• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.668-674
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• 2017

Experimental verification of boron species in fuel CRUD (Chalk River Unidentified Deposit) would provide essential and important information about the root cause of CRUD-induced power shifts (CIPS). To date, only bonaccordite and elemental boron were reported to exist in fuel CRUD in CIPS-troubled pressurized water reactor (PWR) cores and lithium tetraborate to exist in simulated PWR fuel CRUD from some autoclave tests. We have reevaluated previous analysis of similar threadlike crystals along with examining some similar threadlike crystals from CRUD samples collected from a PWR cycle that had no indications of CIPS. These threadlike crystals have a typical [Ni]/[Fe] atomic ratio of ~2 and similar crystal morphology as the one (bonaccordite) reported previously. In addition to electron diffraction study, we have applied electron energy loss spectroscopy to determine boron content in such a crystal and found a good agreement with that of bonaccordite. Surprisingly, such crystals seem to appear also on corroded surfaces of Alloy 600 that was exposed to simulated PWR primary water with a dissolved hydrogen level of $5mL\;H_2/kg\;H_2O$, but absent when exposed under $75mL\;H_2/kg\;H_2O$ condition. It remains to be verified as to what extent and in which chemical environment this phase would be formed in PWR primary systems.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.137-149
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• 2019

Traffic emissions are the main cause of environmental pollution in cities and respiratory problems amongst people. This study developed a model based on an integration of support vector regression (SVR) algorithm and geographic information system (GIS) to map traffic carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations and produce prediction maps from micro level to macro level at a particular time gap in a day in a very densely populated area (Utara-Selatan Expressway-NKVE, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). The proposed model comprised two models: the first model was implemented to estimate traffic CO concentrations using the SVR model, and the second model was applied to create prediction maps at different times a day using the GIS approach. The parameters for analysis were collected from field survey and remote sensing data sources such as very-high-resolution aerial photos and light detection and ranging point clouds. The correlation coefficient was 0.97, the mean absolute error was 1.401 ppm and the root mean square error was 2.45 ppm. The proposed models can be effectively implemented as decision-making tools to find a suitable solution for mitigating traffic jams near tollgates, highways and road networks.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.374-383
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• 2021

Rhizoctonia solani is one of the major pathogens that cause sheath blight disease in rice. Sheath blight is one of the most difficult diseases to control. Biological control (with the use of rhizobacteria) is one of the ways to control this disease. Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) is a rhizosphere bacterium that can be used to enhance plant growth. The composition of the rhizobacteria in organic and nonorganic soil is affected by the chemical characteristics of the soil - which influences plant physiology and root exudation patterns. This study aimed to obtain a species of rhizobacteria which shows PGPR activity, from organic and nonorganic rice fields and test their capability to suppress R. solani growth. Out of 23 isolates screened for PGPR activity, the following isolates showed high PGPR activity and were selected for in vitro antagonistic activity testing against R. solani: ISO6, ISO11, ISO15, ISN2, ISN3, and ISN7, The six isolates produced 43,42-75,23 ppm of IAA, possessed phosphorus solubilization capability, and chitinase-producing activity. ISO6 (54.88%) and ISN7 (83.33%) displayed high inhibition capacities against R. solani, in vitro. ISO6 and ISN7 inhibited the growth of R. solani lesions on rice leaves by 89% and 100% (without lesion), respectively, after 7 days of incubation. Analysis of their 16S rRNA sequences revealed that the ISO6 isolate was Citrobacter freundii and ISN7 isolate was Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.39-48
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• 2022

The purpose of this paper was to study how to improve the occurrence of abnormal altitude values of radio altimeter, due to RF interference signals during the flight of aircraft. In flight missions, since it performs a roll-out after several high maneuvers, accurate altitude must be displayed to effectively perform flight missions. Thus, a root cause analysis and trouble shooting were performed for the display of abnormal altitude values of radar altimeters, and a method of reducing RF interference signals by installing an attenuator was examined. Additionally, the verification results for the improvements are also described.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.39-49
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• 2022

Purpose:The infection and isolation program used at a university hospital in A city was assessed and improved to provide medical staff with easy-to-understand information on isolation precautions and infectious diseases. Methods: Based on the results of the root cause analysis, the infection and isolation alarm computer program was improved. Subsequently, a survey was conducted with infection control leaders and unit managers (n=98) within the department to evaluate the degree of improvement. Results: The isolation registration and release procedures were simplified and unified to prevent confusion among the relevant departments. Additionally, the screen composition was improved so that various information related to infection can be easily accessed. After improvement in the program, the rate of isolation registration (53.0% to 100.0%, p<.001) and user satisfaction (67.6% to 92.2%) improved. Conclusion: This study will help improve the program so that other medical institutions can comply with the isolation precautions in accordance with the type of infections.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2021.06a
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• pp.180-180
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• 2021

