• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.89-102
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• 1996

An integrated model is presented to describe underground flow and mass transport, using a multicomponent multiphase approach. The comprehensive governing equation is derived considering mass and force balances of chemical species over four phases(water, oil, air, and soil) in a schematic elementary volume. Compact and systemati notations of relevant variables and equations are introduced to facilitate the inclusion of complex migration and transformation processes, and variable spatial dimensions. The resulting nonlinear system is solved by a multidimensional finite element code. The developed code with dynamic array allocation, is sufficiently flexible to work across a wide spectrum of computers, including an IBM ES 9000/900 vector facility, SP2 cluster machine, Unix workstations and PCs, for one-, two and three-dimensional problems. To reduce the computation time and storage requirements, the system equations are decoupled and solved using a banded global matrix solver, with the vector and parallel processing on the IBM 9000. To avoide the numerical oscillations of the nonlinear problems in the case of convective dominant transport, the techniques of upstream weighting, mass lumping, and elementary-wise parameter evaluation are applied. The instability and convergence criteria of the nonlinear problems are studied for the one-dimensional analogue of FEM and FDM. Modeling capacity is presented in the simulation of three dimensional composite multiphase TCE migration. Comprehesive simulation feature of the code is presented in a companion paper of this issue for the specific groundwater or flow and contamination problems.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.159-167
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• 2017

A precast concrete deck system is considered an effective alternative in terms of its rapid construction and quality assurance than cast-in-place concrete deck. In precast concrete deck system, structural performance and serviceability are mostly determined by the connection methods between the precast decks. This research proposes more improved precast deck system with asymmetric ribbed connection details improving the disadvantage of previous precast deck system such as difficulties in assembling precast decks. And in this precast deck system, a separate form is not required at the site because partition wall of the precast decks serves as a form when placing non-shrinkage mortar in the connection part of the precast decks. Therefore, rapid construction is possible. Flexural performance is verified through load tests considering main parameter such as rib length in the precast deck connection. From the test results, it can be inferred that the development of the rebar and prevention of adhesion failure in the partition wall of the precast deck system are important factors in securing the flexural performance. Although the structural performance of the precast deck system with asymmetric connection details is gradually reduced as the rib length in the precast deck connection increases, the proposed precast deck system shows sufficient flexural performance and can be applied to the connection part of precast decks effectively.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.93-107
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• 2013

Thermal conduction of the particulate composites or granular materials can be widely used in porous materials and geotechnical engineering. And it has continued to develop "effective thermal conductivity" of medium by modeling energy relationship among particles in medium. This study focuses on the development of the effective thermal conductivity at the unsaturated conditions of soils using the modified network model approach assisted by synthetic 3D random packed systems (DEM method, Discrete Element Method) at the particle scale. To verify the network model, three kinds of glass beads and the Jumunjin sand are used to obtain experimental values at various unsaturated conditions. The PPE (Pressure Plate Extractor) test is then performed to obtain SWCC (Soil-Water Characteristic Curve) of soil samples. In the modified network model, SWCC is used to adjust the equivalent radius of thermal cylinder at contact area between particles. And cutoff range parameter to define the effective zone is also adjusted according to the SWCC at given conditions. From a series of laboratory tests and the proposed network model, the modified network model which adopts a SWCC shows a good agreement in modeling thermal conductivity of granular soils at given conditions. And an empirical correlation between the fraction of the mean radius (${\chi}$) and thermal conductivity at given saturated condition is provided, which can be used to expect thermal conductivity of the granular soils, to estimate thermal conductivity of granular soils.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.20
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• pp.8993-9004
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• 2014

Background: The incidence rate and the treatment costs of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are high, especially in Thailand. Previous studies indicated that early detection by a surveillance program could help by down-staging. This study aimed to compare the costs and health outcomes associated with the introduction of a HCC surveillance program with no program and to estimate the budget impact if the HCC surveillance program were implemented. Materials and Methods: A cost utility analysis using a decision tree and Markov models was used to compare costs and outcomes during the lifetime period based on a societal perspective between alternative HCC surveillance strategies with no program. Costs included direct medical, direct non-medical, and indirect costs. Health outcomes were measured as life years (LYs), and quality adjusted life years (QALYs). The results were presented in terms of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) in Thai THB per QALY gained. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were applied to investigate parameter uncertainties. Budget impact analysis (BIA) was performed based on the governmental perspective. Results: Semi-annual ultrasonography (US) and semi-annual ultrasonography plus alpha-fetoprotein (US plus AFP) as the first screening for HCC surveillance would be cost-effective options at the willingness to pay (WTP) threshold of 160,000 THB per QALY gained compared with no surveillance program (ICER=118,796 and ICER=123,451 THB/QALY), respectively. The semi-annual US plus AFP yielded more net monetary benefit, but caused a substantially higher budget (237 to 502 million THB) than semi-annual US (81 to 201 million THB) during the next ten fiscal years. Conclusions: Our results suggested that a semi-annual US program should be used as the first screening for HCC surveillance and included in the benefit package of Thai health insurance schemes for both chronic hepatitis B males and females aged between 40-50 years. In addition, policy makers considered the program could be feasible, but additional evidence is needed to support the whole prevention system before the implementation of a strategic plan.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.13
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• pp.5355-5358
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• 2014

