• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.270-288
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• 2021

We proposed a numerical method to simulate the hydro-mechanical behavior of rock fracture using a grain-based distinct element model (GBDEM) in the paper. As a part of DECOVALEX-2023 Task G, we verified the method via benchmarks with analytical solutions. DECOVALEX-2023 Task G aims to develop a numerical method to estimate the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes within the crystalline rock fracture network. We represented the rock sample as a group of tetrahedral grains and calculated the interaction of the grains and their interfaces using 3DEC. The micro-parameters of the grains and interfaces were determined by a new methodology based on an equivalent continuum approach. In benchmark modeling, a single fracture embedded in the rock was examined for the effects of fracture inclination and roughness, the boundary stress condition and the applied pressure. The simulation results showed that the developed numerical model reasonably reproduced the fracture slip induced by boundary stress condition, the fracture opening induced by fluid injection, the stress distribution variation with fracture inclination, and the fracture roughness effect. In addition, the fracture displacements associated with the opening and slip showed good agreement with the analytical solutions. We expect the numerical model to be enhanced by continuing collaboration and interaction with other research teams of DECOVALEX-2023 Task G and validated in further study experiments.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.726-735
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• 2020

Objective: Recent innovations in biology are boosting gene and cell therapy, but monitoring the response to these treatments is difficult. The purpose of this study was to find an MRI-reporter gene that can be used to monitor gene or cell therapy and that can be delivered without a viral vector, as viral vector delivery methods can result in long-term complications. Materials and Methods: CMV promoter-human organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B3 (CMV-hOATP1B3) cDNA or CMV-blank DNA (control) was transfected into HEK293 cells using Lipofectamine. OATP1B3 expression was confirmed by western blotting and confocal microscopy. In vitro cell phantoms were made using transfected HEK293 cells cultured in various concentrations of gadoxetic acid for 24 hours, and images of the phantoms were made with a 9.4T micro-MRI. In vivo xenograft tumors were made by implanting HEK293 cells transfected with CMV-hOATP1B3 (n = 4) or CMV-blank (n = 4) in 8-week-old male nude mice, and MRI was performed before and after intravenous injection of gadoxetic acid (1.2 µL/g). Results: Western blot and confocal microscopy after immunofluorescence staining revealed that only CMV-hOATP1B3-transfected HEK293 cells produced abundant OATP1B3, which localized at the cell membrane. OATP1B3 expression levels remained high through the 25th subculture cycle, but decreased substantially by the 50th subculture cycle. MRI of cell phantoms showed that only the CMV-hOATP1B3-transfected cells produced a significant contrast enhancement effect. In vivo MRI of xenograft tumors revealed that only CMV-hOATP1B3-transfected HEK293 tumors demonstrated a T1 contrast effect, which lasted for at least 5 hours. Conclusion: The human endogenous OATP1B3 gene can be non-virally delivered into cells to induce transient OATP1B3 expression, leading to gadoxetic acid-mediated enhancement on MRI. These results indicate that hOATP1B3 can serve as an MRI-reporter gene while minimizing the risk of long-term complications.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.171-178
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• 2013

In this study, the sludge that occurs in the initial operation of coagulation system developed for the treatment of CSOs were returned to the flocculation reactor. The purposes of this study were to analyze the Characteristics of flocs that are generated through the recycling sludge and settling characteristics of sludge, and to evaluate the possibility that high concentrations of particulate matter in the initial inflow of CSOs could be used as an weighted coagulant additive. As a result, the concentration of treated CSOs pollutants at the beginning of the CSOs influent with a large amount of particulate matter over 20 ${\mu}m$ was low, after gradually increasing the concentrations of them. The flocs generated from the sludge return were similar in size compared to flocs generated through injection of micro sands, and settling velocity in case of return sludge injection was decreased from 55.1 cm/min to 21.5 cm/min. SVI value of the sludge accumulated at the bottom of the sedimentation tank was 72, and settled sludge volume decreased rapidly due to the consolidation of sludge to the time it takes to 10 minutes. these mean that sludge used for recycling has good settling characteristic. A condition of returned sludge which is 0.1% return of 0.3% extraction was formed in the balance of settlement and extraction. In this case, This condition was to be adequate to maintain the proper concentration such as 100~200 mg/L of TS and 50~100 mg/L of VS in the flocculation reactor. The usage of the return sludge containing particulate matters of CSOs as an weighted coagulant additive was able to secure a stable treated water quality despite the change of influent water quality dynamically. Furthermore, it can be expected to reduce the alum dosage along with the sludge production.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.492-507
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• 2010

