In recent years, the government has strongly promoted multi-purpose utilization of paddy field. However, poor drainage causes waterlogging stress in upland crops, requiring subsurface drainage technology, resulting in high installation and management costs. To address this issue, a low-cost and high-efficiency technique was developed that utilizes wasted coir substrates which have characteristics of high porosity and good drainage, for upland crop cultivation in paddy fields. Soybeans were grown in both paddy soil and wasted coir slab with two planting densities (80×20 cm and 60×20 cm). The results showed that the coir substrates had better performance than the paddy soil in terms of soil physical and chemical properties and the growth and yield of upland crops are improved. The treatments using wasted coir substrate showed a 41.4% increase in yield and a 21.3% increase in protein content compared to PS treatment. Our findings demonstrate that recycling waste coir substrates to grow upland crops is a positive cultivation strategy to solve some drainage problems in paddy fields. This approach offers a sustainable solution for upland crop production while also addressing the issue of waste management in agriculture.

본 연구는 강원도 강릉시에 위치한 하시동·안인사구 생태경관보전지역에서의 생태계서비스 평가와 증진방안 마련을 위하여 시행되었다. 연구방법으로 신속평가 도구를 이용한 생태계서비스 평가를 바탕으로 환경지속성지수 분석하였고, SWOT 분석 을 통하여 생태계서비스 증진방안을 마련하였다. 하시동·안인사구 생태경관보전지역의 생태계서비스 평가 결과를 바탕으로 분석한 환경지속성지수는 조절서비스, 문화서비스, 지지서비스 모두 50% 미만으로 낮게 평가되었다. 특히 문화서비스, 지지서 비스가 부족한 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 하시동·안인사구 생태경관보전지역의 생태계서비스 증진 방안을 마련하기 위하여 SWOT 분석을 시행하였다. 강점을 기회로 활용(SO전략), 강점을 이용한 위협요인 최소화(ST전략), 강점을 보완하기 위하여 기회를 활용(WO전략), 약점을 보완하고 위협을 최소화(WT전략)하는 생태계서비스 증진방안 6가지를 도출 하였다. 향후 하시동·안인사구 생태경관보전지역에서 생태계서비스 증진사업을 추진할 때 현재 훼손된 지역의 복원과 향후 침식 등으로 인한 피해 방지 등 제시한 문제를 극복하고 이를 통하여 생태계서비스를 증진시켜 하시동·안인사구 생태경관보전 지역의 가치를 높일 필요가 있다.

Immunity is largely divided into innate immunity and adaptive immunity. We conducted a study using HongJam extract to confirm its innate immunity-enhancing effect. Our data using Natural Killer (NK) cells, which play an important role in innate immunity, confirmed that HongJam extract promotes the proliferation of NK cells and also enhances the function of NK cells to attack and destroy cancer cells. (Grant No. PJ017024022023)

The enzyme digestion of foods is known to have certain advantages, such as enhancing health improvement functions of functional foods. In this study, we investigated whether the memory enhancement effects of HongJam could be enhanced by enzymatic digestions. We found that enzyme digested HJ had more enhanced functionality than undigested HJ. We also found the molecular basis of memory enhancement by performing various biochemical and molecular biological experiments. (Grant No. PJ016908032023)

Small-film-type ion sensors are garnering considerable interest in the fields of wearable healthcare and home-based monitoring systems. The performance of these sensors primarily relies on electrode capacitance, often employing nanocomposite materials composed of nano- and sub-micrometer particles. Traditional techniques for enhancing capacitance involve the creation of nanoparticles on film electrodes, which require cost-intensive and complex chemical synthesis processes, followed by additional coating optimization. In this study, we introduce a simple one-step electrochemical method for fabricating gold nanoparticles on a carbon nanotube (Au NP–CNT) electrode surface through cyclic voltammetry deposition. Furthermore, we assess the improvement in capacitance by distinguishing between the electrical double-layer capacitance and diffusion-controlled capacitance, thereby clarifying the principles underpinning the material design. The Au NP–CNT electrode maintains its stability and sensitivity for up to 50 d, signifying its potential for advanced ion sensing. Additionally, integration with a mobile wireless data system highlights the versatility of the sensor for health applications.

