• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.78 no.3
• /
• pp.196-202
• /
• 2015

Background: Viridans streptococci (VS) are a large group of streptococcal bacteria that are causative agents of community-acquired respiratory tract infection. However, data regarding their clinical characteristics are limited. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the clinical and radiologic features of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) with or without parapneumonic effusion caused by VS. Methods: Of 455 consecutive CAP patients with or without parapneumonic effusion, VS were isolated from the blood or pleural fluid in 27 (VS group, 5.9%) patients. Streptococcus pneumoniae was identified as a single etiologic agent in 70 (control group) patients. We compared various clinical parameters between the VS group and the control group. Results: In univariate analysis, the VS group was characterized by more frequent complicated parapneumonic effusion or empyema and bed-ridden status, lower incidences of productive cough, elevated procalcitonin (>0.5 ng/mL), lower age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index score, and more frequent ground glass opacity (GGO) or consolidation on computed tomography (CT) scans. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that complicated parapneumonic effusion or empyema, productive cough, bed-ridden status, and GGO or consolidation on CT scans were independent predictors of community-acquired respiratory tract infection caused by VS. Conclusion: CAP caused by VS commonly presents as complicated parapneumonic effusion or empyema. It is characterized by less frequent productive cough, more frequent bed-ridden status, and less common CT pulmonary parenchymal lesions. However, its treatment outcome and clinical course are similar to those of pneumococcal pneumonia.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.44 no.1
• /
• pp.24-30
• /
• 2018

Objectives: Based on the amount of amalgam, the duration of exposure, and the water pH, this study aims to investigate the change patterns in the mercury concentrations in water after amalgams have been introduced into sewage water. It is expected that the study results will be useful in improving the system for regulating the amount of mercury that is introduced into the environment. Methods: During the study, a glass test-tube with a cap was washed and disinfected using the glass laboratory device washing method. Then, 1, 2, 3, and 4 tabs were placed into a 10 mL pH 4 solution and 10 mL pH 7 distilled water. Each specimen was prepared in duplicate. The mean of the two mercury concentrations was used as the representative value, and the mercury concentration was measured using a mercury measurement device (DMA-80, Milestone, Italy) a total of eight times at one-week intervals. Results: The results show that the lower was the pH, the higher was the amount of amalgam. Also the longer was the duration, the more significant was the increase of mercury concentration in the water. Conclusions: Dental clinics are collected separately from dental clinics that used them. Given this, dental clinics in Korea must have the necessary facilities to separately collect mercury at their level. In addition, proper disposal systems and social attention to the proper management of dental wastes are required to prevent environmental pollution from mercury.

• Current Applied Physics
• /
• v.18 no.12
• /
• pp.1523-1527
• /
• 2018

The thermal stability, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of $Gd_{55}Co_{35}M_{10}$ (M = Si, Zr and Nb) melts-pun ribbons were studied. The relatively high reduced glass transition temperature ($T_{x1}/T_m$ > 0.60) and low melting point ($T_m$) resulted in excellent glass forming ability (GFA). The Curie temperatures ($T_C$) of melt-spun amorphous ribbons $Gd_{55}Co_{35}M_{10}$ for M = Si, Zr and Nb were 166, 148 and 173 K, respectively. For a magnetic field change of 2 T, the values of maximum magnetic entropy change $(-{\Delta}S_M)^{max}$ for $Gd_{55}Co_{35}Si_{10}$, $Gd_{55}Co_{35}Zr_{10}$ and $Gd_{55}Co_{35}Nb_{10}$ were found to be 2.86, 4.28 and $4.05J\;kg^{-1}K^{-1}$, while the refrigeration capacity (RC) values were 154, 274 and $174J\;kg^{-1}$, respectively. The $RC_{FWHM}$ values of amorphous alloys $Gd_{55}Co_{35}M_{10}$ (M = Si, Zr and Nb) are comparable to or larger than that of $LaFe_{11.6}Si_{1.4}$ crystalline alloy. Large values of $(-{\Delta}S_M)^{max}$ and RC along with good thermal stability make $Gd_{55}Co_{35}M_{10}$ (M = Si, Zr and Nb) amorphous alloys be potential materials for magnetic cooling operating in a wide temperature range from 150 to 175 K, e.g., as part of a gas liquefaction process.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.313-321
• /
• 1999

The purpose of these study was to investigate the use of a glass micropipette (GMP) as a vessel for vitrification of bovine IVP blastocysts, to compare the post-thaw survival rates of bovine blastocysts frozen in GMP with those frozen in OPS that have been previously investigated, and to improve the hatching rate following vitrification with GMP method. The GMP vessel permits higher freezing and warming rate than the OPS due to the higher heat conductivity of the glass and lower mass of the solution that contains the embryos. Groups of three bovine IVP blastocysts were sequentially placed into vitrification solution before being loaded into either the OPS or GMP vessels and immersed into L$N_2$within 20 to 25 sec. Post-thaw blastocysts were serially washed in 0.25 and 0.15 M sucrose in HM and TCM-199 for each 5 min, respectively, and then cultured in TCM 199 supplemented with 10% FCS for 24 h. The rate of blastocyst re-expanding did not significantly different for OPS (75.9%) and GMP (80.0%) methods (P＞0.05). The hatching rates in OPS (34.1%) and GMP (37.5%) methods were significantly lower than that in control group (54.3%) (P＞0.05). In addition, the rate of blastocyst re-expanding was significantly lower if blastocysts were vitrified in the wide portion of the micropipette rather than the narrow portion of the micropipette (83.3 vs 56.7%) (P＞0.05), even though three blastocysts were loaded per vessel. The hatching rate in 0.05% pronase solution treatment for 30, 60 and 90 see (45.9, 54.7 and 57.5%) were significantly higher than that in control (35.0%), even though there was not significantly different between 30 see and control. These results indicate that both vitrification vessels can provide high survival rates of bovine IVP blastocysts. However, the GMP vessel has the advantage over the OPS, in that the former does not need a cap to protect the vessel from floating after immersion in L$N_2$. The location of the embryos (narrow or wide portion of immersion) were considered to be limiting factors to the viability of bovine IVP embryos. The exposing in 0.05% pronase solution for 60 or 90 see can increase hatching rates of post-thaw bovine IVP blastocysts.

