• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.573-586
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• 2023

Joints or weak planes can induce anisotropy in the strength and deformability of fractured rock masses. Comprehending this anisotropic behavior is crucial to engineering geology. This study used plaster as a friction material to mold specimens with a single joint. The strength and deformability of the specimens were measured in true triaxial compression tests. The measured results were compared with three-dimensional numerical analysis based on the distinct element method, conducted under identical conditions, to assess the reliability of the modeled values. The numerical results highlight that the principal stress conditions in the field, in conjunction with joint orientations, are crucial factors to the study of the strength and deformability of fractured rock masses. The strength of a transversely isotropic rock mass derived numerically considering changes in the dip angle of the joint notably increases as the intermediate principal stress increases. This increment varies depending on the dip of the joint. Moreover, the interplay between the dip direction of the joint and the two horizontal principal stress directions dictates the strength of the transversely isotropic rock mass. For a rock mass with two joint sets, the set with the steeper dip angle governs the overall strength. If a rock bridge effect occurs owing to the limited continuity of one of the joint sets, the orientation of the set with longer continuity dominates the strength of the entire rock mass. Although conventional three-dimensional failure criteria for fractured rock masses have limited applicability in the field, supplementing them with numerical analysis proves highly beneficial.

• Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.85-95
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• 2023

BACKGROUND: The prognostic utility of follow-up transthoracic echocardiography (FU-TTE) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is unclear, specifically in terms of whether changes in echocardiographic parameters in routine FU-TTE parameters are associated with cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: From 2010 to 2017, 162 patients with HCM were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Using echocardiography, HCM was diagnosed based on morphological criteria. Patients with other diseases that cause cardiac hypertrophy were excluded. TTE parameters at baseline and FU were analyzed. FU-TTE was designated as the last recorded value in patients who did not develop any cardiovascular event or the latest exam before event development. Clinical outcomes were acute heart failure, cardiac death, arrhythmia, ischemic stroke, and cardiogenic syncope. RESULTS: Median interval between the baseline TTE and FU-TTE was 3.3 years. Median clinical FU duration was 4.7 years. Septal trans-mitral velocity/mitral annular tissue Doppler velocity (E/e'), tricuspid regurgitation velocity, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and left atrial volume index (LAVI) at baseline were recorded. LVEF, LAVI, and E/e' values were associated with poor outcomes. However, no delta values predicted HCM-related cardiovascular outcomes. Logistic regression models incorporating changes in TTE parameters had no significant findings. Baseline LAVI was the best predictor of a poor prognosis. In survival analysis, an already enlarged or increased size LAVI was associated with poorer clinical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in echocardiographic parameters extracted from TTE did not assist in predicting clinical outcomes. Cross-sectionally evaluated TTE parameters were superior to changes in TTE parameters between baseline and FU at predicting cardiovascular events.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.14-26
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• 2018

The Biotope Area Ratio (BAR) is a quantitative pre-planning index for sustainable development and an integrated indicator for the balanced development of buildings and outdoor spaces. However, it has been pointed out that there are problems in operations management: errors in area calculation, insufficiency in the underground soil condition and depth, reduction in biotope area after construction, and functional failure as a pre-planning index. To address these problems, this study proposes implementing LIM. Since the weights of the BAR are mainly decided by the underground soil condition and depth with land cover types, the study focused on the terrain and pavements. The model should conform to BIM guidelines and standards provided by government agencies and professional organizations. Thus, the scope and Level Of Detail (LOD) of the model were defined, and the method to build a model with BIM software was developed. An apartment complex on sloping ground was selected as a case study, a 3D terrain modeled, paving libraries created with property information on the BAR, and a LIM model completed for the site. Then the BAR was calculated and construction documents were created with the BAR table and pavement details. As results of the study, it was found that the application of the criteria on the BAR and calculation became accurate, and the efficiency of design tasks was improved by LIM. It also enabled the performance of evidence-based design on the terrain and underground structures. To adopt LIM, it is necessary to create and distribute LIM library manuals or templates, and build library content that comply with KBIMS standards. The government policy must also have practitioners submit BIM models in the certification system. Since it is expected that the criteria on planting types in the BAR will be expanded, further research is needed to build and utilize the information model for planting materials.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.107-119
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• 1999

