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제 19 호 ADHD vs. CDD, Can You Notice the Difference Between These Two?

Kicker: SCIENCE ADHD vs. CDD, Can You Notice the Difference Between These Two? By Da-Hwee Kim, Editor-in-chief elfnme@naver.com We often say "It seems like you have ADHD." to someone who has trouble concentrating or exhibits distracted behavior. But is this really an appropriate expression? Actually not. This is because there is something called CDD that looks similar to ADHD but is distinctly different. It is a concept that we can easily confuse in everyday life, but let's dig into these two concepts that have a clear difference! https://www.sandstonecare.com/blog/adhd/ ADHD Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood disorder. It refers to a state of inattention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity, mainly because of a persistent lack of attention. If these symptoms are left untreated, not only can they experience difficulties in various aspects throughout childhood, but in some cases, symptoms remain even in adolescence and adulthood. In fact, in the case of ADHD, when viewed through brain imaging, lower brain activity is observed in areas that control activity and attention compared to normal people, and structural differences in these areas are also found. However, the exact cause of this disease has not been known very accurately until now. However, the disease runs in families and some genes may be involved in the development of the disease, especially since genetic imbalances in catecholamine metabolism seem to play the most important role. CDD Attention deficit disorder was previously called slow cognitive tempo (SCT) when first explored. The main symptoms of CDD include daydreaming, being easily confused, drowsiness, lethargy (easily tired), and staring into space. Often, people with CDD are slow to complete tasks, and are easily exhausted and fatigued. Although there was initially debate about whether CDD is a subtype of ADHD, clinicians have confirmed that CDD is distinct from inattentive ADHD. Even though the two symptoms found in CDD—slow task completion and lack of effort or motivation—are commonly associated with ADHD, they are distinctly different. Distinguish the Difference Between the Two If so, what is the difference between these two seemingly similar things? First of all, CDD is not associated with a specific age or gender. On the other hand, ADHD is mostly found in young children and men. In addition, CDD generally has a later onset than ADHD. Studies of adults with CDD and ADHD have shown that adults with ADHD are younger than adults with CDD. In addition, people with CDD have difficulty understanding social cues, resulting in social withdrawal. Because CDD has more to do with peer neglect. ADHD, on the other hand, is distinct in that it has more to do with aggressive behavior and peer rejection. There is one more thing to add: ADHD causes more impairment than CDD in the home or school environment, whereas CDD causes more severe impairment in community or recreational settings. It seemed like an unfamiliar concept at first, but I think if you look closely, you will understand what the difference is. After reading the article to the end, don't you think the symptoms we commonly thought of ADHD correspond to CDD? Hopefully, you won't get confused between ADHD and CDD in the future! Sources: https://sachscenter.com/adhd-or-concentration-deficit-disorder/#:~:text=CDD%20has%20not%20been%20associated,who%20had%20CDD%20(1). https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/adhd-vs-cdd-concentration-deficit-disorder https://terms.naver.com/entry.naver?docId=926933&cid=51007&categoryId=51007#TABLE_OF_CONTENT1 Image source: https://www.sandstonecare.com/blog/adhd/

• 작성일 2023-08-10
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제 18 호 Semiconductors

