• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.532-538
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• 2020

In this study, emulsification process were conducted to manufacture the natural sunscreen from raw materials such as shea butter, olive emulsifier wax, and green tea extract. The emulsification was optimized by using the central composite design model-response surface methodology (CCD-RSM) where the response values were established as the mean droplet size (MDS) and emulsion stability index (ESI) after 7 days in addition to UV absorbance at 300nm. The amount of emulsifier and additives and emulsification time were established as operating variables and the optimal conditions of sunscreen emulsification were accepted as 3.70, 2.47 wt.%, and 15.42 min, respectively according to the result of CCD-RSM. On the other hand, the response values were estimated as 1173.80 nm and 99.56% for MDS and ESI, respectively, after 7 days, in addition to UV absorbance at 300 nm (2.47). The average error from actual experiments was a low level as about 3.0 ± 1.5%, which is mainly due to the fact that the optimization using CCD-RSM applied in this study was in the relatively high significant level.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.184-189
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• 2008

Effects of sucrose at different concentrations (0, 10, 20, and 30%, w/w) on steady and dynamic shear rheological properties of sweet potato starch (SPS) paste (5%, w/w) were investigated. The steady shear rheological properties of SPS-sucrose composites were determined from rheological parameters based on power law and Casson flow models. At 25$^{\circ}C$ all the samples showed pseudoplastic and thixoropic behavior with high yield stress. Consistence index (K), apparent viscosity (${\eta}_{a,100}$), and yield stress (${\sigma}_{oc}$) values of SPS-sucrose composites decreased with increasing sucrose concentration from 10% to 30%. The decrease of swelling power was observed at higher sucrose concentration (>20%) and the low swelling power yielded a lower K, ${\eta}_{a,100}$, and ${\sigma}_{oc}$ values. In temperature range of 25-70$^{\circ}C$, Arrhenius equation adequately assessed variation with temperature. Oscillatory test data showed weak gel-like behavior. Magnitudes of storage (G') and loss (G") moduli increased with an increase in sucrose concentration and frequency. The SPS-sucrose composite at 30% concentration closely followed the Cox-Merz superposition rule.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.337-343
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• 2021

Background: Chromogranin A (CgA) levels have been reported to predict mortality in patients with heart failure. However, information on the prognostic value and clinical availability of CgA is limited. We compared the prognostic value of CgA to that of previously proven natriuretic peptide biomarkers in patients with acute heart failure. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 272 patients (mean age, 68.5±15.6 years; 62.9% male) who underwent CgA test in the acute stage of heart failure hospitalization between June 2017 and June 2018. The median follow-up period was 348 days. Prognosis was assessed using the composite events of 1-year death and heart failure hospitalization. Results: In-hospital mortality rate during index admission was 7.0% (n=19). During the 1-year follow-up, a composite event rate was observed in 12.1% (n=33) of the patients. The areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves for predicting 1-year adverse events were 0.737 and 0.697 for N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and CgA, respectively. During follow-up, patients with high CgA levels (>158 pmol/L) had worse outcomes than those with low CgA levels (≤158 pmol/L) (85.2% vs. 58.6%, p<0.001). When stratifying the patients into four subgroups based on CgA and NT-proBNP levels, patients with high NT-proBNP and high CgA had the worst outcome. CgA had an incremental prognostic value when added to the combination of NT-proBNP and clinically relevant risk factors. Conclusion: The prognostic power of CgA was comparable to that of NT-proBNP in patients with acute heart failure. The combination of CgA and NT-proBNP can improve prognosis prediction in these patients.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.62 no.5
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• pp.561-566
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• 2019