가로수는 「도로법」 제11조에 따른 도로(고속국도를 제외한다)와 보행자전용도로 및 자전거전용도로 등 대통령령으로 정하는 도로의 도로구역 안 또는 그 주변지역에 심는 수목을 말하며, 도시의 가로수는 기후조절효과 및 대기오염 정화효과 등을 가질 뿐 아니라 도심지 내에 녹색을 도입하고 도시경관을 구성하는 주요 요소이다. 전국 각 시도에서는 가로수 조성사업을 지속적으로 추진하고 있다. 하지만 몇몇 도시에서는 적절하지 않은 가로수 관리로 인해 가로수가 말라죽는 현상이 증가하고 있다. 이에 가로수 고사 현상을 감소시키기 위하여 토양수분과 토양온도를 측정하여 가로수 피해와 연관성을 조사할 필요성이 있다고 판단하였다. 본 연구는 춘천시에서 진행하였으며, 일반 가로수와 현재 가로수 고사로 문제가 되고 있는 3 모니터링 지점을 선정하고, 토양수분 센서를 5, 15, 40 cm 깊이에 설치하였다. 센서를 이용하여 토양수분과 지온, EC 모니터링을 실시하였다. 토양수분 모니터링 자료를 활용하여 토층별 토양수분 소비량 산정을 하고, 현장 토양시료를 채취하여 물리·화학적 특성을 분석하였다. 또한 가로수 증발산량 산정 및 토층별 토양수분 소비량과 소비패턴을 비교하였다. 본 연구 결과를 향후 RZWQM(Root Zone Water Quality Model) 모델의 기초자료 및 시나리오 구성에 활용될 수 있으며, 모니터링 및 모델링 결과를 활용하여 가로수 및 도시 표토 기능 위협 요인을 분석에 활용 될 수 있다.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.189-201
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• 2022

The study empirically examines the impact of monetary fundamentals along with global oil prices on the Pak-rupee exchange rate using the monthly data over 2001-2020. Employing the cointegrating vector autoregressive with exogenous variables (VARX) and vector error correction model with exogenous variables (VECMX), the study analyzes the impact of domestic monetary fundamentals while considering the foreign variables as weakly exogenous. In order to account for the structural breaks in the data, the Lagrange multiplier (LM) unit root test with two structural breaks has been used (Lee & Strazicich, 2003). The empirical results reveal that the domestic and foreign monetary variables significantly explain the exchange rate movements in Pakistan both in the long run and in the short run. The dynamic properties of the monetary model of exchange rate have been analyzed using the persistence profile analysis and generalized impulse response functions (GIRFs). The results reveal that the responses of shocks to domestic monetary fundamentals are consistent with the predictions of the monetary model of the exchange rate. Furthermore, being a net oil importer, a rise in global oil prices significantly depreciated the Pak-rupee exchange rate over the period of study. The global financial crisis (GFC) and pandemic (COVID-19) were also found to cause the Pak-rupee exchange rate depreciation.

• Journal of Satellite, Information and Communications
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.94-101
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• 2016

Satellite data for remote sensing technology has limitations, especially with visible range sensor, cloud and/or other environmental factors cause missing data. In this study, using land surface temperature data from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer(MODIS), we developed retrieving methods for satellite missing data and developed three methods; mean bias, regression analysis and local variation method. These methods used the previous day data as reference data. In order to validate these methods, we selected a specific measurement ratio using artificial missing data from 2014 to 2015. The local variation method showed low accuracy with root mean square error(RMSE) more than 2 K in some cases, and the regression analysis method showed reliable results in most cases with small RMSE values, 1.13 K, approximately. RMSE with the mean bias method was similar to RMSE with the regression analysis method, 1.32 K, approximately.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.52-58
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• 2009

A gas turbine consists of an upstream compressor and a downstream turbine with a combustion chamber, and also the compressor and the turbine are generally coupled using a single shaft. Many casing bolts are used to assemble two horizontally separated casings, the gas turbine casing and the compressor casing, in both of axial and vertical directions. Because drilled holes for casing bolts in vertical direction are often too close to drilled holes for casing bolts in axial direction, one can observe cracks in the area frequently during operations of a gas turbine. In this study of the root cause analysis for the cracking initiating from the drilled holes of the casings of a gas turbine, the finite element analysis(FEA) was applied to evaluate the thermal and mechanical characteristics of the casings. By applying the field operation data recorded from combined cycle power plants for FEA, thermal and thermo-mechanical characteristics of a gas turbine are analyzed. The crack is initiated at the geometrical weak point, but it is found that the maximum stress is relieved when the same type of cracks is introduced on purpose during FEA. So, it is verified that the local fracture could be delayed by machining the same type of defects near the hole for casing flange bolts of the gas turbine, where the crack is initiated.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.223-228
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• 2022

In chemical processes, unintended faults can make serious accidents. To tackle them, proper fault diagnosis models should be designed to identify the root cause of faults. To design a fault diagnosis model, a process and its data should be analyzed. However, most previous researches in the field of fault diagnosis just handle the data set of benchmark processes simulated on commercial programs. It indicates that it is really hard to get fresh data sets on real processes. In this study, real faulty conditions of an industrial polystyrene process are tested. In this process, a runaway reaction occurred and this caused a large loss since operators were late aware of the occurrence of this accident. To design a proper fault diagnosis model, we analyzed this process and a real accident data set. At first, a mode classification model based on support vector machine (SVM) was trained and principal component analysis (PCA) model for each mode was constructed under normal operation conditions. The results show that a proposed model can quickly diagnose the occurrence of a fault and they indicate that this model is able to reduce the potential loss.