• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.81-89
• /
• 2008

The purpose of this study is to develop a new technique to quickly assess the quantitative stability of a tunnel by using measured displacement at the tunnel construction site. To achieve this purpose, in this study, a critical strain concept was introduced for the first time and applied to an assessment of a tunnel under construction. The new technique calculates numerically the strains of the surrounding ground by using displacements measured during tunnel excavation. The techniques considering the relative displacement, shotcrete, and anisotropic characteristics of ground were newly introduced after reinvestigating the existing analysis technique. In addition, an analysis module was developed based on the proposed analysis technique in this study, and the applicability of the developed module was verified. To verify the module, first of all, the calculated excavation displacements of a cylindrical tunnel by analytic method and commercial programs (Pentagon-3D, Flac-2D) were compared for the confirmation of applicability of commercial programs. Then, the calculated excavation displacements under the same initial condition, both with and without a shotcrete lining, by two commercial programs were compared. finally, we assess the load condition and material properties of in-situ ground by inputting tunnel excavation displacement, which was calculated by a commercial program, into the developed analysis module (FAST-Ver. 1.2, feedback Analysis System for Tunneling), and checked whether the assessed results conform to the originally assumed values.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.29-41
• /
• 2007

An assesment technique for the quantitative evaluation of tunnel safety during tunnel excavation was newly proposed in this study using displacement measurements. First of all, field measurement guidelines used at tunnel construction sites in Korea and other countries were investigated. It was found out that the criteria of the guidelines were not clear and varied depending on the construction sites. The practical use of field measurement data for the evaluation of tunnel safety was very limited due to uncertainties of the guidelines related to the interpretation of measured data during the excavation. Critical strain concept is introduced in this study for the assesment of tunnel safety during the tunnel excavation. Moreover, the characteristics of tunnel displacements caused by the tunnel excavation were investigated in detail in order to investigate the practical application of the critical strain concept. The total tunnel displacements can be subdivided into three parts: displacements occurring ahead of tunnel face, displacements occurring prior to measurements, and displacements occurring after the installation of instruments. The characteristic of each portion of displacements is analysed in this study. Finally, a general method on the use of the displacement measurement data for the critical strain concept was suggested in the concrete manner, considering the field measurement practice in Korea.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.37-42
• /
• 2023

This study aimed to examine the safety of HemoHIM, a dietary supplement containing methoxsalen. HemoHIM is a dietary supplement marketed globally, and a competitor to ginseng. It has been reported to contain methoxsalen, a plant extract for treating psoriasis and vitiligo. Methoxsalen is known to cause hepatotoxicity, but most of the cases has been reported from ingestion as a drug, not a food. There are no reports of hepatotoxicity from the consumption derived from natural products such as Angelica gigas, Cnidium officinale, and Paeonia lactiflora, which are the main ingredients in the HemoHIM. However, a recent case of acute hepatitis was reported in Hong-Kong after ingestion of HemoHIM. It is difficult to conclude that hepatitis was caused by HemoHIM, because there was no check of co-occurring medications with a higher risk of hepatotoxicity, no description of the progress, no quantitative comparison of methoxsalen in HemoHIM to it in common foods such as carrots and celery, and no description of the patient's underlying diseases. On the other hand, there was a study that suggest hemoHIM is safe, and that study had adequate number of subjects even though more studies are needed to ensure safety.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.490-497
• /
• 2023

