This study was conducted to obtain basic information for the use of the ATP fluorescence detection method in consideration of the most common and frequent contamination situation that occurs in laboratories dealing with fire blight causing bacterium, Erwinia amylovora. ATP luminescence measurements (Relative Light Unit, RLU) were tested against these pathogen cells (CFU/cm2) which were artificially introduced on the disinfected surface of a bench floor of a biosafety cabinet (Class 2 Type A1), on a part of the disinfected surface of a lab experimental bench, on a part of the disinfected floor, and on a part of the disinfected floor of an acryl chamber for bioaerosol studies in a biosafety laboratory (BSL 2 class) using two different ATP bioluminometers. RLU values were not much increased with the bacterial cells from 2.15 × 102/cm2 to 2.15 × 106/cm2. RLU values varied among the four different surfaces tested. RLU values measured from the same number of bacterial cells differed little between the two different ATP bioluminometers used for this study. RLU values obtained from bacterial cells higher than 2.15 × 107/cm2 indicated the presence of bacterial contamination on the four different surfaces tested. The R2 values obtained based on the correlation data for the RLU values in response to different E. amylovora cell numbers (CFU/ cm2) on the surfaces of the four test spots ranged from 0.9827 to 0.9999.

With the wide use of greenhouses, the working hours have been increasing inside the greenhouse for workers. In the closed ventilated greenhouse, the internal environment has less affected to external weather during making a suitable temperature for crop growth. Greenhouse workers are exposed to organic dust including soil dust, pollen, pesticide residues, microorganisms during tillage process, soil grading, fertilizing, and harvesting operations. Therefore, the health status and working environment exposed to workers should be considered inside the greenhouse. It is necessary to secure basic data on particulate matter (PM) concentrations in order to set up dust reduction and health safety plans. To understand the PM concentration of working environment in greenhouse, the PM concnentrations were monitored in the cut-rose and Hallabong greenhouses in terms of PM size, working type, and working period. Compare to no-work (move) period, a significant increase in PM concentration was found during tillage operation in Hallabong greenhouse by 4.94 times on TSP (total suspended particle), 2.71 times on PM-10 (particle size of 10 μm or larger), and 1.53 times on PM-2.5, respectively. During pruning operation in cut-rose greenhouse, TSP concentration was 7.4 times higher and PM-10 concentration was 3.2 times higher than during no-work period. As a result of analysis of PM contribution ratio by particle sizes, it was shown that PM-10 constitute the largest percentage. There was a significant difference in the PM concentration between work and no-work periods, and the concentration of PM during work was significant higher (p < 0.001). It was found that workers were generally exposed to a high level of dust concentration from 2.5 μm to 35.15 μm during tillage operation.

This study was carried out to develop the technology to manage the growth management of mushroom which was cultivated by long-term knowledge based on the quantified data. In this study, it was developed hardware to monitor and control the growth environment of mushroom cultivation house and an algorithm to automatically grow mushroom. Environmental management for the growth of mushrooms was made possible by cultivation sites, computers and smart phones. In order to manage the environment of mushroom cultivation house, environmental management data of farmers cultivating the highest quality mushrooms in Korea was collected, and a growth management database was created based on the collected data. The management environment for the mushroom cultivation was controlled at ±0.5 °C for temperature, 7 % for upper limit and 3 % for lower limit for relative humidity, and ±10% level for carbon dioxide concentration based on database value. As a result of cultivating mushrooms in such an environment, it was possible to produce mushrooms at almost the same level as those cultivated in farms with the best technology. Therefore, it was considered that the environmental management of the mushroom house managed by the technology based on the long experience could be managed based on the sensor data.

본 논문에서는 물질의 원소 분석법 가운데 하나인 레이저 유도 플라즈마 분광법을 이용한 해양 환경 오염을 감시 기술의 적용 가능성 을 제시한다. 제주도 근해에서 채취한 백화시료에 포함되어 있는 칼슘 원소와 수돗물에 포함되어 있는 소듐, 칼슘 원소들을 레이저 유도 플라즈 마 분광법을 통해서 검출하였다. 또한 해수에 용해되어 있는 다양한 무기 원소들을 레이저 유도 플라즈마 분광법을 통해서 정량적으로 측정하 고자 할 때 사용할 수 있는 새로운 정량화 기법을 제안한다.

The aims of this study were to investigate the nosocomial infection route of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and explore preventative methods for this pathogen that involve blocking its dispersion. We cultured MRSA from nasal cavity swabs collected between June and July 2008 that we obtained from eight dental healthcare providers, 32 nurses and the sputum specimens of two patients from our hospital. In addition, we used VITEK 2 equipment to measure drug sensitivity, and we further performed biochemical testing and pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to isolate MRSA colonies. The incidence of these bacteria on the nasal swabs was 25.0% from dental clinic healthcare providers, 13.6% from the internal medicine ward nurses and 30.0% from intensive care unit nurses. Moreover, MRSA was detectable in sputum specimens of ward patients. The antimicrobial agents resistance and partial PFGE types of MRSA showed a similar pattern. We suggest from these analyses that nasal cavity infection by MRSA could occur by cross contamination between healthcare providers and patients which underscores the importance of stringent MRSA management practices.

Various numerical models that have been developed for marine environments and applied to coastal waters in USA were introduced briefly. Inter alia, with regard to an integrated monitoring and modeling system, the main features and outline of system, the system architecture for data management and representation system, and the incorporation of internet based technology were described. An example of application of an integrated system to coastal waters was also presented. The prospective research works to improve the capabilities and to advance the functionality of an integrated monitoring, modeling and management system were suggested to be the instrumentations for various monitoring parameters, the new development and/or advancement of various numerical models, the relevant internet based technologies. etc..