• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.39-44
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• 2017

This study aims to analyze dose distribution and treatment time of endobronchial brachytherapy (EBBT) by changing the position step size of the dwell position. A solid water phantom and an intraluminal catheter were used in the treatment plan. The treatment plans were generated for 3, 5, 7, and 10 cm treatment lengths, respectively. For each treatment length, the source position step sizes were set as 2.5, 5, and 10 mm. Three reference points were set 1 cm away from the central axis of the catheter, along the axis, for uniform dose distribution. Volumetric dose distribution was calculated to evaluate the dosimetric effect. The total radiation delivery time and total dwell time were estimated for treatment efficiency, which were increased with position step sizes. At half-life time, the differences between the position step sizes in the total radiation delivery time were 18.1, 15.4, 18.0, and 24.0 s for 3, 5, 7, and 10 cm treatment lengths, respectively. The dose distributions were more homogenous by increasing the position step sizes. The dose difference of the reference point was less than 10%. In brachytherapy, this difference can be negligible. For EBBT, the treatment time is the key factor while considering the patient status. To reduce the total treatment time, EBBT can be performed with 2.5 mm position step size.

• International Journal of Reliability and Applications
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.85-98
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• 2014

Accelerated life testing (ALT) is a well famous technique in life testing and reliability studies, this is particularly used to induce so high stress leading to failure of the highly reliable units quickly under stipulated duration of time. The step-stress ALT is one of the systematic experimental strategy of ALT applied to fail the units in steps. In this article we focus on two important issues (i) necessity of life tests at higher steps with relevant causes (ii) to develop a new optimum test plan for 3-step SSALT under the modified cumulative exposure model proposed by Khamis and Higgins (1998). It is assumed that the lifetime of test units follows Rayleigh distribution and its scale parameter at constant stress level is assumed to be a log-linear function of the stress. The maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters involved in the step-stress ALT model are obtained. A simulation study is performed for numerical investigation of the proposed new optimum plan 3-step, step-stress ALT. The necessity of the life test units at 3-step step-stress is also numerically examined in comparison to simple step-stress setup.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.55-62
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• 2016

The least-mean fourth (LMF) algorithm is well known for its fast convergence and low steady-state error especially in non-Gaussian noise environments. Recently, there has been increasing interest in the least mean square (LMS) algorithms with variable step size. It is because the variable step-size LMS algorithms have shown to outperform the conventional fixed step-size LMS in the various situations. In this paper, a variable step-size LMF algorithm is proposed, which adopts an algebraic optimal step size as a variable step size. It is expected that the proposed algorithm also outperforms the conventional fixed step-size LMF. The superiority of the proposed algorithm is confirmed by the simulations in the time invariant and time variant channels.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.71-75
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• 2001

The effect of annealing step-edges of LaAlO$_3$ and MgO single crystal substrates on YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7}$ junction has been studied. The step-edge was fabricated by argon ion milling and was annealed at 105$0^{\circ}C$ in 1 attn oxygen pressure. We compared AFM image near step-edge of the substrates between before and after annealing process. And YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7}$ thin film was deposited on the step-edge by a standard pulsed laser deposition. The step-edge junctions were characterized by current-voltage curves at 77 K. The annealing of step-edges of MgO substrate improved the current-voltage characteristic of Josephson junction: double steps in the current-voltage characteristic disappeared. However the annealing for LaAlO$_3$ did not improve the junction property.rty.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2006.07c
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• pp.1474-1475
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• 2006

This paper describes touch and step voltage in the reinforced concrete and steel poles. Ground surface potential rises were measured as a function of the separation between pole and ground rod. Touch and step voltage are calculated on the basis of the distribution of ground surface potential rises. As a result, touch and step voltages strongly depend on the position of installation of ground rod.

• Communications for Statistical Applications and Methods
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.79-95
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• 2020

The globalization of financial markets has broadened investment opportunities. International investors' investment portfolios consist of financial instruments from various countries; consequently, the risks associated with economic dependence among countries should be carefully considered. Step-down equity-linked securities (ELS) are a structured financial product that have recently become popular among Korean investors. Payoffs are based on two or three stock indices from different regions; therefore, dependence between the indices should be reflected in the risk analysis. In this study, we consider a regime-switching copula model to describe the joint behavior of two stock indices- the Eurostoxx50 and the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI). These indices are commonly used as underlying assets of step-down ELS. Using historical data, we analyze the risk associated with step-down ELS through the probabilities of early redemption. A regime-switching copula model can accommodate complicated dependence. Thus, it should be considered in the risk analysis of step-down ELS.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.305-311
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• 1987

