• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2011

Objective: The objectives of this study were to determine the frequency of symptomatic postdiscectomy pseudocyst (PP) after endoscopic discectomy and to compare the results of surgical and conservative management of them. Methods: Initial study participants were 1,503 cases (1,406 patients) receiving endoscopic lumbar discectomy by 23-member board of neurosurgeons from March 2003 to October 2008. All patients' postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were evaluated. On the postoperative MRI, cystic lesion of T2W high and T1W low at discectomy site was regarded as PP. Reviews of medical records and radiological findings were done. The PP patients were divided into two groups, surgical and conservative management by treatment modality after PP detection. We compared the results of the two groups using the visual analogue scale (VAS) for low back pain (LBP), VAS for leg pain (LP) and the Oswestry disability index (ODI). Results: Among 1,503 cases of all male soldiers, the MRls showed that pseudocysts formed in 15 patients, about 1.0% of the initial cases. The mean postoperative interval from surgery to PP detection was 53.7 days. Interlaminar approach was correlated with PP formation compared with transforaminal approach. (p=0.001).The mean VAS for LBP and LP in the surgical group improved from 6.5 and 4.8 to 2.0 and 2.3, respectively. The mean VAS for LBP and LP in the conservative group improved from 4.4 and 4.4 to 3.9 and 2.3, respectively. There was no difference in treatment outcome between surgical and conservative management of symptomatic PP. Conclusion: Although this study was done in limited environment, symptomatic PP was detected at two months' postoperative period in about 1% of cases. Interlaminar approach seems to be more related with PP compared with transforaminal approach.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.527-534
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is the development of more effective filter-type polymer adsorbent for removal of anionic pollutants from wastewater. In order to synthesize the polymer adsorbent that possesses anionic exchangeable function, carboxyl(-COOH) group of PP-g-AA nonwoven fabric was converted into amine($-NH_2$) group by the chemical modification using diethylene triamine(DETA). FT-IR data indicate that amine group was introduced into PP-g-AA through amidation of grafted acrylic acid by reaction with DETA. The degree of amination increased with increase in the reaction time and temperature of the chemical modification process, and was significantly improved by the pre-swelling treatment of PP-g-AA with solvent and addition of metal chlorides as a catalyst in following order as $NH_4OH>MeOH{\geq}HCl{\geq}H_2O\;and\;AlCl_3>FeCl_3{\geq}SnCl_2{\gg}ZnCl_2{\geq}FeCl_2$, respectively. However, the addition of catalyst limited the reusability of DETA, hence was less useful from the viewpoint of cost effectiveness and waste management. The anion exchange capacity of the aminated PP-g-AA(PP-g-AA-Am) increased with increase in the degree of amination, but it reached maximum value at the degree of amination as about $50{\sim}60%$. The anion exchange capacity of PP-g-AA-Am was higher than those of commercial anion resins.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.2A
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• pp.137-143
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• 2011

This study evaluated the effects of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene powder (mPP) contents on the bond properties of cement mortar and nonpolar macro synthetic fibers (macro synthetic fiber). Dog-bone bond tests were performed to evaluate the bond performance of macro synthetic fiber in cement mortar with varying amounts of mPP (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30% of cement weight). The bond properties (pullout behavior, pullout load and interface toughness) of macro synthetic fiber in cement mortar increased as the mPP contents was increased. The bond properties increased with the mPP contents. The microstructure of macro synthetic fiber surface was examined after the pullout test to analyze the frictional resistant force according to mPP contents during the pullout process of macro synthetic fiber in cement mortar. The scratched of macro synthetic fiber increased with the mPP contents.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.52-58
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• 2012