Background: To assess the role of sonographic endometrial thickness and hysteroscopic polyp size in predicting premalignant and malignant polyps in postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods: A total of 328 postmenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding and thickened endometrium underwent operative hysteroscopy due to detection of endometrial polyps were included in this retrospective study. Preoperative endometrial thickness measured by transvaginal ultrasonography and polyp size on hysteroscopy were noted. Hysteroscopic resection with histology was performed for endometrial polyps. Endometrial thickness and polyp size were evaluated on the basis of final diagnosis established by histologic examination. Receiver operator characteristic curves were calculated to assess the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of endometrial thickness and polyp size for detecting pemalignant and malignant polyps. Results: Premalignant and malignant polyps were identified in 26 (7.9%) of cases. Sonographic measurement showed a greater endometrial thickness in cases of premalignant and malignant polyps when compared to benign polyps. On surgical hysteroscopy, premalignant and malignant polyps were also larger. Endometrial thickness demonstrated a sensitivity of 53.8%, specificity of 85.8%, PPV of 24.6% and NPV of 95.6% at a cut-off limit of 11.5 mm with diagnostic accuracy of 83.2%. Polyp size has a diagnostic accuracy of 94.8% with a sensitivity of 92.3%, specificity of 95.0%, PPV of 61.5% and NPV of 99.3% at a cut-off point of 19.5mm. Conclusions: Endometrial thickness measured by transvaginal ultrasonography is not sufficient in predicting premalignant and malignant endometrial polyps in postmenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding and thickened endometrium. Polyp size on hysteroscopy is a more accurate parameter, because of better sensitivity and specificity. However, while polyp size ${\geq}19.5mm$ seems to have a great accuracy for predicting premalignancy and malignancy, histologic evaluation is still necessary to exclude premalignant and malignant polyps.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.180-188
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• 2016

Acuros XB advanced dose calculation algorithm (AXB, Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) has been released recently and provided the advantages of speed and accuracy for dose calculation. For clinical use, it is important to investigate the dosimetric performance of AXB compared to the calculation algorithm of the previous version, Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA, Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA). Ten volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans for each of the following cases were included: head and neck (H&N), prostate, spine, and lung. The spine and lung cases were treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) technique. For all cases, the dose distributions were calculated using AAA and two dose reporting modes in AXB (dose-to-water, $AXB_w$, and dose-to-medium, $AXB_m$) with same plan parameters. For dosimetric evaluation, the dose-volumetric parameters were calculated for each planning target volume (PTV) and interested normal organs. The differences between AAA and AXB were statistically calculated with paired t-test. As a general trend, $AXB_w$ and $AXB_m$ showed dose underestimation as compared with AAA, which did not exceed within -3.5% and -4.5%, respectively. The maximum dose of PTV calculated by $AXB_w$ and $AXB_m$ was tended to be overestimated with the relative dose difference ranged from 1.6% to 4.6% for all cases. The absolute mean values of the relative dose differences were $1.1{\pm}1.2%$ and $2.0{\pm}1.2%$ when comparing between AAA and $AXB_w$, and AAA and $AXB_m$, respectively. For almost dose-volumetric parameters of PTV, the relative dose differences are statistically significant while there are no statistical significance for normal tissues. Both $AXB_w$ and $AXB_m$ was tended to underestimate dose for PTV and normal tissues compared to AAA. For analyzing two dose reporting modes in AXB, the dose distribution calculated by $AXB_w$ was similar to those of AAA when comparing the dose distributions between AAA and $AXB_m$.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.9-19
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• 2017

