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Soil moisture is a critical parameter that significantly impacts the global energy balance, including the hydrologic cycle, land–atmosphere interactions, soil evaporation, and plant growth. Currently, soil moisture is typically measured by installing sensors in the ground or through satellite remote sensing, with data retrieval facilitated by reanalysis models such as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Reanalysis 5 (ERA5) and the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS). However, the suitability of these methods for capturing local-scale variabilities is insufficiently validated, particularly in regions like South Korea, where land surfaces are highly complex and heterogeneous. In contrast, artificial intelligence (AI) approaches have shown promising potential for soil moisture retrieval at the local scale but have rarely demonstrated substantial products for spatially continuous grids. This paper presents the retrieval of daily soil moisture (SM) over a 500 m grid for croplands in South Korea using random forest (RF) and automated machine learning (AutoML) models, leveraging satellite images and meteorological data. In a blind test conducted for the years 2013–2019, the AutoML-based SM model demonstrated optimal performance, achieving a root mean square error of 2.713% and a correlation coefficient of 0.940. Furthermore, the performance of the AutoML model remained consistent across all the years and months, as well as under extreme weather conditions, indicating its reliability and stability. Comparing the soil moisture data derived from our AutoML model with the reanalysis data from sources such as the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative (ESA CCI), GLDAS, the Local Data Assimilation and Prediction System (LDAPS), and ERA5 for the South Korea region reveals that our AutoML model provides a much better representation. These experiments confirm the feasibility of AutoML-based SM retrieval, particularly for local agrometeorological applications in regions with heterogeneous land surfaces like South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its inception in 2011, Museum Teen Summit (MTS), a youth-led collective dedicated to better understanding and transforming the role of young people within museums, sought to act as a bridge between teens and cultural organizations. Over eight years, MTS built an impressive network of youth and adult professionals interested in specialized programming for teens in museums, conducted research on teen agency in museums, organized events for teens within museums, and presented at professional conferences across the country. The work of the over ninety young people who cycled through the collective was a resounding success, but with notable flaws and space for improvement. A closer analysis of the work of MTS also reveals less conventionally recognized successes. This collectively written article, authored by youth alumni and an adult collaborator, analyzes definitions of success and failure in youth-led organizing and research and how they shaped our work and our experiences.

The diagonal squall line that passed through the Korean Peninsula on the 18 May 2020 was examined using wind data retrieved from multiple Doppler radar synthesis focusing on its kinematic and dynamic aspects. The low-level jet, along with warm and moist air in the lower level, served as the primary source of moisture supply during the initiation and formation process. The presence of a cold pool accompanying the squall line played a role in retaining moisture at the surface. As the squall line approached the Korean Peninsula, the convective bands in the northern segment (NS) and southern segment (SS) of the squall line exhibited distinct evolutionary patterns. The vertical wind shear in the NS area was more pronounced compared to that in the SS. The ascending inflow associated with the tilted updraft in the NS reached an altitude of 7 km, whereas it was only up to 4 km in the SS. The difference was caused by the strong descending rear flow, which obstructed the ascending inflow and let to significant updraft in the SS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-day workshop was held in Gwangmyeong, South Korea, to discuss recent advances in sea ice modeling. Researchers from South Korea, China, Australia, Canada, Belgium, France, Italy, and Norway attended the workshop. The workshop focused on four themes: emerging model technologies, the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in sea ice applications, model/observation integration, and future research needs and opportunities. The use of AI techniques in sea ice research and forecasting was highlighted, including applications such as forecasting sea ice concentration and thickness, correcting biases in atmospheric boundary conditions, and detecting landfast sea ice. The workshop also emphasized the need for collaboration across geographies and highlighted the research bubbles that exist in different regions. The workshop provided a valuable forum for collaboration and knowledge sharing, and a follow-up workshop is planned for fall 2025. [Extracted from the article]

Textile‐reinforced cementitious composites (TRCCs) have recently received significant attention in structural engineering as promising retrofitting materials as well as reinforcements for thin and slender structural components. For applicability in the precast industry, the weight of the structural components made of TRCCs is a major concern. In this study, lightweight (LW) TRCC materials were developed and their flexural and direct shear performances were investigated. Carbon fabric is used as the textile reinforcement of the LW TRCCs, and expanded glass aggregates made from industrial refractory materials with fine particle sizes of 0.25–0.5 mm incorporating the mineral admixture (silica fume) are used to develop the LW cement‐based matrix. The main test series in this study include the expanded glass‐to‐binder (EG/B) ratio, surface coating methods used for textile fabrics, and volume dosages of short polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers used to modify the cement‐based matrix. Three main series, including a total of 30 flexural test specimens and 30 shear test specimens, are fabricated and tested. The flexural behavior of LW TRCCs is investigated via four‐point bending tests and the direct shear behavior of LW TRCCs is investigated based on the FIP standard using one shear failure plane. The experimental results indicate that the EG/B ratio significantly affects the overall flexural and shear performances of LW TRCCs, wherein the use of higher EG/B ratios might lead to greater reduction in flexural properties as well as shear properties in the pre‐peak stage. The coating methods employed for fabric surface treatment via epoxy impregnation combined with rough