본 연구는 영유아교사의 근무환경과 이직의도 관계를 알아보고 감정노동이 이 두 변수를 조절하는지 확인하는 데 목적이 있다. 연구를 위해 영유아교사 199명을 대상으로 빈도분석, 기술통계분석, 상관분석을 실시하였으며, 인구통계학적 주요변인의 차이검증을 위해 t-검증 (t-test) 및 일원분산분석(one-way ANOVA)을 실시하였다. 또한 감정노동 조절효과 검증을 위해 위계적 회귀분석과 단순기울기 분석을 적용하였다. 분석 결과, 근무환경의 하위 변인들은 감정노동의 내면적 행동에는 정적 상관관계를, 이직의도에는 부적 상관관계를 보여주었다. 영 유아 교사들의 감정노동은 표면적 행동과 내면적 행동에 정적 상관관계로 나타났으며 감정노 동의 표면적 행동은 이직의도와 정적 상관관계가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 낮은 물리적 환경과 대인관계에 기반 한 감정노동은 이직의도를 유도하지만 반면 감정노동은 근무환경과 이직의 도 간의 조절요인으로 작용하였다. 근무환경의 개선방안으로 영유아교사의 업무에 대한 코칭 개입 방법은 궁극적으로 이들의 이직의도를 낮추는 효과적인 방안일 수 있다. 즉 정서적인 지 지를 통해 스트레스적인 근무 환경을 정서 안정적이고 긍정적인 환경으로 변경하고, 물리적으 로 교재․교구비 지원, 근로시간 보장, 처우 개선을 통해 영유아 교사들의 근무환경에 대한 만족도를 높이는 것이 요구된다. 본 연구는 궁극적으로 코칭기법을 중심으로 교사 심리 상담 과 같은 정서적 지원프로그램을 제공하여 그들의 이직의도를 낮추는 방안을 제언한다.

본 연구는 국립수목원 내 전문전시원에 발생한 이입식물을 대상으로 2015년부터 2023년까지 이입식물 분포조사를 시행 하였다. 그 결과 자생식물 299종, 귀화식물 49종, 재배식물 13 종 총 63과 214속 361종이 조사되었다. 국화과가 63종으로 가장 많았고, 벼과, 사초과 순으로 발생하였다. 이입식물의 이입 경로를 분석하기 위하여 광릉숲에 분포하는 식물상과 비교 분석 한 결과 309종이 광릉숲에 분포하는 식물로 확인되었으며, 전 문전시원 내 식재 식물이 확산된 경우가 17종으로 조사되었다. 조사된 귀화식물 49종을 원산지별로 구분하면 유럽과 북아메리카가 69.4%, 이입 시기별 1기와 3기의 비율이 90%를 차지하였 다. 귀화식물의 귀화도 분포 등급을 적용한 결과 4등급 이상이 면서 이입 시기가 3기인 식물 9종은 빠르게 확산할 우려가 큰 식물이므로 지속적인 모니터링이 필요하다. 국립수목원에 어느 정도 귀화식물이 분포하는지를 가늠하는 도시화지수를 산출한 결과 15.0%로 나타났으며, 환경부 지정 생태계교란 야생식물 중 돼지풀, 단풍잎돼지풀, 애기수영, 미국쑥부쟁이가 출현하였 다. 이입식물은 자생식물군락과 전문전시원 내 관람로에 침입하 여 세력권을 확장하고 우점하는 경향이 있어 각각의 생태적 특 성을 고려한 제거 방법이 필요하다.

Background: Child care center teachers are exposed to musculoskeletal injuries caused by repetitive movements at low heights due to the nature of their jobs. Self-myofascial release (SMFR) improves flexibility, pain, and functional performance. Pectoralis minor self-stretching (PMSS) improves muscle flexibility and postural alignment. PMSS has been commonly used to correct a rounded shoulder posture (RSP). Objectives: To examine the shoulder height, muscle tone, muscle stiffness, and muscle elasticity for women child care center teachers with RSP. Design: Randomized study. Methods: The participants were 20 women child care center teachers with RSP. They were randomly assigned two groups: SMFR group (n=10) and PMSS group (n=10). They performed each exercise for 20 min, 3 times a week for 4 weeks. They measured shoulder height, muscle tone, stiffness, and elasticity of upper trapezius before and after exercise. Results: In the shoulder height, there was no significant difference between two groups. There were significant decreases within both groups. In the muscle tone, stiffness, and elasticity, there was no significant difference between two groups and within two groups. Conclusion: SMFR using a hard massage ball and PMSS have a positive effect on posture correction for child care center teacher with RSP.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) have been reported to have better properties than conventional materials; however, they are more expensive due to the high cost of their main components. Therefore, research is needed to reduce manufacturing costs. In this study, CoCrFeMnNi HEAs were prepared using metal injection molding (MIM), which is a powder metallurgy process that involves less material waste than machining process. Although the MIM-processed samples were in the face-centered cubic (FCC) phase, porosity remained after sintering at 1200°C, 1250°C, and 1275°C. In this study, the hot isostatic pressing (HIP) process, which considers both temperature (1150°C) and pressure (150 MPa), was adopted to improve the quality of the MIM samples. Although the hardness of the HIP-treated samples decreased slightly and the Mn composition was significantly reduced, the process effectively eliminated many pores that remained after the 1275°C MIM process. The HIP process can improve the quality of the alloy.