This article reviews the papers published in the Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering during 2009. It is intended to understand the status of current research in the areas of heating, cooling, ventilation, sanitation, and indoor environments of buildings and plant facilities. Conclusions are as follows. (1) Research trends of thermal and fluid engineering have been surveyed as groups of general thermal and fluid flow, fluid machinery and piping, and new and renewable energy. Various topics were covered in the field of general thermal and fluid flow such as an expander, a capillary tube, the flow of micro-channel water blocks, the friction and anti-wear characteristics of nano oils with mixtures of refrigerant oils, etc. Research issues mainly focused on the design of micro-pumps and fans, the heat resistance reliability of axial smoke exhaust fans, and hood systems in the field of fluid machinery and piping. Studies on ground water sources were executed concerning two well type geothermal heat pumps and multi-heat pumps in the field of new and renewable energy. (2) Research works on heat transfer area have been reviewed in the categories of heat transfer characteristics and industrial heat exchangers. Researches on heat transfer characteristics included the heat transfer in thermoelectric cooling systems, refrigerants, evaporators, dryers, desiccant rotors. In the area of industrial heat exchangers, researches on high temperature ceramic heat exchangers, plate heat exchangers, frosting on fins of heat exchangers were performed. (3) In the field of refrigeration, papers were presented on alternative refrigerants, system improvements, and the utilization of various energy sources. Refrigeration systems with alternative refrigerants such as hydrocarbons, mixed refrigerants, and $CO_2$ were studied. Efforts to improve the performance of refrigeration systems were made applying various ideas of suction line heat exchangers, subcooling bypass lines and gas injection systems. Studies on heat pump systems using unutilized energy sources such as river water, underground water, and waste heat were also reported. (4) Research trend in the field of mechanical building facilities has been found to be mainly focused on field applications rather than performance improvements. In the area of cogeneration systems, papers on energy and economic analysis, LCC analysis and cost estimating were reported. Studies on ventilation and heat recovery systems introduced the effect on fire and smoke control, and energy reduction. Papers on district cooling and heating systems dealt with design capacity evaluation, application plan and field application. Also, the maintenance and management of building service equipments were presented for HVAC systems. (5) In the field of architectural environment, various studies were carried to improve indoor air quality and to analyze the heat load characteristics of buildings by energy simulation. These studies helped to understand the physics related to building load characteristics and to improve the quality of architectural environment where human beings reside in.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.445-455
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• 2005

Purpose: We developed an animal SPECT system using clinical Philips ARGUS scintillation camera and pinhole collimator with specially manufactured small apertures. In this study, we evaluated the physical characteristics of this system and biological feasibility for animal experiments. Materials and Methods: Rotating station for small animals using a step motor and operating software were developed. Pinhole inserts with small apertures (diameter of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mm) were manufactured and physical parameters including planar spatial resolution and sensitivity and reconstructed resolution were measured for some apertures. In order to measure the size of the usable field of view according to the distance from the focal point, manufactured multiple line sources separated with the same distance were scanned and numbers of lines within the field of view were counted. Using a Tc-99m line source with 0.5 mm diameter and 12 mm length placed in the exact center of field of view, planar spatial resolution according to the distance was measured. Calibration factor to obtain FWHM values in 'mm' unit was calculated from the planar image of two separated line sources. Te-99m point source with i mm diameter was used for the measurement of system sensitivity. In addition, SPECT data of micro phantom with cold and hot line inserts and rat brain after intravenous injection of [I-123]FP-CIT were acquired and reconstructed using filtered back protection reconstruction algorithm for pinhole collimator. Results: Size of usable field of view was proportional to the distance from the focal point and their relationship could be fitted into a linear equation (y=1.4x+0.5, x: distance). System sensitivity and planar spatial resolution at 3 cm measured using 1.0 mm aperture was 71 cps/MBq and 1.24 mm, respectively. In the SPECT image of rat brain with [I-123]FP-CIT acquired using 1.0 mm aperture, the distribution of dopamine transporter in the striatum was well identified in each hemisphere. Conclusion: We verified that this new animal SPECT system with the Phlilps ARGUS scanner and small apertures had sufficient performance for small animal imaging.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.275-283
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• 2008

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of the artificial shrinkage and assisted hatching (PZD; patial zona dissetion) before vitrification on the development of vitrified mouse expanding blastocyst. Methods: Mouse 2-cell embryos were collected and cultured in G1.1 and G2.2 to expanding blastocyst. For artificial shrinkage (AS) the micro injection pipette was inserted into blastocoele cavity and blastocoele fluid was aspirated. For assisted hatching (AH) PZD method was used. Control group was -AS/-AH and treatment groups were -AS/+AH, +AS/-AH and +AS/+AH. After AS and AH mouse blastocysts were equillibrated in G10 and G10E20 for 3 mins, respectively, and vitrified in G25E25 after loading on capped pulled-straw. Vitrified mouse blastocysts were thawed and cultured for 24 hrs. The survival and hatching rate was compared among one control and three treatment groups. Results: The survival rates were 99%, 92% in +AS/+AH and +AS/-AH groups and 54%, 58% in -AS/-AH and -AS/+AH group, respectively. The survival rate was significantly higher in +AS group than in -AS group (p<0.01). Hatching rates were 34%, 96% in -AS/-AH and -AS/+AH groups and 41%, 100% in +AS/-AH and +AS/+AH, respectively. The hatching rates was higher in +AH group than in -AH group (p<0.01). After thawing recovery rates were 100%. Loading on capped pulled-straw, that is effective and useful method on vitrification. Conclusion: This study showed that artificial shrinkage of blastocoele cavity and assisted hatching (PZD) significantly improved the development of the vitrified mouse expanding blastocysts.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.863-870
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• 2016

