• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.523-530
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to obtain the K-edge images using a spectral CT system based on a photon-counting detector and implement the 3D fusion imaging using the conventional and spectral CT images. Also, we evaluated the clinical feasibility of the 3D fusion images though the quantitative analysis of image quality. A spectral CT system based on a CdTe photon-counting detector was used to obtain K-edge images. A pork phantom was manufactured with the six tubes including diluted iodine and gadolinium solutions. The K-edge images were obtained by the low-energy thresholds of 35 and 52 keV for iodine and gadolinium imaging with the X-ray spectrum, which was generated at a tube voltage of 100 kVp with a tube current of $500{\mu}A$. We implemented 3D fusion imaging by combining the iodine and gadolinium K-edge images with the conventional CT images. The results showed that the CNRs of the 3D fusion images were 6.76-14.9 times higher than those of the conventional CT images. Also, the 3D fusion images was able to provide the maps of target materials. Therefore, the technique proposed in this study can improve the quality of CT images and the diagnostic efficiency through the additional information of target materials.

• The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.187-192
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• 2019

Hybrid power storage system with emergency power function for demand management and power outage minimizes the investment cost in the building of buildings and factories requiring emergency power generation facilities, We propose a new business model by developing technology that can secure economical efficiency by reducing power cost at all times. Normally, system power is supplied to load through STS (Static Transfer Switch), and PCS is connected to system in parallel to perform demand management. In order to efficiently operate the electric power through demand forecasting, the EMS issues a charge / discharge command to the ESS as a PMS (Power Management System), and the PMS transmits the command to the PCS controller to operate the system. During the power outage, the STS is rapidly disengaged from the system, and the PCS becomes an independent power supply and can supply constant voltage / constant frequency power to the load side. Therefore, it is possible to secure reliability through verification of actual system linkage and independent operation performance of hybrid ESS, By enabling low-carbon green growth technology to operate in conjunction with an efficient grid, it is possible to improve irregular power quality and contribute to peak load by generating renewable energy through ESS linkage. In addition, the ESS is replacing the frequency follow-up reserve, which is currently under the charge of coal-fired power generation, and thus it is anticipated that the operation cost of the LNG generator with high fuel cost can be reduced.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.105-116
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• 2021

Background: The creation of the National Institute of Ecology began as a national alternative project to preserve mudflats instead of constructing the industrial complexes by reclamation, and achieve regional development. On the other hand, at the national level, the research institute for ecology was needed to cope with the worsening conditions for maintaining biodiversity due to accelerated climate change such as global warming and increased demand for development. In order to meet these needs, the National Institute of Ecology has the following objectives: (1) carries out studies for ecosystem change due to climate change and biodiversity conservation, (2) performs ecological education to the public through exhibition of various ecosystem models, and (3) promotes regional development through the ecological industry. Furthermore, to achieve these objectives, the National Institute of Ecology thoroughly followed the basic principles of ecology, especially restoration ecology, in the process of its construction. We introduce the principles and cases of ecological restoration applied in the process. Results: We minimized the impact on the ecosystem in order to harmonize with the surrounding environment in all the processes of construction. We pursued passive restoration following the principle of ecological restoration as a process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem degraded for all the space except in land where artificial facilities were introduced. Reference information was applied thoroughly in the process of active restoration to create biome around the world, Korean peninsula forests, and wetland ecosystems. In order to realize true restoration, we pursued the ecological restoration in a landscape level as the follows. We moved the local road 6 and high-voltage power lines to underground to ensure ecological connectivity within the National Institute of Ecology campus. To enhance ecological diversity, we introduced perch poles and islands as well as floating leaved, emerged, wetland, and riparian plants in wetlands and mantle communities around the forests of the Korean Peninsula in the terrestrial ecosystem. Furthermore, in order to make the public aware of the importance of the intact nature, the low-lying landscape elements, which have disappeared due to excessive land use in most areas of Korea, was created by imitating demilitarized zone (DMZ) landscape that has these landscape elements. Conclusions: The National Institute of Ecology was created in an eco-friendly way by thoroughly reflecting the principles of ecology to suit its status and thus the impact on the existing ecosystem was minimized. This concept was also designed to be reflected in the process of operation. The results have become real, and a result of analysis on carbon budget analysis is approaching the carbon neutrality.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.443-455
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• 2021