Background: Normalized cerebral blood volume (nCBV) can be measured using manual or semiautomatic segmentation method. However, the difference in diagnostic performance on brain tumor differentiation between differently measured nCBV has not been evaluated. Purpose: To compare the diagnostic performance of manually obtained nCBV to that of semiautomatically obtained nCBV on glioblastoma (GBM) and primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) differentiation. Materials and Methods: Histopathologically confirmed forty GBM and eleven PCNSL patients underwent 3T MR imaging with dynamic susceptibility contrast-enhanced perfusion MR imaging before any treatment or biopsy. Based on the contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging, the mean nCBV (mCBV) was measured using the manual method (manual mCBV), random regions of interest (ROIs) placement by the observer, or the semiautomatic segmentation method (semiautomatic mCBV). The volume of enhancing portion of the tumor was also measured during semiautomatic segmentation process. T-test, ROC curve analysis, Fisher's exact test and multivariate regression analysis were performed to compare the value and evaluate the diagnostic performance of each parameter. Results: GBM showed a higher enhancing volume (P = 0.0307), a higher manual mCBV (P = 0.018) and a higher semiautomatic mCBV (P = 0.0111) than that of the PCNSL. Semiautomatic mCBV had the highest value (0.815) for the area under the curve (AUC), however, the AUCs of the three parameters were not significantly different from each other. The semiautomatic mCBV was the best independent predictor for the GBM and PCNSL differential diagnosis according to the stepwise multiple regression analysis. Conclusion: We found that the semiautomatic mCBV could be a better predictor than the manual mCBV for the GBM and PCNSL differentiation. We believe that the semiautomatic segmentation method can contribute to the advancement of perfusion based brain tumor evaluation.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.37-47
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• 2007

The shield tunneling method has been increasingly employed to minimize environmental damages and civil complaints in the populated and developed area. A lining segment, which is a main structure of the shield tunnel, consists of joints. Conventional foreign and domestic design data have been commonly used for design practices without a specific verification of structural analysis models, design load, and the effect of soil characteristics on the performance of lining segment. In this study, the suitability of existing analytic models used for the design of shield tunnel lining segment has been evaluated through a comparison between analytical and numerical solutions. Based on the evaluation of their suitability performed in the study, a full-circumferential beam jointed spring model (1R-S0) is proposed for design practices by considering user's convenience, the applicability of field conditions and the accuracy of analysis result. By using the proposed model, the parameter analysis was performed to investigate the effects of joint stiffness, ground rigidity, joint distribution and the number of joints on the behavior of lining segment. Parameters considered in the investigation have been appeared to affect the behavior of lining segment. Among those parameters, joint stiffness has been appeared to have the most significant effect on the bending moment and displacement of lining segment.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.519-526
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• 2015

Purpose: To evaluate the changes of OSI value according to tear-film instability measured serially by OQAS(Optical Quality Analysis System, Visiometrics, Spain) every seconds. The presented study analyzed the relationship of the OQAS parameter with the results of the tear-film break-up time, Schirmer test, and the McMonies score. Methods: 147 eyes of 82 subjects were randomly selected from university students (age: $21.51{\pm}3.97$, male 45, female 37). Subjects were measured tear-film break-up time, Schirmer test, McMonies score and once every second for 15 seconds after blinking by continuous measurements from OQAS system. Results: The normal eye groups presented OSI values of $2.13{\pm}1.16$ while the dry eye groups had OSI values of $3.76{\pm}1.42$. Therefore, a significant difference between the normal eye group and dry eye group was discovered (p<0.05). In addition, the OSI value of all subjects increased over time. The OSI value, which was measured every second after blinking occurred, significantly increased between 6 seconds and 7 seconds after the start of the measurement (p<0.05). OSI cut off of 30% (sec.) showed a greater correlation; TBUT (r = 0.855, p = 0.000), McMonies test (r = -0.351, p = 0.003), Schirmer (r = 0.316, p = 0.012). Conclusions: Continuous measurement of OQAS showed a high correlation with the value of the existing dry eye tests. Therefore, Analysis of OSI values by utilization of OQAS could be useful in objectively evaluation of tear film in patients.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.155-160
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• 2014

There are many image processing based algorithms and applications that fail when illumination change occurs. Therefore, the illumination change has to be detected then the illumination change occurred images need to be enhanced in order to keep the appropriate algorithm processing in a reality. In this paper, a new method for detecting illumination changes efficiently in a real time by using local region information and fuzzy logic is introduced. The effective way for detecting illumination changes in lighting area and the edge of the area was selected to analyze the mean and variance of the histogram of each area and to reflect the changing trends on previous frame's mean and variance for each area of the histogram. The ways are used as an input. The changes of mean and variance make different patterns w hen illumination change occurs. Fuzzy rules were defined based on the patterns of the input for detecting illumination changes. Proposed method was tested with different dataset through the evaluation metrics; in particular, the specificity, recall and precision showed high rates. An automatic parameter selection method was proposed for contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization method by using entropy of image through adaptive neural fuzzy inference system. The results showed that the contrast of images could be enhanced. The proposed algorithm is robust to detect global illumination change, and it is also computationally efficient in real applications.