The joints in the jointed concrete pavement provide a control against transverse or longitudinal cracking at slab, which may be caused by temperature or moisture variation during or after hydration. Without control of cracking, random cracks cause more serious distresses and result in structural or functional failure of pavement system. However, joints nay cause distresses due to its inherent weakness in structural integrity. Thus, the evaluation at joint is very important. and the joint-related distresses should be evaluated reasonably for economic rehabilitation. The purpose of this paper was to develop an evaluation system at joints of jointed concrete pavement using finite element analysis program, ILLI-SLAB, and nondestructive testing device. FWD. To develop an evaluation system for JCP, a sensitivity analysis was performed using ILLI-SLAB program with a selected variables which might affect fairly to on the performance of transverse joints. The most significant variables were selected from precise analysis. An evaluation charts were made for jointed concrete pavement by adopting the field FWD data. It was concluded that the variables which most significantly affect to pavement deflections are the modulus of subgrade reaction(K) and the modulus of dowel/concrete interaction(G), and limiting criteria on the performance of joints at JCP are 300pci. 500,000 lb/in. respectively. Using these variables and FWD test, a charts of load transfer ratio versus surface deflection at joints were made in order to evaluate the performance of JCP. Practically, Chungbu highway was evaluated by these evaluation charts and FWD field data for jointed concrete pavement. For Chungbu highway, only one joint showed smaller value than limiting criterion of the modulus of dowel/concrete interaction(G). The rest joints showed larger values than limiting criteria of the modulus of subgrade reaction(K) and the modulus of dowel/concrete interaction(G).

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.637-651
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• 2019

In the event of a major accident such as an explosion in a refinery or a petrochemical plant, it has caused a serious loss of life and property and has had a great impact on the insurance market. In the case of catastrophic incidents occurring in process industries such as refinery and petrochemical plants, only the proximate causes of loss have been drawn and studied from inspectors or claims adjustors responsible for claims of property insurers, incident cause investigators, and national forensic service workers. However, it has not been done well for conducting root cause analysis (RCA) and identifying the factors that contributed to the failure and establishing preventive measures before leading to chemical plant's catastrophic incidents. In this study, the criteria of warning signs on CCPS catastrophic incident waning sign self-assessment tool which was derived through the RCA method and the contribution factor analysis method using the swiss cheese model principle has been reviewed first. Secondly, in order to determine the major incident warning signs in an actual chemical plant, 614 recommendations which have been issued during last the 17 years by loss control engineers of global reinsurers were analyzed. Finally, in order to facilitate the assessment index for catastrophic incident warning signs, the criteria for the catastrophic incident warning sign index at chemical plants were grouped by type and classified into upper category and lower category. Then, a catastrophic incident warning sign index for a chemical plant was developed using the weighted values of each category derived by applying the analytic hierarchy process (pairwise comparison method) through a questionnaire answered by relevant experts of the chemical plant. It is expected that the final 'assessment index for catastrophic incident warning signs' can be utilized by the refinery and petrochemical plant's internal as well as external auditors to assess vulnerability levels related to incident warning signs, and identify the elements of incident warning signs that need to be tracked and managed to prevent the occurrence of serious incidents in the future.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.53 no.9
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• pp.661-670
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• 2020

The water supply system has a wider installation range and various components of it than other infrastructure, making it difficult to secure stability against earthquakes. Therefore, it is necessary to develop methods for evaluating the seismic performance of water supply systems. Ground Motion Prediction Equation (GMPE) is used to evaluate the seismic performance (e.g, failure probability) for water supply facilities such as pump, water tank, and pipes. GMPE is calculated considering the independent variables such as the magnitude of the earthquake and the ground motion such as PGV (Peak Ground Velocity) and PGA (Peak Ground Acceleration). Since the large magnitude earthquake data has not accumulated much to date in Korea, this study tried to select a suitable GMPE for the domestic earthquake simulation by using the earthquake data measured in Korea. To this end, GMPE formula is calculated based on the existing domestic earthquake and presented the results. In the future, it is expected that the evaluation will be more appropriate if the determined GMPE is used when evaluating the seismic performance of domestic waterworks. Appropriate GMPE can be directly used to evaluate hydraulic seismic performance of water supply networks. In other words, it is possible to quantify the damage rate of a pipeline during an earthquake through linkage with the pipe failure probability model, and it is possible to derive more reasonable results when estimating the water outage or low-pressure area due to pipe damages. Finally, the quantifying result of the seismic performance can be used as a design criteria for preparing an optimal restoration plan and proactive seismic design of pipe networks to minimize the damage in the event of an earthquake.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.248-260
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• 2004

