• Asian Spine Journal
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.1085-1091
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• 2018

Study Design: Case-control. Purpose: To determine optimal cut-off value for body mass index (BMI) in predicting surgical success in patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSCS). Overview of Literature: BMI is an essential variable in the assessment of patients with LSCS. Methods: We conducted a prospective study with obese and non-obese LSCS surgical patients and analyzed data on age, sex, duration of symptoms, walking distance, morphologic grade of stenosis, BMI, postoperative complications, and functional disability. Obesity was defined as BMI of ${\geq}30kg/m^2$. Patients completed the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) questionnaire before surgery and 2 years after surgery. Surgical success was defined as ${\geq}30%$ improvement from the baseline ODI score. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to estimate the optimal cut-off values of BMI to predict surgical success. In addition, correlation was assessed between BMI and stenosis grade based on morphology as defined by Schizas and colleague in total, 189 patients were eligible to enter the study. Results: Mean age of patients was $61.5{\pm}9.6years$. Mean follow-up was $36{\pm}12months$. Most patients (88.4%) were classified with grades C (severe stenosis) and D (extreme stenosis). Post-surgical success was 85.7% at the 2-year follow-up. A weak correlation was observed between morphologic grade of stenosis and BMI. Rates of postoperative complications were similar between patients who were obese and those who were non-obese. Both cohorts had similar degree of improvement in the ODI at the 2-year followup. However, patients who were non-obese presented significantly higher surgical success than those who were obese. In ROC curve analysis, a cut-off value of ${\leq}29.1kg/m^2$ for BMI in patients with LSCS was suggestive of surgical success, with 81.1% sensitivity and 82.2% specificity (area under the curve, 0.857; 95% confidence interval, 0.788-0.927). Conclusion: This study showed that the BMI can be considered a parameter for predicting surgical success in patients with LSCS and can be useful in clinical practice.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.375-385
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• 2016

Recently, several implantable hearing aids such as cochlear implant, middle ear implant, etc., which have a module receiving power and signal from outside the body, are frequently used to treat the hearing impaired patients. Most of implantable hearing aids are adopted permanent magnet pairs to couple between internal and external devices for the enhancement of power transmission. Generally, the internal device which containing the magnet in the center of receiving coil is implanted under the skin of human temporal bone. In case of MRI scanning of a patient with the implantable hearing aid, however, homogeneous magnetic fields of the MRI might be interfered by the implanted magnet. For the above reasons, the MR image is degraded by large area of artifact, so that diagnostics are almost impossible in deteriorated region. In this paper, we proposed an external coil system that can reduce the artifact of MR image due to the internal coupling magnet. By finite element analysis estimating area of MR artifact according to varying current and shape of the external coil, optimal coil parameters were extracted. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed external coil system was verified by confirming the artifact at real MRI scan.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.151-160
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• 1994

Recently, terrestrial photogrammetry has been applied effectively to data acquisition in GIS and to monitoring precise machinery for simulation test. Because 3-D coordinates of many object points can be quickly measured with constant accuracy and easy modeling by this method. In this study, the composition concerned with multi-camera system which simultaneously analyzes structure from multi-station using various cameras was developed. The errors of results were analyzed to investigate the accuracy of the system, error of unknown points and control points, convergent and strip adjustment for optimal network design also. As results of this study, the efficiency of multi-camera system developed here was proved through application to monitoring the entire area of the precise model ship. We could also acquire 3-dimensional coordinates with good accuracy by arranging pass points. Therefore, possibility of measurement of instantaneous deformation as well as precision analysis of structures can be suggested.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.31 no.4 s.117
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• pp.315-322
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• 2006

A torsional damper comprised of two stage pre-dampers was used to reduce the rattle noise generated in the PTO gear box of a direct engine-PTO driveline of agricultural tractors. It was designed and mounted to the engine flywheel to reduce the torque fluctuation-induced speed variations at the driving gears in the PTO gearbox, which were found to be main cause of the rattle noise. The effects of a hysteresis torque and a torsional stiffness of the damper on the speed variation were analyzed using an 11 degree of freedom non-linear model of the damped PTO driveline. The torsional damper was represented by a single degree of freedom model with 7 parameters. Under a constant hysteresis torque, velocity variation was reduced with decrease in the torsional stiffness of the damper. The velocity variation was also decreased with decrease in the hysteresis torque under a constant torsional stiffness. Optimum values of the torsional stiffness and hysteresis torque were obtained by the model simulation for the PTO driveline under the study. When the optimum values of the damper were used, the sound pressure level of the rattle noise was reduced by 81%, resulting in a reduction of 15dB(A). The optimum damper also reduced the engine speed variation, resulting in a reduction of 80% at the driving gears in the PTO gearbox. The torsional damper showed a good performance in reducing the rattle noise caused by the speed variation in the direct engine-PTO driveline.

