our study, the majority of the participants prefer a mechanical ventilation system to reduce indoor air pollutants in schools. Our study should be referred to by school officials in order to maintain IAQ and as a way of addressing the concerns of parents who want to protect their children’s health.

The correlation among gaseous air pollutants (odorous compounds, greenhouse gases) and meteorological parameters was analyzed in-depth using measurement data at a barn and ambient in a naturally ventilated dairy farm. Both concentration and emission data (loading rate and emission rate), which more accurately express the actual pollutant emissions, were used in the correlation analysis. Gaseous air pollutants (ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane) and meteorological factors (relative humidity, temperature, wind speed, solar strength) were measured for one week in July 2013. The upper and lower outliers of measured data by inducing 1.5 times the interquartile range (IQR) were eliminated. After eliminating the outliers and grouping according to data magnitude, the correlation analysis among gaseous compounds and meteorological factors was conducted using the average values of each group. In the correlation analysis, data for the emission rate (barn) and the loading rate (ambient) showed a better correlation than concentration data. Gaseous air pollutants except for hydrogen sulfide in the barn showed a good correlation. Hydrogen sulfide might not be produced from manure or animal origin. Rather, the compound may be produced by flushing water, which was flushed at periodical times (every six hours). Ammonia emissions increased with increasing temperature, and this increase can be affected from greater exertion of feces by frequent water drinking in a high-temperature condition. In the ambient, the correlation for all gaseous air pollutants was better than that in the barn, because those air pollutants from manure, animals, and flushing water origins were sufficiently mixed in the atmosphere. Wind speed also showed a good correlation with all gaseous air pollutants.

This study examines the effects of surrounding outdoor environmental characteristics in multi-use public facilities that are used by the susceptible population, on the concentration and distribution of indoor airborne bacteria. For this study, areas were divided into ‘factory area,’ ‘city area,’ and ‘forest area.’ The research was conducted from October 2017 to April 2018, and the selected target facilities were daycare centers, hospitals, postpartum care centers, and nursing homes for the elderly. In order to measure airborne bacteria, indoor air samples were collected using a six-stage viable particulate cascade impactor, and airborne bacteria samples were collected using MCE (Mixed cellulose esters) filters. Moreover, the outdoor airborne bacteria concentration was also measured to determine the concentration ratio (I/O ratio) of the total indoor airborne bacteria and total outdoor airborne bacteria concentrations. The results showed that the total outdoor airborne bacteria concentration was highest in the city area, with 74.2 ± 60.0 CFU/m3, and the lowest in the factory area, with 45.9 ± 35.8 CFU/m3. Furthermore, the distribution of the total outdoor airborne bacteria concentrations significantly differed across each surrounding environment (p < 0.05). On the other hand, no statistically significant difference in total indoor airborne bacteria concentrations, according to surrounding environments, was observed (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that the concentration of outdoor airborne bacteria differs across surrounding environments, unlike that of the indoor airborne bacteria.

오늘날 드론은 다양한 목적으로 활용되고 있다. 국가안보와 관련해서 도 미국의 연방보안기관들과 법집행기관들은 국가안보활동에 드론을 활 용해 오고 있다. 이 때문에 미국에서는 이와 같은 드론의 활용이 개인의 사생활 침해로 이어질 수 있다는 우려가 제기되고 있고 이에 대한 법률 적, 정책적 대응들이 이루어지고 있다. 국내에서도 유사하게 드론을 국가 안보의 목적으로 사용하는 사례가 급격히 증가하고 있어 이와 관련된 개 인의 사생활 침해의 문제가 제기될 수 있다. 하지만 국내의 경우 현재까 지는 국가안보활동의 목적으로 정부기관들이 드론을 활용하는 경우에 발 생하는 개인들의 사생활 침해와 관련된 법률적 문제에 대한 본격적인 논 의와 대응이 이루어지고 있지 못한 실정이다. 이 논문은 국내에서 국가 안보와 관련한 드론운용이 야기하는 사생활 침해에 대한 대응방안에 대 한 논의와 대응이 부족한 상황에서 이와 관련된 관심을 제고하고 법률적 대응방안을 제안한다. 이를 위해 이 논문은 미국 연방기관들의 국가안보 활동에서의 드론활용이 야기하는 사생활 침해와 관련한 법률적 대응에 대해 조사·분석을 수행한다. 구체적으로 이 논문은 미국의 국가안보 및 치안분야 드론 활용이 야기하는 사생활 침해문제와 관련하여 미국의 연 방수정헌법상에서의 판례 및 관련 쟁점들과 연방정부의 입법 사례들을 조사·분석하였다. 이와 같은 미국사례분석을 통하여 이 논문은 국내의 국가안보활동에서의 드론 활용이 야기하는 사생활 침해문제에 대한 법률 적·정책적 대응방안을 발전시키기 위한 시사점을 도출한다.

