• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.399-404
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• 2011

A LEGO-type multi-purpose dosimetry phantom was developed for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which requires various types of challenging dosimetry. Polystyrene, polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and polyurethane foam (PU-F) were selected to represent muscle, fat, bone, and lung tissue, respectively, after considering the relevant mass densities, elemental compositions, effective atomic numbers, and photon interaction coefficients. The phantom, which is composed of numerous small pieces that are similar to LEGO blocks, provides dose and dose distribution measurements in homogeneous and heterogeneous media. The phantom includes dosimeter holders for several types of dosimeters that are frequently used in IMRT dosimetry. An ion chamber and a diode detector were used to test dosimetry in heterogeneous media under radiation fields of various sizes. The data that were measured using these dosimeters were in disagreement when the field sizes were smaller than $1.5{\times}1.5\;cm^2$ for polystyrene and PTFE, or smaller than $3{\times}3\;cm^2$ for an air cavity. The discrepancy was as large as 41% for the air cavity when the field size was $0.7{\times}0.7\;cm^2$, highlighting one of the challenges of IMRT small field dosimetry. The LEGO-type phantom is also very useful for two-dimensional dosimetry analysis, which elucidates the electronic dis-equilibrium phenomena on or near the heterogeneity boundaries.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.241-255
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• 2020

Background: The stem exclusion stage is a stage of forest development that is important for understanding the subsequent understory reinitiation stage and maturation stage during which horizontal heterogeneity is formed. Over the past 11 years (2009-2019), we observed a deciduous broad-leaved forest in the Albongbunji Basin in Ulleungdo, South Korea in its stem exclusion stage, where Fagus engleriana (Engler's beech) is the dominant species, thereby analyzing the changes in the structure (density and size distributions), function (biomass and species richness), and demographics. Results: The mean stem density data presented a bell-shaped curve with initially increasing, peaking, and subsequently decreasing trends in stem density over time, and the mean biomass data showed a sigmoidal pattern indicating that the rate of biomass accumulation slowed over time. Changes in the density and biomass of Fagus engleriana showed a similar trend to the changes in density and biomass at the community level, which is indicative of the strong influence of this species on the changing patterns of forest structure and function. Around 2015, a shift between recruitment and mortality rates was observed. Deterministic processes were the predominant cause of tree mortality in our study; however, soil deposition that began in 2017 in some of the quadrats resulted in an increase in the contribution of stochastic processes (15% in 2019) to tree mortality. The development of horizontal heterogeneity was observed in forest gaps. Conclusions: Our observations showed a dramatic shift between the recruitment and mortality rates in the stem exclusion stage, and that disturbance increases the uncertainty in forest development increases. The minor changes in species composition are likely linked to regional species pool and the limited role of the life-history strategy of species such as shade tolerance and habitat affinity. Our midterm records of ecological succession exhibited detailed demographic dynamics and contributed to the improvement of an ecological perspective in the stem exclusion stage.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.115-140
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• 2010

Great concerns about atmospheric aerosols are attributed to their multiple roles to atmospheric processes. For example, atmospheric aerosols influence global climate, directly by scattering or absorbing solar radiations and indirectly by serving as cloud condensation nuclei. They also have a significant impact on human health and visibility. Many of these effects depend on the size and composition of atmospheric aerosols, and thus detailed information on the physicochemical properties and the distribution of airborne particles is critical to accurately predict their impact on the Earth's climate as well as human health. A single particle analysis technique, named low-Z particle electron probe X-ray microanalysis (low-Z particle EPMA) that can determine the concentration of low-Z elements such as carbon, nitrogen and oxygen in a microscopic volume has been developed. The capability of quantitative analysis of low-Z elements in individual particle allows the characterization of especially important atmospheric particles such as sulfates, nitrates, ammonium, and carbonaceous particles. Furthermore, the diversity and the complicated heterogeneity of atmospheric particles in chemical compositions can be investigated in detail. In this review, the development and methodology of low-Z particle EPMA for the analysis of atmospheric aerosols are introduced. Also, its typical applications for the characterization of various atmospheric particles, i.e., on the chemical compositions, morphologies, the size segregated distributions, and the origins of Asian dust, urban aerosols, indoor aerosols in underground subway station, and Arctic aerosols, are illustrated.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.175-186
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• 2022

This study aimed to systematically review the effectiveness of methylene blue (MB) photosensitizers in the management of symptomatic oral lichen planus (OLP). Electronic online databases and manual searches were performed for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English between January 2010 and February 2022. RCTs comparing photodynamic therapy (PDT) and corticosteroid therapy at baseline and follow-up period were identified. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the quality of the included studies. A meta-analysis was performed regarding visual analog scale (VAS) scores, Thongprasom sign scores, lesion size, response to treatment, and exacerbation of lesions after therapy. The clinical severity was analyzed qualitatively. Five RCTs consisting of 180 samples fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All parameters of VAS score, Thongprasom sign score, lesion size, and response to treatment were statistically non-significant. Our results indicate that both MB-PDT and corticosteroid therapy are effective for the management of OLP. Moreover, MB-PDT is an effective alternative treatment option for OLP when corticosteroids are contraindicated. However, conclusive evidence cannot be ascertained owing to the heterogeneity among the studies.

• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.73-86
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• 2024

With the acceleration of regional economic integration, the agricultural trade network within the RCEP region presents new opportunities and challenges for member countries. This study focuses on agricultural trade among RCEP members from 2011 to 2020, utilizing social network analysis to explore the structural characteristics and evolutionary trends of the trade network. Additionally, an extended gravity model is employed to empirically analyze the key factors influencing South Korea's agricultural trade with other member countries. The findings reveal that: (1) Agricultural trade relationships within the RCEP region are stable and mature, with high interconnectivity in the trade network, indicating a trend towards balanced development. (2) The positions of member countries within the agricultural trade network are characterized by both high density and heterogeneity. (3) South Korea's agricultural trade with RCEP member countries is positively influenced by the economic size, population size, and governance level of its trading partners, while South Korea's own indicators show no significant effect. The trade distance between South Korea and member countries also has a positive impact on agricultural trade. By combining social network analysis with an extended gravity model, this study provides a multi-faceted quantitative analysis of the RCEP agricultural trade network, offering new insights into regional agricultural trade. It also provides empirical evidence for agricultural trade cooperation between South Korea and other RCEP countries.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.259-265
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• 2002

Apple mosaic virus (ApMV), a member of the genus Ilarvirus, was detected and isolated from diseased 'Fuji' apple (Malus domestica) in Korea. The coat protein (CP) genes of two ApMV strains, denoted as ApMV-Kl and ApMV-K2, were amplified by using the reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and were analyzed thereafter. The objectives were to define the molecular variability of genomic information of ApMV found in Korea and to develop virus-derived resistant gene source for making virus-resistant trans-genic apple. RT-PCR amplicons for the APMVS were cloned and their nucleotide sequences were determined. The CPs of ApMV-Kl and ApMV-K2 consisted of 222 and 232 amino acid residues, respectively. The identities of the CPs of the two Korean APMVS were 93.1% and 85.6% at the nucleotide and amino acid sequences, respectively. The CP of ApMV-Kl showed 46.1-100% and 43.2-100% identities to eight different ApMV strains at the nucleotide and amino acid levels, respectively. When ApMV-PV32 strain was not included in the analysis, ApMV strains shared over 83.0% and 78.6% homologies at the nucleotide and amino acid levels, respectively. ApMV strains showed heterogeneity in CP size and sequence variability. Most of the amino acid residue differences were located at the N-termini of the strains of ApMV, whereas, the middle regions and C-termini were remarkably conserved. The APMVS were 17.(1-54.5% identical with three other species of the genus Ilarviyus. ApMV strains can be classified into three subgroups (subgroups I, II, and III) based on the phylogenetic analysis of CP gene in both nucleotide and amino acid levels. Interestingly, all the strains of subgroup I were isolated from apple plants, while the strains of subgroups II and III were originated from peach, hop, or pear, The results suggest that ApMV strains co-evolved with their host plants, which may have resulted in the CP heterogeneity.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.449-459
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• 2023

The design and development of underground nuclear waste repositories should cover the performance evaluation of the different components such as the construction materials because the long term stability will depend on their response to the surrounding conditions. In South Korea, Gyeonju bentonite has been proposed as a candidate to be used as buffer and backfilling material, especially in the form of blocks to speed up the construction process. In this study, various cylindrical samples were prepared with different dry density and water content, and their physical and mechanical properties were analyzed and correlated with X-ray CT observations. The main objective was to characterize the samples and establish correlations for non-destructive estimation of physical and mechanical properties through the utilization of X-ray CT images. The results showed that the Uniaxial Compression Strength and the P-wave velocity have an increasing relationship with the dry density. Also, a higher water content increased the values of the measure parameters, especially for the P-wave velocity. The X-ray CT analysis indicated a clear relation between the mean CT value and the dry density, Uniaxial Compression Strength, and P-wave velocity. The effect of the higher water content was also captured by the mean CT value. Also, the relationship between the mean CT value and the dry density was used to plot CT dry densities using CT images only. Moreover, the histograms also provided information about the samples heterogeneity through the histograms' full width at half maximum values. Finally, the particle size and heterogeneity were also analyzed using the Madogram function. This function identified small particles in uniform samples and large particles in some samples as a result of poor mixing during preparation. Also, the μ_max value correlated with the heterogeneity, and higher values represented samples with larger ranges of CT values or particle densities. These image-based tools have been shown to be useful on the non-destructive characterization of bentonite samples, and the establishment of correlations to obtain physical and mechanical parameters solely from CT images.

• Annual Conference of KIPS
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• 2003.11b
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• pp.1007-1010
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• 2003

Efficient using of web cache is becoming important factor that decide system management efficiency in web-Based system. Cache performance depends heavily on replacement algorithms, which dynamically select a suitable subset of objects for caching in a finite space. However, replacement algorithm on web cache has many differences than traditional replacement algorithm. In this paper, a web-caching algorithm is proposed for efficient operation of web base system. The algorithm is designed based on a divided scope that considered size reference characteristic and heterogeneity on web object. The performance of the algorithm is analyzed with an experiment. With the experiment results, the algorithm is compared with previous replacement algorithms, and its performance is confirmed ith an improvement of response speed.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.23-42
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• 2006

This study investigates the determinants of output of a manufacturing firm's innovative activity (the number of patent applications) and spillover effects using a count data model. This paper attempted a negative binomial distribution In order to take into account unobserved heterogeneity. The results of our study suggested that Firm size, R&D intensity, technical network activity, and online business performance have significantly positive effects in the Korean manufacturing industry. Moreover, there are significantly positive spillover effects in the same industry sector.

• The Korean Journal of Ceramics
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.193-200
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• 2000

Si$_3$N$_4$powder with 2 wt% $Al_2$O$_3$and 6 wt% $Y_2$O$_3$additives was sintered by the gas pressure sintering (GPS) technique. The unlubricated wear behavior depending on sintering conditions such as sintering temperature, pressure, and sintering time was investigated. When the sintering temperature and time increased, the larger elongated grains were formed and the microstructural heterogeneity increased. When sintering pressure increased, grain growth, however, was impeded. Also, the wear properties depended on microstructure and friction coefficient were related to grain size. Based on the experimental results, the wear properties were associated with initial friction coefficients as well as mechanical properties including fracture toughness and flexural strength.