• Proceedings of the International Microelectronics And Packaging Society Conference
• /
• 2001.11a
• /
• pp.129-133
• /
• 2001

In this paper, hermetic sealing was studied fur wafer level packaging of the MEMS devices. With the flip-chip bonding method, this B-stage epoxy sealing will be profit to MEMS device sealing and further more RF-MEMS device sealing. B-stage epoxy can be cured 2-step and hermetic sealing can be obtained. After defining $500{\mu}{\textrm}{m}$-width seal-lines on the glass cap substrate by screen printing, it was pre-baked at $90^{\circ}C$ for about 30 minutes. It was then aligned and bonded with device substrate followed by post-baked at $175^{\circ}C$ for about 30 minutes. By using this 2-step baking characteristic, the width and the height of the seal-line were maintained during the sealing process. The height of the seal-line was controlled within $\pm0.6${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ and the strength was measured to about 20MPa by pull test. The leak rate of the epoxy was about $10^7$ cc/sec from the leak test.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.367-372
• /
• 2020

As packaging processes for atomic gyroscope vapor cells, the glass tube tip-off process, anodic bonding, and paste sealing have been widely studied. However, there are stability issues in the alkali metal which are caused by impurity elements and leakage during high-temperature processes. In this study, we investigated the applicability of a vapor cell low-temperature packaging process by depositing Au on a Pyrex cell in addition to forming an Au-Sn thin film on a cap to cover the cell, followed by laser irradiation of the Au/Au-Sn interface. The mechanism of the thin film bonding was evaluated by XRD, while the packaging reliability of an Ne gas-filled vapor cell was characterized by variation of plasma discharge behavior with time. Furthermore, we confirmed that the Rb alkaline metal inside the vapor cell showed no color change, indicating no oxidation occurred during the process.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.202-206
• /
• 2012

In this study, we developed transdermal direct drug delivery device using micro-needle painlessly. We has fabricated micro-needle that is 130 ${\mu}m$ thickness and 250 ${\mu}m$length with 10 ${\mu}m$ spiral groove for rolling down drug. Head part of micro-needle device is composed of 20ea micro-needles, an on-off valve and a protective cap. Glass bottle for containing drug is connected to head part of micro-needle device. We examined the puncture characteristic testing using porcine skin and drug delivery testing using porcine, rat skin with Indian Ink.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
• /
• v.12 no.5
• /
• pp.149-156
• /
• 2013

The performances of solar collectors with single and double evacuated tube were experimentally compared. The solar collector with single evacuated tube using surface treatment in this study consists of radiation fin, heat pipe, absorber plate, glass tube, cap and regulating valve, and so on. Surface treatment was conducted for heat pipe and absorber plate with black chrome plating and copper black coating. As the results, the performance of solar collector with single evacuated tube using surface treatment showed good results compared that of double evacuated tube. Absorber plate played a positive role in performance and showed increase of about 28%. Further performance depends on vacuum degree and vacuum degree has to be considered economical efficiency in solar collector.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
• /
• 1999.06a
• /
• pp.275-278
• /
• 1999

We have grown vertically aligned carbon nanotubes in a large area of Co-Ni codeposited Si substrates by the thermal CVD using $C_2$H$_2$gas. Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes, Synthesis of carbon nanotubes for mass production has been achieved by several methods such as laser vaporization, arc discharge, and pyrolysis. In particular, growth of vertically aligned nanotubes is of technological importance for applications to FED. Recently, vertically aligned carbon nanotubes have been grown on glass by PECVD. Aligned carbon nanotubes can be also grown on mesoporous silica and Fe patterned porous silicon using CVD. Despite such breakthroughs in the growth, the growth mechanism of the alignment are still far from being clearly understood. Furthermore, FED has not been clearly demonstrated yet at a practical level. Here, we demonstrate that carbon nanotubes can be vertically aligned on catalyzed Si substrate when the domain density reaches a certain value. We suggest that steric hindrance between nanotubes at an initial stage of the growth forces nanotubes to align vertically and then nanotubes are further grown by the cap growth mechanism.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.55-62
• /
• 2013

An analytical procedure to determine a proper profile of the spring rail that generates intended contact pressure distribution in the flat wiper blade is introduced. The flat wiper blade is one piece blade and subjected to pressing force at a center point. In this type of blade, contact pressure distribution in the tip of rubber strip is determined by the pressing force, the initial profile of the blade before contact and bending stiffness of the blade. Experimentally obtained bending stiffness of the blade assembly is almost identical to that of the spring rail. Principle of reciprocity has been used to define the initial profile of spring rail from the deformed profile that is assumed to be identical to the windshield glass profile. The procedure has been verified experimentally by measuring the contact pressure of the blade assembled with the spring rail designed by the procedure proposed here. Measured contact pressure distributions of the blades show good agreements with intended distributions over the entire blade span. Consequently, it can be concluded that proposed procedure has relatively good accuracy in developing the spring rail for flat blade having a specific contact pressure distribution.