Pregnant women may need to take medications to treat preexisting diseases or diseases that develop during pregnancy. However, some drugs may be fetotoxic and lead to, for example, teratogenicity and growth retardation. Predicting the fetotoxicity of drugs is thus important for the health of the mother and fetus. The fetotoxicity of many drugs has not been established because various challenges hinder the ability of researchers to determine their fetotoxicity. The need exists for in silico-based fetotoxicity assessment models, as they can modernize the testing paradigm, improve predictability, and reduce the use of animals and the costs of fetotoxicity testing. In this study, we collected data on the fetotoxicity of drugs and constructed fetotoxicity prediction models based on various machine learning algorithms. We optimized the models for more precise predictions by tuning the hyperparameters. We then performed quantitative performance evaluations. The results indicated that the constructed machine learning-based models had high performance (AUROC >0.85, AUPR >0.9) in fetotoxicity prediction. We also analyzed the feature importance of our model's predictions, which could be leveraged to identify the specific features of drugs that are strongly associated with fetotoxicity. The proposed model can be used to prescreen drugs and drug candidates at a lower cost and in less time. It provides a predictive score for fetotoxicity risk, which may be beneficial in the design of studies on fetotoxicity in human pregnancy.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.1-14
• /
• 2010

Until now, the evaluation method of spalling depth using Martin et al. (1999)'s linear regression relations has long been known applicable. However, it is not likely that the proposed equation is applicable to the openings other than circular type and mostly overpredict the spalling depth in comparison with actual spalling cases. Moreover, the evaluation method to estimate the spalling width has not been presented yet; it is essential to evaluate the spalling width in addition to the spalling depth, because the shape of the spalled region influences the choice of suitable rock reinforcement. In this study, linear regression equations, in which normalized spalling depth ($d_f/W_D$) and normalized spalling width ($w_f/W_D$) are functions of three spalling evaluation indices, ${\sigma}_1/{\sigma}_c,\;D_{is}(={\sigma}_{max}/{\sigma}_c)$ and ${\sigma}_{dev}/{\sigma}_{cm}$, are established based on in-situ spalling observations and CWFS simulation results. Confidence intervals of 95% using the statistical inference theory are used in verifying the reliability of linear regression equations. Spalling depth ($d_f$) and spalling width ($w_f$) predicted from the proposed linear regression relations, which take three spalling evaluation indices into account, showed reasonable match with in-situ observations by adopting weighting factors considering the degree of variance of linear regression relations.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
• /
• v.56 no.11
• /
• pp.705-720
• /
• 2023

In South Korea, ongoing incidents related to drinking water quality have eroded consumer trust. Specifically, beyond quality incidents, there have been complaints about taste, odor, and other issues stemming from the presence of chlorine. To address this, water service operators are employing various management strategies from both temporal (scheduling) and spatial (rechlorination) perspectives to ensure uniform and safe distribution of chlorine residuals. In this study, we focus on the optimal monthly management of chlorine residuals, based on water distribution network analysis. Water quality reaction coefficients, including bulk fluid and wall reaction coefficients, were estimated through lab-scale tests and EPANET water quality simulations, respectively, accounting for temperature variations in a large-scale water distribution network. Utilizing these estimated coefficients, we examined the monthly variations in chlorine residual distribution under different chlorine injection conditions. The results indicate that the efficient concentration for chlorine injection, which satisfies the residual chlorine limit range, varies with temperature changes. Consequently, it is imperative to establish a specific and quantitative chlorine injection plan that considers the accurate spatial distribution of monthly chlorine residuals.

• Land and Housing Review
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.167-177
• /
• 2024

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of an adsorption process in removing organic matter and micropollutant residuals. After a full-scale water circulation system, the adsorption process was considered a post-treatment step. The system, treating anthropogenically impacted surface waters, comprises a hydro-cyclone, coagulation, flocculation, and dissolved air flotation unit. While the system generally maintained stable and satisfactory effluent quality standards over months, it did not meet the highest standard for organic matter (as determined by chemical oxygen demands). Adsorption experiments utilized two granular activated carbon types, GAC 830 and GCN 830, derived from coal and coconut-shell feedstocks, respectively. The assessment encompassed organic materials along with two notable micropollutants: acetaminophen (APAP) and acid orange 7 (AO7). Adsorption kinetics and isotherm experiments were conducted to determine adsorption rates and maximum adsorption amounts. The quantitative findings derived from pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm models suggest the effectiveness of the adsorption process. The findings of this study propose the potential of employing the adsorption process as a post-treatment to enhance the treatment of contaminants that are not satisfactorily treated by conventional water circulation systems. This enhancement is crucial for ensuring the sustainability of urban water cycles.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• v.22 no.11
• /
• pp.1886-1893
• /
• 2021