Objective : Functional outcomes have traditionally been evaluated and compared using subjective surveys, such as visual analog scores (VAS), the Oswestry disability index (ODI), and Short Form-36 (SF-36), to assess symptoms and quality of life. However, these surveys are limited by their subjective natures and inherent bias caused by differences in patient perceptions of symptoms. The Fitbit $Charge^{(R)}$ (Fitbit Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA) provides accurate and objective measures of physical activity. The use of this device in patients after laminectomy would provide objective physical measures that define ambulatory function, activity level, and degree of recovery. Therefore, the present study was conducted to identify relationships between the number of steps taken by patients per day and VAS pain scores, prognoses, and postoperative functional outcomes. Methods : We prospectively investigated 22 consecutive patients that underwent laminectomy for spinal stenosis or a herniated lumbar disc between June 2015 and April 2016 by the same surgeon. When patients were admitted for surgery and first visited after surgery, preoperative and postoperative functional scores were recorded using VAS scores, ODI scores, and SF-36. The VAS scores and physical activities were recorded daily from postoperative day (POD) 1 to POD 7. The relationship between daily VAS scores and daily physical activities were investigated by simple correlation analysis and the relationship between mean number of steps taken and ODI scores after surgery was subjected to simple regression analysis. In addition, Wilcoxon's signed-rank test was used to investigate the significance of pre-to-postoperative differences in VAS, ODI, and SF-36 scores. Results : Pre-to-postoperative VAS (p<0.001), ODI (p<0.001), SF-36 mental composite scores (p=0.009), and SF-36 physical composite scores (p<0.001) scores were found to be significantly different. Numbers of steps taken from POD 1 to POD 7 were negatively correlated with daily VAS scores (r=-0.981, p<0.001). In addition, the mean number of steps from POD 3 to POD 7 and the decrease in ODI conducted one month after surgery were statistically significant (p=0.029). Conclusion : Wearable devices are not only being used increasingly by consumers as lifestyle devices, but are also progressively being used in the medical area. This is the first study to demonstrate the usefulness of a wearable device for checking patient physical activity and predicting pain and prognosis after laminectomy. Based on our experience, the wearable device used to provide measures of physical activity in the present study has the potential to provide objective information on pain severity and prognosis.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.287-292
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• 2021

Load and resistance factor design is an efficient design approach that provides a system of consistent design solutions. This study aims to determine the load and resistance factors needed for the design of breakwater foundations within a probabilistic framework. In the study, four typical types of Korean breakwaters, namely, rubble mound breakwaters, vertical composite caisson breakwaters, perforated caisson breakwaters, and horizontal composite breakwaters, are investigated. The bearing capacity of breakwater foundations under wave loading conditions is thoroughly examined. Two levels of the target reliability index (RI) of 2.5 and 3.0 are selected to implement the load and resistance factors calibration using Monte Carlo simulations with 100,000 cycles. The normalized resistance factors are found to be lower for the higher target RI as expected. Their ranges are from 0.668 to 0.687 for the target RI of 2.5 and from 0.576 to 0.634 for the target RI of 3.0.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.299-306
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• 2023

In this study, the O/W emulsification processes with the natural surfactants that were extracted from Medicago sativa L. and Sapindus saponaria L. as emulsifiers were optimized using the central composite design-response surface methodology (CCD-RSM). Herein, independent parameters were the amounts of mixed emulsifiers, the mixing ratio of natural emulsifiers (soapberry saponin/alfalfa saponin), and the emulsification time, whereas the reaction parameters were the emulsion stability index (ESI), mean droplet size (MDS), and antioxidant activity (DPPH radical scanvenging activity). Through basic experiments, the ranges of operation variables for the amount of mixed emulsifiers, the mixing ratio of natural emulsifiers, and the emulsification time were 12~14 wt%, 30~70%, and 20~30 min, respectively. The optimum operation variables deduced from CCD-RSM for the amount of mixed emulsifiers, the mixing ratio of natural emulsifiers, and the emulsification time were 13.2 wt%, 44.2%, and 25.8 min, respectively. Under these optimal conditions, the expected values of the ESI, MDS, and antioxidant activity were 88.7%, 815.5 nm, and 38.7%, respectively. And, the measured values of the ESI, MDS, and antioxidant activity were 90.6%, 830.2 nm, and 39.6%, respectively, and the average experimental error for validating the accuracy was about 2.1%. Therefore, it was possible to design an optimization process for evaluating the O/W emulsion process using CCD-RSM.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.209-220
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• 2022