Background : As an effective regimen for isoniazid (INH)-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis, several treatment regimens have been recommended by many experts. In Korea, a standard regimen has not been established for INH-resistant tuberculosis, and the treatment by individual physicians has been performed on an empirical bases. The purpose of the present study was to retrospectively describe the treatment characteristics and evaluate the treatment outcomes of patients with INH-resistant tuberculosis. Materials and Methods : Sixty of 69 patients reported to have INH-resistant tuberculosis from 1994 to 2001 were retrospectively analyzed. Exclusion criteria included: death from other causes, with the exceptions of tuberculosis and incomplete treatment, including a patient's transfer-out. Results : A previous tuberculosis history was found in 28 (46.7%) patients. The sputum smear for acid-fast bacilli was positive in 44 (73.3%) patients, and 30 (50.0%) had cavitary disease. Streptomycin resistance coexisted in 25.0% of isolates. INH was to be prescribed continuously, even after INH resistance was reported, in 86.0% of patients. The treatment regimens were diverse between the patients according to drug regimen composition and treatment duration. The most frequent prescribed regimen included rifampin, ethambutol and pyrazinamide, with and without INH, for the full 12-month term of treatment. Treatment failure occurred in 13 (21.7%) patients. Cavitary disease (p=0.005) and a treatment regimen with second-line drugs, excluding rifampin (p=0.015), were associated with treatment failure. One patient experienced a relapse. Conclusions : Standardized treatment guidelines will be needed in Korea to improve the treatment efficacy for INH-resistant tuberculosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.311-319
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• 2003

Background : Previous studies have suggested that a B-type natriuretic peptide(BNP) test can provide important information on diagnosis, as well as predicting the severity and prognosis of heart failure. Myocardial dysfunction is often observed in critically ill noncardiac patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, and the prognosis of the myocardial dysfunction needs to be determined. This study evaluated the predictability of BNP on the prognosis of critically ill noncardiac patients. Methods : 32 ICU patients, who were hospitalized from June to October 2002 and in whom the BNP test was evaluated, were enrolled in this study. The exclusion criteria included the conditions that could increase the BNP levels irrespective of the severity, such as congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, ischemic heart disease, and renal insufficiencies. A triage B-Type Natriuretic Peptide test with a RIA-kit was used for the fluorescence immunoassay of BNP test. In addition, the acute physiology and the chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II score and mortality were recorded. Results : There were 16 males and 16 females enrolled in this study. The mean age was 59 years old. The mean BNP levels between the ICU patients and control were significantly different ($186.7{\pm}274.1$ pg/mL vs. $19.9{\pm}21.3$ pg/mL, p=0.033). Among the ICU patients, there were 14(44----) patients with BNP levels above 100 pg/mL. The APACHE II score was $16.5{\pm}7.6$. In addition, there were 11 mortalities reported. The correlation between the BNP and APACHE II score, between the BNP and mortality were significant (r=0.443, p=0.011 & r=0.530, p=0.002). The mean BNP levels between the dead and alive groups were significantly different ($384.1{\pm}401.7$ pg/mL vs. $83.2{\pm}55.8$ pg/mL p=0.033). However, the $PaO_2/FiO_2$ did not significantly correlate with the BNP level. Conclusion : This study evaluated the BNP level was elevated in critically ill, noncardiac patients. The BNP level could be a useful, noninvasive tool for predicting the prognosis of the critically ill, noncardiac patients.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2017