테러를 가장 효과적으로 대응하는 방법 중 하나가 선제적인 예방이다. 테러의 예방과 관련해서 테러이용수단으로 사용될 수 있는 대량살상무기 등에 대한 안전관리가 중요한 화두의 하나이다. 대량살상무기들 중 방사 능물질의 안전관리는 기존의 전통적인 국가의 위기관리와도 깊은 관련이 있었다. 오늘날은 비전통적인 전쟁의 참여자로까지 분류되는 테러집단에 의한 방사능물질을 이용한 테러위협의 대응이 또한 중요하여졌다. 특히 과학과 기술의 진보로 드론 등의 새로운 기술의 이용으로 그간 어렵다고 여겨졌던 방사능물질을 이용한 대량살상 및 도심테러가 가능한 시나리오 로 떠올랐다. 이에 따라 이 연구는 테러에 이용될 수 있는 수단으로서의 대량살상무 기 중 가장 위험한 무기로 구분되는 국내의 방사능물질의 안전관리에 대 한 법령과 현황을 분석하였다. 테러이용수단에 대한 대테러방지법 상의 구체적인 내용이 부재하여 방사능물질의 안전을 다루는 국내의 주요 법 령에서 방사능물질 안전관리 법령을 중심으로 분석하였다. 이를 분석함 에 있어서 현행 법률의 테러이용수단으로서의 방사능물질안전관리의 효 율성과 적절성 등이 고찰되었다. 또한 분석에 있어서 방사능물질을 포함 한 대량살상무기 등에 대한 안전관리의 선진사례인 미국의 방사능물질관 련 대테러정책과 현황이 이 연구에서 소개되고 분석되었다. 미국의 사례 를 분석하고 소개하는 것은 국내의 방사능물질의 테러이용수단으로서의 관리 법령과 현황에 대해 비교하기 위해 목적이다. 연구의 분석을 위해 이 연구는 문헌분석과 질적분석방법을 사용하였 다. 다양한 관련 학술논문과 정부보고서 등을 문헌분석하였고, 관련 전문 가들과의 전문가 면담을 통하여 문헌분석 내용에 대해 교차확인을 하는 분석을 거쳤다. 이 연구의 분석결과 국내의 방사능물질과 관련된 법령과 관리주체인 기관 그리고 테러이용수단으로서의 방사능물질의 관리가 대체적으로 엄 격히 이루어지는 것으로 파악되었다. 그러나 미국의 경우와 비교하였을 때, 국내의 법령이나 기관들의 관리실태는 방사능물질을 일반적인 핵물 질 안전관리 및 시설관리를 넘어서 테러이용수단으로서 구분한 안전관리 로서 여러 가지 문제점이 나타났다. 연구의 결론과 논의 부분에서 이 연 구의 분석결과, 국내 테러이용수단으로서의 방사능물질의 안전관리와 관 련된 법령 및 시스템적 정책적 대응에 대한 제안 등이 논의되었다.

We report a massive outbreak of human Q fever cases, which occurred at totally 11 humans. The occurrence was related to a goat farm where Coxiella burnetii infection was diagnosed from goat tissues and environmental specimens. From January of 2018, continuous abortions from 6 goats occurred. Laboratory tests from 77 goat specimens for C. burnetii showed that 54 (70.1%) and 63 (81.8%) goats were positive by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. The infection was also confirmed from the farmer, his wife and 9 persons from all 16 veterinary officials who had visited the farm for protective measures and preparing goat specimens for laboratory tests. The farm was found to be extensively contaminated with C. burnetii from the examination to the environmental specimens and epidemiological inspections, which might be the main source of C. burnetii infection to humans. The extensive contamination to the farm was derived from the uncareful handling of postpartum animal tissues or discharges by the farm owner. This report will contribute to the establishment of educational system on the biosecurity to novice farmers.

Since a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown etiology was first reported in China in December 2019, the number of confirmed cases with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2]) worldwide has been increasing, and nearly two million patients are expected to have died by February 2021. Globally, COVID-19 is being considered a primary pulmonary disease, but it is more than a lung infection. This is because patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 present with a variety of clinical signs and symptoms involving many organs, ranging from fever, inflammation, myocardial injury, shock, and the development of coronary artery aneurysm. SARS-CoV-2 shows unique characteristics in its transmission, mortality, and stability in different environmental conditions. During COVID-19 pandemic, about 10 drugs have been clinically tried with none proven to be effective. With no prospect for effective drugs in the near future, there are currently possibilities of success with vaccines and convalescent plasma. Along with the prospect of vaccines and other therapeutic drugs, special precautions (isolation, testing, treating, and tracing) are strictly recommended until we return to normal situations. In this review we comprehensively analyzed the clinical presentations, characteristics, and outcomes of patients with COVID-19, and tried to assess the clinical effects of some drugs as part of the ongoing efforts to understand COVID-19 pandemic.