• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.65-93
• /
• 2023

Several countries have been operating radioactive waste disposal (RWD) programs to construct their own repositories and have used natural analogues (NA) studies directly or indirectly to ensure the reliability of the long-term safety of deep geological disposal (DGD) systems. A DGD system in Korea has been under development, and for this purpose a generic NA study is necessary. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute has just launched the first national NA R&D program in Korea to identify the role of NA studies and to support the safety case in the RWD program. In this article, we review some cases of NA studies carried out in advanced countries considering crystalline rocks as candidate host rocks for high-level radioactive waste disposal. We examine the differences among these case studies and their roles in reflecting each country's disposal repository design. The legal basis and roadmap for NA studies in each country are also described. However because the results of this analysis depend upon different environmental conditions, they can be only used as important data for establishing various research strategies to strengthen the NA study environment for domestic disposal system research in Korea.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.518-530
• /
• 1998

A natural analogue study has been performed for the Koongarra uranium ore deposit in Australia as an international agreement of the Analogue Studies in the Alligator Rivers Region (ASARR). Rocks obtained from the Koongarra deposit, Northern Territory of Australia, were examined in order to understand uranium migration processes of primary and secondary ore-body in both weathered and unweathered zones. Total alpha activities of rock samples were measured to compare the relative amount of uranium in the sample. Uranium distributions have been investigated by means of both the alpha-autoradiography and the fission track registration technique after irradiation in a flux of thermal neutrons (~10$\times$$10^{13}$nㆍ$cm^{-2}$ㆍs$^{-1}$) for 2 minutes. The mineral phases corresponding to the registered alpha-tracks and fission tracks were identified by petrological observation with optical microscope as well as X-ray diffraction and electron microprobe analysis (EPMA). Uranium was found mostly inside of the fracture of the quartzite and its mineral phase was identified as sklodowskite. The mineral phase associated with high uranium concentration was found as illeminite by petrological observation with optical microscope as well as EPMA.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.97-106
• /
• 1999

This study was designed to investigate the effect of a hand massage program on anxiety and immune function in patients during cataract surgery. The hand massage program, in this study, consisted of hand massage and hand-holding. The subjects were sixty-three patients, thirty for the experimental and thirty-three for the control group, who were admitted at Kang Nam St. Mary's Hospital for cataract surgery. This study was carried out from December 10, 1997 to February 26, 1998. The level of anxiety as measured by the Visual Analogue Scale, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and pulse rate were measured before, after hand massage, and after hand-holding. Epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol, blood sugar levels, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and natural killer cell percentages also were measured before hand massage and five minutes before the end of the operation. Data were analyzed by t-tests, ANCOVA, repeated measures ANOVA, and Bonferroni multiple comparisons. The results were as follows : 1) After hand massage, psychological anxiety levels decreased significantly compared with before hand massage in the experimental group, not in the control group. After hand holding, there were significant decrease in both groups. 2) There were not significant differences on systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and pulse rates in both groups. 3) The hand massage program decreased epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol significantly in the experimental group, and increased epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol in the control group. 4) There were no differences in blood sugar levels, neutrophil and lymphocyte percentages in white blood cells after the hand massage program. However, natural killer cells in lymphocytes were significantly increased in the experimental group. These findings indicate that a hand massage program could be a effective nursing intervention in decreasing the psychological and physiological anxiety levels and improving immune function in clients having cataract surgery under local anesthesia.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.485-492
• /
• 2014

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the pain, range of motion (ROM), upper extremity task performance, and functional levels of patients after rotator cuff repair according to the timing of a closed chain exercise thereby presenting basic data for an effective rehabilitation program. METHODS: The intervention was applied three times per week, one hour per day, for four weeks to 40 participants, 78 of whom had undergone rotator cuff repair. The participants were divided into four groups and assigned to usual general physical therapy and an open chain exercise. Group I consisted of the open chain exercise only. The closed chain exercise was applied to group II after the 4 times, group III after the 7 times, group IV after the 10 times. Measurement were used ROM, visual analogue scale (VAS), box and block test (BBT), and shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI). A one-way analysis of variance was conducted to test differences. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the internal/external rotation between group I and group II. The VAS significantly differed between group II and group I, group III, and group IV. The BBT results of group II and group I were significantly different compared to those of group IV. The SPADI significantly differed between group II and group I and between group II and group IV. CONCLUSION: The closed chain exercise was effective for patients following rotator cuff repair from the second week after active exercise was prescribed, verifying its applicability in rehabilitation programs.

