• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.59-68
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• 1998

Digital hearing aids offer many advantages over conventional analog hearing aids. With the advent of high speed digital signal processing chips, new digital techniques have been introduced to digital hearing aids. In addition, the evaluation of new ideas in hearing aids is necessarily accompanied by intensive subject-based clinical tests which requires much time and cost. In this paper, we present an objective method to evaluate and predict the performance of hearing aid systems without the help of such subject-based tests. In the hearing impairment simulation(HIS) algorithm, a sensorineural hearing impairment medel is established from auditory test data of the impaired subject being simulated. Also, the nonlinear behavior of the loudness recruitment is defined using hearing loss functions generated from the measurements. To transform the natural input sound into the impaired one, a frequency sampling filter is designed. The filter is continuously refreshed with the level-dependent frequency response function provided by the impairment model. To assess the performance, the HIS algorithm was implemented in real-time using a floating-point DSP. Signals processed with the real-time system were presented to normal subjects and their auditory data modified by the system was measured. The sensorineural hearing impairment was simulated and tested. The threshold of hearing and the speech discrimination tests exhibited the efficiency of the system in its use for the hearing impairment simulation. Using the HIS system we evaluated three typical hearing aid algorithms.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.516-528
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• 2001

In the educational study, the measure of EEG(brain waves) can be useful method to study the functioning state of brain during learning behaviour. This study investigated the changes of neuronal response according to four times repetition of audio-visual learning. EEG data at the prefrontal$(Fp_{1},Fp_{2})$ were obtained from twenty subjects at the 8th grade, and analysed quantitatively using FFT(fast Fourier transform) program. The results were as follows: 1) In the first audio-visual learning, the activities of $\beta_{2}(20-30Hz)$ and $\beta_{1}(14-19Hz)$ waves increased highly, but the activities of $\theta(4-7Hz)$ and $\alpha$ (8-13Hz) waves decreased compared with the base lines. 2). According to the repetitive audio-visual learning, the activities of $\beta_{2}$ and $\beta_{1}$ waves decreased gradually after the 1st repetitive learning. And, the activity of $\beta_{2}$ wave had the higher change than that of $\beta_{1}$ wave. 3). The activity of $\alpha$ wave decreased smoothly according to the repetitive audio-visual learning, and the activity of $\theta$ wave decreased radically after twice repetitive learning. 4). $\beta$ and $\theta$ waves together showed high activities in the 2nd audio-visual learning(once repetition), and the learning achievement increased highly after the 2nd learning. 5). The right prefrontal$(Fp_{2})$ showed higher activation than the left$(Fp_{1})$ in the first audio-visual learning. However, there were not significant differences between the right and the left prefrontal EEG activities in the repetitive audio-visual learning. Based on these findings, we can conclude that the habituation of neuronal response shows up in the repetitive audio-visual learning and brain hemisphericity can be changed by learning experiences. In addition, it is suggested once repetition of audio-visual learning be effective on the improvement of the learning achievement and on the activation of the brain function.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.7-15
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• 2015

CpBV (Cotesia plutellae bracovirus) is a polydnavirus and encodes a cystatin (CpBV-CST1) gene. Its overexpression suppresses insect immunity and alters insect developmental processes. This study aimed to construct a genetically modified (GM) tobacco to further explore the physiological function of the viral cystatin and to apply to control insect pests. To this end, the transgenic tobacco lines were screened in expression of the target gene and assessed in insecticidal activity. A recombinant vector (pBI121-CST) was prepared and used to transform a bacterium, Agrobacterium tumefasciens. The transformed bacteria were used to generate transgenic tobacco lines, which were induced to grow callus and resulted in about 92% of shoot regeneration. The regenerated plants were screened by PCR analysis to confirm the insertion of the target gene in the plant genome. In addition, the expression of the target gene was assessed in the regenerated plants by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The qRT-PCR analysis showed that the transgenic line plant expressed the target gene about 17 times more than the control tobacco, indicating a stable insertion and expression of the target gene in the transgenic tobacco line. The insecticidal activity was then analyzed using the screened transgenic tobacco lines against the teneral 1st instar larvae of the oriental tobacco budworm, Helicoverpa assulta. Though there was a variation in the insecticidal efficacy among transgenic lines, T9 and T12 lines exhibited more than 95% mortality at 7 days after feeding treatment. These results suggest that CpBV-CST1 is a useful genetic resource to be used to generate GM crop against insect pests.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.75-82
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• 2011

Five different composition UV-cured poly(urethane acrylate-co-acrylic acid) (PU-co-AA) films have been prepared by reacting isophorone diisocyanate(IPDI), polycaprolactone triol(PCLT), 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate(HEA), and different weight ratio trimethylolpropane triacrylate(TMPTA) and acrylic acid(AA) as diluents, and characterized using a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR). The adhesion properties onto the stainless steel, morphology, mechanical hardness, and electrical property of UV-cured PU-co-AA films were investigated as a function of acrylic acid(AA) content. All the PU-co-AA films are structure-less and the molecular ordering and packing density decreased with increasing content of AA due to the flexible structure and -COOH side chains in AA. The crosscut test showed that PU-co-AA films without AA and with low content of AA showed 0% adhesion(0B) and the adhesion of PU-co-AA films in the range of 40-50% AA increased dramatically as the content of AA increases. The pull-off measurements showed that the adhesion force of PU-co-AA films to stainless steel substrate varied from 6 to 31 kgf /$cm^2$ and increased linearly with increasing AA content. The mechanical hardness also decreased as the content of AA increases. This may come from relatively linear and flexible structure in AA and low crystallinity in PU-co-AA films with higher content of AA. The higher AA-containing PU-co-AA films showed higher dielectric constant due to the increase of polarization by introducing AA monomer. In conclusion, the physical properties of UV-cured PU-co-AA films are strongly dependent upon the content of AA and the incorporation of AA in polyurethane acrylate is very useful way to increase the adhesion strength of UV-curable polymers on the stainless steel substrate.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.111-123
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• 2022

Carbonate green rust (CGR) and sulfate green rust (SGR) commonly occur in nature. In this study, CGR and SGR were synthesized through co-precipitation, and their formation mechanisms and physicochemical properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld refinement showed both CGR and SGR with layered double hydroxide structure were successfully synthesized without any secondary phases under each synthetic condition. Refined structural parameters (unit cell) for two green rusts were a (=b) = 3.17 Å and c = 22.52 Å for CGR and a (=b) = 5.50 Å and c = 10.97 Å for SGR with the crystallite size 57.8 nm in diameter from (003) reflection and 40.1 nm from (001) reflections, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) results showed that both CGR and SGR had typical hexagonal plate-like crystal morphologies but their chemical composition is different in the content of C and S. In addition, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy analysis revealed that carbonate (CO₃^2-) and sulfate (SO₄^2-) molecules were occupied as interlayer anions of CGR and SGR, respectively. These SEM/EDS and FT-IR results were in good agreement with XRD results. Changes in the solution chemistry (i.e., pH, Eh and residual iron concentrations (Fe(II):Fe(III)) of the mixed solution) were observed as a function of the injection time of hydroxyl ion (OH^-) into the iron solution. Three different stages were observed in the formation of both CGR and SGR; precursor, intermediator, and green rust in the formation of both CGR and SGR. This study provides co-precipitation methods for CGR and SGR in a way of the stable synthesis. In addition, our findings for the formation mechanisms of the two green rusts and their physicochemical properties will provide crucial information with researches and industrials in utilizing green rust.