Model development to estimate site index values for six major tree species in North Korea

Due to considerable deforestation in North Korea,there is a need to plan forest restoration programs based on scientific forest management.In this study,a methodology was developed for estimating the site index values of six major tree species and the forest productivity potential.The site index values of these tree species were derived in South Korea using the Chapman-Richards equation.These values were used with data from the 6th National Forest Inventory,which included 20 types of edaphic,topographic,and climatic factors,and random forest analysis—a widely used machine learning technique for spatial prediction—to develop a new model for estimating the site index values of these species across South Korea.The prediction accuracy of this model was evaluated using the root mean square error.The results show that the prediction accuracy was high,with a root mean square error of~1m.Moreover,the importance of the variables related to climate and geography was generally high.The proposed site index estimation model for six tree species was applied across North Korea,and its effectiveness tested by comparing the estimated values with those reported in literature from North Korea.The differences between the model outputs and recorded data in the northern alpine regions were presumably due to the lack of data for high-altitude regions in South Korea.This model is based on the determination of the suitability of tree species in restoration efforts.Therefore,it can contribute to the evaluation of forest productivity in North Korea and may help plan efficient forest restoration programs.

Recent research progress on magnesium alloys in Korea:A review

This review highlights the recent advancements in Mg research in South Korea with a prime focus on high-speed-extrudable Mg–Bi-based alloys for high productivity and strength,innovative techniques utilizing{10–12}twinning for improved mechanical properties,and alloying and processing methods for enhanced corrosion resistance.High-alloyed Mg–Bi-based alloys possess thermally stableα-Mg matrix and secondary phase,which ensures high-speed extrusion of these alloys at elevated temperatures without hot cracking.Consequently,they exhibit outstanding extrudability with a maximum extrusion speed of up to 70 m/min.Furthermore,their high alloying contents offer excellent strength even after high-speed extrusion through strong solid solution hardening and particle hardening effects,making them suitable for high-performance extruded Mg products.The pre-twinning process utilizing{10–12}twinning and the combined process of pre-twinning and subsequent annealing have shown promise in controlling microstructure and texture of wrought Mg alloys and thus enhancing their mechanical properties.The pre-twinning process enhances tensile strength,fatigue properties,and age-hardening rate of Mg alloys.Furthermore,the combined processes of pre-twinning and subsequent annealing considerably improve their ductility,stretch formability,bending formability,and damping capacity.Efforts have been made to improve the corrosion resistance of Mg alloys through alloying additions,process treatments,and surface coatings.Alloying elements like Ca,Sc,and Sm alter the microstructural features(such as secondary phases and grain size)that affect the corrosion phenomenon.Process treatments such as multidirectional forging,screw rolling,and pulse electron beam can also improve the corrosion resistance by refining the microstructure.Furthermore,advanced surface coating technologies can create durable and corrosion-resistant layers for effectively protecting the Mg alloys.All these research activities conducted in South Korea have considerably contributed to the widespread utilization of Mg alloys in diverse applications by overcoming the inherent limitations of Mg alloys such as low extrudability,formability,and corrosion resistance.

Looking towards the Future of BIM in South Korea Towards AI-Enhanced BIM

This paper provides an overview of South Korea’s 20-year journey in adopting building information modeling(BIM) and future direction. It first discusses the six phases of BIM adoption in South Korea, starting from the use of BIM as a marketing tool to its current intelligent BIM phase. The government’s support for BIM-related research and development projects is also highlighted, with a focus on the artificail intelligence (AI)-based architectural design automation project. As the future direction, it explores the integration of AI with BIM in both local and global contexts. The paper presents AIpowered architectural design methods, including AI-powered early architectural design generation and architectural detailing.Compared to AI-based early architectural design generation, architectural detailing is an unexplored research topic. This paper introduces two AI-and BIM-based architectural detailing methods, being developed at Yonsei University:namely,BIM library transplant and Natural language-based Architectural Detailing through Interaction with AI (NADIA). These methods demonstrate how AI-enhanced BIM can enable architects to interactively develop building details using a language model as a conversational AI and a knowledge base, and a BIM authoring tool as a design platform, in the near future.

A Systematic Study on the Genus Aphytis Howard (Hymenoptera:Aphelinidae) from South Korea

The present paper deals with the systematic study on the genus Aphytis Howard from South Korea. Five species of Aphytis are recognized, including one new species (Aphytis albus sp. nov.) and four new records (A. diaspidis, A. japonicus, A. proclia and A. vandenboschi). A key to the female species of Aphytis from South Korea is provided. The type specimens are respectively deposited in Korea National Arboretum and the Insect Collection of Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.

