• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.2230-2243
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• 2022

The tin tailing processing industry in Malaysia has operated with minimal regard and awareness for material management and working environment safety, impacting the environment and workers in aspects of radiation and heavy metal exposure. RIA was conducted where environmental samples were analyzed, revealing concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K between the range of 0.1-10.0, 0.0-25.7, and 0.1-5.8 Bq/g respectively, resulting in the AED exceeding UNCEAR recommended value and regulation limit enforced by AELB (1 mSv/y). Ra_eq calculated indicates that samples collected pose a significant threat to human health from gamma-ray exposure. Assessment of heavy metal content via pollution indices of soil and sediment showed significant contamination and enrichment from processing activities conducted. As and Fe were two of the highest metals exposed both via soil ingestion with an average of 4.6 × 10^-3 mg/kg-day and 1.4 × 10^-4 mg/kg-day, and dermal contact with an average of 5.6 × 10^-4 mg/kg-day and 6.0 × 10^-4. mg/kg-day respectively. Exposure via accidental ingestion of soil and sediment could potentially cause adverse non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health effect towards workers in the industry. Correlation analysis indicates the presence of a relationship between the concentration of NORM and trace elements.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2017

Recently, flexible cages have been introduced in an attempt to absorb and reduce the abnormal load transfer along the anterior parts of the spine. They are designed to be used with the pedicle screw systems to allow some mobility at the index level while containing ROM at the adjacent level. In this study, a finite element (FE) study was performed to assess biomechanical efficacies of the flexible cage when combined with pedicle screws with flexible rods. The post-operated models were constructed by modifying the L4-5 of a previously-validated 3-D FE model of the intact lumbar spine (L2-S1): (1) Type 1, flexible cage only; (2) Type 2, pedicle screws with flexible rods; (3) Type 3, interbody fusion cage plus pedicle screws with rigid rods; (4) Type 4, interbody fusion cage plus Type 2; (5) Type 5, Type 1 plus Type 2. Flexion/extension of 10 Nm with a compressive follower load of 400N was applied. As compared to the Type 3 (62~65%) and Type 4 (59~62%), Type 5 (53~55%) was able to limit the motion at the operated level effectively, despite moderate reduction at the adjacent level. It was also able to shift the load back to the anterior portions of the spine thus relieving excessively high posterior load transfer and to reduce stress on the endplate by absorbing the load with its flexible shape design features. The likelihood of component failure of flexble cage remained less than 30% regardless of loading conditions when combined with pedicle screws with flexible rods. Our study demonstrated that flexible cages when combined with posterior dynamic system may help reduce subsidence of cage and degeneration process at the adjacent levels while effectively providing stability at the operated level.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.269-280
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• 2018

This paper reports the results of field evaluation to determine the levels of heavy metals in major industrial complexes in Korea over a seven year period (2007~2013). The measurement of heavy metal was conducted using quartz fiber filter sampling and ICP-AES analysis. In order to validate the analytical performance of these methods, studies were also carried out to investigate data quality control(QC) parameters, such as the method detection limit (MDL), repeatability, and recovery efficiencies. The average concentrations of total suspended particulates (TSP) for the nine industrial complexes in Korea were $104{\sim}169{\mu}g/m^3$, which was higher than other industrial complexes and urban areas. The Sihwa and Banwol industrial complexes were shown to be the biggest contributing sources to high TSP emission ($159{\mu}g/m^3$ and $169{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively). The concentrations of heavy metals in TSP were higher in the order of Fe>Cu>Zn, Pb, Mn>Cr, Ni, As and Cd. It was observed that Fe was the highest in the Gwangyang and Pohang steel industrial complexes. The concentrations of Zn and Pb were high in Onsan, Sihwa and Banwol industrial complexes, and this was attributed to the emission from the nonferrous industry. Additionally, Cr and Ni concentrations were high in the Sihwa and Banwol industrial complexes due to plating industry. On the other hand, Ulsan and Onsan industrial complexes showed high Cr and Ni concentrations as a response to the emission of metal industry related to automobile. The correlation analysis revealed the high correlation between Cr and Ni in plating industry from Sihwa and Banwol industrial complexes. Adding to this, components related to coal combustion and road dust showed high correlation in Pohang and Gwangyang industrial complexes. Then Onsan and Ulsan industrial complexes showed high correlation among components related to the nonferrous metals.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.35 no.9
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• pp.1027-1033
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• 2011

