• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.79-85
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• 2015

Objectives: A vertebral compression fracture (VCF) is characterized by back pain and fracture of a vertebral body on spinal radiography. VCFs of the thoraco lumbar spine are common in the elderly. In general, appropriate analgesics should be prescribed to reduce pain and, thus, promote early mobilization. The ideal treatment approach for VCFs has not been determined. In Korea, acupuncture and herbal medication have been used to treat VCFs for many years. There is empirical evidence that acupuncture might benefit patients with a VCF. However, no randomized, controlled, clinical trials evaluating the efficacy and the safety of acupuncture for treating a VCF have been published. Therefore, we designed a randomized, controlled, pilot, clinical trial to obtain information for the design of a further full scale trial. Methods: A five week protocol for a randomized, controlled, pilot, clinical trial is presented. Fourteen patients will be recruited and randomly allocated to two groups: a control group receiving interlaminar epidural steroid injections once a week for three weeks, and an experimental group receiving interlaminar epidural steroid injections plus acupuncture treatment (three acupuncture sessions per week for three weeks, nine sessions in total). The primary outcomes will be the pain intensity (visual analogue scale and PainVision$^{TM}$ system). The secondary outcome measurements will be the answers on the short form McGill pain questionnaire and the oswestry disability index. Assessments will be made at baseline and at one, three, and five weeks. The last assessment (week five) will take place two weeks after treatment cessation. This study will provide both an indication of feasibility and a clinical foundation for a future large scale trial. The outcomes will provide additional resources for incorporating acupuncture into existing treatments, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, narcotics and vertebral augmentation. This article describes the protocol.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.155-163
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• 2007

To insure nuclear reactor safety, the reactivity of control rods should be calculated by measuring the criticality of reactor core and it is regularly performed during the annual physics test period. Also, the core criticality should be monitored during the start-up operation to avoid reactivity induced accidents. Many research works on control rod reactivity measurement and subcriticality measurement have been accomplished throughout the world for decades and recently a new method named "Modified Neutron Source Multiplication Method (MNSM)" was proposed in Japan which is known to be improved overcoming limitations of traditional Neutron Source Multiplication Method (NSM). In this study, MNSM was tested in calculation of subcriticalities and in evaluation of application validity using the educational reactor in Kyung Hee University, AGN-201. For this study, a revised nuclear data library and a neutron transport code system TRANSX - PARTISN were established. Correction factors for various control rod positions were produced using the k-effective values and the corresponding flux distributions and adjoint flux distributions. Experimental values of the core criticality were obtained using the neutron count rates of the BF3 proportional counters. The results showed that the expected reactivity worth of control rods by MNSM agreed well with the theoretical values and the correction factors contributed much for this purpose.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.381-391
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• 2008

The eigenvalue technique is introduced to overcome the problem of truncation errors caused by temporal discretization of numerical analysis. The eigenvalue technique is different from simulation in that only the space is discretized. The spatially discretized equation is diagonized and the linear dynamic system is then decoupled. The time integration can be done independently and continuously for any nodal point at any time. The results of eigenvalue technique are compared with the exact solution and FEM numerical solution. The eigenvalue technique is more efficient than the FEM to the computation time and the computer storage in the same conditions. This technique is applied to the solute transport analysis in nonuniform flow fields around underground storage caverns. This method can be very useful for time consuming simulations. So, a sensitivity analysis is carried out by using this method to analyze the safety of caverns from nearly located contaminant sources. According to the simulations, the reaching time from source to the nearest cavern may takes 50 years with longitudinal dispersivity of 50 m and transversal dispersivity of 5 m, respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.95-105
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• 2020

In this study, using the CADMAS-SURF model, the characteristics of the wave pressures and the wave forces were analyzed according to the installation position of the parapet on top of the caisson, and the stability evaluation was carried out using estimated wave forces for the design wave condition. Numerical results show that adopting the rear-parapet reduces the front maximum wave pressures and wave forces, and the maximum wave pressure acting on the rear-parapet increases slightly compared to the front parapet, but the wave force acting on the rear-parapet has little effect on the stability of the breakwater due to the phase difference with the wave force acting on the front of the breakwater. In addition, impulsive wave pressures did not occur, as Yamamoto et al. (2013) pointed out the problem of the rear-parapet breakwater. As a result of the stability against sliding and overturning, it was estimated that the target safety factor of 1.2 could be secured by the self-weight of 13% less than the case of the front parapet. At this time, the maximum ground pressure was also reduced by 30%, and the applicability of the rear-parapet structure to the actual site was evaluated as high.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.357-366
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• 2015

Quorum sensing (QS) is involved in the process of cell-to-cell communication and as a gene regulatory mechanism, which has been implicated in bacterial pathogenicity. Bacteria use this QS system to control a variety of physiological processes. In this study, pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel extract (PPE) was first screened for its ability to inhibit QS in bio-reporter strains (Chromobacterium violaceum and C. violaceum CV026). Next, the ability of PPE to inhibit swimming motility and biofilm formation was examined in Y. enterocolitica. Additionally, changes in the expression of specific genes involved in the synthesis of the N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs; yenI and yenR) and in the flagellar regulon (fliA, fleB and flhDC) were evaluated by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. The results show that PPE specifically inhibited and reduced QS-controlled violacein production by 78.5% in C. violaceum CV026, and decreased QS-associated biofilm formation and swimming motility in Y. enterocolitica without significantly affecting bacterial growth. These inhibitory effects were also associated with the down-regulation of gene expression involved in the synthesis of AHLs and in motility. Our results suggest that PPE could be a potential therapeutic agent to prevent enteropathogens in humans, as well as highlight the need to further investigate the in vivo properties of PPE for clinical applications.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.609-616
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• 2017

