• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2023

Predicting earthquakes is difficult due to the complexity of the systems underlying tectonic phenomena and incomplete understanding of the interactions among tectonic settings, tectonic stress, and crustal components. The Korean Peninsula is located in a stable intraplate region with a low average seismicity of M 2.3. As public interest in the earthquake grows, we analyzed earthquakes on the Korean Peninsula by attempting to predict spatio-temporal earthquake patterns and magnitudes using Facebook's Prophet model based on deep learning, and here we discuss seismic distribution zones using DBSCAN, a cluster analysis method. The Prophet model predicts future earthquakes in Chungcheongbuk-do, Gyeonggi-do, Seoul, and Gyeongsangbuk-do.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.3017-3029
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• 2023

In the late in-vessel phase of a nuclear reactor severe accident, the internal heat transfer and crust evolution during the debris bed melting process have important effects on the thermal load distribution along the vessel wall, and further affect the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) failure mode and the state of melt during leakage. This study coupled the phase change model and large eddy simulation to investigate the variations of the temperature, melt liquid fraction, crust and heat flux distributions during the debris bed melting process in the hypothetical severe accident of HPR1000. The results indicated that the heat flow towards the vessel wall and upper surface were similar at the beginning stage of debris melting, but the upward heat flow increased significantly as the development of the molten pool. The maximum heat flux towards the vessel wall reached 0.4 MW/m². The thickness of lower crust decreased as the debris melting. It was much thicker at the bottom region with the azimuthal angle below 20° and decreased rapidly at the azimuthal angle around 20-50°. The maximum and minimum thicknesses were 2 and 90 mm, respectively. By contrast, the distribution of upper crust was uniform and reached stable state much earlier than the lower crust, with the thickness of about 10 mm. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis of initial condition indicated that as the decrease of time interval from reactor scram to debris bed dried-out, the maximum debris temperature and melt fraction became larger, the lower crust thickness became thinner, but the upper crust had no significant change. The sensitivity analysis of in-vessel retention (IVR) strategies indicated that the passive and active external reactor vessel cooling (ERVC) had little effect on the internal heat transfer and crust evolution. In the case not considering the internal reactor vessel cooling (IRVC), the upper crust was not obvious.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.37-40
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• 2023

Penetrating wounds to the face are cosmetically devastating and can be life-threatening. If the foreign body causing the penetrating wound is a piece of wood, small remnants might be left behind after the initial treatment. A 33-year-old male patient presented to the emergency center after a piece of lumber pierced his face as a passenger in a traffic accident. The patient's vital signs were stable, and emergency surgery was performed to remove the foreign body and repair the soft tissue. No noteworthy complications were seen after open reduction and internal fixation of the facial bone fractures. Seven months after the accident, the patient underwent scar revision along with full-thickness skin grafting for post-traumatic scars. After the surgery, pus-like discharge which was not previously present was observed, and the graft did not take well. A residual foreign body, which was the cause of graft failure, was found on computed tomography and the remaining foreign body was removed through revision surgery. The patient is receiving outpatient follow-up without any complications 6 months after surgery. This case demonstrates the importance of performing a careful evaluation to avoid missing a residual foreign body, especially if it is of wooden nature.

• Composites Research
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.15-21
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• 2008

Interfacial shear strength between epoxy and carbon fiber was analyzed utilizing a hemi-spherical microbond specimens adhered onto single carbon fiber. The hemi-spherical microbond specimen showed high regression coefficient and small standard deviation in the measurement of interfacial strength as compared with a droplet and an inverse hemi-spherical one. This seemed to be caused by the reduced meniscus effects and the reduced stress concentration In the region contacting with a pin-hole loading device. Finite element analysis showed that the stress distributions along the fiber/matrix interface in the hemi-spherical specimen had a stable shear stress distribution along the interface without any stress mode change. The experimental data was also different according to the kinds of loading device such as the microvise-tip and the pin-holed plate.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.1476-1484
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• 2023