A VCM sheet is a metal sheet on which PET/PVC is coated for outer panels of home appliances. The purpose of this study is to obtain methods for suppressing PET tearing that occurs during the press forming of the VCM sheet. In order to identity the factors that minimize PET tearing, an FE analysis was performed. The occurrence of PET tearing cannot be predicted using the conventional forming limit diagram. PET is torn by friction between a die and sheet, which is caused by the thickening of material at a die corner. To reduce the thickening of material, the blank shape was re-designed and the thickened material at a flange was removed by a trimming process. The results of the FE-analysis involving modified process parameters showed that the thickness of the product at a die corner is distributed within the clearance of drawing and flangeforming process. A forming experiment was conducted to verify the proposed process parameters. A good final product was obtained without PET tearing of the VCM sheet.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.422-428
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• 2000

Optimum analytical conditions of the aluminium ion were established by flow injection analysis. Eriochrome Cyanine R(ECR) dye reacts with the aluminium ion at pH 6.0 to form a complex that exhibits maximum absorption at 535 nm. Reaction conditions including the mixing and the reaction coil length, the concentration and the pH of the buffer solutio, temperature, and injection loop volume were optimized to intro-duce this reaction into flow injection analysis. The results were as follows. A mixing coil length of 0.5 m and a reaction coil length of 4.0 m, the pH 6.0 and 1M of acetate buffer solution, the ECR concentration of 0.56 mM, the reaction temperature of 40$^{\circ}C$, the injection loop volume of 300${\mu}L$ were chosen as optimum conditions. Under these conditions the detection limit of the aluminiumion was less than 0.05 mg/L and the repeatability was better than 1%. A sampling frequency of 24 times for an hour was achieved. Interfering ions such as $F^-$, HP$O_4^{2-}$, $Fe^{2+}$, $Fe^{3+}$, $Mn^{2+}$, and other anions were tested, interference did not occur up to 1,000mg/L of ion concentration and up to 2,CO0mg/L of sulfate ion con-centration. This method was applied for the determination of aluminium ion in tap water and ground water of Jeonju and the Gochang area. The results showed that the aluminium residual in tap water of the Jeonju area was at a mean of 0.478mg/L and that in tap water of the Gochang area was at a mean of 0.278mg/L. Aluminium ion residual of the tap waters in the Jeonju area was higher level than that in the Gochang area. Aluminium residual in the ground water of the Jeonju area was 0.386 mg/L and was lower compared to 0.564 mg/L for the Gochang area.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.279-288
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• 2017

Objectives: Recommended Menu (RM) prepared according to the Target Pattern expected to meet the dietary reference intake (DRI) of nutrients. Nutritional adequacy of RM in 'DRI for Koreans 2015' were analyzed to verify whether such expectation was fulfilled. Methods: Dishes in RM are categorized by 5 food groups, and number and types of dishes for main meal and between-meals were analyzed. The energy and 12 nutrients (protein, dietary fiber, Ca, P, Fe, Na, K, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and vitamin C) contents in 10 RMs were calculated using the food composition table (CD) in 'DRI for Koreans'. Energy, energy contribution ratio, and nutrient contents in 10 RMs for 18 age groups were evaluated based on the 'DRI for Koreans 2015'. Results: Number of dishes per meal were 4.83, and representative table setting consisted of cooked rice + soup (or stew) +3 side dishes. Energy contents of RM were 75~109% of estimated energy requirement (EER). None of the RM met the DRI of all 12 nutrients examined. Calcium was the most insufficient nutrient. Only 1-2 years' RM met the DRI, all the other RMs did not meet the calcium DRI. Dietary fiber and potassium contents were also insufficient in most RM. In adult male's RM, only 1 nutrient, i.e. calcium did not meet the DRI, but in female adult's RM, 5~6 nutrients did not meet the DRI. Energy contribution ratio of carbohydrate, protein, and fat in RM were 59.0~70.4%, 15.7~17.5%, 12.1~23.5%, respectively. And 4 RMs out of 10 exceeded the upper limit of acceptable macro-nutrient distribution range (AMDR) of carbohydrate and 3 RMs out of 10 RM were below the lower limit of fat AMDR. Contribution ratio of nutrients were ${\geq}40%$ by food groups were as follows: grain group in energy and carbohydrate; meat fish egg legume group in fat, protein, and niacin; vegetables group in dietary fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin C; milk dairy products group in calcium. Conclusions: RM prepared according to the Target Pattern did not meet nutritional adequacy as expected. Especially calcium, potassium, and dietary fiber contents are needed to be increased in many RMs. Further, energy content in RM needs to be adjusted for fat sugar food group assigned in Target Pattern and condiment.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.65-71
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• 2008