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) often have more aggravated symptoms in the supine position. We tried to investigate the clinical characteristics and the predictive factors for positional OSA. Polysomnographic data were reviewed for OSA patients (apnea hypopnea index, $AHI{\geq}5$) from April, 2008 to April, 2011 at the Asan Medical Center. Clinical data, comorbid medical condition data and questionnaires (SF-36, MFI-20, ESS, BDI, STAI) were assessed. All patients were classified into two groups: positional patients (PP) group and non-positional patients (NPP) group. PP was defined as a patient who had the AHI in the supine position was at least twice as high as that in the lateral position. The body position of patients was confirmed by sleep position sensor and video monitor. All patients had at least 30 minutes of positional and 30 minutes of non-positional sleep. We compared clinical, medical, polysomnographic data, and questionnaire results between two (PP and NPP) groups and investigated predictive factors for the PP group using binary logistic regression analysis. In total, 371 patients were investigated. 265 (71.4%) was categorized as PP group and 106 (28.5%) as NPP group. The mean age ($mean{\pm}SD$) was higher in the PP group ($52.4{\pm}9.8$) than in the NPP group ($49.5{\pm}11.9$) (p<0.05). Comparison of sleep parameters between the PP and the NPP group showed that the PP group had significantly lower BMI (PP: $26.1{\pm}3.2kg/m^2$; NPP: $27.8{\pm}4.3kg/m^2$, p<0.001), neck circumference (PP: $39.7{\pm}2.8cm$; NPP: $41.5{\pm}3.7cm$, p<0.001) and hypertension rate (PP: n=89/265 (33.5%); NPP: n=48/106 (45.2%), p=0.0240). In the PP group, the percentage of deep sleep (PP: $8.7{\pm}8.1%$; NPP: $5.6{\pm}7.0%$, P=0.001) and rapid eye movement (REM) (PP: $17.5{\pm}6.1%$; NPP: $14.0{\pm}6.9%$, p<0.001) were significantly higher whereas the percentage of light sleep (stage N1) was significantly lower than the NPP group (PP: $30.4{\pm}12.3$; NPP: $44.5{\pm}20.8%$, p<0.001). During the sleep, the AHI in the supine position (PP: $48.6{\pm}19.5$; NPP: $60.5{\pm}22.6$, p<0.001) and in the non-supine position (PP: $9.4{\pm}8.9$; NPP: $48.4{\pm}24.8$, p=<0.001) were significantly lower and the minimal arterial oxygen saturation in non-REM sleep was significantly higher in the PP group (PP: $80.3{\pm}7.6$; NPP: $75.1{\pm}9.9$, p=<0.001). There were no significant differences in all questionnaires including quality of life. The results of the binary logistic regression analysis showed that age, the amount of REM sleep(%) and AHI were significant predictive factors for positional OSA. The significant predictive factors for positional OSA were older age, higher percentage of REM and lower AHI. The questionnaire results were not significantly different between the two groups.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.570-574
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• 2011

This study was conducted to investigate the quality characteristics of dumpling shells with added Pleurotus eryngii powder (PP) (2%, 4%, 6%). The weight after cooking and volume of the dumpling shells increased with the addition of PP. The water absorption of the dumpling shells was not significantly different by the addition of PP. Turbidity after cooking increased and hardness decreased by adding PP. The L value after cooking decreased with the addition of PP, and the b value was highest when the content of PP was 6%. Adhesiveness increased by adding PP and springiness decreased when PP content was above 4%. Chewiness and gumminess decreased by adding the powder. There were no differences among the control, 2%, and 4% samples in cohesiveness values, but cohesiveness significantly decreased with the addition of 6% of powder. Color characteristics showed low values when PP was added at more than 6% according to sensory characteristics tests. No significant differences were found in flavor, taste, smoothness, moisture, or adhesiveness of the dumpling shells after cooking according to additions of PP. Chewiness was higher by adding PP compared to the control, but no significant differences were found by additions of PP.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.238-242
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• 1986

The prognosis of patients with VSD and pulmonary hypertension is at least partially related to the reversibility of pulmonary hypertension after surgery. To predict postoperative pulmonary arterial pressure, immediate postbypass values were compared with preoperative hemodynamic data in 18 surgically closed VSD patients aged 6 to 80 months. The following results were obtained. 2] There was a good correlation between preoperative PP/PS and postoperative PP/PS in patients aged over 24 months [r=0.685, p<0.05], and in patients whose QP/QS were over 2.0 [r=0.686, p<0.01]. 3] There was also a good correlation between pump time and postoperative PP in total patients [r=0.697, p<0.005]. 4] Direct correlations were found between preoperative PP/PS and immediate postbypass PP/PS in patients aged over 24 months and in patients whose QP/QS>2.0, but the effect of CPB would participate in some degree. So it may be necessary to reevaluate their relationship after the effect of CPB have been disappeared.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.944-948
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• 1999

The morphological properties of four binary blends of polyethylene synthesized by metallocene catalyst(MCPE) and four polyolefins prepared by Ziegler-Natta catalyst have been investigated to interpret the effect of micro-molecular structure on the phase morphology and interfacial behavior; four binary blend systems studied are high density polyethylene(HDPE)-metallocene polyethylene (MCPE), polypropylene(PP)-MCPE, poly(propylene-co-ethylene) (CoPP)-MCPE, and poly(propylene-co-ethylene-co-1-butylene) (TerPP)-MCPE, and they are all phase separated. The HDPE-MCPE blend shows evenly growing homogeneous HDPE domain on the continuous MCPE phase, on the other hand, the rest of three blends show complex heterogeneous phase behavior. The PP-MCPE blend shows that PP and MCPE and completely phase separated and phase inversion takes place at 50% MCPE. The CoPP-MCPE and TerPP-MCPE show enhanced interface due to the same micro-molecular structure of ethylene, and phase inversion takes place at 40% MCPE. In particular, TerPP-MCPE blend shows improved phase morphology between interfaces, and this may be arisen from the comonomer contents in TerPP, which are 1-butene and ethylene having the same chemical structure as that of MCPE. The enhancement of the phase morphology in the TerPP-MCPE blend is correlated with the mechanical and morphological properties. Thus, although the four blend systems are phase separated, the phase morphology suggests that the order of interfacial adhesion strength be HDPE-MCPE > TerPP-MCPE > CoPP-MCPE > PP-MCPE and that micro-molecular structure between constituents be one of major factors giving enhanced interfacial adhesion.