Laboratory experiments and point monitoring of reservoir sediments have proven that stable sulfate reduction (SSR) can lower the concentrations of toxic metals and sulfate in acidic groundwater for a long time. Here, we hypothesize that SSR occurred during in situ leaching after uranium mining, which can impact the fate of acid groundwater in an entire region. To test this, we applied a sulfur isotope fractionation method to analyze the mechanism for natural attenuation of contaminated groundwater produced by acid in situ leaching of uranium (Xinjiang, China). The results showed that δ³⁴S increased over time after the cessation of uranium mining, and natural attenuation caused considerable, area-scale immobilization of sulfur corresponding to retention levels of 5.3%-48.3% while simultaneously decreasing the concentration of uranium. Isotopic evidence for SSR in the area, together with evidence for changes of pollutant concentrations, suggest that area-scale SSR is most likely also important at other acid mining sites for uranium, where retention of acid groundwater may be strengthened through natural attenuation. To recapitulate, the sulfur isotope fractionation method constitutes a relatively accurate tool for quantification of spatiotemporal trends for groundwater during migration and transformation resulting from acid in situ leaching of uranium in northern China.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Oncology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.80-86
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• 2013

Purpose: Hypermethylation of human mut L homologue 1 (hMLH1) promoter region is known to cause sporadic microsatellite instability (MSI) colorectal cancers. 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is the key enzyme in folate metabolism, acting as a methyl donor for DNA methylation. In this study, we investigate whether the polymorphism of MTHFR 677C>T plays a role in the alteration of the promoter-specific hypermethylation, predisposing to MSI colorectal cancers. Methods: Total of 487 sporadic colorectal cancer patients in CHA Bundang Medical Center were collected. MSI was identified when two or more are positive among five microsatellite markers (BAT25, BAT26, D17S250, D5S346, D2S123). The others were classified as microsatellite stable (MSS). Polymorphism of MTHFR 677C>T was genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Results: MSI was observed in 65 of 487 patients (12.73%). MSI colorectal cancers showed similar clinicopathological features with previously reported; younger age onset, right-sided preponderance, mucinous and poorly differentiated histology, lower stage, fewer lymph node metastases than MSS tumors (each P<0.05). The frequency of MTHFR 677TT genotype was 17.7% in the MSI group higher than 14.6% in the MSS group (P=0.17). Although not statistically significant, compared to the MTHFR 677CC referent, MTHFR 677 CT+TT genotype was more likely to have MSI than MSS (odds ratio, 1.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.94 to 3.68; P=0.06). Conclusion: This study demonstrated higher frequency of MTHFR 677TT genotype in MSI colorectal cancers. Furthermore, individuals with MTHFR 677CT+TT variant type might potentially develop MSI rather than MSS colorectal cancers.

• The Transactions of the Korea Information Processing Society
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.251-259
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• 2024

Fine particulate matter, especially PM2.5 with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, poses significant health and economic risks. This study focuses on the Seoul region of South Korea, aiming to analyze PM2.5 data and trends from 2017 to 2022 and develop a mid-term prediction model for PM2.5 concentrations. Utilizing collected and produced air quality and weather data, reanalysis data, and numerical model prediction data, this research proposes an ensemble evaluation method capable of adapting to trend changes. The ensemble method proposed in this study demonstrated superior performance in predicting PM2.5 concentrations, outperforming existing models by an average F1 Score of approximately 42.16% in 2019, 58.92% in 2021, and 34.79% in 2022 for future 3 to 6-day predictions. The model maintains performance under changing environmental conditions, offering stable predictions and presenting a mid-term prediction model that extends beyond the capabilities of existing deep learning-based short-term PM2.5 forecasts.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.67 no.1
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• pp.6-13
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• 2024

The integrity of the high cervical spine, the transition zone from the brainstem to the spinal cord, is crucial for survival and daily life. The region protects the enclosed neurovascular structure and allows a substantial portion of the head motion. Injuries of the high cervical spine are frequent, and the fractures of the C2 vertebra account for approximately 17-25% of acute cervical fractures. We review the two major types of C2 vertebral fractures, odontoid fracture and Hangman's fracture. For both types of fractures, favorable outcomes could be obtained if the delicately selected conservative treatment is performed. In odontoid fractures, as the most common fracture on the C2 vertebrae, anterior screw fixation is considered first for type II fractures, and C1-2 fusion is suggested when nonunion is a concern or occurs. Hangman's fractures are the second most common fracture. Many stable extension type I and II fractures can be treated with external immobilization, whereas the predominant flexion type IIA and III fractures require surgical stabilization. No result proves that either anterior or posterior surgery is superior, and the surgeon should decide on the surgical method after careful consideration according to each clinical situation. This review will briefly describe the basic principles and current treatment concepts of C2 fractures.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.31-47
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• 1998

