• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2003.11c
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• pp.793-796
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• 2003

The electronics of a mobile robot ill nuclear facilities is required to satisfied the reliability to sustain survival in its radiation environment. To know how much radiation the robot has been encountered to replace sensitive electronic parts, a dosimeter to measure total accumulated dose is necessary. Among many radiation dosimeters or detectors, semiconductor radiation sensors have advantages in terms of power requirements and their sires over conventional detectors. This paper describes the use of the radiation-induced threshold voltage change of a commercial power pMOSFET as an accumulated radiation dose monitoring mean and that of the photo-current of a commercial PIN Diode as a dose-rate measurement mean. Commercial p-type power MOSFETs and PIN Diodes were tested in a Co-60 gamma irradiation facility to see their capabilities as radiation sensors. We found an inexpensive commercial power pMOSFET that shows good linearity in their threshold voltage shift with radiation dose and a PIN diode that shows good linearity in its photo-current change with dose-rate. According to these findings, a radiation hardened hybrid electronic radiation dosimeter for nuclear robots has been developed for the first time. This small hybrid dosimeter has also an advantage in the point of view of reliability improvement by using a diversity concept.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.9
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• pp.3380-3389
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• 2022

We evaluated the performance of an improved hybrid median filter (IHMF) applied to X-ray computed tomography (CT) images obtained using a high-resolution photon-counting cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detector. To study how the proposed approach improves the image quality, we measured the noise levels and the overall CT-image quality. We established a CZT imaging system with a detector length of 5.12 cm and thickness of 0.3 cm and acquired phantom images. To evaluate the efficacy of the proposed filter, we first modeled two conventional median filters. Subsequently, we were able to achieve a normalized noise power spectrum result of ~10^-8 mm², and furthermore, the proposed method improved the contrast-to-noise ratio by a factor of ~1.51 and the coefficient of variation by 1.55 relative to the counterpart values of the no-filter image. In addition, the IHMF exhibited the best performance among the three filters considered as regards the peak signal-to-noise ratio and no-reference-based image-quality evaluation parameters. Thus, our results demonstrate that the IHMF approach provides a superior image performance over conventional median filtering methods when applied to actual CZT X-ray CT images.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.2854-2863
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• 2023

Objective: To present a hybrid approach that incorporates a constrained beam-hardening estimator (CBHE) and deep learning (DL)-based post-refinement for metal artifact reduction in dental cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods: Constrained beam-hardening estimator (CBHE) is derived from a polychromatic X-ray attenuation model with respect to X-ray transmission length, which calculates associated parameters numerically. Deep-learning-based post-refinement with an artifact disentanglement network (ADN) is performed to mitigate the remaining dark shading regions around a metal. Artifact disentanglement network (ADN) supports an unsupervised learning approach, in which no paired CBCT images are required. The network consists of an encoder that separates artifacts and content and a decoder for the content. Additionally, ADN with data normalization replaces metal regions with values from bone or soft tissue regions. Finally, the metal regions obtained from the CBHE are blended into reconstructed images. The proposed approach is systematically assessed using a dental phantom with two types of metal objects for qualitative and quantitative comparisons. Results: The proposed hybrid scheme provides improved image quality in areas surrounding the metal while preserving native structures. Conclusion: This study may significantly improve the detection of areas of interest in many dentomaxillofacial applications.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.9
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• pp.3423-3440
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• 2023

In this work, a multivariate time-series machine learning meta-model is developed to predict the transient response of a typical nuclear power plant (NPP) undergoing a steam generator tube rupture (SGTR). The model employs Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), including the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU), and a hybrid CNN-LSTM model. To address the uncertainty inherent in such predictions, a Bayesian Neural Network (BNN) was implemented. The models were trained using a database generated by the Best Estimate Plus Uncertainty (BEPU) methodology; coupling the thermal hydraulics code, RELAP5/SCDAP/MOD3.4 to the statistical tool, DAKOTA, to predict the variation in system response under various operational and phenomenological uncertainties. The RNN models successfully captures the underlying characteristics of the data with reasonable accuracy, and the BNN-LSTM approach offers an additional layer of insight into the level of uncertainty associated with the predictions. The results demonstrate that LSTM outperforms GRU, while the hybrid CNN-LSTM model is computationally the most efficient. This study aims to gain a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of machine learning models in the context of nuclear safety. By expanding the application of ML models to more severe accident scenarios, where operators are under extreme stress and prone to errors, ML models can provide valuable support and act as expert systems to assist in decision-making while minimizing the chances of human error.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.8
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• pp.1339-1348
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• 2018

The aim of this paper is to determine neutronic performances of the light water reactor (LWR) spent fuel mixed with fertile thorium fuel in a FFHR. Time dependent three dimensional calculations for major technical data, such as blanket energy multiplication, tritium breeding ratio, cumulative fissile fuel enrichment and burnup have been performed by using Monte Carlo Neutron-Particle Transport code MCNP5 1.4, coupled with a novel interface code MCNPAS, which is developed by our research group. A self-sustaining tritium breeding ratio (TBR>1.05) has been kept throughout the calculations. The study has shown that the fissile fuel quality will be improved in the course of the transmutation of the LWR spent in the FFHR. The latter has gained the reusable fuel enrichment level conventional LWRs between one and two years. Furthermore, LWR spent fuel - thorium mixture provides higher burn-up values than in light water reactors.