K-ATLAS는 전자책 형태로 국가지도를 제공하는 기존의 방식에서 벗어나 IT 기술을 활용하여 인터랙티브 기능을 추가하고, 궁극적으로 국가지도와 사용자 간의 상호작용을 강화한 새로운 형태의 보완적 국가지도집으로 잠정 정의하였다. 이에 발간된 지 15년이 지난 국가지도집의 이용실태를 조사하여 개선사항을 파악하였다. K-ATLAS는 국가지도집의 역사적 의의를 살리면서 사용 자 상호작용을 염두에 두고, 자주 갱신하여 전 세계 국가지도집의 표준을 제시하는 것으로 그 방향을 잡았다. 사용자 인터페이스와 경험에 대한 최근 동향을 벤치마킹하고 해외 국가지도집의 선진 사례를 조사하고, 약 10개의 UI/UX 유형을 분류하여, 현재 국가지도 집의 내용을 지도 기반의 UI/UX 적용 사례를 제시하였으며, 토론을 통해 K-ATLAS와 관련된 문제점과 해결 방안을 제안하였다.

This study proposed a seismic reinforcement of RC columns with non-seismic details, a fiber reinforcement method of aramid sheets and MLCP (high elasticity aromatic polyester fiber material) with different characteristics, and 4 full-size column specimens and conducted experiments. The results show that a non-seismic specimen (RC-Orig) rapidly lost its load-bearing capacity after reaching the maximum load, and shear failure occurred. The RC column reinforced with three types of aramid did not show an apparent increase in strength compared to the unreinforced specimen but showed a ductile behavior supporting the load while receiving a lateral displacement at least 1.57 to 1.95 times higher than the unreinforced specimen. The fracture mode of the specimen, according to the application of lateral load, also changed from shear to ductile fracture through aramid-based reinforcement. In addition, when examining the energy dissipation ability of the reinforced specimens, a ductile behavior dissipating seismic energy performed 4 times greater and more stably than the existing specimens.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of visual input enhancement (VIE) on the comprehension of reading texts and the learning of two grammatical forms: English relative clauses and articles. Individual learners’ working memory (WM) capacity was also tested to explore its impact on the effectiveness of VIE. A total of 48 Korean college learners of English were assigned into three groups: (a) relative group receiving VIE on relative clauses (b) article group receiving VIE on articles, and (c) a control group receiving no VIE. Results showed that VIE did not have any negative effect on the learners’ reading comprehension. Rather, it had positive effects on the learning of the two grammatical forms. According to the findings, VIE on relative clauses enhanced the learners’ receptive knowledge of the grammatical form, whereas VIE on articles enhanced the learners’ productive knowledge of the form. There was a potential link between the effectiveness of VIE and the learners’ working memory processing ability. Pedagogical implications are also discussed based on these findings.

본 연구는 실봇을 병용한 인지강화 프로그램이 주관적 기억력 저하를 호소하는 노인의 인지기 능, 우울 및 치매예방행위에 미치는 효과를 알아보고자 하였다. 대상자는 경기도 성남시에 거주하는 노인 17명을 대상으로 복지관에서 수행되었다. 실봇과 인지강화를 병용한 총 20회기 프로그램을 개발하여 적용 하였으며 중재 전과 후에 한국 몬트리올 인지평가(K-MoCA), 우울(GDS), 치매예방행위(DPB)를 평가하였 다. 연구결과, 실봇을 병용한 인지강화 프로그램은 노인의 인지기능(t=-4.49, p<.001), 우울(t=2.58, p=.023)에서 통계적으로 유의한 차이가 있었다. 따라서 실봇을 병용한 인지강화 프로그램이 노인의 인지기 능 향상 및 우울 완화에 유용한 프로그램이 될 것으로 기대된다.