• Physical Therapy Korea
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.51-60
• /
• 2012

This study aimed to determine the usefulness of classifying patients with neck pain on the basis of the results of passive scapular elevation test. We classified 21 patients with neck pain into positive (n=12) and negative (n=9) groups on the basis of passive scapular elevation test; the 2 groups then equally performed scapular stabilization exercise program for 30 min, 3 times a week, for 4 weeks. Visual analogue scale (VAS), neck disability index (NDI), and range of motion (ROM) were recorded both before and after the intervention for both groups. Paired t-test was used to determine that there were significant changes between before and after the intervention, and independent t-test was used for analyzing changes between two groups of dependent variables. After 4 weeks of training, we observed significant decrease in pain and disability (p<.05) and a significant increase in rotation, flexion, extension, and side-bending ROM (p<.05) in both groups. Further, between pre- and post-intervention evaluations, we observed a significant decrease in pain and disability and a significant increase in rotation and flexion ROM in the positive group than in the negative group (p<.05). These results indicate that passive scapular elevation test may be used to identify mechanical disorders of the cervicoscapular muscle in patients with neck pain. Therefore, we recommend the use of passive scapular elevation test to determine appropriate treatment intervention when treating patients with neck pain.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.815-822
• /
• 2012

Piceatannol (trans-3,4,3',5'-tetrahydroxystilbene), a natural stilbene, is an analogue of resveratrol. Although recent experimental data have revealed the health benefit potency of piceatannol, the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-cancer activity have not yet been studied in detail. In the present study, the further possible mechanisms by which piceatannol exerts its pro-apoptotic action in cultured human lung cancer A549 cells were investigated. Exposure of A549 cells to piceatannol resulted in growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis. Apoptosis induction of A549 cells by piceatannol showed correlation with proteolytic activation of caspase-3, -8, and -9, and concomitant degradation of activated caspase-3 target proteins such as poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, phospholipase C-${\gamma}1$, ${\beta}$-catenin, and Inhibitor caspase-activated DNase. The increase in apoptosis by piceatannol treatment was also associated with an increase of pro-apoptotic Bax expression and decrease of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL expression, and caused down-regulation of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein family members and up-regulation of Fas and Fas legend. In addition, piceatannol treatment markedly inhibited the expression of mRNA and proteins of inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase, and the levels of NO production were progressively down-regulated by piceatannol treatment in a dose-dependent fashion. The results indicate that piceatannol may have therapeutic potential against human gastric cancer cells.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.554-560
• /
• 2007

This study was aimed to identify the effect of abdominal moxibustion on premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea in university students. The data were collected by using questionnaires from April 25, 2005 to June 20, 2005. The subjects were university students from in the Pusan metropolitan area who had complained of menstrual discomfort. Thirteen students were assigned to the experimental group and fourteen students to the control group. The research design of this study was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. In the research method pretest were conducted through measurement based on scores of general character, menstrual character, premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea in the experimental group and the control group. Experimentation was conducted by abdominal moxibustion being applied on the kwan-won hole and Ki-hae hole for 25 minutes at a time, three times a week, form the ending of one menstrual cycle to the beginning of the next menstrual cycle were in the experimental group. After treatment was finished, post tests conducted through measurement based on scores of premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea in the experimental group. The control group conducted a point of same time and same measurement with the experimental group. The instruments used in this study MDQ(Menstual Distress Questionnaire) developed by moos(1968) and the VAS(Visual Analogue Scale) developed by Cline(1992). The data were analysed by SPSS/ win 12.0 program with ${\chi}$2-test and t-test to verify identification among subjects' general characteristics and menstrual characteristics. Hypothesis verification was analysed with t-test. The results of the study are as follows: The hypothesis, 'the experimental group who received abdominal moxibustion will decrease premenstrual symptoms more than the control group', was supported (t= -2.121, p=.022). The hypothesis, 'the experimental group who received adbominal moxibustion will decrease dysmenorrhea compared to the control group', was supported (t=-4.424, p=.001). As a result of this study, abdominal moxibustion will be used as a nursing aide to improve and prevent menstrual discomfort of university students who have premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea.