• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.268-279
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• 2018

The ALCYONE multidimensional fuel performance code codeveloped by the CEA, EDF, and AREVA NP within the PLEIADES software environment models the behavior of fuel rods during irradiation in commercial pressurized water reactors (PWRs), power ramps in experimental reactors, or accidental conditions such as loss of coolant accidents or reactivity-initiated accidents (RIAs). As regards the latter case of transient in particular, ALCYONE is intended to predictively simulate the response of a fuel rod by taking account of mechanisms in a way that models the physics as closely as possible, encompassing all possible stages of the transient as well as various fuel/cladding material types and irradiation conditions of interest. On the way to complying with these objectives, ALCYONE development and validation shall include tests on $PWR-UO_2$ fuel rods with advanced claddings such as M5(R) under "low pressure-low temperature" or "high pressure-high temperature" water coolant conditions. This article first presents ALCYONE V1.4 RIA-related features and modeling. It especially focuses on recent developments dedicated on the one hand to nonsteady water heat and mass transport and on the other hand to the modeling of grain boundary cracking-induced fission gas release and swelling. This article then compares some simulations of RIA transients performed on $UO_2$-M5(R) fuel rods in flowing sodium or stagnant water coolant conditions to the relevant experimental results gained from tests performed in either the French CABRI or the Japanese NSRR nuclear transient reactor facilities. It shows in particular to what extent ALCYONE-starting from base irradiation conditions it itself computes-is currently able to handle both the first stage of the transient, namely the pellet-cladding mechanical interaction phase, and the second stage of the transient, should a boiling crisis occur. Areas of improvement are finally discussed with a view to simulating and analyzing further tests to be performed under prototypical PWR conditions within the CABRI International Program. M5(R) is a trademark or a registered trademark of AREVA NP in the USA or other countries.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.379-391
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• 2018

Through the development of organic synthetic skill, chemicals that mimic signaling mediators such as steroid hormones have been exposed to the environment. Recently, it has become apparent that this circumstance should be further studied in the field of physiology. Estrogenic action of chronic low-dose nonylphenol (NP) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in mouse uterus was assessed in this study. Ten to twelve-week-old female mice (CD-1) were fed drinking water containing NP (50 or $500{\mu}g/L$) or DEHP (133 or $1,330{\mu}g/L$) for 10 weeks. Uterine diameter, the thickness of myometrium and endometrium, and the height of luminal epithelial cells were measured and the number of glands were counted. The expression levels of the known $17{\beta}$-estradiol ($E_2$)-regulated genes were evaluated with real-time RT-PCR methodology. The ration of uterine weight to body weight increased in $133{\mu}g/L$ DEHP. Endometrial and myometrial thickness increased in 133 and $1,330{\mu}g/L$ DEHP treated groups, and in 50, $500{\mu}g/L$ NP and $133{\mu}g/L$ DEHP, respectively. The height of luminal epithelial cell decreased in NP groups. The numbers of luminal epithelial gland were decreased in NP groups but increased in $50{\mu}g/L$ DEHP group. The histological characters of glands were not different between groups. The mRNA expression profiles of the known $17{\beta}$-estradiol ($E_2$) downstream genes, Esr1, Esr2, Pgr, Lox, and Muc1, were also different between NP and DEHP groups. The expression levels dramatically increased in some genes by the NP or DEHP. Based on these results, it is suggested that the chronic low-dose NP or DEHP works as estrogen-like messengers in uterus with their own specific gene expression-regulation patterns.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.422-429
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• 2018

To make students recognize the danger of fire smoke that may occur in ships and to improve the response capability, spaces for safety educ ation were built inside the training ship, and scenarios were developed. This study is an analysis of the movement characteristics of the students acquire d under each scenario. Followings are the summary of the analysis results. In the non-smoke environments, there was no difference in the velocity of escape movement between the case of without block on the familiar route and the case of with unexpected block. However, when the indoor was filled with smoke, the visibility became very low because of the smoke density and the average velocity was 62.5 % slower than the case where it was not. Regardless of the scenarios, the average equivalent velocity on the complex path was faster than the simple straight path, and the standard deviation was smaller. Under the smoke-fullfilled environment, although the relative velocity probability distributions of the complex passage and the entire passag e are very similar, the inter-individual fluctuation of the relative velocity ratio of the complex passage to that of the entire passage was very large. On the other hand, equivalent velocity could be expressed by the logarithmic function of the visibility. Also, as the tension of the students increased, the equivalent velocities were accelerated on all scenarios.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.8-14
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• 2019