In this study, we evaluate artificial neural network (ANN) models that estimate the positions of gamma-ray sources from plastic scintillating fiber (PSF)-based radiation detection systems using different filtering ratios. The PSF-based radiation detection system consists of a single-stranded PSF, two photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) that transform the scintillation signals into electric signals, amplifiers, and a data acquisition system (DAQ). The source used to evaluate the system is Cs-137, with a photopeak of 662 keV and a dose rate of about 5 μSv/h. We construct ANN models with the same structure but different training data. For the training data, we selected a measurement time of 1 minute to secure a sufficient number of data points. Conversely, we chose a measurement time of 10 seconds for extracting time-difference data from the primary data, followed by filtering. During the filtering process, we identified the peak heights of the gaussian-fitted curves obtained from the histogram of the time-difference data, and extracted the data located above the height which is equal to the peak height multiplied by a predetermined percentage. We used percentage values of 0, 20, 40, and 60 for the filtering. The results indicate that the filtering has an effect on the position estimation error, which we define as the absolute value of the difference between the estimated source position and the actual source position. The estimation of the ANN model trained with raw data for the training data shows a total average error of 1.391 m, while the ANN model trained with 20%-filtered data for the training data shows a total average error of 0.263 m. Similarly, the 40%-filtered data result shows a total average error of 0.119 m, and the 60%-filtered data result shows a total average error of 0.0452 m. From the perspective of the total average error, it is clear that the more data are filtered, the more accurate the result is. Further study will be conducted to optimize the filtering ratio for the system and measuring time by evaluating stabilization time for position estimation of the source.

As Korea has relatively small land area and large population density compared to other countries considering the DGD concept such as Finland and Sweden, improvements of disposal efficiency in the viewpoint of the disposal area might be needed for the current disposal system to alleviate the difficulties of site selection for the HLW repository. In this research, we conduct a numerical investigation of the disposal efficiency enhancement for a high-level radioactive waste (HLW) repository through three design factors: decay heat optimization, increased thermal limit of buffer, and double-layer concept. In the optimized decay heat model, seven SNFs with the maximum and minimum decay heat depending on actual burn-up and cooling time are iteratively combined in a canister. Thermal limit of buffer is assumed as 100°C and 130°C for reference and high-efficiency repository concepts, respectively. By implementing an optimized decay heat model and a single-layer concept with a thermal limit of buffer set at 100°C, the disposal efficiency increases to 2.3 times of the improved Korean Reference disposal System (KRS+). Additionally, incorporating either an increased thermal limit of buffer to 130°C or a double-layer concept leads to a further 50% improvement in disposal efficiency. By integrating all three design factors, the disposal efficiency can be enhanced up to five times that of the KRS+ repository. Our analysis of rock mass stability reveals that increasing the thermal limit of buffer can generate rock spalling failure in a wider area. However, when accounting for the effect of confining stress by swelling of buffer and backfill using the Mohr-Coulomb failure criteria, the rock mass failure only occurred at the corner between the disposal tunnel and deposition hole when the thermal limit of buffer was increased and a single-layer concept was applied. The results given in this study can provide various options for designing the high-efficiency repository in accordance with the target disposal area and quality of the rock mass in the potential repository site.

Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) and KINAC review a Cyber Security Plan (CSP) by「ACT ON PHYSICAL PROTECTION AND RADIOLOGICAL EMERGENCY」. The CSP contains cyber security implementation plans for the licensee’s nuclear power plant, and it shall meet the requirements of KINAC/RS-015, a regulatory standard. The KINAC/RS-015 provides more detailed information on the legal requirements, so if licensees implement cyber security under the approved CSP, they can meet the law. To protect nuclear facilities from cyber-attacks, licensees should identify their essential digital assets, so-called “Critical Digital Assets” (CDAs). Then, they apply cyber security controls (countermeasures for cyber-attacks) on CDAs consisting of technical, operational, and management security controls. However, it is hard to apply cyber security controls on CDAs because of the large amounts of CDAs and security controls in contrast to the shortage of human resources. So, licensees in the USA developed a methodology to solve this problem and documented it by NEI 13-10, and US NRC endorsed this document. The main idea of this methodology is, by classifying CDAs according to their importance, applying small amounts of security controls on less important CDAs, so-called non-direct CDAs. In the case of non-direct CDAs, only basic cyber security controls are applied, that is, baseline cyber security controls. The baseline cyber security controls are a minimum set of cyber security controls; they consist of control a) from control g) a total of 7 controls. Although non-direct CDAs are less critical than other CDAs (direct CDAs), they are still essential to protect them from cyber-attacks. This paper aims to suggest a cyber security enhancement method for non-direct CDAs by analyzing the baseline cyber security controls. In this paper, baseline cyber security controls were analyzed respectively and relatively and then concluded how to apply small amounts of cyber security controls on non-direct CDAs rather than direct CDAs without scarifying cyber security.