Objective: To assess the feasibility of quantitatively assessing pancreatic steatosis using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and its correlation with obesity and metabolic risk factors in pediatric patients. Materials and Methods: Pediatric patients (≤ 18 years) who underwent liver fat quantification MRI between January 2016 and June 2019 were retrospectively included and divided into the obesity and control groups. Pancreatic proton density fat fraction (P-PDFF) was measured as the average value for three circular regions of interest (ROIs) drawn in the pancreatic head, body, and tail. Age, weight, laboratory results, and mean liver MRI values including liver PDFF (L-PDFF), stiffness on MR elastography, and T2^* values were assessed for their correlation with P-PDFF using linear regression analysis. The associations between P-PDFF and metabolic risk factors, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), and dyslipidemia, were assessed using logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 172 patients (male:female = 125:47; mean ± standard deviation [SD], 13.2 ± 3.1 years) were included. The mean P-PDFF was significantly higher in the obesity group than in the control group (mean ± SD, 4.2 ± 2.5% vs. 3.4 ± 2.4%; p = 0.037). L-PDFF and liver stiffness values showed no significant correlation with P-PDFF (p = 0.235 and p = 0.567, respectively). P-PDFF was significantly associated with obesity (odds ratio 1.146, 95% confidence interval 1.006-1.307, p = 0.041), but there was no significant association with hypertension, DM, and dyslipidemia. Conclusion: MRI can be used to quantitatively measure pancreatic steatosis in children. P-PDFF is significantly associated with obesity in pediatric patients.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.83 no.6
• /
• pp.1286-1297
• /
• 2022

Purpose To assess the usefulness of various metal artifact reduction (MAR) methods in patients with hip prostheses. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included 47 consecutive patients who underwent hip arthroplasty and dual-energy CT. Conventional polyenergetic image (CI), orthopedic-MAR (OMAR), and virtual monoenergetic image (VMI, 50-200 keV) were tested for MAR. Quantitative analysis was performed in seven regions around the prostheses. Qualitative assessments included evaluation of the degree of artifacts and the presence of secondary artifacts. Results The lowest amount of image noise was observed in the O-MAR, followed by the VMI. O-MAR also showed the lowest artifact index, followed by high-keV VMI in the range of 120-200 keV (soft tissue) or 200 keV (bone). O-MAR had the highest contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in regions with severe hypodense artifacts, while VMI had the highest CNR in other regions, including the periprosthetic bone. On assessment of the CI of pelvic soft tissues, VMI showed a higher structural similarity than O-MAR. Upon qualitative analysis, metal artifacts were significantly reduced in O-MAR, followed by that in VMI, while secondary artifacts were the most frequently found in the O-MAR (p < 0.001). Conclusion O-MAR is the best technique for severe MAR, but it can generate secondary artifacts. VMI at high keV can be advantageous for evaluating periprosthetic bone.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.82 no.5
• /
• pp.1124-1139
• /
• 2021

The objective assessment of atrophy and the measurement of brain volume is important in the early diagnosis of dementia and neurodegenerative diseases. Recently, several MR-based volumetry software have been developed. For their clinical application, several issues arise, including the standardization of image acquisition and their validation of software. Additionally, it is important to highlight the diagnostic performance of the volumetry software based on expert opinions. We instituted a task force within the Korean Society of Neuroradiology to develop guidelines for the clinical use of MR-based brain volumetry software. In this review, we introduce the commercially available software and compare their diagnostic performances. We suggest the need for a standard protocol for image acquisition, the validation of the software, and evaluations of the limitations of the software related to clinical practice. We present recommendations for the clinical applications of commercially available software for volumetry based on the expert opinions of the Korean Society of Neuroradiology.