• Clean Technology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.239-247
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• 2024

The removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from spent polypropylene (PP) sourced from the bumpers and interiors of used cars was carried out by using high-temperature supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) extraction. The recycled polymers from the bumpers and interiors contained other additives beside PP such as polyethylene (PE), talc, and carbon black, which modified the properties of PP. The crystallinity of the recycled bumper and interior PP was significantly lower than that of the virgin PP pellet. The decomposition temperatures of the recycled bumper and interior PP was slightly higher than that of the virgin PP pellet, while the melting and crystallization points were slightly lower. The effect of process conditions on VOC removal was studied by varying the time (2 ~ 720 min), pressure (6.4 ~ 14 MPa), and temperature (298 ~ 473 K). Since VOC removal at 2 min produced satisfying results, times below 2 min (10 ~ 120 s) were also studied. The main goal of scCO₂ extraction was to reduce the xylene content, as the xylene content of the recycled bumpers was higher than the allowable limit. A temperature above 373 K was needed to remove the xylene from the waste PP samples. The optimum condition for VOC removal from bumper waste was determined to be 433 K, 8 MPa, and 60 s. The car interior waste had VOC content within the allowable limit, so no further treatment was needed.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.1255-1263
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• 2008

The efficiency of PP-g-AA and PP-g-St nonwoven fabric synthesized by photoinduced polymerization as an adsorbent for removal $NH_3-N$ from waste water was evaluated. The results evidently indicate that the adsorption capacities of $NH_3-N$ onto PP-g-AA nonwoven fabric were extremely superior to those onto sulfonated PP-g-St nonwoven fabric, PK and zeolite. PP-g-AA nonwoven fabric showed the maximum adsorption capacity of $NH_3-N$ at the degree of grafting of 80 wt.%. The adsorption behaviour of $NH_3-N$ onto PP-g-AA and sulfonated PP-g-St nonwoven fabric was controlled by an ion exchange reaction, and tended to be similar to both trends of Langmiur and Freundlish isotherm. Futhermore, PP-g-AA non-woven fabric could be regenerated more than 5 times by a simple washing with 0.1N HCl with no decrease of adsorption capacity and no degradation of physical properties. Also sulfonated PP-g-St nonwoven fabric could be regenerated by washing with 0.1N ${H_2}{O_4}$. However, their regeneration efficiency was significantly low because grafting layer acted as functional radical for adsorption was continuously desquamated in the adsorption or regeneration processes, which resulted in decrease of adsorption capacity and weight of adsorbent. All results obtained from this study indicate that the $NH_3-N$ removal capacity of PP-g-AA non-woven fabric was extremely superior to those of PP-g-St non-woven fabric, PK and zeolite.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.110-115
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• 2009

The electrical, morphological and rheological properties of melt and dry mixed composites of poly ethylene (PE)/graphite (Gr), polypropylene (PP)/Gr and PP/nickel-coated carbon fiber (NCCF) were investigated as a function of filler type, filler content and processing temperature. The electrical conductivities of dry mixed PP/NCCF composites were increased with decreasing processing temperature. For the melt mixed PP/NCCF composites, the electrical conductivities were higher than those of the melt mixed PE/Gr and PP/Gr composites, which was attributed to the effect of the higher NCCF aspect ratio in allowing the composites to form a more conductive network in the polymer matrix than the graphite does. From the results of morphological studies, the fillers in the dry mixed PP/NCCF composites were more randomly dispersed compared to those in the melt mixed PP/NCCF composites. The increased electrical conductivities of the dry mixed composites were attributed to the more random dispersion of NCCF compared to that of the melt mixed PP/NCCF composites. The complex viscosities of the PP/Gr composites were higher than those of the PP/NCCF composites, which was attributed to the larger diameter of the graphite particles than that of the NCCF. Furthermore, the fiber orientation in the 'along the flow' direction during melt mixing was attributed to the decreased complex viscosities of the melt mixed PP/NCCF composites compared those of the melt mixed PP/Gr composites.