Bird-strike is one of the most important design factors for safety in the aviation industry. Bird-strikes have been the cause of significant damage to aircraft and rotorcraft structures and the loss of life. This study used DYTRAN software to simulate the transient response of an Euler-Lagrangian composite helicopter blade that has been impacted by a bird. The Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) method and a suitable equation of state were applied to model the bird. ALE was applied to the bird-strike analysis due to the large difference between the properties of the blade and bird. The debris of the bird was assumed to be a fluid and applied as Euler elements after the collision. Through the analysis of bird impacts, the leading-edge of the rotor blade (50.8 mm) was used to identify a positive margin of 1.18 based on the TSAI-FILL criteria. The results are assessed to be sufficiently reliable and may be evaluated to replace tests with various analysis conditions. The structural stability of the rotor blade could be assessed by applying various load conditions and different modeling methods in the future.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.626-631
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• 2019

The policy-making and technological development for the supply expansion of eco-friendly automobiles has been continuing, but the internal combustion engines still accounts for about 95%. Also, in order to meet the stricter emission regulations of internal combustion engines based on fossil fuels, the proportion of after-treatments for vehicles and (ocean going) vessels is gradually increasing. This study is a basic study for the post-Euro-VI exhaust response of CNG buses, and it is to investigate the basic characteristics according to Pd substitution transition metal effect, catalyst volume effect and space velocity. A catalysts was prepared and tested using a model gas reactor. The NGOC catalyst with 3Pd exhibited the highest catalytic activity with 22% at $300^{\circ}C$, 48% at $350^{\circ}C$ and about 75% at $500^{\circ}C$. 3Co NGOC containing 3wt% of transition metal was excellent in oxidation ability, and it was small in size of 2nm, and the degree of catalyst dispersion was improved and de-NO/CO conversion was high. The volume of the NGOC-LNT-SCR catalyst system was optimal in the combination of 1.5+0.5+0.5 with a total score of 165, considering $de-CH_4/NOx$ performance and catalyst cost. For SV $14,000h^{-1}$, the $CH_4$ reduction performance was the highest at about 20%, while the SV $56,000h^{-1}$ was the lowest at about 5%. If the space velocity is small, the flow velocity decreases and the time remaining in the catalyst volume become long, so that the harmful gas was reduced.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.414-422
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• 2019

There is accumulating evidence that microRNAs are emerging as pivotal regulators in the development and progression of neuropathic pain. MicroRNA-15a/16 (miR-15a/16) have been reported to play an important role in various diseases and inflammation response processes. However, whether miR-15a/16 participates in the regulation of neuroinflammation and neuropathic pain development remains unknown. In this study, we established a mouse model of neuropathic pain by chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerves. Our results showed that both miR-15a and miR-16 expression was significantly upregulated in the spinal cord of CCI rats. Downregulation of the expression of miR-15a and miR-16 by intrathecal injection of a specific inhibitor significantly attenuated the mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia of CCI rats. Furthermore, inhibition of miR-15a and miR-16 downregulated the expression of interleukin-$1{\beta}$ and tumor-necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ in the spinal cord of CCI rats. Bioinformatic analysis predicted that G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2), an important regulator in neuropathic pain and inflammation, was a potential target gene of miR-15a and miR-16. Inhibition of miR-15a and miR-16 markedly increased the expression of GRK2 while downregulating the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and $NF-{\kappa}B$ in CCI rats. Notably, the silencing of GRK2 significantly reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-15a/16 inhibition in neuropathic pain. In conclusion, our results suggest that inhibition of miR-15a/16 expression alleviates neuropathic pain development by targeting GRK2. These findings provide novel insights into the molecular pathogenesis of neuropathic pain and suggest potential therapeutic targets for preventing neuropathic pain development.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.58-65
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• 2021