In this paper, we propose an algorithm to obtain more stable and high recognition rate by using left and right rotation information of input image in order to obtain a stable recognition rate in face recognition. The proposed algorithm uses the facial image as the input information in the web camera environment to reduce the size of the image and normalize the information about the brightness and color to obtain the improved recognition rate. We apply Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to the detected candidate regions to obtain feature vectors and classify faces. Also, In order to reduce the error rate range of the recognition rate, a set of data with the left and right $45^{\circ}$ rotation information is constructed considering the directionality of the input face image, and each feature vector is obtained with PCA. In order to obtain a stable recognition rate with the obtained feature vector, it is after scattered in the eigenspace and the final face is recognized by comparing euclidean distant distances to each feature. The PCA-based feature vector is low-dimensional data, but there is no problem in expressing the face, and the recognition speed can be fast because of the small amount of calculation. The method proposed in this paper can improve the safety and accuracy of recognition and recognition rate faster than other algorithms, and can be used for real-time recognition system.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.15-20
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• 2010

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses have been supplied since the year 2000 in order to resolve severe atmospheric pollution in metropolitan area and contributed on the improvement of urban atmospheric environment. However, it is indispensible to take an adequate measure to guarantee the safety of CNG vehicles because of the possibility of huge fire accident. A receptacle, connecting device between high pressure fuel supply tank and fuel line, plays an important role in CNG supply system. In recent, leakage of CNG from receptacles has been reported. So, the concern about the security and reliability of receptacles has been arisen. Therefore, a lot of efforts to prevent leakage are invested among researchers and the durability of this component should be guaranteed despite repeated operation. This research has performed durability tests of a CNG receptacle regarding the repeated usage, extreme chattering, and continuous full flow test. Although a receptacle used for CNG vehicle satisfies validation requirements in the test results, it has been found that failure in the function of leakage prevention in a receptacle could take place in the case of prolonged exposure to high supply pressure in common quick charging environment on site.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.38-41
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• 2008

In this research, we propose a new method for tracking the release rate using the concentration data obtained from the sensor. We used a sensor network that has already been set surrounding the area where hazardous gas releases can occur. From the real-time sensor data, we detected and analyzed releases of harmful materials and their concentrations. Based on the results, the release rate is estimated using the neural network. This model consists of 14 input variables (sensor data, material properties, process information, meteorological conditions) and one output (release rate). The dispersion model then performs the simulation of the expected dispersion consequence by combining the sensor data, GIS data and the diagnostic result of the source term. The result of this study will improve the safety-concerns of residents living next to storage facilities containing hazardous materials by providing the enhanced emergency response plan and monitoring system for toxic gas releases.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers P
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.434-439
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• 2010

This study fabricated a simulation facility which reduced the structure of a current distribution line to 50:1 in order to analyze the induced lightning shielding effect of a 22.9kV-Y distribution line according to ground resistance capacity, grounding locations, etc. When installing an overhead ground wire, the standard for grounding a distribution line with a current of 22.9kV-Y requires that ground resistance in common use with the neutral line be maintained less than $50\Omega$every 200m span. The reduced line for simulation had 7 electric poles and induced lightning was applied to the ground plane 2m apart from the line in a direction perpendicular to it using an impulse generator. If induced voltage occurred in the line and induced current flowed through the line due to the applied current, the induced voltage and current of the 'A' phase were measured respectively using an oscilloscope. When all 7 electric poles were grounded with a ground resistance of less than $50\Omega$ respectively, the combined resistance of the line was $7.4\Omega$. When an average current of 230A was applied, the average induced voltage and current measured were 1,052V and 13.8A, respectively. Under the same conditions, when the number of grounding locations was reduced, the combined resistance as well as induced voltage and current showed a tendency to increase. When all 7 electric poles were grounded with a ground resistance of less than $100\Omega$, the combined resistance of the line was $14.9\Omega$. When an average current of 236A was applied, the average induced voltage and current of the 'A' phase calculated were 1,068V and 15.6A, respectively. That is, in this case, only the combined resistance was greater than when all 7 electrical poles were grounded, and the induced voltage and current were reduced. Therefore, it is thought that even though ground resistance is slightly higher under a construction environment with the same conditions, it is advantageous to ground all electric poles to ensure system safety.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.111-121
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• 2007

During the whole month of December in 2005, Korea experienced both heavy snowfall and freezing temperature in southeast regions, which had caused frost related damages to many pavements laid on top of box culverts. In-situ observation revealed that the formation of ice lenses in subgrade and subsequent unbound layers led to upward heaving and transverse cracks in concrete and asphalt pavements. This has affected the long-term performance of pavements, as well as has threatened drivers' safety for a while. Recently, Korea Expressway Corporation has proposed a design guide to better protect newly constructed unbound pavement layers over culverts from frost heave. A trench drainage system has been selected to effectively draw off water and to alleviate pore-water pressure in soils during the coldest season. This paper presents experimental and analytical backgrounds behind this new design guide. Soil specimens retrieved from the sites are tested to quantify clay content and to estimate the permeability of subgrade. A 2-D ground seepage analysis has been conducted to better understand the changes in pore water pressures as a function of grain size. Finally, an optimum size of trench drainage is determined based on numerical analysis and workability in the field.