Evaluating the effectiveness of the radiation protection measures deployed at the Centralized Radioactive Waste Management Facility in Ghana is pivotal to guaranteeing the safety of personnel, public and the environment, thus the need for this study. RadiagemTM 2000 was used in measuring the dose rate of the facility whilst the personal radiation exposure of the personnel from 2011 to 2022 was measured from the thermoluminescent dosimeter badges using Harshaw 6600 Plus Automated TLD Reader. The decay store containing scrap metals from dismantled disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRS), and low-level wastes measured the highest dose rate of 1.06 ± 0.92 μSv·h−1. The range of the mean annual average personnel dose equivalent is 0.41–2.07 mSv. The annual effective doses are below the ICRP limit of 20 mSv. From the multivariate principal component analysis biplot, all the personal dose equivalent formed a cluster, and the cluster is mostly influenced by the radiological data from the outer wall surface of the facility where no DSRS are stored. The personal dose equivalents are not primarily due to the radiation exposures of staff during operations with DSRS at the facility but can be attributed to environmental radiation, thus the current radiation protection measures at the Facility can be deemed as effective.

Land monitoring involves systematically understanding changes in land use, leveraging spatial information such as satellite imagery and aerial photographs. Recently, the integration of deep learning technologies, notably object detection and semantic segmentation, into land monitoring has spurred active research. This study developed a web service to facilitate such integrations, allowing users to analyze aerial and drone images using CNN models. The web service architecture comprises AI, WEB/WAS, and DB servers and employs three primary deep learning models: DeepLab V3, YOLO, and Rotated Mask R-CNN. Specifically, YOLO offers rapid detection capabilities, Rotated Mask R-CNN excels in detecting rotated objects, while DeepLab V3 provides pixel-wise image classification. The performance of these models fluctuates depending on the quantity and quality of the training data. Anticipated to be integrated into the LX Corporation's operational network and the Land-XI system, this service is expected to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of land monitoring.

목적 : 신체균형 측정기를 이용하여 주시거리와 다양한 시각 상태가 신체 안정성에 미치는 영향을 알아보고자 하였다. 방법 : 대상자는 총 23명(23.92±2.09세)으로 진행하였으며, 시각 조건은 모두 ‘완전교정, 흐림 조건(시력 0.5 logMAR 미만) 그리고 10° 이내의 시야’이다. 신체 안정성 측정은 ‘3D Guidance‘를 사용하였다. 결과 : 완전교정 상태에서는 주시거리 간 통계적으로 유의한 차이는 없었다(p>0.050). 그러나 흐림 조건에서는 주시거리에 따라 측면 및 전·후면 흔들림에서 유의한 차이가 확인되었으며(p=0.004, p=0.027), 시야가 10° 이 내로 제한되었을 때에도 유의한 신체 흔들림이 관찰되었다(p<0.050). 결론 : 주시거리에 따라 신체 안정성의 변화가 나타나며, 특히 흐림과 제한된 시야 상태에서는 주시거리에 따른 차이가 더 유의하였다.

Background: The potential impact of aqueous extracts from Psidium guajava leaves on the reproductive system of female rabbits was evaluated. Methods: Twenty-eight rabbits, aged five to six months were utilized. Rabbits were divided into four groups and were randomly assigned to receive one of the following oral doses of the guava leaf extracts: 0 (control group), 10, 20, or 30 mg/kg of body weight. After a treatment period of 30 days, blood was collected via jugular venipunture and the serum was extracted for the assessment of serum biochemical traits levels. The females were bred and monitored throughout their pregnancy to ascertain reproductive outcomes. Results: The results indicated that the guava leaf extract significantly increased the body weight of the rabbits during both pre- and post-pregnancy compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The litter size at three weeks post-birth, prolificity rate, FSH, LH, and protein levels were notably higher (p < 0.05) at a dose of 20 mg/kg of body weight. The viability rate three weeks post-birth increased with escalating extract doses, and the highest values were observed at doses of 20 and 30 mg/kg of body weight (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that, the aqueous extract of guava leaves appears to stimulate the production of FSH, LH and enhance body weight, prolificity, and pregnancy outcomes in mammals. As such, it is suggested that a dose of 20 mg/kg body weight could be beneficial in improving the reproductive performance of female.

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), which is a traditional Korean crop, has been known as a health food due to its rich nutrition. This study was conducted to evaluate the change in flavonoid content of flowers and seeds during post-flowering growth of Korean tartary buckwheat variety ‘Hwanggeummiso’, with the aim of providing basic data for the development of functional food and feed additive. Tartary buckwheat took 69 and 99 days from the sowing date to reach the flowering and maturity stages, respectively. As a result of examining the flavonoid components of each part of tartary buckwheat, chlorogenic acid, rutin, and isoquercitrin of flowers increased from the flowering period on 22 May (0 days after flowering) to 42 days after flowering, while quercetin increased until 21 days after flowering and then decreased thereafter. In seeds, chlorogenic acid, rutin, and isoquercitrin were most abundant at the time of seed-bearing on 14 days after flowering, and showed a decreasing tendency thereafter. On the other hand, quercetin showed a tendency to increase until 21 days after flowering and then decrease. Overall, the flavonoid content was higher in flowers than in seeds, with rutin being particularly prominent. Based on this, the possibility as food materials and feed additives was confirmed using buckwheat produced in Korea.