'The worstest environment disaster', 'World's first biocide massacre', 'Home-based Sewol ferry disaster' are all phrases attached to the recent humidifier disinfectant disaster. In the spring of 2011, four of 8 pregnant women including 1 adult man passed away at a university hospital in Seoul due to breathing failure. Epidemiologic investigation conducted by the Korean CDC soon revealed the inhalation of humidifier disinfectant, which had been widely used in Korea during the winter, to be responsible for the disease. As well as lung fibrosis hardening of the lungs, other diseases including asthma, rhinitis, skin disease, liver disease, fetal disease or cancers have been researched for their relation with exposure to the products. By February 9, 2017, 5,342 cases had registered for health problems and 1,131 of them were already dead (20.8% mortality rate). Based on studies by government agencies and a telephone survey of the general population by Seoul National University and civic groups, around 20% of the general public of Korea has used these products. Since the market release of the first product by SK Chemical in 1994, over 7.1 million items from around 20 brands were sold up to 2011. Most of the products were manufactured by well-known large conglomerates such as SK, Lotte, Samsung, Shinsegye, LG, and GS, as well as some European companies including UK-based Reckitt Benckiser and TESCO, the German firm Henkel, the Danish firm KeTox, and an Irish company. Even though this disaster was unveiled in 2011 by the Korean government, the issue of the victims was neglected for over five years. In 2016, an unexpected but intensive investigation by prosecutors found that Reckitt Benckiser manipulated and concealed animal tests for its own brand and brought several university experts and company employees to court. The matter was an intense social issue in Korea from May to June with a surge in media coverage. The prosecutor's investigation and a nationwide boycott campaign organized by victims and environmental groups against Reckitt Benckiser, whose product had been used by more than 70% of victims, led to the producer's official apology and a compensation scheme. A legislative investigation organized after the April 2016 national election revealed the producers' faults and the government's responsibility, but failed to meet expectations. A special law for the victims passed the National Assembly in January 2017 and a punitive system together with a massive environmental epidemiology investigation are expected to be the only solutions for this tragedy. Sciences of medicine, toxicology and environmental health have provided decisive evidence so far, but for the remaining problems the perspectives of social sciences such as sociology and jurisprudence are highly necessary, similar to with the Minamata disease and Wonjin Rayon events. It may not be easy to follow this issue using unfamiliar terminology from medical and chemical science and the long, complicated history of the event. For these reasons the author has attempted to write this article in a question and answer format to render it easier to follow. The 17 questions are: Q1 What is humidifier disinfectant? Q2 What kind of health problems are caused by humidifier disinfectant? Q3 How many victims are there? Q4 What is the analysis of the 1,112 cases of death? Q5 What is the problem with the government's diagnostic criteria and the solution? Q6 Who made what brands? Q7 Has there been a recall? What is still on sale? Q8 Was safety not checked by any producers? Q9 What are the government's responsibilities? Q10 Is it true that these products were sold only in Korea? Q11 Why and how was it unveiled only in 2011 after 17 years of sales? Q12 What delayed the resolution of the victim issue? Q13 What is the background of the prosecutor's investigation in early 2016? Q14 Is it possible to report new victim cases without evidence of product purchase? Q15 What is happening with the victim issue? Q16 How does it compare with the cases of Minamata disease and Wonjin Rayon? Q17 Are there prevention measures and lessons?

• Korean Security Journal
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• no.41
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• pp.37-66
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• 2014

In recent years, with the development of computers and electronics, electronics and communication technology in a growing and each part is dependent on the cross-referencing makes all electronic equipment is obsolete due to direct or indirect damage EMP. Korea and the impending standoff North Korea has a considerable level of technologies related to the EMP, EMP weapons you already have or in a few years, the development of EMP weapons will complete. North Korea launched a long-range missile and conducted a nuclear test on several occasions immediately after, when I saw the high-altitude nuclear blackmail has been strengthening the outright offensive nuclear EMP attacks at any time and practical significance for the EMP will need offensive skills would improve. At this point you can predict the damage situation of Korea's security reality that satisfy the need, more than anything else to build a protective system of the EMP. The scale of the damage that unforeseen but significant military damage and socio-economic damage and fatalities when I looked into the situation which started out as a satellite communications systems and equipment to attack military and security systems and transportation, finance, national emergency system, such as the damage elsewhere. In General, there is no direct casualties reported, but EMP medical devices that rely on lethal damage to people who can show up. In addition, the State power system failure due to a power supply interruption would not have thought the damage would bring State highly dependent on domestic power generation of nuclear plants is a serious nuclear power plant accident in the event of a blackout phenomenon can lead to the plant's internal problems should see a forecast. First of all, a special expert Committee of the EMP, the demand for protective facilities and equipment and conduct an investigation, he takes fits into your budget is under strict criteria by configuring the contractors should be sifting through. He then created the Agency for verification of performance EMP protection after you have verified the performance of maintenance, maintenance, safety and security management, design and construction company organized and systematic process Guard facilities or secret communications equipment and perfect for the EMP, such as protective equipment maneuver system should take.