Last-instar Larval Descriptions of Three Species of Pyraustinae (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) from Korea

The last-stage larval external morphologies of Pleuroptya rulalis （Scopoli）, Pleuroptya harutai （Inoue） and Botyodes diniasalis （Walker） of Pyraustinae are described and illustrated. All specimens are deposited in the Insect Collection of Department of Forest Resources Protection, Kangwon National University, Korea.

Last-instar Larval Descriptions of Three Species of Zygaenidae (Lepidoptera) from Korea

The last-instar larval external morphologies of Illiberis tenuis (Butler), Chalcosia remota (Walker) and Pryeria sinica Moore of Zygaenidae are described and illustrated. All the specimens are deposited in the Insect Collection of Department of Forest Resources Protection, Kangwon National University, Korea.

Comparative Study on Changes of Croplands Between North Korea and South Korea During 1990–2015

Studies on long-term change of cropland is of great significance to the utilization of land resources and the implementation of scientific agricultural policies. The Korean Peninsula, adjacent to China, plays an important role in the international environment of Northeast Asia. The Korean Peninsula includes South Korea and North Korea—two countries that have a great difference in their institutions and economic developments. Therefore, we aim to quantify the spatiotemporal changes of croplands in these two countries using Landsat Thematic Imager(TM) and Operational Land Imager(OLI) imagery, and to compare the differences of cropland changes between the two countries. This paper take full advantage of ODM approach(object-oriented segmentation and decision-tree classification based on multi-season imageries) to obtain the distribution of croplands in 1990 and 2015. Results showed that the overall classification accuracy of cropland data is 91.10% in 1990 and 92.52% in 2015. The croplands were mainly distributed in areas with slopes that were less than 8° and with elevations that were less than 300 m in the Korean Peninsula. However, in other region(slope > 8° or elevation > 300 m), the area and proportion of North Korea's croplands were significantly higher than that of South Korea. Croplands significantly increased by 15.02% in North Korea from 1990 to 2015. In contrast, croplands in South Korea slightly decreased by 1.32%. During the 25 years, policy shift, economic development, population growth, and urban sprawl played primary roles for cropland changes. Additionally, the regional differences of cropland changes were mainly due to different agriculture policies implemented by different countries. The achievements of this study can provide scientific guidance for the protection and sustainability of land resources.

Changes in distribution area of Korean musk deer(Moschus moschiferus parvipes) from 1950s to 1999 in South Korea

Based on the literature reviews and questionnaire, field survey on the species, feces, and tracks in non-snow season and snow season of Korean musk deer from February to December of 1999 in South Korea (Cultural Properties Administration 1999), the authors summarized the change of distribution area and number of Korean musk deer from 1950s to 1999. The results showed that the distribution area of Korean musk deer (Moschus moschiferus parvipes) was sharply decreased from 1950s to 1999 in South Korea. Due to the road and forest road construction in the habitat of Korean musk deer, the musk deer habitats were fragmented and lost. And the illegal capture for economic benefits was the main reason of decreases in number of indi-viduals and habitats of this species. Forest roads in high elevation area were also used as the passages for illegal captures. For the conservation and protection of Korean musk deer, strict regulation of illegal capture is urgently needed.

Larval Descriptions of Three Species of Larentiinae (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in Korea

The larval external morphologies of Eupithecia abietaria debrunneata Stau dinger, Eupithecia spadix Inoue and Telenomeuta punctimarginaria (Leech) of Larentiinae are described.

Larval Description of Three Species of Ennominae (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in Korea

This study was made to describe the morphological features of larvae of Pachyligia dolosa Butle r, Cystidia stratonice (Stoll) and Planociampa antipala Prout of Ennomin ae.

Morphological Descriptions of Three Species Larvae of Tortricidae (Lepidoptera) from Korea

The mature larval external morphologies of Ancylis partitana （Christoph）, Ancylis hylaea Meyrick and Hoshinoa longicellana （Walsingham） of Tortricidae were described and illustrated. All specimens are deposited in the Insect Collection of Department of Forest Resources Protection, Kangwon National University, Korea.

关于“Corea”和“Korea”用法的一点思考——以《教务杂志》为中心的考察

在近代朝鲜,发生了英文拼写法由"Korea"取代"Corea"的问题。探索是何时、何种原因造成的,《教务杂志》的线索极有价值。它说明"Corea"和"Korea"用法的变更,是美国介入朝鲜事务,将国际上英语世界原本存在的"Corea"和"Korea"混用现象,逐步引向政治性方向造成的。后来,日本主导朝鲜事务后,接受了美国人的用法,从而进一步确立和强化了"Korea"这一用法的地位。

Korea's Textile and Clothing Industry still Sees China as a Major Trading Partner

On June 2-3,International Textile and Clothing Bureau held its inaugural meeting for Private Sector Consultative Committee(PICC)in Geneva on June 2-3 to discuss the issues of common concerns and impacts that challenged textile and clothing sectors against global economic recession.

