• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.190-196
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• 2007

Dye sensitized solar cells(DSSC) are the most promising future energy resource due to their high energy efficiency, low production cost, and simple manufacturing process. But one problem in DSSC is short life time compared to silicon solar cells. This problem occurred from photocatalytic degradation of dye material by nanometer sized $TiO_2$ particles. To prevent dye degradation as well as to increase its life time, the transparent coating film is needed for UV blocking. In this study, we synthesized nanometer sized $TiO_2$ particles in sols by increasing its internal pressure up to 200 bar in autoclave at $120^{\circ}C$ for 10 hrs. The synthesized $TiO_2$ sols were all formed with brookite phase and their particle size was several nm to 30 nm. Synthesized $TiO_2$ sols were coated on the backside of fluorine doped tin oxide(FTO) glass by ink jet printing method. With increasing coating thickness by repeated ink jet coating, the absorbance of UV region (under 400 nm) also increases reasonably. Decomposition test of titania powders dispersed in 0.1 mM amaranth solution covered with $TiO_2$ coating glass shows more stable dye properties under UV irradiation, compared to that with as-received FTO glass.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2019.05a
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• pp.154-154
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• 2019

Characterization of reliable field-scale root-zone soil moisture (RZSM) variability contribute to effective hydro-meterological monitoring. Although a promising cosmic-ray neutron probe (CRNP) holds the pontential for field-scale RZSM measurement, it is often restricted at deeper depths due to the non-unique sensitivity of CRNP-measured fast neutron signal to other hydrogen pools. In this study, a merging framework relied on coupling cosmic-ray soil moisture with a representative additional RZSM, was introduced to scale shallower CRNP effective depth to represent root-zone layer. We tested our proposed framework over a densely vegetated region in South Korea covering a network of one CRNP and nine in-situ point measurements. In particular, cosmic-ray soil moisture and ancillary RZSM retrieved from the most time stable location were considered as input datasets; whereas the remaining point locations were used to generate a reference RZSM product. The errors between these two input datasets and the reference were forecasted by a linear autoregressive model. A linear combination of forecasts was then employed to compute a suitable weight for merging two input products from the predicted errors. The performance of merging framework was evaluated against reference RZSM in comparison to the two original products and a commonly used exponential filter technique. The results of this study showed that merging framework outperformed other products, demonstrating its robustness in improving field-scale RZSM. Moreover, a strong relationship between the quality of input data and the performance merging framework in light of CRNP effective depth variation has been also underlined via the merging framework.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.7
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• pp.838-848
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• 2015

One of the most important operations in nuclear power plants is load following, in which an imbalance of axial power distribution induces xenon oscillations. These oscillations must be maintained within acceptable limits otherwise the nuclear power plant could become unstable. Therefore, bounded xenon oscillation is considered to be a constraint for the load following operation. In this paper, the design of a sliding mode control (SMC), which is a robust nonlinear controller, is presented.SMCis ameansto control pressurized water nuclear reactor (PWR) power for the load following operation problem in a way that ensures xenon oscillations are kept bounded within acceptable limits. The proposed controller uses constant axial offset (AO) strategy to ensure xenon oscillations remain bounded. The constant AO is a robust state constraint for the load following problem. The reactor core is simulated based on the two-point nuclear reactor model with a three delayed neutron groups. The stability analysis is given by means of the Lyapunov approach, thus the control system is guaranteed to be stable within a large range. The employed method is easy to implement in practical applications and moreover, the SMC exhibits the desired dynamic properties during the entire output-tracking process independent of perturbations. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller in terms of performance, robustness, and stability. Results show that the proposed controller for the load following operation is so effective that the xenon oscillations are kept bounded in the given region.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.78-104
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• 2021