Kicker: SCIENCE Semiconductors By Jun-Seo Park, Cub-reporter from23juns@naver.com Recently, there has been an AI* craze due to chatGPT. It is clear that AI is a key technology that will lead the 4th industrial revolution. But there is a core technology that is no less important than AI, which is semiconductors. This is because semiconductors are essential to implementing AI. As semiconductors are important along with AI in the future, it will be very helpful to know basic knowledge about semiconductors. Therefore, in this article, let’s take a look at some basic principles of semiconductors and the relationship between semiconductors and AI. * AI: Artificial Intelligence What Is a Semiconductor? Semiconductor is a compound word of ‘semi’ and ‘conductor’. Simply put, it refers to a material that is half-conductor. So, what is a conductor? The materials around us can be largely divided into insulators, conductors, and semiconductors. The biggest criterion for distinguishing these materials is electrical conductivity. First, insulators are materials with very low electrical conductivity and little electricity flows. These include glass, plastic, wood, etc. Next, since conductors have high electrical conductivity, electricity flows well. Materials corresponding to conductors include copper, iron, aluminum, gold, silver, etc. Semiconductors Finally, semiconductors, which are our concern, are materials whose electrical conductivity is intermediate between conductors and insulators. The most representative material used as semiconductor is silicon. To control the electrical conductivity of semiconductors, they go through an injecting process of impurity atoms called ‘doping’. It is difficult to artificially control the conditions because conductors’ current flow too easily and insulators’ current do not flow well. For this reason, semiconductors are important. The Most Important Principle of Semiconductors: Energy-Band-Gap Previously, it was described that the electrical conductivity of semiconductors is intermediate between conductors and insulators. Therefore, the most important characteristic of semiconductors is that semiconductors’ electrical conductivity can be controlled by users. Then, it is necessary to take a closer look at the principle of electrical conductivity of semiconductors, and here, the term of Energy-Band-Gap will be introduced. In order for the current to flow, the movement of electrons must occur. Insulators, conductors, and semiconductors all have energy levels at which electrons can exist inside the material, which are not continuous but discontinuous. It is said that having such a discontinuous energy level is ‘quantized’. Energy Band Gap Current flows only when electrons move from a relatively low energy band called a ‘valance band’ to a high energy band called a ‘conduction band’. In order for such movement of electrons to occur, light or thermal energy must be applied from outside. The distance between the valence band and the conduction band of conductor is very close. So, the movement of electrons easily occurs. Therefore, the current flows well. On the other hand, since insulators have a long distance between the valence band and the conduction band, even if energy is applied from the outside, electrons do not move well. So, current does not flow well. The semiconductors have an appropriate energy band gap and can be controlled by a user. Types of Semiconductors: Why Are Semiconductors Essential to AI? Semiconductors are used largely for two things. The first is processing of electrical signals, and the second is processing of data. The role of semiconductors related to AI is the processing of data. Data processing methods can be largely divided into storage and control. Semiconductors play a role in storing information, and semiconductors used to store information are called ‘memory semiconductors. Also, semiconductors used to perform numerical operations or control information are called ‘system semiconductors’. AI learns a lot of data and derives its inference from it. In order to receive and process data to be learned in a short time, computation and control must be performed. Therefore, system semiconductors are essential. The CPU** we have often heard of is a kind of system semiconductor. ** CPU: Central Processing Unit The Reason Why NVIDIA Stock Prices Are Surging Recently: GPU’s Era NVIDIA NVIDIA’s stock price has been soaring recently. There is a good reason for this. In fact, GPU*** is much more important than CPU to implement AI such as chatGPT, and NVIDIA is a company that produces GPU almost exclusively. Therefore, while many companies struggle to dominate the AI market, NVIDIA has to supply GPU as their customers. Then let’s figure out why GPU is important to implement AI. Since CPU, the brain of a computer that we commonly use, processes data in a series one by one, it takes a long time to handle large scale data. In contrast, GPU is a parallel structure that processes multiple data at the same time. Therefore, it is appropriate to use GPU rather than CPU to implement AI. *** GPU: Graphic Processing Unit In the AI era, AI itself is important, but semiconductors are also essential to implement it. As you might already know, South Korea is globally competitive in semiconductors. To be exact, however, it is strong in the memory semiconductor field. In the field of system semiconductors, companies of the United States are superior to South Korean companies. Therefore, in order to be ‘really’ competitive in semiconductors, South Korea should strive to cultivate methods and manpower to be competitive in the field of system semiconductors. Source: https://www.aitimes.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=133691 Image sources: https://www.etnews.com/20220513000100 https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-range-of-an-energy-band-gap-in-a-semiconductor https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidias-fastest-next-gen-gpu-reportedly-enters-testing-phase/

• 작성일 2023-05-31
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제 17 호 Dolphin’s Shout for Communication