Recently, many researches in relation to data transmission with faster speed and greater volume, many researches have been carried out on sonar systems for underwater communication. According to these researches, an acoustic transducer for underwater communication requires wide bandwidth properties. In domestic researches for underwater communication sonar, an operating frequency in the range of $20{\sim}40\;kHz$ is used. In this paper, we propose anon-resonance type acoustic transducer for underwater communication. The TVR (transmitting voltage response) characteristics increased linearly as the frequency increased, and the RVS (receiving voltage sensitivity) characteristics were constant as the frequency increased. Traditional techniques for wide bandwidth transducershave a limit and a transmission loss difference at lower and higher frequency operating ranges. In this paper, the new transducer proposed decreased the transmission loss under some conditions. It was optimized with the FE analysis tool (ATILA) and evaluated using the TVR and the RVS characteristics in the range of $10{\sim}90\;kHz$. The value of TVR was 138 dB at 20 kHz and 148 dB at 40 kHz, and the differences was 12 dB. The value of RVS was $195{\pm}2\;dB$ and nearly constant. From theseresults, it is certain that the developed transducers can be used for an underwater communication network in the 1.3 km range with both a 20 kHz bandwidth and 30 kHz center frequency.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.489-500
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• 2022

The decommissioning of nuclear facilities produces various types of radiologically contaminated waste. In addition, dismantlement activities, including cutting, packing, and clean-up at the facility site, result in secondary radioactive waste such as filters, resin, plastic, and clothing. Determining of the radionuclide content of this waste is an important step for the determination of a suitable management strategy including classification and disposal. In this work, we radiochemically characterized the radionuclide activities of filters used during the decommissioning of Korea Research Reactors (KRRs) 1 and 2. The results indicate that the filter samples contained mainly ³H (500-3,600 Bq·g^-1), ¹⁴C (7.5-29 Bq·g^-1), ⁵⁵Fe (1.1- 7.1 Bq·g^-1), ⁵⁹Ni (0.60-1.0 Bq·g^-1), ⁶⁰Co (0.74-70 Bq·g^-1), ⁶³Ni (0.60-94 Bq·g^-1), ⁹⁰Sr (0.25-5.0 Bq·g^-1), ¹³⁷Cs (0.64-8.7 Bq·g^-1), and ¹⁵²Eu (0.19-2.9) Bq·g^-1. In addition, the gross alpha radioactivity of the samples was measured to be between 0.32-1.1 Bq·g^-1. The radionuclide concentrations were below the concentration limit stated in the low- and intermediatelevel waste acceptance criteria of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, and used for the disposal of the KRRs waste drums to a repository site.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.667-671
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• 2014

In this study, we suggest a facile method to control conditions of single component independently when preparing consisting two-component metal oxides nanofiber by simply dispersing nanoparticles in precursor solution. The well dispersed $SiO_2$ nanoparticles in $TiO_2$ nanofibers were successfully synthesized through a simple electrospinning process. The as-synthesized nanodfibers were investigated via FE-SEM, XRD and EDS for structural studies, furthermore, the analysis of UV-VIS and photocatalytic activity were carried out for demonstrate the effect of $SiO_2$ nanoparticles dispersed in $TiO_2$ nanofibers. As a result, $TiO_2$ nanofibres dispersed with $SiO_2$ nanoparticles have enhanced photocatalytic activity than that of $TiO_2$ nanofibres only. In this strategy, the introduction of $SiO_2$ nanoparticles in $TiO_2$ nanofibers were attribute to enlarge absorption in the visible region (380~440 nm). Additionally, $Br{\o}nsted$ acid sites generated in each metal oxide of Ti and Si increase OH radicals efficiently as well as it limit recombination loss by holding photogenerated electrons for high efficient photocatalytic activity.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.327-333
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• 1993

A method was developed for the determination of trace elements in seawater by precipitate flotation preconcentration and subsequent flame atomic absorption detection. In order to quantitatively coprecipitate trace ions such as Cd(II), CuI(II), Fe(III), Mn(II), Pb(II) and Pd(II), 2.0 ml of 1.0M cerium(III) solution was added to 1.0l of seawater and the pH was adjusted to 9.5 with 5.0 M sodium hydroxide solution while stirring with a magnetic stirrer. The precipitate was floated with the aid of surfactant solution (1.0 ml of 0.3% sodium oleate) by bubbling nitrogen gas through a porous (No. 4) fritted glass disk. The floats was collected in a small Erlenmeyer flask by suction. The washed precipitate was dissolved in 8.0 M nitric acid and marked with deionized water in the volumetric flask of 10.0 ml. The analyte was determined by measuring the atomic absorbances in 100-fold concentrated solution. Above all analytes in Kangnung (East Sea) and Kanghwado (West Sea) sea waters were found to be under the detection limit of this method. The recoveries of over 92% for all analytes spiked into seawater samples showed that this method was applicable to the analysis of real seawater.