With the worldwide spread of African swine fever, interest in livestock epidemics has increased. Livestock transport vehicles are the main cause of the spread of livestock epidemics, but there are no empirical quarantine procedures and standards related to the mobility of livestock transport vehicles in South Korea. This study extracted the trajectory of livestock-related vehicles using the facility-visit history data from the Korea Animal Health Integrated System and the DTG (Digital Tachograph) data from the Korea Transportation Safety Authority. The results are presented as exposure indices aggregating the link-time occupancy of each vehicle. As a result, 274,519 livestock-related vehicle trajectories were extracted, and the exposure values by link and zone were derived quantitatively. This study highlights the need for prior monitoring of livestock transport vehicles and the establishment of post-disaster prevention policies.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.2B
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• pp.211-217
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• 2010

This paper presents numerical investigations of the physical habitat changes induced by the hydropeaking in the downstream river of dam. For the two-dimensional ecohydraulic simulations, River2D model is used. Pirami (Zacco platypus) is selected as the target fish for investigating the impact of the hydropeaking. For validation of the model, the water surface elevations are simulated with two different water discharges. The computed results are compared with field data in the literature, and the result shows that the model successfully simulates the water flows. The weight usable area (WUA) of Pirami with the life cycle and the composite suitability index with different water discharges are computed and discussed. The results show that habitat for Pirami appears to be best in the bend region downstream of the dam. The discharge of the maximum WUA for adult Pirami is computed to be about 9 $m^3/s$. Also, the WUA computed in a condition of hydropeaking during seven days are presented. The averaged discharge of the hydropeaking appears to be about 20% larger than the drought flow, but the WUA by the hydropeaking is computed to be 60-100% smaller. This result shows that the hydropeaking reduces quantity of habitat available to fish.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.67 no.6
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• pp.420-428
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• 2023

Crosslinking was introduced into vinylized-mesoporous silica and recycled polyethylene. By introducing a vinyl group into the mesoporous silica, it becomes a material capable of inducing cross-linking with non-polar polyethylene. By synthesizing vinylized-mesoporous silica and inducing crosslinking with recycled polyethylene, a recycled polyethylene composite with improved physical properties than existing recycled polyethylene was synthesized. In addition, even when a small amount is added according to the grade of recycled polyethylene using vinylized-mesoporous silica, the crosslinking reaction proceeds and all physical properties are improved. Four types of vinylized-mesoporous silica were synthesized, and the shape, microstructure, and functional groups were analyzed by TEM, BET, FT-IR, and XRD. Using vinylized-mesoporous silica, three types of compounds were blended by crosslinking reaction with recycled polyethylene. In order to confirm the presence or absence of crosslinking, analysis was performed using XPS and FT-IR, and physical properties such as tensile strength, elongation, flexural strength, and flexural modulus were confirmed using a universal testing machine. As a result, by applying vinylized-mesoporous silica to recycled polyethylene in various grades, the weak physical properties of existing recycled polyethylene were overcome. By applying the vinylized-mesoporous silica, recycled polyethylene composite material that overcomes the weak physical properties to the normal polyethylene, it shows the optimal physical property index that can be used commercially. Therefore, it is expected that it can potentially increase the use of recycled polyethylene and recycle resources.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.433-440
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• 2015

Aluminum trihydroxide (ATH) has been commonly employed as a flame retardant for ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymers. In the present work, ATH was obtained from a recycling process of multi-layer packaging film wastes. EVA/ATH composite samples were prepared using a two roll-mill and flame retardancy of EVA/ATH composites were examined using limiting oxygen index (LOI) and flame retardancy test (UL94). We observed excellent flame retardancy in case of adding 150 phr or more of recycled ATH to EVA. Particle size and specific surface area play crucial roles in LOI value and UL-94 classification of the EVA/ATH composites. Smaller particle size and higher specific surface area of ATH was found out to improve the flame retardancy. Regarding tensile properties, crosslinked EVA/ATH compounds which is practically used for electric cables had similar to or even better tensile property values than the ones without ATH.