Kicker: SCIENCE Dolphin’s Shout for Communication by Ji-Min Baek, Reporter pjm5875@naver.com Man-made noise pollution is affecting dolphin's communication. According to the new research, dolphins' cries for communication get louder in the noise pollution. Dolphins, known as intelligent and social animals, communicate through various frequencies and sound. In addition, sound waves with high frequencies are used to recognize the surrounding environment. As such, sound which is the most important part of communication for dolphins, is being interrupted by human noise, and dolphins are struggling. https://pixabay.com/images/id-402288/ About the New Research The study, which found that human noise makes it difficult for dolphins to communicate and cooperate, was published in the scientific journal “Current Biology”. In this study, the research team put two bottle-nosed dolphins in an experimental lake and set up a noisy situation and general situation. In this situation, the dolphins performed a cooperative mission to press the button on the opposite corner within a certain period of time, and the researchers observed their behavior. There was also a difference in the time of departure for the button, creating a situation in which communication could only be made through sound. According to observation, exposure to increasingly loud noises nearly doubled the duration and volume of the dolphin’s sound for communication. In addition, communication failures have been shown to increase. As a result, there was difference in the communication success rate of 85% for high noise and 62.5% for general noise. Changing Dolphin’s Communication As such, dolphins are changing for their communication and cooperation in the noise. In addition, not only did they raise their voices, but they also increased the number of cases facing each other. Dolphins can show this behavior because their hearing is sensitive to direction. Facing each other can help separate the other’s signal and noise. The louder the noise, the more frequent the body moves toward each other and the more it becomes to swim and get closer. These actions show that it is difficult for dolphins to overcome noise because they cannot communicate smoothly simply by raising their voices. The Problem of Continuing Communication Errors Professor King, co-author of the study, said, “If a group of wild animals cooperate to find food, the health of each individual will deteriorate and the health of the entire group will eventually become worse.” In addition, since dolphins rely on sound to communicate when hunting and mating, noise levels can affect the survival of the entire colony as well as the behavior of dolphins. Noise pollution has soared for decades as human marine activities have increased due to ship operations, earthquake exploration, and wind power generation. As a result, the above problems have arisen, and it seems to have a negative effect on not only dolphins but also other marine life. It seems that it is necessary to pay attention to the continued pain and abnormal behavior of dolphins in this situation and seek solutions accordingly. Sources: Dolphins 'shout' to get heard over noise pollution - BBC News https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1007042947&plink=ORI&cooper=NAVER https://www.mbn.co.kr/news/world/4895796 https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/2023011311335304117

• 작성일 2023-02-20
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제 17 호 Feeling Foreign about Volcanoes?

Kicker : SCIENCE Feeling Foreign about Volcanoes? Volcanic Eruptions Are Actually Part of Our Business Do-Hyuk Kim, Reporter ndapple0921@gmail.com Eruption of Volcano. Fascinating, yet Dangerous Volcanic eruption is far from a topic that often appears while producing South Korea’s daily news. We occasionally hear about weak earthquakes around the Korean Peninsula, but are barely told about volcanoes. The simple reason for this is because there is only one volcano located under the territory of South Korea, which is in Jeju Island. This volcano is not even active, so we would not see the news about Hallasan erupting during our entire lifetime. By contrast, volcanic eruption is not indifferent to people living in other nations. Recent reports tell that volcanoes placed all over the world are boasting their influence actively, unlike South Korea. So, let’s dive deeper about volcanoes and volcanic eruptions, to share and express interest about these worldwide events. Details about Volcanoes You Have Forgot Earlier On The volcano that has erupted most recently is Kilauea Volcano located on Hawaii Island. It resumed eruption on January 5th, which is much closer to today than you might think. The last eruption recorded was on December 2020 and lasted for half of a year, so it took two years to restart volcanic activity. The volcano which is most familiar to Koreans is Mount Baekdu and is known to most scientists that it repeats eruption every decade. Unsurprisingly, since we have not seen Mount Baekdu’s eruption for a very long time, the point where eruption is about to occur is much more imminent than you would think. 2023 marks just two years of time left for the next eruption of Mount Baekdu, because the last eruption occurred in 1925. The fact that this is the biggest volcano located in the Korean Peninsula somewhat frightens us. So why do volcanoes repetitively erupt, and volcanic activities never seem to completely stop? The fundamental reason for volcanic activity is heat transfer and earthquakes. Moving heat beneath the earth’s surface constantly happens accompanying magma. Convection brings the magma to travel around the earth’s interior which is composed of molten rocks. Those molten rocks are originated from earth’s crust. Then when earthquakes occur, the quake gives a chance for magma to escape from the inside of the earth and let them turn out to the ground. Our planet is consisted with fifteen plates according to modern science, and earthquakes largely occur in plate boundaries where earth’s plates run into each other and deliver its impact to the surface to earth’s crust. This entire episode is associated with volcanoes, and the magma being exposed to the ground through a volcano is called an eruption. The reason why volcanoes are mostly grouped in plate boundaries is because that is where earthquakes happen a lot. Effects Delivered by Volcano Are Nearer than You Might Think These volcanic eruptions give us significant impact on our daily lives. Direct impacts would be shown as airlines changing their routes due to interference from a volcano in their ordinary flight route. Volcanic ash and other particles can fly hundreds of kilometers away and drop to towns and villages where people inhabit, and gases included in volcanic eruption can affect people from breathing freely. Volcanoes located in vacation spots where lots of tourists visit can be prohibited from visit due to recent volcanic activities. These are some affects that we could easily notice that’s derived from volcanoes, but not all impacts of volcanic eruption can be clearly counted by us, because there are also knock-on impacts involved in our economy. If the flight making a detour because of a volcano’s eruption is carrying expensive goods or crucial composites that is necessarily required for producing essential social necessities, suspended or delayed delivery can cause trouble on regular pattern of production line running. Occasions like international tourists getting messages about their airlines purchased months ago at the point where departure is not far away could happen. If Mountain Baekdu erupts, airlines passing through near Mountain Baekdu will be influenced inevitably and, of course, some South Korean tourists could be impacted. As explained above, volcanic eruption is not a lifetime event we face every decade or so. Volcanoes located all over the world are currently working on their job consistently and erupt anytime at any period. Since we are inhabiting the Korean Peninsula, we scarcely meet domestic news that involve volcanoes, but nearby Mount Baekdu is giving some hint of its revival and foreign nation’s volcanic activities could have some effects on our daily lives partially, so we should occasionally care about volcanoes, and those aftermaths which could be delivered to us. Walking away from being unfamiliar about volcanoes is essential. Sources: https://www.britannica.com/story/what-causes-a-volcano-to-erupt https://blog.lgchem.com/2017/11/30_volcano/ https://www.globalrescue.com/common/blog/detail/6-Tips-For-Surviving-A-Volcanic-Eruption (Image)