In this study, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) was used as a support and a separator was manufactured using polysulfone and inorganic additives to manufacture a separator with low membrane resistance for application of an alkali water electrolysis system, and then the effect on the thickness and porosity of the support was analyzed. The PPS felt used as a support was compressed with variables of temperature (100℃, 150℃, 200℃) and pressure (1 ton, 2 tons, 3 tons, 5 tons) to adjust the thickness. A porous separator could be manufactured by preparing a slurry with polysulfone using BaTiO₃ and ZrO₂ which have high hydrophilicity and excellent alkali resistance as inorganic particles and casting the slurry on a compressed PPS felt. Changes in morphology of the separator according to compression conditions were confirmed through an electron scanning microscope (SEM). After that, the porosity was calculated, and the thickness and porosity tended to decrease as the compression conditions increased. Various characteristics were evaluated to confirm whether it could be used as a separator for water electrolysis. As a result of measuring the mechanical strength, it was confirmed that the tensile strength gradually increased as the compression conditions (temperature and pressure) increased. Finally, it was confirmed that the porous separator manufactured through the alkali resistance test has excellent alkali resistance, and through the IV test, it was confirmed that the membranes compressed at 100℃ and 150℃ had a lower voltage and improved performance than the existing uncompressed membrane.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.417-425
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• 2021

As the demand for high-capacity batteries increases, there has been growing researches on the lithium metal anode with a capacity (3,860 mAh/g) of higher than that of conventional one and a low electrochemical potential (-3.040 V). In this study, using the anatase phased TiO₂ nanoparticles synthesized by hydrothermal synthesis, a PVdF-HFP/TiO₂ organic/inorganic composite material was designed and used as an interfacial protective layer for a Li metal anode. As-formed organic/inorganic-lithium composite thin film was confirmed through the crystalline structure and morphological analyses. In addition, the electrochemical test (cycle stability and voltage profile) confirmed that the protective layer of PVdF-HFP/TiO₂ composite (10 wt% TiO₂ and 1.1 ㎛ film thickness) contributed to the enhanced electrochemical performance of the lithium metal anode (Colombic efficiency retention: 90% for 77 cycles). Based on comparative test with the untreated lithium electrode, it was confirmed that our protective layer plays an important role to stabilize/improve the EC performance of the lithium metal negative electrode.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.95-102
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• 2022

It is a study for the evaluation of the stability of the distribution automation system for the expansion of renewable energy. Through the Renewable Energy 3020 Implementation Plan, the government plans to expand new renewable energy and convert it to participatory energy that improves the quality of life of the people by 2030. The government has set a target of 20% of domestic supply energy for renewable energy generation by 2030. It is planning to establish more than 95 percent of its new facilities with clean energy such as solar power and wind power. By expanding the supply of renewable energy, new energy businesses and distributed power industry were fostered, and short-distance, low-voltage, and small-scale power generation were rapidly expanded rather than large-scale power development in the past. Due to this demand, the importance of power distribution facility operation has emerged and the need for distribution automation system is increasing. This paper discusses the development of a power distribution simulator for the performance and function evaluation of power distribution automation systems and presents the results of an interlocking test with the power distribution automation system. In order to introduce an advanced system into the power distribution system, it is necessary to take advantage of the transmission and distribution system. The DNP3.0 protocol is used in the distribution system and the IEC61850 protocol is used in the transmission and distribution system. It was concluded that the functions and performance of operations were satisfied when these two protocols are mixed and used in the distribution automation system.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2023

For optimal image quality of computer tomography angiography (CTA), different iodine concentrations and scan parameters were applied to quantitatively evaluate the image quality characteristics of filtered back projection (FBP), hybrid-iterative reconstruction (hybrid-IR), and deep learning reconstruction (DLR). A 320-row-detector CT scanner scanned a phantom with various iodine concentrations (1.2, 2.9, 4.9, 6.9, 10.4, 14.3, 18.4, and 25.9 mg/mL) located at the edge of a cylindrical water phantom with a diameter of 19 cm. Data obtained using each reconstruction technique was analyzed through noise, coefficient of variation (COV), and root mean square error (RMSE). As the iodine concentration increased, the CT number value increased, but the noise change did not show any special characteristics. COV decreased with increasing iodine concentration for FBP, adaptive iterative dose reduction (AIDR) 3D, and advanced intelligent clear-IQ engine (AiCE) at various tube voltages and tube currents. In addition, when the iodine concentration was low, there was a slight difference in COV between the reconstitution techniques, but there was little difference as the iodine concentration increased. AiCE showed the characteristic that RMSE decreased as the iodine concentration increased but rather increased after a specific concentration (4.9 mg/mL). Therefore, the user will have to consider the characteristics of scan parameters such as tube current and tube voltage as well as iodine concentration according to the reconstruction technique for optimal CTA image acquisition.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.267-275
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• 2023