We investigated the physical/chemical phenomena that a slow loss of $CO_2$ inventory into sodium after the sodium-$CO_2$ boundary failure in printed circuit heat exchangers (PCHEs), which is considered for the supercritical $CO_2$ Brayton cycle power conversion system of a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR). The first phenomenon is plugging inside narrow sodium channels by micro cracks and the other one is damage propagation referred to as wastage combined with the corrosion/erosion effect. Experimental results of plugging shows that sodium flow immediately stopped as $CO_2$ was injected through the nozzle at $300{\sim}400^{\circ}C$ in 3 mmID sodium channels, whereas sodium flow stopped about 60 min after $CO_2$ injection in 5 mmID sodium channels. These results imply that if pressure boundary of sodium-$CO_2$ fails a narrow sodium channel would be plugged by reaction products in a short time whereas a relatively wider sodium channel would be plugged with higher concentration of reaction products. Wastage by the erosion effect of $CO_2$ (200~250 bar) hardly occurred regardless of the kinds of materials (stainless steel 316, Inconel 600, and 9Cr-1Mo steel), temperature ($400{\sim}500^{\circ}C$), or the diameter of the $CO_2$ nozzle (0.2~0.8 mm). Velocities at the $CO_2$ nozzle were specified as Mach 0.4~0.7. Our experimental results are expected to be used for determining the design parameters of PCHEs for their safeties.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.59-66
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• 2013

Purpose: Recently, there is an increase of the number of hospitals using auto dispenser to reduce occupational radiation exposure when drawing up of the $^{18}F-FDG$ dose (5.18 MBq/kg) in a syringe from the dramatic high activity of $^{18}F-FDG$ multidose vial. The aim of this study is to confirm that using auto dispenser actually reduces the radiation exposure for technologists. Also we analyzed the reproducibility of auto dispenser to find optimized dispensing method for the device. Materials and Methods: We conducted three experiments. Comparison of radiation exposure on chest and hands: The chest and hands exposure dose received by technologists during the injection were measured by electronic personal dosimeter (EPD) and ring TLD respectively. Reproducibility of dispensed volume: We draw up the normal saline into 5 and 2 mL syringe using auto dispenser by changing the volume from 1 to 15 mm for 5 times in the same setting of the volume. The weight of 5 normal saline dispensed from the device at same volume was measured using micro balance and calculated standard deviation and coefficient of variation. Reproducibility of dispensed radioactivity: We dispensed 362.6 $MBq{\pm}10%$ of $^{18}F-FDG$ in 5 and 2 mL syringes from the multidose vial of different specific activity. In the same setting of volume, we repeated dispensing for 4 times and compared standard deviation and coefficient of variation of radioactivity between 5 syringes. Results: There was significant difference in the average of chest exposure dose according to the dispensing methods (P<0.05). Also, when dispensing $^{18}F-FDG$ in manual method, exposure dose was 11.5 times higher in right hand and 4.8 times higher in left hand than in auto method. In the result of reproducibility of dispensed volume, standard deviation and coefficient of variation shows decline as the dispensing volume increases. As a result of reproducibility of dispensed radioactivity, standard deviation and coefficient of variation increases as the specific activity increases. Conclusion: We approved that the occupational radiation exposure dose of technologists were reduced when dispensing $^{18}F-FDG$ using auto dose dispenser. Secondly, using small syringes helps to increase reproducibility of auto dose dispense. And also, if you lower the specific activity of $^{18}F-FDG$ in multidose vial below 915-1,020 MBq/mL, you can use auto dispenser more effectively keeping the coefficient of variation lower than 10%.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.382-393
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• 2020

The engineered barrier system of high-level radioactive waste disposal must maintain its performance in the long term, because it must play a role in slowing the rate of leakage to the surrounding rock mass even if a radionuclide leak occurs from the canister. In particular, it is very important to clarify gas dilation flow phenomenon clearly, that occurs only in a medium containing a large amount of clay material such as a bentonite buffer, which can affect the long-term performance of the bentonite buffer. Accordingly, DECOVALEX-2019 Task A was conducted to identify the hydraulic-mechanical mechanism for the dilation flow, and to develop and verify a new numerical analysis technique for quantitative evaluation of gas migration phenomena. In this study, based on the conventional two-phase flow and mechanical behavior with effective stresses in the porous medium, the hydraulic-mechanical model was developed considering the concept of damage to simulate the formation of micro-cracks and expansion of the medium and the corresponding change in the hydraulic properties. Model verification and validation were conducted through comparison with the results of 1D and 3D gas injection tests. As a result of the numerical analysis, it was possible to model the sudden increase in pore water pressure, stress, gas inflow and outflow rate due to the dilation flow induced by gas pressure, however, the influence of the hydraulic-mechanical interaction was underestimated. Nevertheless, this study can provide a preliminary model for the dilation flow and a basis for developing an advanced model. It is believed that it can be used not only for analyzing data from laboratory and field tests, but also for long-term performance evaluation of the high-level radioactive waste disposal system.