• 작성일 2023-02-18
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제 17 호 Solar Term: Wisdom of Life

Kicker: SCIENCE Solar Term: Wisdom of Life By Da-Hwee Kim, Editor-in-chief elfnme@naver.com Have you ever heard about the 24 solar terms in your daily life? Maybe today's younger generation may be less familiar with this concept than the older generation. Still, if you take a good look at the main image of the portal site that you frequently visit or watch the news with attention, I think you probably would know about this. In fact, surprisingly, the 24 solar terms come back twice a month every year! Isn’t it interesting? Therefore, this article would cover some of the great scientific facts along with the life wisdom related to solar terms. What is the solar term? The 24 solar terms were named according to the weather conditions in North China during the Zhou Dynasty. It was created to distinguish the seasons according to the position of the sun on the ecliptic. A total of 24 solar terms are represented by points at 15° intervals from the vernal equinox on the ecliptic*. In 2016, its value was recognized so it was listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. * ecliptic: the orbital plane of Earth around the Sun Solar calendar vs. Lunar calendar There are concepts that need to be looked at for a while before looking into the scientific facts related to the 24 solar terms in earnest. It's the ‘Solar calendar’ and the 'Lunar calendar'. Let's take a quick look at them first. The solar calendar is a method of counting days by setting the time it takes for the earth to go around the sun once a year. That is why it is often referred to as the ‘solar calendar’. The date we usually talk about in everyday life is the solar calendar. The Gregorian calendar has 365 days in a year, and leap years of 366 days every four years. Since the Earth's orbital period is not exactly 365 days, this is to set the time by adding an extra day. The lunar calendar is a method of counting days based on the cycle of the moon's phase. The lunar calendar is often written in very small letters in the calendar we see. In the lunar calendar, a cycle in which the moon gradually grows larger to become a full moon and then smaller again is considered a month. https://www.dictionary.com/e/equinox-solstice/ Scientific facts about the 24 solar terms Considering that days were counted using the lunar calendar in the past, it is easy to think that the 24 solar terms are also the lunar calendar, but actually, it is not. In fact, looking at the calendar, the 24 solar terms occur between the 4th, 8th, 19th, and 23rd of every month, which corresponds to the solar calendar. The arrangement of the 24 solar terms is divided into spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Each season is further divided into 6 equal parts so that two solar terms are arranged in a month based on the solar calendar. As it was based on the position of the sun, it is naturally related to the climate or the season. The climate varies from region to region because not only the movement of the sun but also various factors such as atmospheric flow are involved. The 24 Solar Terms | Friends of UNESCO HK (http://friends.unesco.hk/en/2017Apr/en/A4.htm) Names of all 24 solar terms The seasons are determined according to the movement of the sun, For this reason, they come back on the same day every year, or sometimes with a difference of one day. The 24 solar terms for each season are as follows: Spring Summer Autumn Winter Start of Spring Start of Summer Start of Autumn Start of Winter Rain Water Grain Full Limit of Heat Minor Snow Awakening of Insects Grain in Ear White Dew Major Snow Vernal Equinox Summer Solstice Autumnal Equinox Winter Solstice Clear and Bright Minor Heat Cold Dew Minor Cold Grain Rain Major Heat Frost Descent Major Cold Limitations of the 24 solar terms in Korea To tell the truth, since the 24 solar terms were not invented domestically, it was difficult for the name or climate to fit perfectly in Korea. For example, the ‘Minor Cold’ is way colder than the ‘Major Cold’. There is even an old proverb that says, 'There are people who freeze to death in 'Minor Cold', but no one freezes to death in 'Major Cold'." Just looking at the name, ‘Major Cold’ deserves to be colder, nevertheless, the case of Korea is an exception. This is because the cold in Korea usually starts at the ‘Start of Winter’ and becomes the coldest in ‘Minor Cold’. Therefore, during the reign of King Sejong in the Joseon Dynasty, it is said that he tried to supplement this point by compiling the Nongsakjikseol.Even so, it was difficult to completely solve the limitations. In addition, the ongoing global warming problem is also playing a role. With the development of human civilization, the problem of climate change is becoming increasingly serious. As a result, abnormal temperature phenomena have followed one after another, and the 24 solar terms do not fit perfectly in our country. Anyhow, isn't it surprising that people in the past lived by applying this amazing fact to their lives? It is true that the fact that the concept of solar terms does not fit perfectly for us nowadays since we are living in a modernized society that is not fully based on an agricultural society. Even so, if there are 24 solar terms in the news or weather forecast for the future, I hope you pay attention to them. Sources : https://folkency.nfm.go.kr/topic/detail/4324?pageType=search&keyword=%EC%A0%88%EA%B8%B0+%EC%86%8D%EB%8B%B4 https://www.doopedia.co.kr/doopedia/master/master.do?_method=view&MAS_IDX=101013000741034 https://terms.naver.com/entry.naver?docId=1529167&cid=47340&categoryId=47340 https://terms.naver.com/entry.naver?docId=6197311&cid=66877&categoryId=66877

