• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.235-243
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the short-term effects of flexion-distraction spinal manipulation on intervertebral height, pain, spine mobility in patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease. Design: Randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest control group design Methods: A total of 96 participants with degenerative disc disease participated in the study and were randomly divided into two groups. Both groups received intervention for 3-5 minutes a day. The experimental group (n=48) underwent flexion-distraction spinal manipulation for 3-5 minutes, and the control group (n=48) was maintained in the same position as the experimental group for 5 minutes without any intervention. The intervertebral height was measured by computed tomography, pain was assessed using visual analog scale, and the spine in flexion mobility was measured using the finger-to-floor distance test and passive straight leg raise test. Pre-test and post-test measurements were obtained. Results: The experimental group showed significant improvement in intervertebral height, degree of pain, and spinal mobility (p<0.05). The intervertebral height increased from 6.32±1.90 to 6.93±1.85 mm (p<0.05), lower back pain decreased from 69.17±13.35 mm to 48.48±12.20 mm (p<0.05), lumbar spine mobility changed from 17.37±4.49 to 12.69±4.34 cm (p<0.05), and passive straight leg raise test range increased from 46.94±13.05° to 56.01±12.20° (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study suggests that flexion-distraction spinal manipulation could be an effective treatment for decreasing pain and improving function in patients with degenerative disc disease.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• 제6권3호
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• pp.227-235
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• 2022

To investigate the aging-related physiological functions of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), we examined mRNA expression changes in aging-related genes due to oxidative stress inhibition by 630-nm red light OLEDs. As a result of irradiating 630-nm OLED with an intensity of 5 mW/cm² for 15 min, the viability of dermal fibroblasts significantly increased by 1.3-fold. In addition, reactive oxygen species generated by H₂O₂ were significantly reduced about 4.9-fold by irradiation with 630-nm OLED. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction results showed that 630-nm OLEDs altered aging-related gene mRNA expression levels through antioxidant activity. The mRNA expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase1 (MMP1) and MMP9 decreased significantly, by about 2.2- and 2.5-fold, compared to the control group, whereas those of collagen, type I, and alpha 1 increased significantly, by 4.9-fold. The mRNA expression levels of cancer suppression genes p16 and p53 in dermal fibroblasts were also significantly reduced by 630-nm OLED irradiation, by about 1.4- and three-fold, respectively, compared to the control. Overall, it was confirmed that 630-nm OLED irradiation lowered the level of ROS formation induced by H₂O₂ in dermal fibroblasts, and that this antioxidant effect could regulate the mRNA expression levels of aging- and tumor suppression-related genes. This study shows a link between 630-nm OLED irradiation and anti-aging physiological functions such as antioxidant function, and suggests the potential of OLEDs as a useful light source for skin care.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.22-27
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• 2022

Background: In some patients with rotator cuff tear (RCT), the axial view of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows subtle posterior decentering (PD) of the humeral head from the glenoid fossa. This is considered to result from a loss of centralization that is typically produced by rotator cuff function. There are few reports on PD in RCT despite the common occurrence of posterior subluxation in degenerative joint disease. In this study, we investigated the effect of PD in arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR). Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of consecutive patients who underwent ARCR at our institute and were followed-up for at least 1 year. PD was identified as a 2-mm posterior shift of the humeral head relative to the glenoid fossa in the axial MRI view preoperatively. The tear size and fatty degeneration (FD, Goutallier classification) were also evaluated using preoperative MRI. Retears were evaluated through MRI at 1 year postoperatively. Results: We included 135 shoulders in this study. Ten instances of PD (including seven retears) were observed preoperatively. Fifteen retears (three and 12 retears in the small/medium and large/massive tear groups, respectively) were observed postoperatively. PD was significantly correlated with tear size, FD, and retear occurrence (p<0.01 each). The odds ratio for PD in retears was 34.1, which was greater than that for tear size ≥3 cm and FD grade ≥3. Conclusions: We concluded that large tear size and FD contribute to the occurrence of PD. Furthermore, PD could be a predictor of retear after ARCR.

• 대한두경부종양학회지
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.29-32
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• 2022

Lipoma is one of the most common benign soft tissue tumors. However, giant lipomas compressing and deforming the neurovascular structure rarely occur in the lateral neck. A 70-year-old man visited our outpatient clinic for treatment of a visible painless neck mass that had been identified 2 years prior. Neck magnetic resonance imaging revealed that a 10 × 9 × 4 cm fatty mass located between the sternocleidomastoid and sternohyoid muscles invaded the carotid sheath. Under general anesthesia, the mass was excised without damage to the adjacent neurovascular structures. Upon histopathological examination, the mass was identified as a lipoma. During the surgery, enlargement of the internal jugular vein was observed under the resected mass. However, on ultrasound examination, the function of the internal jugular vein was evaluated as good. No recurrence or neurological and vascular complications were reported during a 6-month follow-up after the surgery. As a giant lipoma located in the deep layer of the lateral neck can deform important cervical structures, its impact on the surrounding structures should be carefully assessed preoperatively to minimize the rate of possible complications.

• 한국지구과학회지
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• 제43권4호
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• pp.539-556
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• 2022

In the coastal areas of Jeju Island, composed of volcanic rocks, saltwater intrusion occurs due to excessive pumping and geological characteristics. Groundwater level and electrical conductivity (EC) in multi-depth monitoring wells in coastal areas were characterized from 2005 to 2019. During the period of the lowest monthly precipitation, from November 2017 until February 2018, groundwater level decreased by 0.32-0.91 m. During the period of the highest monthly precipitation, from September 2019 until October 2019, groundwater level increased by 0.46-2.95 m. Groundwater level fluctuation between the dry and wet seasons ranged from 0.79 to 3.73 m (average 1.82 m) in the eastern area, from 0.47 to 6.57 m (average 2.55 m) in the western area, from 0.77 to 8.59 m (average 3.53 m) in the southern area, and from 1.06 to 12.36 m (average 5.92 m) in the northern area. In 2013, when the area experienced decreased annual precipitation, at some monitoring wells in the western area, the groundwater level decreased due to excessive groundwater pumping and saltwater intrusion. Based on EC values of 10,000 ㎲/cm or more, saltwater intrusion from the coastline was 10.2 km in the eastern area, 4.1 km in the western area, 5.8 km in the southern area, and 5.7 km in the northern area. Autocorrelation analysis of groundwater level revealed that the arithmetic mean of delay time was 0.43 months in the eastern area, 0.87 months in the northern area, 10.93 months in the southern area, and 17.02 months in the western area. Although a few monitoring wells were strongly influenced by nearby pumping wells, the cross-correlation function of the groundwater level was the highest with precipitation in most wells. The seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average model indicated that the groundwater level will decrease in most wells in the western area and decrease or increase in different wells in the eastern area.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권10호
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• pp.3648-3658
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• 2023

The early localization of a fuel subassembly with a failed (wet rupture) fuel pin is very important in reactors to limit the associated radiological and operational consequences. This requires a fast and reliable system for failure detection and their localization in the core. In the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor, the system specially designed for this purpose is Failed Fuel Location Modules (FFLM) housed in the control plug region. It identifies a failed sub-assembly by detecting the presence of delayed neutrons in the sodium from a failed sub-assembly. During the commissioning phase of PFBR, it is mandatory to demonstrate the FFLM effectiveness. The paper highlights the engineering and physics design aspects of FFLM and the integrated simulation towards its function demonstration with a source assembly containing a perforated metallic fuel pin. This test pin mimics a MOX pin of 1 cm² of geometrical defect area. At 10% power and 20% sodium flow rate, the counts rate in the BCCs of FFLM system range from 75 cps to 145 cps depending upon the position of DN source assembly. The model developed for the counts simulation is applicable to both metal and MOX pins with proper values of k-factor and escape coefficient.

• 한국자원식물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국자원식물학회 2020년도 춘계학술대회
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• pp.78-78
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• 2020

This study aimed to discover functional materials derived from resources, which can improve the troublesome symptoms of a bronchus by improving bronchial hyperresponsiveness as air pollution in Korea caused by fine dust and yellow dust is getting worse. Of natural resources grown naturally in Korea, Chrysanthemum morifolium(CM), and Scutellaria baicalensis(SB) have been used as a safe raw material for drinking or medicine for a long time, and it has been found that a combination of CS73 can improve bronchial health function in experimental animal models. Analysis of serum of animal models with asthma induced by ovalbumin (chicken egg albumin) and analysis of cytokine production in BALF (Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid) showed that inflammatory indices IL-1β, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17A, IL-17F, and IL-17E were significantly reduced and that respective production of IL-2 and IFN-γ was significantly increased in the group taking extracts from CS73 when compared with the control group. These results suggested that the combination of CS73 could be used as a natural treatment for asthma. In addition, in the animal models that the combination of CS73 significantly decreased the respective production of IgE, histamine and TSLP when compared with the control group. In experimental models, the ratio of Chrysanthemum morifolium to Scutellaria baicalensis of 7 : 3 had more excellent effect than other combined experimental groups, which suggests that the above combination can be developed as a natural treatment for asthma and is valuable as a pharmaceutical composition with an effect of improving bronchial health, capable of contributing to the public health threatened by fine dust.