Cardiotoxicity, particularly drug-induced Torsades de Pointes (TdP), is a concern in drug safety assessment. The recent establishment of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (human iPSC-CMs) has become an attractive human-based platform for predicting cardiotoxicity. Moreover, electrophysiological assessment of multiple cardiac ion channel blocks is emerging as an important parameter to recapitulate proarrhythmic cardiotoxicity. Therefore, we aimed to establish a novel in vitro multiple cardiac ion channel screening-based method using human iPSC-CMs to predict the drug-induced arrhythmogenic risk. To explain the cellular mechanisms underlying the cardiotoxicity of three representative TdP high- (sotalol), intermediate- (chlorpromazine), and low-risk (mexiletine) drugs, and their effects on the cardiac action potential (AP) waveform and voltage-gated ion channels were explored using human iPSC-CMs. In a proof-of-principle experiment, we investigated the effects of cardioactive channel inhibitors on the electrophysiological profile of human iPSC-CMs before evaluating the cardiotoxicity of these drugs. In human iPSC-CMs, sotalol prolonged the AP duration and reduced the total amplitude (TA) via selective inhibition of I_Kr and I_Na currents, which are associated with an increased risk of ventricular tachycardia TdP. In contrast, chlorpromazine did not affect the TA; however, it slightly increased AP duration via balanced inhibition of I_Kr and I_Ca currents. Moreover, mexiletine did not affect the TA, yet slightly reduced the AP duration via dominant inhibition of I_Ca currents, which are associated with a decreased risk of ventricular tachycardia TdP. Based on these results, we suggest that human iPSC-CMs can be extended to other preclinical protocols and can supplement drug safety assessments.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.362-368
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• 2023

Multilayered actuators using Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-Pb(In_1/2Nb_1/2)O₃-PbTiO₃ (PMN-PIN-PT) crystals have demonstrated excellent properties, but are costly and lack mechanical strength. Textured PMN-PIN-PT ceramics exhibit robust mechanical strength and comparable properties to their single crystals form. However, the development of multilayered actuators using textured PMN-PIN-PT ceramics has not been achieved until now. This study presents the development of a multilayered actuator using textured 0.37PMN-0.29PIN-0.34PT ceramics with an Ag_0.9/Pd_0.1 inner electrode, co-fired at 950℃. A random 0.37PMN-0.29PIN-0.34PT ceramics multilayered actuator was also developed for comparison. The multilayered actuator consisted of 9 ceramic layers (36 ㎛ thickness) with an overall actuator thickness of 0.401 mm. The textured and random 0.37PMN-0.29PIN-0.34PT ceramics-based multilayered actuators achieved displacements of 0.61 ㎛ (0.15% strain) and 0.23 ㎛ (0.057% strain) at a low applied peak voltage of 100 V. These results suggest that the developed multilayered actuator using high-performance textured 0.37PMN-0.29PIN-0.34PT ceramics has the potential to replace expensive single crystal-based actuators cost-effectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2022.10a
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• pp.245-247
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• 2022

Backscattered x-ray imaging is a technology capable of acquiring an image inside an irradiated object by measuring X-rays scattered from an object. For image acquisition, the system must include an X-ray generator and a detection system for measuring scattered x-rays. The imaging device must acquire a real-time signal at sampling intervals for x-rays generated by passing through a high-speed rotating collimator, and for this purpose, a high-speed signal acquisition device is required. We developed a high-speed multi-channel signal acquisition device for converting and transmitting signals generated by the sensor unit composed of a large-area plastic scintillator and a photomultiplier tube. The developed detector is a system capable of acquiring signals at intervals of at least 15u seconds and converting and transmitting signals of up to 6 channels. And a system includes remote control functions such as high voltage, signal gain, and low level discrimination for individual calibration of each sensor. Currently, we are conducting an application test for image acquisition under various conditions.