The development of thermoelectric (TE) materials to replace Bi2Te3 alloys is emerging as a hot issue with the potential for wider practical applications. In particular, layered Zintl-phase materials, which can appropriately control carrier and phonon transport behaviors, are being considered as promising candidates. However, limited data have been reported on the thermoelectric properties of metal-Sb materials that can be transformed into layered materials through the insertion of cations. In this study, we synthesized FeSb and MnSb, which are used as base materials for advanced thermoelectric materials. They were confirmed as single-phase materials by analyzing X-ray diffraction patterns. Based on electrical conductivity, the Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity of both materials characterized as a function of temperature, the zT values of MnSb and FeSb were calculated to be 0.00119 and 0.00026, respectively. These properties provide a fundamental data for developing layered Zintl-phase materials with alkali/alkaline earth metal insertions.

As environmental concerns escalate, the increase in recycling of aluminum scrap is notable within the aluminum alloy production sector. Precise control of essential components such as Al, Cu, and Si is crucial in aluminum alloy production. However, recycled metal products comprise various metal components, leading to inherent uncertainty in component concentrations. Thus, meticulous determination of input quantities of recycled metal products is necessary to adjust the composition ratio of components. This study proposes a stable input determination heuristic algorithm considering the uncertainty arising from utilizing recycled metal products. The objective is to minimize total costs while satisfying the desired component ratio in aluminum manufacturing processes. The proposed algorithm is designed to handle increased complexity due to introduced uncertainty. Validation of the proposed heuristic algorithm's effectiveness is conducted by comparing its performance with an algorithm mimicking the input determination method used in the field. The proposed heuristic algorithm demonstrates superior results compared to the field-mimicking algorithm and is anticipated to serve as a useful tool for decision-making in realistic scenarios.

The major innate immune pathways in Asian longhorned ticks, Haemaphysalis longicornis, include Toll, IMD, and JAK/STAT. In the field, H. longicornis can be infected with various pathogens including Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus (SFTS virus), Rickettsia, Babesia and Anaplasma species. One approach to identify whether ticks are infected with pathogens is by examining the expression levels of immune response genes. To evaluate whether upregulation of immune genes from H. longicornis can serve as an indicator for pathogen infection in ticks, we first designed primer sets for Dorsal, STAT, and Relish from the H. longicornis genome. We then conducted quantitative reverse transcription PCR(qRT-PCR) on cDNA of field-collected H. longicornis and identified individuals with high expression levels in immune response genes. Subsequently, we performed digital PCR assays to determine whether selected ticks were infected with SFTS virus. Using this approach, we evaluated correlation between pathogen infection and upregulation of immune response genes in ticks. Although more experiments are needed to draw conclusions, this study suggests immune response gene-based screening methods for pathogen infected ticks from the field.

Jeju Island has been facing to threat of high-risk invasive pests from tropical areas. To protect domestic agriculture from those invasive pests, APQA has conducted a regular monitoring program on Jeju Island. We collected especially phototactic heteroceran pests by light bucket trap and identified them using their superficial appearances, and also mitochondria COI gene. As a result, a total of 24 families, 136 genera, 193 species, and 819 individuals were collected from around Jeju Island in 2023. Among them, two unidentified epidopteran pests, Palpita sp. (Crambidae) and Xyrosaris sp. (Yponomeutidae) were collected. In the present study, we report two unidentified micro-lepidopteran pests using superficial characteristics and mitochondria COI gene.

The bentonite buffer material is a crucial component in an engineered barrier system used for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Because a large amount of heat from the disposal canister is released into the bentonite buffer material, the thermal conductivity of the bentonite buffer is a crucial parameter that determines the design temperature. At the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), a new standard bentonite (Bentonil-WRK) has been used since 2022 because Gyeongju (KJ) bentonite is no longer produced. However, the currently available data are insufficient, making it essential to investigate both the basic and complex properties of Bentonil-WRK. Thus, this study evaluated its geotechnical and thermal properties and developed a thermal conductivity empirical model that considers its dry density, water content, and temperature variations from room temperature to 90°C. The coefficient of determination (R2) for the model was found to be 0.986. The thermal conductivity values of Bentonil-WRK were 1–10% lower than those of KJ bentonite and 10–40% higher than those of MX-80 bentonites, which were attributable to mineral-composition differences. The thermal conductivity of Bentonil-WRK ranged between 0.504 and 1.149 W·(m−1·K−1), while the specific heat capacity varied from 0.826 to 1.138 (kJ·(kg−1·K−1)).