• 한국재료학회지
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• 제34권6호
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• pp.283-290
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• 2024

The aggressive scaling of dynamic random-access memory capacitors has increased the need to maintain high capacitance despite the limited physical thickness of electrodes and dielectrics. This makes it essential to use high-k dielectric materials. TiO₂ has a large dielectric constant, ranging from 30~75 in the anatase phase to 90~170 in rutile phase. However, it has significant leakage current due to low energy barriers for electron conduction, which is a critical drawback. Suppressing the leakage current while scaling to achieve an equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) below 0.5 nm is necessary to control the influence of interlayers on capacitor performance. For this, Pt and Ru, with their high work function, can be used instead of a conventional TiN substrate to increase the Schottky barrier height. Additionally, forming rutile-TiO₂ on RuO₂ with excellent lattice compatibility by epitaxial growth can minimize leakage current. Furthermore, plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) can be used to deposit a uniform thin film with high density and low defects at low temperatures, to reduce the impact of interfacial reactions on electrical properties at high temperatures. In this study, TiO₂ was deposited using PEALD, using substrates of Pt and Ru treated with rapid thermal annealing at 500 and 600 ℃, to compare structural, chemical, and electrical characteristics with reference to a TiN substrate. As a result, leakage current was suppressed to around 10^-6 A/cm² at 1 V, and an EOT at the 0.5 nm level was achieved.

• 한국재료학회지
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• 제34권6호
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• pp.303-308
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• 2024

The semiconductor and display industries require the development of plasma resistant materials for use in high density plasma etching process equipment. Yttria (Y₂O₃) is a ceramic material mainly used to ensure good plasma resistance properties, which requires a dense microstructure. In commercial production, a sintering process is applied to reduce the sintering temperature of Y₂O₃. In this study, the effect of the addition of glass frit to the sintered specimen was examined when manufacturing yttria sintered specimens for semiconductor process equipment parts. The Y₂O₃ specimen was shaped into a Ø50 mm size and then sintered at 1,600 ℃ for 1~8 h. The characteristics, X-ray diffraction pattern, densities, contraction rate of the specimen, and swelling of the surface of the Y₂O₃ specimens were investigated as a function of the sintering time and glass frit addition. The Y₂O₃ specimen exhibited a density of over 4.9 g/cm³ as the sintering time increased, and the swelling phenomenon characteristics were improved by glass frit, by controlling particle size.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.137-144
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• 2024

Purpose: Laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy (LPG) is a viable choice for treating proximal gastric lesions. However, the occurrence of severe reflux has limited its widespread adoption. To address this issue, the double flap technique (DFT), which incorporates artificial lower esophageal sphincteroplasty, has been developed to prevent reflux problems after proximal gastrectomy. In this study, we aimed to investigate the usefulness of this technique using high-resolution manometry (HRM), impedance pH monitoring, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Materials and Methods: The findings of pre- and postoperative 6-month HRM, pH monitoring, and EGD were compared for 9 patients who underwent LPG with DFT for various proximal gastric lesions at Incheon St. Mary's Hospital from January 2021 to December. Results: A total of 9 patients underwent proximal gastrectomy. Approximately half of the patients had Hill's grade under II preoperatively, whereas all patients had Hill's grades I and II in EGD findings. In the HRM test, there was no significant difference between distal contractile integral (1,412.46±1,168.51 vs. 852.66±495.62 mmHg·cm·s, P=0.087) and integrated relaxation pressure (12.54±8.97 vs. 8.33±11.30 mmHg, P=0.27). The average lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure was 29.19±14.51 mmHg preoperatively, which did not differ from 19.97±18.03 mmHg after the surgery (P=0.17). DeMeester score (7.02±6.36 vs. 21.92±36.17, P=0.21) and total acid exposure time (1.49±1.48 vs. 5.61±10.17, P=0.24) were slightly higher, but the differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions: There is no significant functional difference in HRM and impedance pH monitoring tests after DFT. DFT appears to be useful in preserving LES function following proximal gastrectomy.