Extensive research and testing continue to be conducted for the development of vaccines targeting zoonotic diseases such as brucellosis. In this study, the potential of the DapB as a recombinant protein vaccine to effectively combat Brucella abortus 544 infection in BALB/c mice was evaluated. Western blotting assay results showed that recombinant protein DapB reacted with Brucella-positive serum, indicating its potential immunoreactivity. In vivo results showed that the peripheral blood CD4+ and CD8+ T cell population significantly increased in the DapB-immunized mice group after the first, second and third blood collection, compared to the control group that received PBS. Additionally, at the fourth blood collection, an increase in CD4+ T cell activation was observed in three vaccination groups compared to PBS negative control group. These results indicate the potential of DapB in stimulating cellular immunity. Fourteen days after infection, the bacterial load in the spleen was evaluated. The reduction in bacterial replication in the spleen by both DapB and RB51 highlights their protective efficacy against Brucella infection. These findings contribute to the ongoing efforts in developing effective vaccines against brucellosis and provide valuable insights for further research in this field.

The disposal of organic pollutants is one of the important research topics. Some of the studies in this field are based on the degradation of organic pollutants with a catalytic agent. The cobalt tetraoxide/peroxymonosulfate system is an important catalytic system used for the radical degradation of organic pollutants. To increase the catalytic efficiency of such reactions, graphitization of activated carbon used as a support solid and nitrogen doping to the carbon structure are commonly used methods. In this study, cobalt tetraoxide production, N-doping and graphitization were carried out in a single step by heat treatment of activated carbon doped with the phthlocyanine cobalt (II) complex. The catalytic performance of the catalyst/ peroxymonosulfate system was investigated by changing the pH, catalyst, and PMS concentration parameters on rhodamine B and 1,3,5 trichlorophenol, which were used as models. It was seen that the catalysts had 97% activity on rhodamine B in 16 min and 100% on 1,3,5 trichlorophenol in 6 min. It was observed that the catalysts continued to show high catalytic activity for five cycles in reusability studies and had a very low cobalt leaching rate. These results are in good agreement with previously published studies. In line with these results, the synthesized N-doped graphitic carbon/Co3O4 catalyst can be used as an effective catalyst for wastewater treatments.

Graphene exhibits high carrier mobility and concentration as well as other remarkable properties. Among them, the thermal behaviors of phonon modes play important roles in the application of optical and electronic devices. Here, A–A stacked graphene were proved well by Raman investigation on G and 2D modes. Temperature-dependent Raman scattering measurements on graphene with various number of layers on different substrates were conducted in the temperature range of 80–460 K. The first-order temperature coefficient of single layer graphene (SLG) on SiO2/ Si substrate is obviously smaller than that on Cu foil, indicating that the substrate effect attributes a great impact on graphene phonon temperature dependence. The first-order temperature coefficients of multilayer graphene linearly decrease as the number of layers increases, attributed to the reduction of substrate effect in phonon behaviors, rather than to the anharmonic phonon–phonon (ph–ph) coupling or thermal expansion.

새만금 내에서는 종종 식물플랑크톤이 증식하기에 알맞은 환경조건이 생성되며 일시에 식물플랑크톤 대증식이 발생하면서 조 류 관리기준을 초과하는 사례가 발생하고 있다. 이를 대비하기 위하여 과학적 예측기법을 토대로, 식물플랑크톤의 종별로 가장 효과적이 고 효율적인 녹조발생 억제 방안을 제안하기 위하여 식물플랑크톤 대증식 가능성을 예측하고, 제어할 수 있는 모델을 개발하였다. 즉, 하 천에서 유입하는 영양염(DIN, PO4-P)을 정책적으로 조절하고, 갑문운영을 통해 호 내 염분을 제어하는 것이다. 먼저 관측치로부터 인공신 경망 알고리즘을 이용해 식물플랑크톤 대증식 가능성을 예측 결과, 모델의 Kappa 수는 0.7889 ~ 1.0000의 범위로, good ~ excellent 수준이었 다. 다음으로 Garson 알고리즘을 이용하여 종별로 설명변수의 중요도를 평가하였고, 또한 DIN 및 염분 값의 변화에 따른 식물플랑크톤 대 량 증식 확률을 예측하였다. 그 결과, 각 종별로 식물플랑크톤의 대증식을 억제할 수 있는 DIN과 염분 농도를 정량적으로 예측할 수 있었 다. 따라서, 향후 새만금과 같은 거대한 인공 호수에서 식물플랑크톤의 대증식을 억제하기 위한 효율적이고 효과적인 대응방안을 마련할 수 있도록 녹조제어모델을 활용할 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