Purpose - Semiconductors are a significant export item for Korea that is expected to continue to contribute significantly to the Korean economy in the future. Thus, the semiconductor industry is a critical component in the 4th Industrial Revolution and is expected to continue growing as the non-face-to-face economy expands as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, this paper aims to empirically investigate how semiconductors are imported and exported in Korea from a global supply chain perspective by analysing import and export data at the micro-level. Design/methodology - This study conducts a multifaceted analysis of the global supply chain for semiconductors and related equipment in Korea by examining semiconductor imports and exports by semiconductor type, year, target country, mode of transportation, airport/port, and domestic region, using import/export micro-data. The visualisation, flow analysis, and Bayesian Network methodologies were used to compensate for the limitations of each method. Findings - Korea is a major exporter of semiconductor memory and has the world's highest competitiveness but is relatively weak in the field of system semiconductors. The trade deficit in 'semiconductor equipment and parts' is clearly growing. As a result, continued investment in 'system semiconductors' and 'semiconductor equipment and parts' technology development is necessary to boost exports and ensure a stable supply chain. Originality/value - Few papers on semiconductor trade in Korea have been published from the perspective of the global supply chain or value chain. This study contributes to the literature in this area by focusing on import and export data for the global supply chain of the Korean semiconductor industry using a variety of approaches. It is our hope that the insights gained from this study will aid in the advancement of SCM research.

• Investigative and Clinical Urology
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.383-391
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• 2018

Purpose: We aimed to analyze the incidence and prevalence of urolithiasis in Korea over the last decade using the National Health Insurance (NHI) sample cohort data. Materials and Methods: From January 2002 to December 2013, we enrolled sample cohort data from the NHI. Patients diagnosed with international classification of diseases code N20 or N13.2 were included. The incidence and prevalence rate was counted from the same period and patients previously diagnosed with urolithiasis were excluded. We compared the incidence and prevalence of urolithiasis by region, age, and sex, and identified the changes. Results: Total 1,111,828 subjects were included. Of these subjects, 36,857 had urolithiasis. The male-to-female ratio was 1.57:1, and total incidence rate was 3.27 per 1,000 person-years (1,000p-yrs). The annual incidence was lowest in 2013 (3,138 patients) and highest in 2005 (3,751 patients). Incidence rate by diagnostic code was highest in ureter stone only (2.49 per 1,000p-yrs) and was lowest in kidney and ureter stone both (0.17 per 1,000p-yrs). Prevalence gradually increased from 3,172 in 2002 and 5,758 in 2013. Jeollanam-do had the highest incidence rate of 3.70 persons per 1,000p-yrs, and Jeju had the lowest rate of 2.84 persons per 1,000p-yrs. In gender analysis, Daegu had the highest incidence (4.56) in males, Jeollanam-do had the highest incidence (3.20) in females. Conclusions: Annual incidence remained stable, whereas prevalence gradually increased. The incidence in male was 1.57 times higher than female, and the peak incidence age was 45-49 years, with the highest incidence occurring in Jeollanam-do and the lowest in Jeju.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.553-558
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• 2019

$Cu_2ZnSn(S,Se)_4(CZTSSe)$ thin film solar cells areone of the most promising candidates for photovoltaic devices due to their earth-abundant composition, high absorption coefficient and appropriate band gap. The sputtering process is the main challenge to achieving high efficiency of CZTSSe solar cells for industrialization. In this study, we fabricated CZTSSe absorbers on Mo coated soda lime glass using different pressures during the annealing process. As an environmental strategy, the annealing process is performed with S and Se powder, without any toxic $H_2Se$ and/or $H_2S$ gases. Because CZTSSe thin films have a very narrow stable phase region, it is important to control the condition of the annealing process to achieve high efficiency of the solar cell. To identify the effect of process pressure during the sulfo-selenization, we experiment with varying initial pressure from 600 Torr to 800 Torr. We fabricate a CZTSSe thin film solar cell with 8.24 % efficiency, with 435 mV for open circuit voltage($V_{OC}$) and $36.98mA/cm^2$ for short circuit current density($J_{SC}$), under a highest process pressure of 800 Torr.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.159-168
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• 2019