Prevalence of clonorchiasis in patients with gastrointestinal disease: A Korean nationwide multicenter survey

AIM： To investigate prevalence of C/onorchis sinensis in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms, and the relation of the infection to hepatobiliary diseases in 26 hospitals in Korea. METHODS： Consecutive patients who had been admitted to the Division of Gastroenterology with gastrointestinal symptoms were enrolled from March to April 2005. Of those who had been diagnosed with clonorchiasis, epidemiology and correlation between infection and hepatobiliary diseases were surveyed by questionnaire. RESULTS： Of 3080 patients with gastrointestinal diseases, 396 （12.9%） had clonorchiasis and 1140 patients （37.2%） had a history of eating raw freshwater fish. Of those with a history of raw freshwater fish ingestion, 238 （20.9%） patients had clonorchiasis. Cholangiocarcinoma was more prevalent in C. sinensis-infected patients than nonnfected patients [34/396 （8.6%） vs 145/2684 （5.4%）, P = 0.015]. Cholangiocarcinoma and clonorchiasis showed statistically significant positive cross-relation （P = 0.008）. Choledocholithiasis, cholecystolithiasis, cholangitis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and biliary pancreatitis did not correlate with clonorchiasis. CONCLUSION： Infection rate of clonorchiasis was still high in patients with gastrointestinal diseases in Korea, and has not decreased very much during the last two decades. Cholangiocarcinoma was related to clonorchiasis, which suggested an etiological role for the parasite.

Low skeletal muscle mass is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Korean adults： the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

BACKGROUND： Sarcopenia and non-alcoholic fatty liver dis- ease （NAFLD） share similar pathophysiological mechanisms, and the relationship between sarcopenia and NAFLD has been recently investigated. The study investigated whether low skel- etal muscle mass is differentially associated with NAFLD by gender in Korean adults. METHODS： We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the data from the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The skeletal muscle index （SMI） was obtained by the appendicular skeletal muscle mass divided by the weight. NAFLD was defined as a fatty liver index （FLI） 〉60 in the absence of other chronic liver disease. RESULTS： Among the included subjects, 18.3% （SE： 1.4%） in men and 7.0% （SE： 0.7%） in women were classified as having FLI-defined NAFLD. Most of the risk factors for FLI-defined NAFLD showed a significant negative correlation with the SMI in both genders. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that low SMI was associated with FLI-defined NAFLD, inde- pendent of other metabolic and lifestyle parameters in both genders [males： odds ratio （OR）=1.35; 95% confidence inter- val （CI）： 1.17-1.54; females： OR=1.36; 95% CI： 1.18-1.55]. The magnitude of the association between FLI-defined NAFLD and low SMI was higher in middle aged to elderly males （OR-1.50; 95% CI： 1.22-1.84） than in males less than 45 years of age （OR=1.25; 95% CI： 1.02-1.52） and in premenopausal females （OR=l.50; 95% CI： 1.12-2.03） than in postmenopausal females （OR-1.36; 95% CI： 1.20-1.54）.CONCLUSIONS： Low SMI is associated with the risk of FLI- defined NAFLD independent of other well-known metabolic risk factors in both genders. This association may differ ac- cording to age group or menopausal status. Further studies are warranted to confirm this relationship.

Significant risk and associated factors of active tuberculosis infection in Korean patients with inflammatory bowel disease using anti-TNF agents

AIM:To evaluate the incidence and risk factors of Korean tuberculosis(TB) infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) undergoing anti-TNF treatment.METHODS:The data of IBD patients treated with anti-TNFs in 13 tertiary referral hospitals located in the southeastern region of Korea were collected retrospectively.They failed to show response or were intolerant to conventional treatments,including steroids or immunomodulators.Screening measures for latent TB infection(LTBI)and the incidence and risk factors ofactive TB infection after treatment with anti-TNFs were identified.RESULTS:Overall,376 IBD patients treated with antiTNF agents were recruited(male 255,mean age of anti-TNF therapy 32.5±13.0 years);277 had Crohn’s disease,99 had ulcerative colitis,294 used infliximab,and 82 used adalimumab.Before anti-TNF treatment,screening tests for LTBI including an interferon gamma release assay or a tuberculin skin test were performed in 82.2%of patients.Thirty patients(8%)had LTBI.Sixteen cases of active TB infection including one TB-related mortality occurred during 801 personyears(PY)follow-up(1997.4 cases per 100000 PY)after anti-TNF treatment.LTBI(OR=5.76,95%CI:1.57-21.20,P=0.008)and WBC count<5000 mm3(OR=4.5,95%CI:1.51-13.44,P=0.007)during follow-up were identified as independently associated risk factors.CONCLUSION:Anti-TNFs significantly increase the risk of TB infection in Korean patients with IBD.The considerable burden of TB and marked immunosuppression might be attributed to this risk.