layers are effective in enhancing flexural properties in terms of load and deformation capacity and shear properties in terms of peak stress compared with the counterpart using only the epoxy coating method. Additionally, incorporating short discrete PVA fibers within the LW cement‐based matrix results in outstanding performance due to improvement in bonding quality at the textile/matrix interface, which can be applied as a potential solution for fabricating LW, high‐performance TRCCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When introducing a robotic process automation (RPA) solution for business automation, selecting an RPA solution that is suitable for the automation target and goals is extremely difficult for customers. One reason for this difficulty is that standardised evaluation items and indicators that can support the evaluation of RPA have not been defined. The broad extension of RPA is still in its infancy and only a few studies have been conducted on this subject. In this study, an evaluation breakdown structure for RPA selection was developed by deriving evaluation items from prior studies related to RPA selection and a feasibility study was conducted. Consequently, a questionnaire was administered three times, and the coefficients of variation, content validity, consensus, and convergence of factors and criteria were measured from the survey results. All of these measurement results are reflected in the final suitability value that was calculated to verify the stability of the evaluation system and evaluation criteria indicators. This study is the first to develop an RPA solution selection evaluation standard and the proposed evaluation breakdown structure provides useful evaluation criteria and a checklist for successful RPA application and introduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inhalation and exhaust fans are installed inside a distribution panel for cooling. However, in the event of fire inside the panel, these fans change the flow of smoke, which interferes with quick detection by fire sensors installed on the panel ceiling, thereby increasing fire damage. The purpose of this study is to develop a smoke detector that can be installed inside distribution panels and to propose an optimal smoke detector position based on the influence of the position on detection performance. To this end, an experimental distribution panel was fabricated and four smoke detector samples were installed near the fans. The smoke detection performance experiment was repeated on ignition source positions corresponding to widths of 15, 30, 45, and 50 cm, a depth of 55 cm, and heights of 0, 30, and 60 cm. The results indicated that the smoke detection performance and CO absorption concentration were higher when the smoke detector was positioned closer to the left or right side of the exhaust fan. In particular, compared with current designs in which smoke detectors are installed on distribution panel ceilings, the elapsed time until smoke detection decreased by 75%, whereas the CO absorption concentration increased by more than 100%. This study presents a theoretical ground for the installation of built-in smoke detectors near exhaust fans for closed power industry equipment that includes airflow-changing devices. Additionally, this study raises awareness on the importance of fire sensors and the need to improve policies and standards for fire prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Owing to the coronavirus disease 19 pandemic, the demand for telemedicine has increased. However, the awareness of and experience with telemedicine among the Korean population have not been investigated. Therefore, we examined Korean outpatients' experience with and awareness of telemedicine. Methods: From December 2020 to March 2021, we conducted a survey exploring the awareness of and experience with telemedicine of outpatients who were consecutively enrolled by family physicians from four hospitals. The participants completed questionnaires on sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge, experience, satisfaction, preference, and future considerations concerning telemedicine. We evaluated factors associated with satisfaction with telemedicine experiences using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Among the 563 study participants, 364 participants had experience with telemedicine. More than 95% of the telemedicine visits were performed by telephone consultation, and the most common disease type for telemedicine visits was chronic diseases (67.5%). Overall, 82.4% of the participants were satisfied with telemedicine. More than 90% of the participants were satisfied with telemedicine in terms of saving time and money relative to hospital visits, no risk of infection, and convenience. According to the multivariate logistic regression analysis, adults aged ≥65 years (odds ratio [OR] 3.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.44–8.68), residents of a metropolitan city (OR 6.8, 95% CI 1.41–32.55), and those with knowledge of telemedicine (OR 2.96, 95% CI 1.21–7.26) were more likely to be satisfied with their telemedicine experience, compared with their counterparts. For chronic diseases, participants with telemedicine experience were significantly more likely to prefer telemedicine for revisits, compared with those with no telemedicine experience. Nonetheless, most respondents recognized that telemedicine requires improvement. Conclusions: Most Korean outpatients showed high satisfaction with telemedicine. Telemedicine may be considered in various medical situations in the future. Therefore, building a practical system for telemedicine and changes in the medical environment are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the shear characteristics of cementitious mortar reinforced with steel and nylon fibres were experimentally investigated through direct shear tests. The primary test parameters of the present study were fibre volume fractions of 0.15, 0.25, and 0.33% for nylon fibres; 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0% for steel fibre; and hybrid fibres comprised of different amounts of steel and nylon fibres. The test specimens were made with a singly rectangular notch at the centre to predefine the shear failure plane. Direct shear test was carried out following the guidelines specified in the Fédération Internationale de la Précontrainte (FIP) standard. The results showed that the cementitious mortar reinforced with fibres exhibited more ductility than plain mortar matrix. It was determined that the use of higher amounts of steel and nylon fibres could significantly improve the peak shear stress. Finally, a shear stress-crack slip model was constructed to idealise shear stress-crack slip curves of cementitious mortar reinforced with steel and nylon fibres, and the prediction results were consistent with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]