• Asian Spine Journal
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.1060-1068
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• 2018

Study Design: Retrospective study. Purpose: Lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration is an important cause of low back pain. Overview of Literature: Spinal fusion is often reported to have a good course for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). However, many studies have reported that adjacent segment degeneration is accelerated after lumbar spinal fusion. Radiography is a simple method used to evaluate the orientation of the vertebral column. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the method most often used to specifically evaluate intervertebral disc degeneration. The Pfirrmann classification is a well-known method used to evaluate degenerative lumbar disease. After spinal fusion, an increase in stress, excess mobility, increased intra-disc pressure, and posterior displacement of the axis of motion have been observed in the adjacent segments. Methods: we retrospectively secured and analyzed the data of 15 patients (four boys and 11 girls) with AIS who underwent a spinal fusion surgery. We studied the full-length view of the spine (anterior-posterior and lateral) from the X-ray and MRI obtained from all patients before surgery. Postoperatively, another full-length spine X-ray and lumbosacral MRI were obtained from all participants. Then, pelvic tilt, sacral slope, curve correction, and fused and free segments before and after surgery were calculated based on X-ray studies. MRI images were used to estimate the degree to which intervertebral discs were degenerated using Pfirrmann grading system. Pfirrmann grade before and after surgery were compared with Wilcoxon signed rank test. While analyzing the contribution of potential risk factors for the post-spinal fusion Pfirrmann grade of disc degeneration, we used generalized linear models with robust standard error estimates to account for intraclass correlation that may have been present between discs of the same patient. Results: The mean age of the participant was 14 years, and the mean curvature before and after surgery were 67.8 and 23.8, respectively (p<0.05). During the median follow-up of 5 years, the mean degree of the disc degeneration significantly increased in all patients after surgery (p<0.05) with a Pfirrmann grade of 1 and 2.8 in the L2-L3 before and after surgery, respectively. The corresponding figures at L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S1 levels were 1.28 and 2.43, 1.07 and 2.35, and 1 and 2.33, respectively. The lower was the number of free discs below the fusion level, the higher was the Pfirrmann grade of degeneration (p<0.001). Conversely, the higher was the number of the discs fused together, the higher was the Pfirrmann grade. Conclusions: we observed that the disc degeneration aggravated after spinal fusion for scoliosis. While the degree of degeneration as measured by Pfirrmann grade was directly correlated by the number of fused segments, it was negatively correlated with the number of discs that remained free below the lowermost level of the fusion.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.121-132
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• 2018

Weather is an important factor affecting roadway transportation in many aspects such as traffic flow, driver 's driving patterns, and crashes. This study focuses on the relationship between weather and road surface condition and develops a model to estimate the road surface condition using machine learning. A road surface sensor was attached to the probe vehicle to collect road surface condition classified into three categories as 'dry', 'moist' and 'wet'. Road geometry information (curvature, gradient), traffic information (link speed), weather information (rainfall, humidity, temperature, wind speed) are utilized as variables to estimate the road surface condition. A variety of machine learning algorithms examined for predicting the road surface condition, and a two - stage classification model based on 'Random forest' which has the highest accuracy was constructed. 14 days of data were used to train the model and 2 days of data were used to test the accuracy of the model. As a result, a road surface state prediction model with 81.74% accuracy was constructed. The result of this study shows the possibility of estimating the road surface condition using the existing weather and traffic information without installing new equipment or sensors.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.237-244
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• 2019

In this study, we applied terahertz imaging technology to three Korean modern oil paintings ('Boy,' 'Girl,' and 'Hyehwadong Landscape'); investigated the types of inner layer information in the pictures that can be extracted with terahertz imaging technology; and analyzed the conditions for extracting them. The biggest problem in the terahertz imaging analysis we encountered was the image distortion caused by the change of the distance between the target surface and the terahertz detector, depending on the surface curvature of the target paintings. We then developed a 'working distance maintaining device' to solve this problem. As a result, the terahertz imaging technique was used to identify the base material characteristics and any patterns of damage inside, and presented the optimal conditions for identifying each characteristic. In addition, it was useful to employ the terahertz frequency-division image to check the characteristics of the background materials. To confirm coloring techniques such as brush strokes, it is effective to compare the maximum reflection peak image with the cross-section image; and to detect damage information inside the paintings that cannot be observed on the surface, to compare the cross-section image with the frequency-division image. On the other hand, according to the terahertz imaging analysis of the oil paintings, the internal structural damage marks of 'Boy' and 'Girl' were confirmed, and the artist's painting style was confirmed in 'Hyehwadong Landscape.' The above results are expected to be useful for the analysis and diagnosis of Korean modern oil paintings for their preservation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.119-124
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• 2019