Hepatitis B virus mutations related to liver disease progression of Korean patients

Hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection is a global health problem and more than 350 million people worldwide are chronic carriers of the virus.Despite the recent dramatic decline in HBV chronic patients through successful programs of hepatitis B surface antigen vaccination,South Korea is still recognized as an endemic area of HBV infection.HBV infections in South Korea exhibit several distinct features in epidemiologic and clinical aspects.In this review paper,we summarize the distinct HBV mutation patterns related to clinical severity and the molecular epidemiologic traits in Korean chronic patients based on previous reports.Generally,several lines of evidence,including our previous results,have led to the conclusion that a combination of the exclusive predominance of genotype C2,which is prone to mutations,the high prevalence of basal core promoter double mutations,and the presence of distinct immune responses against HBV proteins in the Korean population may generate the distinct HBV variants rarely or not encountered in other areas,which results in distinct clinical manifestations in Korean chronic patients.This may provide a novel insight into the relationships between clinical severity,HBV genotype distribution,and HBV naturally occurring variants.

Surface and Upper-Level Features Associated with Wintertime Cold Surge Outbreaks in South Korea

The surface and upper-level features associated with a sharp drop ofwintertime daily temperature over South Korea is investigated in this study. This sharp drop indaily temperature is called a cold surge and is one of the most hazardous weather phenomena in EastAsian winters. An upper-level baroclinic wave of 60° wavelength propagating eastward at a phasespeed of 12° longitude per day across the continent of northern China from the west of Lake Baikaltoward the eastern coast of China causes the outbreak of cold air over South Korea. The coolingassociated with the upper-level baroclinic jvave is found at all altitudes under the geopotentialheight-fall center near the tropopause. The development in the ridge seems to derive the earlyevolution of the eastward-propagating sinusoidal wave, whereas the trough is connected directly withthe tropospheric temperature-drop. An enhancement of the wintertime East Asian jet stream after theoutbreak of a cold surge is a response to the steep temperature gradient associated with thedeveloping baroclinic wave.

Fossil-Winged Fruits of Fraxinus(Oleaceae) and Liriodendron(Magnoliaceae) from the Duho Formation,Pohang Basin,Korea

A total of 16 specimens of fossil-winged fruits were found from the Middle Miocene marine deposits, Duho Formation, Pohang Basin, Korea. They were identified into two structurally different groups： 15 specimens into a winged fruit of Fraxinus, and one specimen of Liriodendron. The most samaras （13 specimens） were identified as Fraxinus oishii, which is characterized by narrowly ovate or ovate-elliptic shapes that are 2.7-3.6 cm in length and 0.7-1 cm in width （i/w ratio=3.4-4）. The apexes of the Fraxinus oishii samara are round or slightly emarginated, and a seed of the samara is always located at the base, of which the general shape is narrow rhombic-ellipsoidal. The seed is 1.2-2 cm long and 0.5-0.7 cm wide. Two specimens are different from the samara of Fraxinus oishii. They have a 6.6 length/width ratio （3.3 cm long and 0.5 cm wide）, and thus, are temporarily classified into the Fraxinus sp. One specimen was recognized as a winged seed of Liriodendron meisenense. The wing is broadly lanceolate to elliptic in shape, has a smooth, acute apex, and is approximately 3 cm long and 0.7 cm wide. Samaras of Fraxinus oishii and Liriodendron meisenense were early reported from the Middle Miocene deposits from North Korea, but these specimens are the first discovery in South Korea. Further study of the Duho Formation may connect flora relationships between North and South Korea.

Development and Evaluation of Korean Nurses’ Core Competency Scale (KNCCS)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a Korean Nurses’ Core Competency Scale (KNCCS). Methods: This methodological research was conducted over two major steps. The first step involved developing a preliminary 70-item KNCCS based on an extensive literature review and the standards and criteria proposed by the Korean Accreditation of Nursing. The second step involved evaluating validity and reliability of the KNCCS. 528 newly graduated nurses recently employed in nine major hospitals were participated in this research for validation. Results: The final KNCCS consisted of 70 items. The exploratory factor analysis identified five subscales under which each item could be categorized: 1) human understanding and communication skills;2) professional attitudes;3) critical thinking and evaluation;4) general clinical performance;and 5) specific clinical performance. Conclusion: The KNCCS shows good reliability and validity. However, the test of both criterion and construct validity were recommended further.