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.562-567
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• 2002

In order to find the cellular interaction factors of the Heliothis armigera nuclear polyhedrosis virus capsid protein VP39, a Heliothis armigera cell cDNA library was constructed. Then VP39 was used as bait. The host actin gene was isolated from the cDNA library with the yeast two-hybrid system. This demonstrated that VP39 could interact with its host actin in yeast. In order to corroborate this interaction in vivo, the vp39 gene was fused with the green fluorescent protein gene in plasmid pEGFP39. The fusion protein was expressed in the Hz-AM1 cells under the control of the Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus immediate early gene promoter. The host actin was labeled specifically by the red fluorescence substance, tetramethy rhodamine isothicyanete-phalloidin. Observation under a fluorescence microscopy showed that VP39, which was indicated by green fluorescence, began to appear in the cells 6 h after being transfected with pEGFP39. Red actin cables were also formed in the cytoplasm at the same time. Actin was aggregated in the nucleus 9 h after the transfection. The green and red fluorescence always appeared in the same location of the cells, which demonstrated that VP39 could combine with the host actin. Such a combination would result in the actin skeleton rearrangement.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.1-7
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• 2015

This paper deals with the design and operation of a hybrid daylighting system that uses natural and artificial lighting to enhance visual comfort in buildings. The system was developed using an AVR micro controller for solar tracking in conjunction with dimming controls, which, acting together, enables the maximum use of natural daylight and also improves energy efficiency in buildings. Experimental results clearly demonstrates the usefulness of the present system capable of enhancing indoor lighting conditions when sufficient daylight is available and distributed appropriately in harmony with artificial lighting.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.7
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• pp.2371-2376
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• 2021

As the γ-ray energy increases, a reconstructed image becomes noisy and blurred due to the penetration of the γ-ray through the coded mask. Therefore, the thickness of the coded mask was increased for high energy regions, resulting in severely decreased the performance of the detection efficiency due to self-collimation by the mask. In order to overcome the limitation, a modified uniformly redundant array γ-ray imaging system using dual anti-mask method was developed, and its performance was compared and evaluated in high-energy radiation region. In the dual anti-mask method, the two shadow images, including the subtraction of background events, can simultaneously contribute to the reconstructed image. Moreover, the reconstructed images using each shadow image were integrated using a hybrid update maximum likelihood expectation maximization (h-MLEM). Using the quantitative evaluation method, the performance of the dual anti-mask method was compared with the previously developed collimation methods. As the shadow image which was subtracted the background events leads to a higher-quality reconstructed image, the reconstructed image of the dual anti-mask method showed high performance among the three collimation methods. Finally, the quantitative evaluation method proves that the performance of the dual anti-mask method was better than that of the previously reconstruction methods.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.11
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• pp.3665-3674
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• 2021

One of the important parts of the in-core fuel management is loading pattern optimization (LPO). The loading pattern optimization as a reasonable design of the in-core fuel management can improve both economic and safe aspects of the nuclear reactor. This work proposes the hybrid of fuzzy logic controller with harmony search algorithm (HS) for loading pattern optimization in a pressurized water reactor. The music improvisation process to find a pleasing harmony is inspiring the harmony search algorithm. In this work, the adjustment of the harmony search algorithm parameters such as the bandwidth and the pitch adjustment rate are increasing performance of the proposed algorithm which is done through a fuzzy logic controller. Hence, membership functions and fuzzy rules are designed to improve the performance of the HS algorithm and achieve optimal results. The objective of the method is finding an optimum core arrangement according to safety and economic aspects such as reduction of power peaking factor (PPF) and increase of effective multiplication factor (Keff). The proposed approach effectiveness has been tried in two cases, Michalewicz's bivariate function problem and NEACRP LWR core. The results show that by using fuzzy harmony search algorithm the value of the fitness function is improved by 15.35%. Finally, with regard to the new solutions proposed in this research it could be used as a trustworthy method for other optimization issues of engineering field.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.258-263
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• 1989

Nuclear Transplantation between Rana pipiens and Rana dybowskii When diploid blastula nuclei of Rana pipiens are traraplanted into enucleated eggs of Rana dybowskii the resulting nucleocytoplasmic hybrids are lethal-those development were arrested around the stage of the dorsal lip formation For the improvement of developmental capacity, serial nuclear transplantation was carried out. Even though serial transplantation of 15 generations showed normal development in each generation until gastrula stage, there was no sign of fundamental improvement in development afterward. This results implied that up to gastrulation normal DNA replication and cell division can take place in foreign cytoplasm. Since chromosomal aberrations both in shape and number were usually observed, the nuclei must have been modifted while resided in the foreign cytoplasm. Those nuclei didn't participate in normal development and led the embryos to early death. Tissue graft experiment indicated that the abnormal behavior of this lethal nucleocytoplasmic hybrid is an inherent property which is not corrected by the contact with its own tissue.