• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.80-88
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• 2023

Ensuring safety in the designing of manufacturing and handling facilities for low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is difficult because there are no standards for the dust explosion characteristics of LDPE. In this study, a dust explosion test was performed on two dust samples collected from a bag filter (LDPE 1) during the LDPE manufacturing process and sedimentary dust (LDPE 2) leaked outside a facility such as a silo, and the LDPE 2 explosion test results were summarized. Particle size analysis showed that the volume-based particle diameter (median) was 95.04 ㎛ and the number density was 0-1 ㎛. The maximum explosion pressure (P_max) was 6.6 bar, and the maximum rate of explosion pressure rise was 366 [bar/s] at 1500 g/m³. Accordingly, the dust explosion index (K_st) was 99.4 bar·m/s, which was confirmed as ST-1 grade. Moreover, the minimum ignition energy and minimum ignition temperature was 10 mJ and 450 ℃, respectively. Currently, manufacturing and handling design is based on the characteristic values of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). However, as the test results show that LDPE 2 dust has a higher risk than HDPE (particle diameter 61.6 ㎛), caution is required when using the HDPE design criteria in the LDPE manufacturing process.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.87-97
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• 2008

Behaviors of cemented engineered soils, composed of rigid sand particle and soft rubber particle, are investigated under $K_o$ condition. The uncemented and cemented specimens are prepared with various sand volume fractions to estimate the effect of the cementation in mixtures. The vertical deformation and elastic wave velocities with vertical stress are measured. The bender elements and PZT sensors are used to measure elastic wave velocities. After cementation, the slope of vertical strain shows bilinear and is similar to that of uncemented specimen after decementation. Normalized vertical strains can be divided into capillary force, cementation, and decementation region. The first deflection of the shear wave in near field matches the first arrival of the primary wave. The elastic wave velocities dramatically increase due to cementation hardening under the fixed vertical stress, and are almost identical with additional stress. After decementation, the elastic wave velocities increase with increase in the vertical stress. The effect of cementation hinders the typical rubber-like, sand-like, and transition behaviors observed in uncemented specimens. Different mechanism can be expected in decementation of the rigid-soft particle mixtures due to the sand fraction. a shape change of individual particles in low sand fraction specimens; a fabric change between particles in high sand fraction specimens. This study suggests that behaviors of cemented engineered soils, composed of rigid-soft particles, are distinguished due to the cementation and decementation from those of uncemented specimens.

• Composites Research
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.31-41
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• 2007

Dome shape design methods of Filament Winding (FW) composite pressure vessel, which can suggest various dome contour according to the external loading conditions, were investigated analytically and numerically. The performance indices(PV/W) of the pressure vessels with same cylinder radius and boss opening but different dome shape were evaluated by finite element analysis under the internal pressure loading condition. The analysis results showed that as the dome shape becomes flat, the performance index decreases significantly due to the reduced burst pressure. Especially, for the case of the high value of the parameter ro, the ratio between the radii of the cylinder part and the boss opening, the flat dome is disadvantageous in the aspect of the weight reduction, and additional reinforcing dome design technique should be required to increase the burst pressure. For example, above ro=0.54 condition, the dome shape change according to the loading condition could cause the low burst pressure and increase of composite weight in dome region and is not recommendable except for the special case that maximum inner volume or sufficient space between skirt and dome is the primary design objective. However, at ro=0.35, the dome shape change brings not so significant differences in the performance of FW vessel.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.86 no.2
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• pp.111-119
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• 2023

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate whether alcohol consumption might affect the quality of life (QOL), depressive mood, and metabolic syndrome in patients with obstructive lung disease (OLD). Methods: Data were obtained from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2014 and 2016. OLD was defined as spirometry of forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital capacity <0.7 in those aged more than 40 years. QOL was evaluated using the European Quality of Life Questionnaire-5D (EQ-5D) index. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to assess the severity of depressive mood. Alcohol consumption was based on a history of alcohol ingestion during the previous month. Results: A total of 984 participants with OLD (695 males, 289 females, age 65.8±9.7 years) were enrolled. The EQ-5D index was significantly higher in alcohol drinkers (n=525) than in non-alcohol drinkers (n=459) (0.94±0.11 vs. 0.91±0.13, p=0.002). PHQ9 scores were considerably lower in alcohol drinkers than in non-alcohol drinkers (2.15±3.57 vs. 2.78±4.13, p=0.013). However, multiple logistic regression analysis showed that alcohol consumption was not associated with EQ-5D index or PHQ-9 score. Body mass index ≥25 kg/m², triglyceride ≥150 mg/dL, high-density lipoprotein <40 mg/dL in men and <50 mg/dL in women, and blood pressure ≥130/85 mm Hg were significantly more common in alcohol drinkers than in non-alcohol drinkers (all p<0.05). Conclusion: Alcohol consumption did not change the QOL or depressive mood of OLD patients. However, metabolic syndrome-related factors were more common in alcohol drinkers than in non-alcohol drinkers.

• The Journal of Bigdata
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.213-224
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• 2022

In logistics and distribution, Market Basket Analysis (MBA) is used as an important means to analyze the correlation between major sales products and to increase internal operational efficiency. In particular, the results of market basket analysis are used as important reference data for decision-making processes such as product purchase prediction, product recommendation, and product display structure in stores. With the recent development of e-commerce, the number of items handled by a single distribution and logistics company has rapidly increased, And the existing analytical methods such as Apriori and FP-Growth have slowed down due to the exponential increase in the amount of calculation and applied to actual business. There is a limit to examining important association rules to overcome this limitation, In this study, at the Main-Category level, which is the highest classification system of products, the utility item set mining technique that can consider the sales volume of products together was used to first select a group of products mainly sold together. Then, at the sub-category level, the types of products sold together were identified using FP-Growth. By using this sequential layer filtering technique, it may be possible to reduce the unnecessary calculations and to find practically usable rules for enhancing the effectiveness and profitability.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.169-177
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• 2023

Background: The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has identified cases of people suspected of suffering lung disease potentially caused by chloromethylisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (CMIT/MIT) used in humidifier disinfectants (HDs). The Korean Ministry of Environment (MoE) epidemiological investigation and toxicity test study found that HDs caused health damage such as asthma and lung disease. Objectives: The main purposes of this study were to classify the HD exposure rating and to analyze the exposure characteristics that affect exposure to CMIT/MIT HDs. Methods: The exposure characteristics and socio-demographic characteristics of victim participants using CMIT/MIT HDs were investigated through questionnaires. An inhalation no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) for CMIT/MIT was produced based on inhalation toxicity values. Exposure ratings (class 1~class 2) were cross-tabulated with clinical ratings (acceptable~unacceptable). A correlation analysis was conducted with the main exposure characteristics that affect the exposure concentration of CMIT/MIT HDs. Results: The concentration in indoor air of CMIT/MIT was 8.75±25.40 ㎍/m³, and the exposure concentration was 2.30±6.29 ㎍/m³. The CMIT/MIT exposure rating of 67 participants with high exposures of not more than MOE 100 were evaluated as 14.5%, while the damage participants who matched the clinical rating made up 4.5%. The exposure concentration of CMIT/MIT showed a positive correlation with the daily usage amount and usage frequency, and a negative correlation with volume of the indoor environment. Conclusions: A new exposure rating could be suggested and calculated based on the MOE, and the factors affecting the exposure concentration could be identified.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.6B
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• pp.661-667
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• 2006

In this study, an experiment of sewage sludge dewatering is carried by using electrokinetic method, and the electrokinetic dewatering efficiency of digested sludge is analyzed. Digested sludge without coagulants is selected and gravitational and pressing dewatering methods are applied in combination with electro-osmotic and electro-osmotic pulse technology. After the test of digested sludge, dewatering test of thickened sludge is carried to evaluate the electrokinetic dewatering feasibility of thickened sludge. Under the condition of constantly applied voltage, however, electrical resistance increases with decreasing of water content so that dewatering rate decreases with time. To reduce such a hindrance caused by constantly applied voltage, electro-osmotic pulse technology which is considered to reduce the difference of water content with height, is applied. For the application of electro-osmotic pulse, the dewatered flow rate and the dewatered volume became more increasing from the middle of the dewatering process than that of continuous voltage. Through the test of thickened sludge, electro-osmotic dewatering combined with gravitational and expression also showed high dewatering rate, which proved the possibility of using electrokinetic dewatering.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.230-238
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• 2023

Small and medium-sized food manufacturing enterprises are largely reliant on manual labor, from inputting raw materials to palletizing the final product. Recently, there has been a trend toward smartness and digitization through the implementation of robotics and sensor data technology. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of improvement through 3D simulation on two repetitive work processes within a food manufacturing company. These processes involve workers whose speed cannot match the capacity of the applied equipment. Two manual processes were selected: the weighing and packing process performed by workers after skewer assembly, and the manual batch process of counting randomly delivered frozen foods, packing (both internal and external), and palletizing. The production volume, utilization rate, and number of workers were chosen as verification indicators. As a result of the simulation for improving the 3D process, production increased by 13.5% and 56.8% compared to the existing process, respectively. This was particularly evident in the process of applying palletizing robots. In both processes, as the utilization rate and number of input workers decreased, robots could replace tasks with high worker fatigue, thereby reducing work overload. This study demonstrates the potential to visually compare the process flow improvement using 3D simulations and confirms the possibility of pre-validation for improvement.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.1-12
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• 2023

In the current era of the global mobile smart device revolution, electronic devices are required in all spaces that people interact with. The establishment of the internet of things (IoT) among smart devices has been recognized as a crucial objective to advance towards creating a comfortable and sustainable future society. In-mold electronic (IME) processes have gained significant industrial significance due to their ability to utilize conventional high-volume methods, which involve printing functional inks on 2D substrates, thermoforming them into 3D shapes, and injection-molded, manufacturing low-cost, lightweight, and functional components or devices. In this article, we provide an overview of IME and its latest advances in application. We review biomimetic nanomaterials for constructing self-supporting biosensor electronic materials on the body, energy storage devices, self-powered devices, and bio-monitoring technology from the perspective of in-mold electronic devices. We anticipate that IME device technology will play a critical role in establishing a human-machine interface (HMI) by converging with the rapidly growing flexible printed electronics technology, which is an integral component of the fourth industrial revolution.

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.435-440
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• 2023

This study aimed to enhance the thermal conductivity of B₄C/Al composite materials, commonly used in transport/storage containers for spent nuclear fuel, by incorporating both boron carbide (B₄C) and cubic boron nitride(cBN) as reinforcing agents in an aluminum (Al) matrix. The composite materials were successfully manufactured through a stir casting process and practical neutron-absorbing materials were obtained by rolling the fabricated composite ingot. The evaluation of the thermal conductivity of the fabricated composites was carried out because thermal conductivity is critical for neutron absorbing materials. The thermal conductivity measurement results indicated an approximately 3% increase in thermal conductivity under the same volume fraction when compared to composite materials using only B₄C particles. Through neutron absorption cross-sectional area calculations, it was confirmed that the neutron absorption capability decreased to a negligible level. Based on the findings of this study, new design approaches for neutron absorption materials are proposed, contributing to the development of high-performance transport/storage containers.