• 작성일 2023-02-17
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제 16 호 Energy Saving Brings Financial Benefits

Kicker : SCIENCE Energy Saving Brings Financial Benefits What Is Energy Cash Back? By Yun-Seo Jung, Reporter yysj1230@naver.com Unplug the unused plug, set the proper temperature of the air conditioner when you use it, and don't leave the refrigerator door open for a long time. The aforementioned are often ways to save energy at home. The problem of global warming is rapidly becoming serious due to various reasons such as technological development and excessive carbon dioxide emission. https://pixabay.com/images/id-7551283/ What Is ‘Energy Cash Back?’ Therefore, the government recently announced a policy called 'Energy Cash Back' to prevent excessive energy consumption at home. "Energy Cash back" is an energy-saving incentive program that receives cash back on saved electricity usage when electricity usage is reduced much relatively compared to nearby apartment complexes or households. It compares electricity usage during the energy saving period (July to December) with the average electricity usage from July to December over the past two years. It will be paid every six months, and apartment complexes will receive 200,000 won to 400,000 won for each reduction standard section and apartment households will receive 30 won per 1 kWh of savings. It is necessary to achieve a minimum 3% reduction rate for cashback. The period was from July to December, and the application period was from July 4th to August 31st. Poor Public Interest and Participation in the Policy However, the problem with this system is that the level of public interest is low even though there is a good system that allows you to get a refund for money if you save a certain level of energy. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, a total of 38,450 households across the country applied as a result of the government recruiting Energy Cashback participants for two months from July to August. This is only about 20% of the expected level by the government. Looking at the effectiveness of the implemented cases, three local self-governing bodies, Sejong, Naju, and Jincheon, conducted energy cashback pilot projects from February to May this year, and succeeded in reducing a total of 779 megawatt hours (MWh). This is the amount of electricity that can buffer 12,200 electric vehicles and drive 4.9 million kilometers. A superintendent from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said, "The recruitment period for a new business that has been less promoted was too short," adding, "We are recruiting additional people because fewer people participated in the Energy Cashback than expected." Some people think that there is less money to be refunded compared to efforts to save energy, but it would be better to participate with the heart of joining together to overcome the energy crisis. Sources: https://biz.chosun.com/policy/policy_sub/2022/11/22/B5FI5UXZMNEOPN35TL5DIGAC7U/ https://naver.me/FdELBzxk

• 작성일 2022-11-29
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제 16 호 Cold Wave This Winter: La Nina Phenomenon