This study aimed to verify the validity of a measurement tool for Vietnamese high school students’ systems thinking abilities. Two quantitative assessment tools, the Systems Thinking Measuring Instrument (Lee et al., 2013) and the Systems Thinking Scale (Dolansky et al., 2020), were used to measure students’ systems thinking after translation into Vietnamese. As a result, it was revealed that Cronbach-α for each tool (i.e., STMI and STS) was .917 and .950, respectively, indicating high reliability for both. To validate the construct validity of the translated questionnaire, exploratory factor analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0, and confirmatory factor analysis was performed using AMOS 21.0. For concurrent validity, correlation analysis using structural equation modeling was performed to validate the translated questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that 10 items from the STMI and 12 items from the STS loaded on the intended factors and appropriate factor loading values were obtained. For confirmatory factor analysis, a structural equation model organized with 10 items from the STMI and 12 items from the STS was used. The result of this showed that the convergent validity values of the model were all appropriate, and the model fit indices were analyzed to be χ 2 /df of 1.892, CFI of .928, TLI of .919, SRMR of .047, and RMSEA of .063, indicating that the model consisting of the 22 items of the two questionnaires was appropriate. Analysis of the concurrent validity of the two tools indicated a high correlation coefficient (.903) and high correlation (.571-.846) among the subfactors. In conclusion, both the STMI and STS are valid quantitative measures of systems thinking, and it can be inferred that the systems thinking of Vietnamese high-school students can be quantitatively measured using the 22 items identified in our analysis. Using the tool validated in this study with other tools (e.g., qualitative assessment) can help accurately measure Vietnamese high school students’ systems thinking abilities. Furthermore, these tools can be used to collect evidence and support effective education in ODA projects and volunteer programs.

Food waste is a major sustainable development problem in the world, and the promotion of ugly food may help address this issue. According to cue utilization theory and the VAB model, the primary purpose of this research is to investigate the role of green packaging in ugly food with multiple internal and external cues. A conceptual model with eight hypotheses are proposed. Conclusion, contributions of study and research limitations are finally shown.

Using Social Network Analysis methodology, specifically the Network of Similarity and Response Time Testing as a survey method, we measured and examined, based on conviction strength, the relationships between beliefs in various conspiracy theories. We employ Social Network Analysis (SNA) to uncover conspiracy thinking patterns. SNA facilitates the disclosure of interdependencies among variables and intricate direct and indirect relationships. The network of conspiracy convictions is mapped and scrutinized to discern the clustering of variables, which is achieved using greedy-modularity algorithms. Structural properties, such as nodal and subgroup density, are subsequently calculated to assess the quality of the clusters. A qualitative evaluation explores the semantic meanings underlying the observed patterns. Our analysis revealed strong correlations between the items, indicating that individuals who believe in one conspiracy theory are highly likely to believe in others. Furthermore, Response Time Testing allowed for measuring the level of people's conviction in these beliefs. We discuss the implications of these findings, suggesting that conspiracy theories may serve as a means for individuals to confirm their positions and feelings in society. This insight calls for a reassessment of strategies to address the spread and impact of conspiracy theories, focusing on understanding the psychological and social factors driving belief in multiple conspiracies and the strength of these convictions.

This paper explores the relationships of various cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioural responses of e-discount sales promotion technique preferences consumers have when making purchases through online food delivery services (OFDS). This paper highlights new findings towards expanding e-discount and sales promotion literature and thus provide relevant implications.

Digital technology has been increasingly applied in the traditional tourism forms, including the heritage tourism. However, the role of technology and tradition for attracting tourists in industrial heritage tourism destinations has not been clearly identified. To narrow the research gaps, this study adopted a two stage study, based on grounded theory and factor analyses. In Study 1, through the data analysis of 60 in-depth interviews, 10 stimuli factors in 3 categories were identified. In Study 2, a questionnaire was developed based on the results of Study 1, through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), we established and tested a model of on-site stimulus factors. Findings can deepen the understanding of industrial heritage tourism from a tourist perspective and offer practical implications.

In the last decade, labels have been multiplying on food products (e.g., organic labels, Nutri- Score) to foster nutritious and sustainable food purchases, as such raising the question of the effect of multi-labelling. In this article, we use the prism of information processing and specifically address the question of multi-labelling when the labels have simultaneously positive and negative valences. Such a situation could confuse consumers and therefore, harm multi-labelling ability to empower consumers. An experiment shows that 1/ adding a good Eco- Score to a good Nutri-Score enhances warm glow among the most ecology-sensitive consumers, though it does not significantly increase purchase intentions, 2/ adding a bad Eco- Score to a good Nutri-Score increases consumer confusion (i.e., a discomfort due to ambiguous stimuli that requires mental efforts to cope with) but does not decrease purchase intentions. Recommendations to food managers and public policy makers result from these results.