• 한국정보디스플레이학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.07a
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• pp.722-725
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• 2003

In AC plasma display, it is very important to quantify the wall voltage induced by the wall charge accumulated on the dielectric surface. If we know the quantities of the wall voltage in each period of every sequence; reset period, address period and sustain period, then it helps us to design the optimal driving waveform for high efficiency plasma display. We develop a new method to measure the wall voltage with VDS (Versatile Driving Simulator) system. From this method the wall voltage induced by a wall charge profiles just after the reset discharge of every cells in plasma display panel can be investigated and analyzed successfully. It is noted that the wall voltage profiles are influenced by the space charge and then they are stabilized as time goes by. It is also noted that both the remaining wall charge at the previous sequence and space charges contribute to wall voltage quantities just after the reset discharge. It is noted that the wall charges contribute dominantly after a few hundreds microseconds, while the space charges have been decayed within 100 ${\mu}s$ just after the reset discharge.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.2 no.1 s.2
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• pp.53-62
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• 2003

This paper demonstrates the in-vehicle dilemma zone warning system (DZWS) project developed as a part of the Driver Advisory and Collision Warning System in Automated Vehicle and Highway System (AVHS). The DZWS project, one of the Korea national ITS projects in 2000 develops the in-vehicle warning device to support drivers' decision making on whether to stop or to proceed to clear the intersection prior to the onset of yellow signal for avoiding the high risk of collision at signalized intersections through the dedicated short range communication (DSRC). This paper explores the design of optimal communication systems between roadway and vehicles, the operational and functional concepts of dilemma zone warning system based on appropriate approach speeds, and the system integration for field test at two sites of signalized intersections. Findings from the system integration indicated that the system would be implemented in eliminating the dilemma zone relative to approach speeds and in reducing red light violations and intersection collisions through the in-vehicle warning device at signalized intersection.

• Interaction and multiscale mechanics
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.45-68
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• 2009

An aim of the study is to develop an efficient numerical simulation technique that can handle the two-scale analysis of fluid permeation filters fabricated by the partial sintering technique of small spherical ceramics. A solid-fluid mixture homogenization method is introduced to predict the mechanical characters such as rigidity and permeability of the porous ceramic filters from the micro-scale geometry and configuration of partially-sintered particles. An extended finite element (X-FE) discretization technique based on the enriched interpolations of respective characteristic functions at fluid-solid interfaces is proposed for the non-interface-fitted mesh solution of the micro-scale analysis that needs non-slip condition at the interface between solid and fluid phases of the unit cell. The homogenization and localization performances of the proposed method are shown in a typical two-dimensional benchmark problem whose model has a hole in center. Three-dimensional applications to the body-centered cubic (BCC) and face-centered cubic (FCC) unit cell models are also shown in the paper. The 3D application is prepared toward the computer-aided optimal design of ceramic filters. The accuracy and stability of the X-FEM based method are comparable to those of the standard interface-fitted FEM, and are superior to those of the voxel type FEM that is often used in such complex micro geometry cases.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.1591-1598
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• 2002

The effect of different dietary structural carbohydrate (SC) to nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) ratios on fiber degradation, digestion, flow, apparent digestibility and rumen fluid characteristics was studied with a design using 18 wethers fitted with permanent rumen and duodenum cannulae. All sheep were divided into six groups randomly, receiving six diets with varying SC to NSC ratios. All diets contained the same proportion of wheat straw and concentrate. The dietary SC to NSC ratios were adjusted by adding cornstarch to the concentrate supplements. The duodenal and fecal flows of dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), hemicellulose (HC) and cellulose (CEL) were estimated using chromium-mordanted wheat straw as a flow marker. The degradation parameters of wheat straw DM, NDF, ADF, HC and CEL were determined by incubating the ground wheat straw in nylon bags in the rumen for different periods of time. There was no effect (p>0.05) of the different dietary SC to NSC ratios on rumen pH or $NH_3$-N, but acetate, propionate and butyrate concentrations were significantly affected (p<0.05 or p<0.01) by dietary SC to NSC ratios in the rumen fluid. When the dietary SC to NSC ratio was 2.86, the highest rumen degradability of wheat straw DM, NDF, ADF and CEL was found, but the highest apparent rumen digestibilities of DM, NDF, ADF, HC and CEL occurred at a 2.64 SC to NSC ratio. However, because of compensatory digestion in the hindgut, the apparent digestibilities of DM, NDF, ADF, HC and CEL were highest when the dietary SC to NSC ratio was 2.40. In conclusion, there is a optimal range of dietary SC to NSC ratios (between 2.86 and 2.40) that is beneficial to maximize wheat straw fiber degradation and apparent digestibility.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.37 no.8
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• pp.893-904
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• 2013

In this paper, a Kriging metamodel-based multi-objective optimization strategy in conjunction with an NSGA-II(non-dominated sorted genetic algorithm-II) has been employed to optimize the valve-plate shape of the axial piston pump utilizing 3D CFD simulations. The optimization process for minimum pressure ripple and maximum pump efficiency is composed of two steps; (1) CFD simulation of the piston pump operation with various combination of six parameters selected based on the optimization principle, and (2) applying a multi-objective optimization approach based on the NSGA-II using the CFD data set to evaluate the Pareto front. Our exploration shows that we can choose an optimal trade-off solution combination to reach a target efficiency of the axial piston pump with minimum pressure ripple.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.769-774
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• 2013

Turbine blades and disc, which are one of the most important rotating parts of a gas turbine engine, are required to have highly efficient performance in order to minimize the total life cycle costs. Owing to these requirements, these components are exposed to severe conditions such as extreme turbine inlet temperatures, high compression ratios, and high speeds. To evaluate the structural integrity of a turbine disc under these conditions, material modeling and finite element analysis techniques are essential; furthermore, shape optimization is necessary for determining the optimal solution. This study aims to generate 2D finite element models of an axisymmetry model and a sector one and to perform thermal-structural coupled-field analysis and contact analysis. Structurally vulnerable areas such as the disc bore and disc-blade interface region are analyzed by a parametric study. Finally, an improved design is provided based on the results, and the necessity of elaborate shape optimization is confirmed.