Kicker: SCIENCE Cold Wave This Winter: La Nina Phenomenon by Ji-Min Baek, Reporter pjm5875@naver.com A strong cold wave is expected this winter with drought. It is speculated that this is due to the La Nina phenomenon. In particular, La Nina is drawing more attention this year because La Nina, which usually disappears in one to two years, has continued for three consecutive years. The World Meteorological Organization(WMO) said that La Nina was the first of its kind this century for the third consecutive year in a row. This year’s first cold wave warning was issued on October 17th, with La Nina conditions expected to continue until the end of this year. About the La Nina Phenomenon and Triple Dip La Nina is a phenomenon that lasts for more than a certain period of time, with surface of the sea temperatures lower than usual in areas ranging from the Tropical Mid-Pacific to the South American Coast. In other words, when La Nina comes, the water temperature on the coast is lower than usual, and La Nina means a girl in Spanish. When La Nina occurs, the temperature becomes low and dry from November to February. This La Nina is known to intensify drought in autumn and winter and induce cold waves in Korea. La Nina is a natural phenomenon in which surface of the sea temperatures cool on a large scale. As a result, weather patterns around the world are also changed. Korea expects to remain in the state of La Nina this winter, which is the third consecutive year that La Nina has stayed. In response, scientists call it a triple dip and it is the first time this century that this has happened. When La Nina occurs, low-pressure deviation develops in southeastern Japan, and cold and dry air from the northern wind system flows into Korea. The Prospect of a Dry Winter The Korea Meteorological Administration predicted that precipitation would be insufficient this winter compared to the average year due to dry air introduced due to La Nina’s continued analysis of surface of the sea temperatures and moving air pressure zones. As a result, the drought in the southern part of Korea is particularly serious. In response, the Korea Meteorological Administration said, “The southern part of this winter is expected to continue due to low rainfall, so we need to thoroughly prepare for drought in our daily lives.” La Nina is a natural phenomenon, but La Nina is a continuous triple dip, and the WMO and others consider it to be relevant to climate change. In particular, there have been numerous climate changes events this year. Floods and droughts have caused disasters all over the world, and also in Korea. La Nina is expected to continue for the time being, so we should also prepare for the upcoming winter cold wave and dryness. Sources: http://www.munhwa.com/news/view.html?no=2022102601032509043002 http://www.kwangju.co.kr/article.php?aid=1668944400745778006 https://www.bbc.com/weather/features/62890361 http://www.jbsori.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=10035

• 작성일 2022-11-29
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제 15 호 Efforts to Develop Eco-friendly Mask Technology

Kicker: SCIENCE (MASK TECHNOLOGY) Efforts to Develop Eco-friendly Mask Technology By Su-Young Kim, Cub-reporter kimsuyoung1342@gmail.com Masks became a part of our lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. In this situation, do you know how many lung masks there are? According to the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission, they said one mask is used for two or three days per person, and more that 7.3 billion masks are discarded a year. Masks are made of various materials such as filters, nonwoven fabrics, iron cores, and straps, making it difficult to separate and discharge them. The main materials of masks with several layers of filters to prevent virus protection is polypropylene. It’s one of plastics. Plastic emits dioxine which is designated as a first-class carcinogen by the World Health Organization. For this reason, some people try to make eco-friendly masks for our environment and health. In 2020, patent applications that applied for environmental pollution prevention technology to masks increased rapidly. According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the number of patent applications for mask-related technologies to prevent environmental pollution was 112 in 2020, when Covid-19 began. So far, the number of patent applications for environmental pollution prevention masks has been only 1 to 13 per year. An official from the Korean Intellectual Property Office explained that it was the result of efforts to recognize the seriousness of environmental pollution and find technical solutions as the emission of waste masks has increased significantly since Covid-19. Looking at the proportion of applications by technology over the past 10 years, there are about 14 biodegradable materials, about 104 multi-use masks, and about 4 waste mask recycling cases. Then what is the biodegradable material used in eco-friendly mask development technology? The Biodegradable Material Simply, it is an eco-friendly biodegradable plastic that decomposes polymer structures which means a molecule of high molecular weight consisting of many connected units of low molecular weight by microorganisms and decomposes for water, carbon dioxide, and compost naturally within months. The biodegradable plastics include cellulose, chitin, and starch, Polybutylenes succinate (PBS), etc. It can be used like normal plastic and decomposes under proper conditions, so it can solve the problem of waste caused by plastic. For this merit, the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology developed a biodegradable mask’s filter. It is based on chitosan using the seashells. Chitosan is +charged, so it does not use electrostatic methods and can hold small particles of charge. Since the charge principle is used, it is not vulnerable to moisture, so the function of the filter is maintained for a long time and can be reused several times. Filters can be decomposed within six hours using enzymes and within a month in high temperature and humid summer. How Did the Biodegradable Mask Come Out? The research team reinforced polybutylene, a representative biodegradable plastic, with its own technology, pulled it out in the form of thin nanofibers and microfibers, and overlapped each other to make a nonwoven fabric. Coating this nonwoven fabric with chitosan nano whiskers* extracted from nature completes the final filter. Then, the ability to capture external substances was increased by sticking viruses and dust with a chitosan nano whisker* coating. Chitosan nano whiskers are positive, while external substances such as viruses and fine dust are negative. Therefore, just as a magnet is attracted, the virus sticks to the chitosan coating and cannot pass through the mask. It was confirmed that this filter blocks 98.3% of small particles in the air. This shows the performance of the N95 filter, a product currently being sold. In addition, the difference in breathing pressure before and after wearing the mask was measured low at 59 pascals* (Pa), indicating good ventilation. *Chitosan nano whisker: A material that increased the surface area by making chitosan, widely known as a health supplement, into nanoparticles with a diameter of 10 to 20 and a length of 200. *General KF94’s breathing pressure is measured 70Pa. Comparison between the existing mask and eco-friendly biodegradable mask Still Covid-19 continues until now, and it is obvious that our lives and environments are closely connected, and the impact of masks used every day and used by everyone cannot be ignored. Therefore, eco-friendly mask development technology should be carried out continuously, and we should pay attention to it and protect our safety and environment from infectious diseases wisely. Sources: https://www.fnnews.com/news/202106090834318007 https://www.kipo.go.kr/ko/MainApp.do https://www.krict.re.kr