Understanding the interaction between climate and the water cycle is critical especially in a drought sensitive region such as California. This study explored hydrologic changes in central and southern California in relation to the glacial-interglacial climate cycles over the last 30 thousand years. To do this, we reconstructed paleovegetation using plant wax carbon isotopic compositions (${\delta}^{13}C$) preserved in marine sediment cores retrieved from the central California continental shelf (ODP Site 1018) and Santa Barbara Basin (ODP Site 893A). The results were then compared to the existing sea surface temperature (SST) and pollen records from the same cores to understand terrestrial hydrology in relation to oceanographic processes. The Last Glacial was generally dry both in central and southern California, indicated by grassland expansion, confirming the previously suggested notion that the westerly storm track that supplies the majority of the precipitation in California may not have moved southward during the glacial period. Southern California was drier than central California during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). This drying trend may have been associated with the weakening of the California Current and northerly winds leading to the early increase in SST in southern California and decline in both offshore and coastal upwelling. The climate was wetter during the Holocene in both regions compared to the glacial period and forest coverage increased accordingly. We attribute this wetter condition to the precipitation contribution increase from the tropics. Overall, we found a clear synchronicity between the terrestrial and marine environment which showed that the terrestrial vegetation composition in California is greatly affected by not only the global climate states but also regional oceanographic and atmospheric conditions that regulate the timing and amount of precipitation over California.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.114-122
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• 2019

High-speed rotating machinery requires low cost and reliable bearing elements with low friction, stable rotordynamic characteristics, and a simple design. This study experimentally evaluates the effects of bearing-support elements on the vibrational characteristics of a small-sized, high-speed permanent magnetic motor. A series of coast down tests from 100 krpm characterize the vibrational behaviors, rotor displacement, and housing acceleration of motors supported by ball bearings, ball bearings with a metal mesh damper, and gas foil bearings, respectively. Two eddy-current sensors installed in the horizontal and vertical directions measure the displacement of the rotor at its front nut, and a 3-axis accelerometer attached to the motor housing measures the housing acceleration. The test results reveal that synchronous (1X) vibration components most significantly affect the rotor displacement and housing acceleration, independent of the bearing-support elements. The motor supported by the deep-groove ball bearings results in the largest rotor vibrations increasing with speed; this is due to the absence of a damping mechanism. Additionally, the metal mesh damper effectively reduces the rotor displacement, housing acceleration, and sound-pressure level in the high-speed region (i.e., above 40 krpm), thus implying its substantial damping performance when installed on the outer race of the ball bearing. Lastly, the gas foil bearing supported motor yields the smallest rotor displacement, housing acceleration, and lowest sound-pressure level because of its hydrodynamic airborne operation, which does not require rolling elements that may cause mechanical friction and vibrations.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.61-69
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• 2019

Purpose: The study aims to provide basic data to enhance the health of paramedics responsible for patient transport and treatment by analyzing the exposure level of paramedics to electromagnetic waves generated by electric devices used in ambulances. Methods: The study measured electromagnetic waves in ambulances in N region from July to December 2018. ME3030B produced by German Gigahertz Solutions was used to measure these waves and the maximum value was selected by moving it slowly in various directions. Each measurement part was selected and the mean value was calculated by repeatedly measuring at 10-minute intervals three times in total: $1^{st}$, $2^{nd}$, and $3^{rd}$ phase. Results: Among the electrical devices installed in the patient room of the ambulance measured at distances of 1 cm or 30 cm, results showed a high level of electric waves at the inverter ($26.25{\pm}39V/m$) and high level of electromagnetic waves ($564.00{\pm}31.75nT$) at the ozone sterilizer. According to measurements toward the front near the driver's seat, results indicated high levels of electric waves ($3.67{\pm}1.15V/m$) and electromagnetic waves ($450.00{\pm}19.52nT$) at the black box hard drive. Conclusion: Electromagnetic waves within the ambulance were stable and not beyond the range that might impact human health. However, in the case of the black box hard drive ($3.67{\pm}1.15V/m$, $450.00{\pm}19.52nT$) located under the passenger seat, it may have a direct effect on the human body and, thus it is necessary to move it to a storage area further away from the paramedics to minimized the impact.

• The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.15-20
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• 2020

Recently, the real estate is of high interest. This is because real estate, which was considered only a residential environment in the past, is recognized as a stable investment target due to the ever-growing demand on it. In particular, in the case of the domestic market, despite the decrease in the number of people, the number of single-person households and the influx of people to large cities are accelerating, and real estate prices are rising sharply around the metropolitan area. Therefore, accurately predicting the prospects of the future real estate market becomes a very important issue not only for individual asset management but also for government policy establishment. In this paper, we developed a program to predict future real estate market prices by learning past real estate sales data using machine learning techniques. The data on the market price of real estate provided by the Korea Appraisal Board and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport were used, and the average sales price forecast for 2022 by region is presented. The developed program is publicly available so that it could be used in various forms.