본 논문은 남북 정상회담에서 합의했고, 문재인 전 대통령이 유엔연설 에서 여러 차례 제의한 종전선언을 북한이 받아들이지 않은 이유를 김일 성이 밝힌 ‘3대혁명역량강화방침’에 입각해서 추론한 것이다. ‘북조선 혁 명역량강화’에서는 핵무력을 보유한 군사적 역량은 어느 때보다 강하지 만 국제제재와 경제난으로 주민들의 불만이 고조되는 등 정치·경제적 역 량은 매우 약화되었다. 이러한 체제내구력 보완을 위해 ‘강한 외부의 적’ 인 ‘미 제국주의’가 필요하므로 평화체제로 전환하는 첫 단계인 종전선언 카드를 받지 못한 것으로 볼 수 있다. ‘남조선 혁명역량강화’에서는 ‘이 석기 내란 선동 사건’처럼 제도권 침투를 비롯해 노동, 교육, 문화, 종교 계 등 사회 저변에 친북·반미 의식이 폭넓게 퍼져있다. 따라서 미-북 간 종전선언으로 인해 평화체제로 전환된다면 반미 명분이 약화되어 70여 년간 축적된 남한의 혁명역량이 치명적 타격을 받을 수 있다. ‘국제 혁명 역량강화’의 핵심은 국제사회에서 반제·반미 통일전선을 형성하여 미국을 고립시켜 궁극적으로 ‘혁명의 가장 큰 장애물’인 주한미군을 철수시키는 것이다. 미-북 간 종전선언이 합의된다면 적대관계가 청산되어 미국을 비롯한 반제·반미 이데올로기로 연대한 ‘국제 혁명역량’이 와해될 수도 있다. 따라서 향후 북한은 자체의 힘으로 충분한 대미 핵 억제력 및 체 제 내구력을 갖추고, 전술핵무기와 배합된 남조선 혁명역량을 완비할 때 까지 ‘종전선언 카드’를 받지 않을 것으로 전망된다.

Thermoelectric materials and devices are energy-harvesting devices that can effectively recycle waste heat into electricity. Thermoelectric power generation is widely used in factories, engines, and even in human bodies as they continuously generate heat. However, thermoelectric elements exhibit poor performance and low energy efficiency; research is being conducted to find new materials or improve the thermoelectric performance of existing materials, that is, by ensuring a high figure-of-merit (zT) value. For increasing zT, higher σ (electrical conductivity) and S (Seebeck coefficient) and a lower к (thermal conductivity) are required. Here, interface engineering by atomic layer deposition (ALD) is used to increase zT of n-type BiTeSe (BTS) thermoelectric powders. ALD of the BTS powders is performed in a rotary-type ALD reactor, and 40 to 100 ALD cycles of ZnO thin films are conducted at 100oC. The physical and chemical properties and thermoelectric performance of the ALD-coated BTS powders and pellets are characterized. It is revealed that electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity are decoupled, and thus, zT of ALD-coated BTS pellets is increased by more than 60% compared to that of the uncoated BTS pellets. This result can be utilized in a novel method for improving the thermoelectric efficiency in materials processing.

High-temperature and high-pressure post-processing applied to sintered thermoelectric materials can create nanoscale defects, thereby enhancing their thermoelectric performance. Here, we investigate the effect of hot isostatic pressing (HIP) as a post-processing treatment on the thermoelectric properties of p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3.0 compounds sintered via spark plasma sintering. The sample post-processed via HIP maintains its electronic transport properties despite the reduced microstructural texturing. Moreover, lattice thermal conductivity is significantly reduced owing to activated phonon scattering, which can be attributed to the nanoscale defects created during HIP, resulting in an ~18% increase in peak zT value, which reaches ~1.43 at 100oC. This study validates that HIP enhances the thermoelectric performance by controlling the thermal transport without having any detrimental effects on the electronic transport properties of thermoelectric materials.