Background: Supraspinal delivery of neurotensin (NTS), which may contribute to the effect of a systemically administered agonist, has been reported to be either pronociceptive or antinociceptive. Here, we evaluated the effects of systemically administered NTSR1 agonist in a rat model of neuropathic pain and elucidated the underlying supraspinal mechanism. Methods: Neuropathic pain was induced by L5 and L6 spinal nerve ligation in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The effects of intraperitoneally administered NTSR1 agonist PD 149163 was assessed using von Frey filaments. To examine the role of 5-HT neurotransmission, a serotonin (5-HT) receptor antagonist dihydroergocristine was pretreated intrathecally, and spinal microdialysis studies were performed to measure the change in extracellular level of 5-HT in response to PD 149163 administration. To investigate the supraspinal mechanism, NTSR1 antagonist 48692 was microinjected into the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) prior to systemic PD 149163. Additionally, the effect of intrathecal DHE on intra-RVM PD 149163 was assessed. Results: Intraperitoneally administered PD 149163 exhibited a dose-dependent attenuation of mechanical allodynia. This effect was partially reversed by intrathecal pretreatment with dihydroergocristine and was accompanied by an increased extracellular level of 5-HT in the spinal cord. The PD 149163-produced antinociception was also blocked by intra-RVM SB 48692. Direct injection of PD 149163 into the RVM mimicked the maximum effect of the same drug delivered intraperitoneally, which was reversed by intrathecal dihydroergocristine. Conclusions: These observations indicate that systemically administered NTSR1 agonist produces antinociception through the NTSR1 in the RVM, activating descending serotonergic projection to release 5-HT into the spinal dorsal horn.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.787-792
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• 2022

In winter, the excessive use of deicing salt deteriorates concrete pavement durability. To reduce the amount of deicing salt used, phase-change materials (PCMs) potentially offer an alternative way to melt snow through their latent heat storage characteristics. In this research, thermal energy storage concrete was developed by using PCM-impregnated expanded clay as 50 % replacement to normal aggregate by volume. In addition, to improve the thermal efficiency of PCM lightweight aggregate (PCM-LWA)-incorporated concrete, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were incorporated in proportions of 0.10 %, 0.15 %, and 0.20 % by binder weight. Compressive strength testing and programmed thermal cycling were performed to evaluate the mechanical and thermal responses of the PCM-LWA concrete. Results showed a significant strength reduction of 54 % due to the PCM-LWA; however, the thermal performance of the PCM-LWA concrete was greatly improved with the addition of MWCNTs. Thermal test results showed that 0.10 % MWCNT-incorporated concrete had high thermal fatigue resistance as well as uniform heat flow, whereas specimens with 0.15 % and 0.20 % MWCNT content had a reduced thermal response due to supercooling when the ambient temperature was varied between -5℃ and 10℃.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.555-565
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• 2021

The goal of this study is to improve flow and noise performances of existing backward-curved blade centrifugal fan system used for circulating cold air in a refrigerator freezer by optimally designing airfoil shape. The unique characteristics of the system is to drive cold airflow with two volute tongues in combination with duct system in a back side of a refrigerator without scroll housing generally used in a typical centrifugal fan system. First, flow and noise performances of existing fan system were evaluated experimentally. A P-Q curve was obtained using a fan performance tester in the flow experiment, and noise spectrum was measured in an anechoic chamber in the noise experiment. Then, flow characteristics were numerically analyzed by solving the three-dimensional unsteady Navier-Stokes equations and noise analysis was performed by solving the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkins equation with input from the flow simulation results. The validity of numerical results was confirmed by comparing them with the measured ones. Based on the verified numerical method, blade inlet and outlet angles were optimized for maximum flow rate using the two-factor central composite design of the response surface method. Finally, the flow and noise performances of a prototype manufactured with the optimum design were experimentally evaluated, which showed the improvement in flow and noise performance.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.229-237
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• 2023

The use of artificial sources such as explosives and mechanical vibrations for seismic exploration in urban areas poses challenges, as the vibrations and noise generated can lead to complaints. As an alternative to artificial sources, the surface waves generated by traffic noise can be used to investigate the subsurface properties of urban areas. However, traffic noise takes the form of plane waves moving continuously at a constant speed. To apply existing surface wave processing/inversion techniques to traffic noise, the recorded data need to be transformed into a virtual shot gather format using seismic interferometry. In this study, various seismic interferometry methods were applied to traffic noise data, and the optimal method was derived by comparing the results in the Radon and F-K domains. Additionally, the data acquired using various receiver arrays were processed using seismic interferometry, and the results were compared and analyzed to determine the most optimal receiver array direction for exploration.