Radiation therapy using flattening filter free beam can prevent beam attenuation caused by flattening filter and can improve treatment efficiency. However, accurate dose control is not established for nonuniform iso dose distributions. In this study, curved dosimeter based on photoconductive material $HgI_2$ was fabricated and its reproducibility and linearity were evaluated at 6 MV photon energy to verify its performance. In order to show the usefulness of the curved measurement, the signals measured on the flat substrate and the curved substrate were compared in the flattening filter free beam using the acrylic filter. As a result, the reproducibility of the unit cell dosimeter was evaluated as SE 0.613%, and the linearity was evaluated as R-sq 0.9999. The usability evaluation of the array curve dosimeter demonstrated its usefulness by indicating a curvature error rate of 11.073%p and a reduced error rate.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.327-335
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• 2020

The method of selecting an existing flood hazard area via a numerical model requires considerable time and effort. In this regard, this study proposes a method for selecting flood vulnerable areas through topographic analysis based on a surface runoff mechanism to reduce the time and effort required. Flood vulnerable areas based on runoff mechanisms refer to those areas that are advantageous in terms of the flow accumulation characteristics of rainfall-runoff water at the surface, and they generally include lowlands, mild slopes, and rivers. For the analysis, a digital topographic map of the target area (Seoul) was employed. In addition, in the topographic analysis, eight topographic factors were considered, namely, the elevation, slope, profile and plan curvature, topographic wetness index (TWI), stream power index, and the distances from rivers and manholes. Moreover, receiver operating characteristic analysis was conducted between the topographic factors and actual inundation trace data. The results revealed that four topographic factors, namely, elevation, slope, TWI, and distance from manholes, explained the flooded area well. Thus, when a flood vulnerable area is selected, the prioritization method for various factors as proposed in this study can simplify the topographical analytical factors that contribute to flooding.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.575-584
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• 2021

Objective : Cervical expansive laminoplasty is an effective surgical method to address multilevel cervical spinal stenosis. During surgery, the spinous processes of C2 and C7 are usually preserved to keep the insertion points of the cervical musculature and nuchal ligament intact. In this regard, dome-like laminectomy (undercutting of C7 lamina) instead of laminoplasty is performed on C7 in selected cases. However, resection of the lamina can weaken the C7 lamina, and stress fractures may occur, but this complication has not been characterized in the literature. The objective of the present study was to investigate the incidence and risk factors for C7 laminar fracture after C7 dome-like laminectomy and its impact on clinical and radiological outcomes. Methods : Patients who underwent cervical open-door laminoplasty combined with C7 dome-like laminectomy (n=123) were classified according to the presence of C7 laminar fracture. Clinical parameters (neck/arm pain score and neck disability index) and radiologic parameters (C2-7 angle, C2-7 sagittal vertical axis, and C7-T1 angle) were compared between the groups preoperatively and at postoperatively at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. Risk factors for complications were evaluated, and a formula estimating C7 fracture risk was suggested. Results : C7 lamina fracture occurred in 32/123 (26%) patients and occurred at the bilateral isthmus in 29 patients and at the spinolaminar junction in three patients. All fractures appeared on X-ray within 3 months postoperatively, but patients did not present any neurological deterioration. The fracture spontaneously healed in 27/32 (84%) patients at 1 year and in 29/32 (91%) at 2 years. During follow-up, clinical outcomes were not significantly different between the groups. However, patients with C7 fractures showed a more lordotic C2-7 angle and kyphotic C7-T1 angle than patients without C7 fractures. C7 fracture was significantly associated with the extent of bone removal. By incorporating significant factors, the probability of C7 laminar fracture could be assessed with the formula 'Risk score = 1.08 × depth (%) + 1.03 × length (%, of the posterior height of C7 vertebral body)', and a cut-off value of 167.9% demonstrated a sensitivity of 90.3% and a specificity of 65.1% (area under the curve, 0.81). Conclusion : C7 laminar fracture can occur after C7 dome-like laminectomy when a substantial amount of lamina is resected. Although C7 fractures may not cause deleterious clinical outcomes, they can lead to an unharmonized cervical curvature. The chance of C7 fracture should be discussed in the shared decision-making process.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.1-18
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• 2018