• 작성일 2022-08-31
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제 15 호 Can Anyone on Earth Forecast Korea’s Weather Correctly?

Kicker : SCIENCE Can Anyone on Earth Forecast Korea’s Weather Correctly? Erroneous Weather News is Not Entirely the Korea Meteorological Administration’s Fault Do-Hyuk Kim, Reporter ndapple0921@gmail.com If you go out and ask any near passerby about this summer, I believe every single person you ask will strongly emphasize that ‘it is the most stressful summer in recent years.’ Even if you have checked that there’s no heavy rain upcoming this evening, it is premature to forget about your big umbrella you left behind at home because the weather forecast channels change their minds every single hour and swap their former ‘Sunny’ expectation to ‘Sudden Downpour.’ It is not particularly surprising to see weather forecast channels guessing the wrong way, but this summer’s daily forecasts exceptionally went wrong and got rectified in a minute all day long during this rainy season. By the way, weird forms of everlasting rainy season caused catastrophic damage to many people’s lives, especially in Seoul. Seoul has one of the highest densities of population on earth and suffered from the heaviest rain ever recorded since the day weather forecast begun in South Korea, which led to record breaking property damages. What is going on at the ceiling of this country? Why has everyone failed to estimate pending weather conditions of this nation, including foreign weather forecast channels – those of which previously recorded high accuracies unlike the Korean ones? There Are Some Causes Derived from Korea’s Characteristics to Blame In 2021, the Korean Meteorological Administration – which makes overall report of South Korea’s weather forecast – only succeeded forty six percent of guessing weather correctly during the whole year. That means the main weather forecast of Korea got more wrong than expecting upcoming weather correctly. This was no surprise though, because we were already familiar with erroneous weather forecasts. But wrong weather forecast can lead inconvenience to lots of people, and even lead to catastrophe like August’s massive downpour. Forecasting South Korea’s weather was notorious for its difficulty of making forecast correctly, mainly because of the Korean Peninsula’s unique geographical characteristics. South Korea consists of lots of mountains in its territory, which is around seventy percent. This big number includes a series of subsidiary mountains linked from huge mountain ranges such as the Taebaek Mountains. Unexpected local precipitation, which was a massive trouble this summer, usually occurs when hot, humid atmosphere meets high topographies. Not only geographical characteristics contribute to the unpredictable Korean weather, but also the weather prediction model imported from other countries. The Korean Meteorological Administration has used super computers to predict upcoming weather since 2000, and adopted a weather prediction model made by Japan. Then they switched to a model built by the British in 2010, but criticism then surged because those systems were not suited to Korea’s environment. To address this issue, a Korea-specific weather prediction model called ‘KIM’ (Korean Integrated Model) was invented in 2020. At last, after two years of operation experience, KIM once again advanced into ‘RDAPS-KIM’ (Regional Data Assimilation and Prediction System). The new system shortened weather report’s refresh period to one hour and boasts sixteen times more detailed forecasts in a specific area. Sadly, though, despite all of these efforts being true, the Korean Meteorological Administration is still being highly criticized for their low accuracy rate. RDAPS-KIM just made its debut this May, so the system covered this summer, but results were not that impressive and accuracy still falls short. It hints to us that a fundamental problem that we have not yet thought of is causing this confusion. Unusual Climate Changes Are Caused Because of the ‘Blocking Pattern’ The genuine cause of this uncanny, unexpected wizardry is ‘blocking pattern.’ It sounds intriguing yet unfamiliar, because it is the first time for Koreans to feel the effect of this occurrence indeed. Blocking pattern literally means blocking high pressure that arrives at summer refuses to retreat while cutting off both conventional hot high pressure and cold low pressure to gradually exert its influence over the Korean peninsula. It is not strictly true to say the appearance of a blocking pattern is completely foreign, but it is possible to say everyone acknowledged about climate issues we are all confronted with. The blocking pattern which appeared this August made a seasonal rain front between high pressure and low pressure with no-where to go, leading it to stay longer at the rooftop of the Korean peninsula. In normal cases, spreading high pressure among the Korean peninsula should demolish a seasonal rain front while bringing a typical hot and dry summer climate. This whole episode eventually recorded a remarkable downpour, but that is not the end of the story. Last summer was especially humid even without rain, and that is also because of the blocking pattern. Humid atmosphere visited from the south of the Korean peninsula constantly loomed around like a shadow during this summer, enticed water vapor to collect aerially. High humidity cranked up the heat index, making people exhausted even more. These tiring days did not just stop when daylight was ongoing, but got even worse when darkness fell. Tropical night was always an unwanted guest accompanied with the Korean summer starting from late July to the middle of August, but this year things were even worse because of intolerably high humidity. Last August there were continuous torturous days with midnight’s excessively high heat index reaching a whopping thirty degrees, which is insane and caused several thermal sicknesses especially to the elderly. All of these were due to the blocking pattern remaining in South Korea during the whole summer of 2022. Blocking Pattern Appearing Everywhere Around the Globe The bad news does not stop there. This blocking pattern does not only belong to the Korean peninsula, but is ranging globally and already bringing severe aftermath to several countries worldwide. The United Kingdom recently suffered from consistent fire because of a heatwave, leading the fire brigade to announce emergency status. Other European nations, such as Spain and France recorded surface temperatures of fifty degrees. North America is also under the influence of a blocking pattern, especially affecting the western part of United States. Increasing temperature in the polar regions made glaciers to melt, also compensating temperature differences between high and low latitudes interrupted the circulation of atmospheres making blocking patterns firmly stick in their places all over the globe. Humanity is currently stuck in this cycle of endless downfall. Never before have we thought about climate changes critically. It was considered as a pending problem that we would eventually face in the future. But all of a sudden, these climate issues threw away their disguises and appeared in front of us as an imminent issue. The recent summer in South Korea was treacherous to everyone living in this country, with the outrageous heatwave threatening the elderly and toddlers to become dehydrated or catch thermal illnesses. Ordinary people got their livings damaged because of unexpectedly strong, record-breaking torrential rain. Lots of local businesses were completely totaled by being flooded all around their business sites. Weather problems, for now, just became a big deal for everyone. The summer of 2022 was pretty harsh for all Koreans, but I am certain that a single glimpse at other countries about what this summer has done to them makes us alert about the urgent need of preparation to slow down global warming. The Paris Agreement confirmed that we should unite to save our earth from overheating, but it seems that current efforts are not enough. Weather forecast channels constantly expecting erroneously might be a revelation of disastrous climate renovation. We all need to consider saving our planet as the urgent, prioritized option when deciding economic resolutions and constantly be concerned about the environment. That might not improve the accuracy of the Korean weather forecast, but at least it will not get worse. Sources: https://www.bbc.com/korean/45351500 https://blog.naver.com/kma_131/222818509238 https://www.weather.gov/jetstream/basic https://www.greenpeace.org/korea/update/23683/blog-ce-extreme-climate-hazards/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8oMup6Fsh8&t https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVgSvffOFW8 http://www.ohmynews.com/NWS_Web/View/at_pg.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0002851739 https://www.donga.com/news/Society/article/all/20220518/113472487/1 https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/how-weather-works/high-and-low-pressure/blocks https://img2.daumcdn.net/thumb/R658x0.q70/?fname=https://t1.daumcdn.net/news/202208/08/munhwa/20220808112543500obat.jpg (Image 1) https://www.weather.gov/images/jetstream/constant/omega_wx.png (Image 2)

• 작성일 2022-08-31
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