This paper deals with the historical geography of land-use and agriculture along the Lower Nam-River floodplains. The reclamation process of the river floodplains, the cultivation methods on the reclaimed lands, and the land-use patterns and processes are investigated. The Nam River, one of the major tributaries of the Nakdong River, flows through the boundary between Ham-An and Eu-Ryong Guns. Larger floodplains are located in Ham-An Gun. The floodplains of Ham-An Gun have been surveyed intensively in this study. In South Korea, the alluvial plains, mostly located along the river valleys, have been reclaimed to provide fertile agricultural lands. Those along the upper river valleys were reclaimed before those along the lower river valleys. The flood-plains of Han-An Gun were reclaimed to be the largest agricultural lands of the Gun. The natural levees along the Lower Nam-River Valley were identified before the reclamation processes but now hardly identified. Relatively larger floodplains are located along the tributary streams of the Nam River. Often there are low-lying back swamps between the natural levees and the hills/mountains that rise above the floodplains. The back swamps, called 'natural bog lands' in this region, have been reduced in size and in number through reclamation for the purpose of agricultural and industrial land-uses. Now about ten 'natural bog lands' are found in the Ham-An floodplains, and some of them are being reclaimed for the industrial land-use. This study suggests the emergent need of conservation for the remaining 'natural bog lands' in terms of ecology. Seven agricultural fields of large size, originated from the Nam-River floodplains, are identified in this study: Kun(큰들), Chung-Am(정암들), Chang-chi(장지들), Baek-San(백산들), Ha-Ki(하기들), Gu-Hae(구혜들), and Chang-Po(장포들) fields. The Kun field was reclaimed during the Japanese control and the Gu-Hae, in the 1950s. All of those except the above two fields were reclaimed after the mid-1960s. The Nam-River Dam in Chinju, completed in 1969, contributed the reclamation processes along the Lower Nam-River floodplains. The rice acreage of the region has been reduced slowly since 1970 but the rice production of the region has been relatively stable (Table 4). Rice culture had been the most important agriculture on the reclaimed lands for decades before the greenhouse vegetable cultivation became more important in the 1980s. Among the vegetables cultivated in the greenhouse, the watermelon is the dominantly leading one. Watermelons are usually harvested two or three times in a year though it is possible to harvest four times in one year. The rotation of watermelons and rice is common in the region. It is known the physical conditions of the Nam-River floodplains in Ham-An Gun is the most suitable for watermelon cultivation in South Korea.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.22-28
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• 2019

This study researched the current occurrence status of viral diseases of solanaceous crops in the main production areas of Gangwon region, for four years from 2014 to 2018. From 2014 to 2018, in eight cities and counties including Chuncheon, CMV, BBWV2, PMMoV, TSWV, and PVY occurred in chilli peppers. In case of tomato, the research was performed in 2017 and 2018 while TSWV and TYLCV were verified in Chuncheon, Hoengseong, and Cheorwon. Especially, TYLCV occurred in Chuncheon region for the first time in 2017, which was verified in 2018. Lastly, the current occurrence status of viral diseases of bell peppers was researched in seven cities and counties like Gangneung, Hoengseong, and Cheorwon from 2015 to 2018. In the results, CMV, BBWV2, PMMoV, PepMoV, and TSWV were verified in bell peppers of Gangwon region. During the research period, there were no crops suspected or infected by BWYV, so that it is judged that there is no villiferous or infected aphid by this virus in Gangwon-do. Such results of this study could be used as the basic data for the stable production of crops through the early prevention of plant diseases occurring in the solanaceous crops of Gangwon region.