In Korea, 64% of the land is known as mountain area, but the definition and classification standard of mountain are not clear. Demand for utilization and development of mountain area is increasing. In this situation, the unclear definition and scope of the mountain area can lead to the destruction of the mountain and the increase of disasters due to indiscreet permission of forestland use conversion. Therefore, this study analyzed the variables and criteria that can extract the mountain boundaries through the questionnaire survey and the terrain analysis. We developed a mountain boundary extraction algorithm that can classify topographic mountain by using selected variables. As a result, 72.1% of the total land was analyzed as mountain area. For the three catchment areas with different mountain area ratio, we compared the results with the existing data such as forestland map and cadastral map. We confirmed the differences in boundary and distribution of mountain. In a catchment area with predominantly mountainous area, the algorithmbased mountain classification results were judged to be wider than the mountain or forest of the two maps. On the other hand, in the basin where the non-mountainous region predominated, algorithm-based results yielded a lower mountain area ratio than the other two maps. In the two maps, we was able to confirm the distribution of fragmented mountains. However, these areas were classified as non-mountain areas in algorithm-based results. We concluded that this result occurred because of the algorithm, so it is necessary to refine and elaborate the algorithm afterward. Nevertheless, this algorithm can analyze the topographic variables and the optimal value by watershed that can distinguish the mountain area. The results of this study are significant in that the mountain boundaries were extracted considering the characteristics of different mountain topography by region. This study will help establish policies for stable mountain management.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.368-378
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• 2021

Purpose: When patients with early gastric cancer (EGC) undergo non-curative endoscopic submucosal dissection requiring gastrectomy (NC-ESD-RG), additional medical resources and expenses are required for surgery. To reduce this burden, predictive model for NC-ESD-RG is required. Materials and Methods: Data from 2,997 patients undergoing ESD for 3,127 forceps biopsy-proven differentiated-type EGCs (2,345 and 782 in training and validation sets, respectively) were reviewed. Using the training set, the logistic stepwise regression analysis determined the independent predictors of NC-ESD-RG (NC-ESD other than cases with lateral resection margin involvement or piecemeal resection as the only non-curative factor). Using these predictors, a risk-scoring system for predicting NC-ESD-RG was developed. Performance of the predictive model was examined internally with the validation set. Results: Rate of NC-ESD-RG was 17.3%. Independent pre-ESD predictors for NC-ESD-RG included moderately differentiated or papillary EGC, large tumor size, proximal tumor location, lesion at greater curvature, elevated or depressed morphology, and presence of ulcers. A risk-score was assigned to each predictor of NC-ESD-RG. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for predicting NC-ESD-RG was 0.672 in both training and validation sets. A risk-score of 5 points was the optimal cut-off value for predicting NC-ESD-RG, and the overall accuracy was 72.7%. As the total risk score increased, the predicted risk for NC-ESD-RG increased from 3.8% to 72.6%. Conclusions: We developed and validated a risk-scoring system for predicting NC-ESD-RG based on pre-ESD variables. Our risk-scoring system can facilitate informed consent and decision-making for preoperative treatment selection between ESD and surgery in patients with EGC.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.68-75
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• 2022

In this study, in order to directly evaluate the prestress of the PSC structure, a new sensor module based on the measurement of the deformation of concrete was proposed using hetero-core optical fibers and performance tests were performed. In a hetero-core optical fiber, optical loss occurs when a specific part of the transmission path is bent, and the amount of optical loss changes linearly according to the magnitude of the curvature. In order to confirm the measurement performance of the sensor module and the applicability of the optical fiber, the sensor module was deformed and the light passing through the optical fiber was converted into wattage and measured. It can be seen that the light passing through the optical fiber has a linearity of 0.9333 in relation to the deformation while generating the maximum deformation of 0.5 mm at a rate of 0.12 mm/min in a cylindrical concrete specimen with a diameter of 15 cm and a height of 35 cm in which the sensor module is embedded. Based on the results of this experiment, it is judged that it is possible to directly evaluate the prestress of a PSC structure by embedding a sensor module using a hetero-core optical fiber in the structure and measuring the compression deformation in concrete. It is judged that it can be used as useful data for the development of a sheath tube integrated sensor module to be applied to be applied to the girder model experiment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.525-532
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• 2022

The port of Mokpo operates the largest number of coastal passenger ships and routes in Korea. These coastal passenger ships pass through narrow channels in the south-west coast of Korea owing to the geographical effect. It is difficult to find a research for the safety of the marine traffic environment in the narrow channel used by coastal passenger ship. Therefore, in this study, the navigation safety of the target coastal passenger ship was analyzed in the narrow channel near the port of Mokpo using the Korea design standard for port and harbour facilities. As a result of the analysis, the width of the narrow channel between Maek-island and Dali-island is narrower than 1.5 times of the target ship's length over all, the degree of curvature of the narrow channel exceeds the standard value of 30°, and several fishing gears exist near the narrow channel. Finally, the following were suggested to improve the safety of navigation on the narrow channel: keeping one-way traffic during the day-time, and navigating through the designated fairway during night·visibility restriction·low tide.