To evaluate training effect, the step exercise was loaded to three mem for nine weeks. Step score, cardiopulmonary functions and blood constituents were measured before, during and after the test exercise (50 cm-step exercise and treadmill running), and were compared with the pre-tranining values. The results were as follows: 1) By the training, Harvard step score increased remarkably, expecially in the early stage of training. 2) The post-training values of maximal oxygen uptake increased very significantly and it seemed to be due to increases of stroke volume and tissue oxygen extraction. 3) After the training, the degree of increase in expired volume was small during the treadmill exercise. 4) By the training, increasing rate of respiratory quotient lessened during the exercise and it was considered to be caused by the decreases of carbohydrate consumption and anaerobic metabolism. 5) The blood cholesterol concentrations were harldy changed with this degree of training. 6) The blood lactate level decreased during the recovery periods and the values of the recovery 0 and 5 minutes decreased remarkably, in comparison with the pre-trained values. The above results suggest that the 9 week-training of the step exercise brings about the enhancement of circulatory functions and tissue oxygen utilization, and changes of food-stuffs used during the exercise.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.157-163
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• 2014

This paper proposes a two-stage step-down buck and a tapped-inductor boost cascaded converter for high efficiency photovoltaic micro-inverter applications. The proposed inverter is a new structure to inject a rectified sinusoidal current into a low-frequency switching inverter for single-phase grid with unity power factor. To build a rectified-waveform of the output current. the converter employs both of a high efficiency step-up and a step-down converter in cascade. In step-down mode, tapped inductor(TI) boost converter stops and the buck converter operates alone. In boost mode, the TI converter operates with the halt of buck operation. The converter provides a rectified current to low frequency inverter, then the inverter converts the current into a unity power-factor sinusoidal waveform. By applying a TI, the converter can decrease the turn-on ratios of the main switch in TI boost converter even with an extreme step-up operation. The performance validation of the proposed design is confirmed by an experimental results of a 120W hardware prototype.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.13-22
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• 2017

Two-step water splitting thermochemical cycle with $CeO_2/ZrO_2$ foam device was investigated by using a solar simulator composed of 2.5 kW Xe-Arc lamp and mirror reflector. The hydrogen production of $CeO_2/ZrO_2$ foam device depending on heat recovery of Thermal-Reduction step and Water-Decomposition step was analyzed, and the hydrogen production of $CeO_2/ZrO_2$ and $NiFe_2O_4/ZrO_2$ foam devices was compared. Resultantly, the quantity of hydrogen generation increased by 52.02% when the carrier gas of Thermal-Reduction step is preheated to $200^{\circ}C$ and, when the $N_2/steam$ is preheated to $200^{\circ}C$ in the Water-Decomposition step, the quantity of hydrogen generation increased by 35.85%. Therefore, it is important to retrieve the heat from the highly heated gases discharged from each of the reaction spaces in order to increase the reaction temperature of each of the stages and thereby increasing the quantity of hydrogen generated through this.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.291-304
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• 1997

The purposes of this study were to evaluate the changes in root canal configuration with canal instrumentation using different file types and techniques and to investigate most appropriate instrumentation technique in maintaining the original canal configuration with different file types. Fifty curved mesiobuccal or distobuccal canals of extracted human maxillary molar teeth were instrumented using a step-back technique with stainless steel K-files or nickel-titanium K-files, a crown-down pressureless technique with stainless steel K-files or nickel-titanium K-files and nickel-titanium engine-driven files. Radiographs were taken before and after instrumentation using a specially designed device that allowed for the pre-and postinstrumentation canals to be taken with the same X-ray angulation. Magnified X-ray images on a magnifier screen were traced and post instrumentation canal images were compared with the preinstrumentation ones. Changes in canal curvature and the incidence of procedural accidents were analyzed. The results were as follows : Crown-down pressureless technique with nickel-titanium K-files and nickel-titanium engine-driven filing produced no significant changes in canal curvature (p>0.05), while the step-back technique with stainless steel K-files or nickel-titanium K-files (p<0.01) and the crown-down pressureless technique with stainless steel K-files (p<0.05) produced significant changes. With nickel-titanium K-file, crown-down pressureless technique produced significantly less changes in canal curvature than step-back technique (p<0.05), while there was no significant difference between techniques with stainless steel K-files (p>0.05). File types exerted no significant influences in the changes of canal curvature both in the step-back technique and crown-down pressureless technique (0>0.05). Regardless of the file types used, step-back technique produced more procedural accidents such as ledge or elbow formation, apical zipping and apical transportation than the crowndown pressureless technique and nickel-titanium engine-driven filing. Both with stainless steel K-files and with nickel-titanium K-files, the incidence of apical extrusion of canal debris was higher in step-back technique than in crown-down pressureless technique.