• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.491-497
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• 2021

Purpose: To investigate the prevalence of osteoporosis or osteopenia via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry bone mineral density (DEXA BMD) in adult males who showed radiolucent lumbar vertebra on the plain radiographs. Materials and Methods: The DEXA BMD values of 98 adult males, who showed radiolucent vertebrae on plain X-rays, were compared with those of the control group (n=168) and osteoporosis-related fracture group (n=113) by statistical analysis. The World Health Organization (WHO) method (lower value between the mean lumbar and femur neck) and the Hansen's method (lowest lumbar vertebra) were used to determine osteoporosis. Results: The mean and standard deviation of the BMD value of each group was -1.4 (±1.2) in the suspicious group, -0.8 (±1.1) in the control group, and -2.4 (±1.0) in the fracture group, respectively; the difference was statistically significant. Using the WHO method, the prevalence ratio of osteoporosis was 17.3% in the suspicious group, 8.3% in the control group, and 45.1% in the fracture group, respectively. Osteopenia was observed in 40.8% of the suspicious group. Hansen's method (lowest lumbar vertebra) revealed the prevalence of osteoporosis in 30.6% of the suspicious group, 17.9% of the control group, and 62.0% of the fracture group. Conclusion: Approximately 17.3% of the suspicious group was diagnosed with osteoporosis, and 40.8% were osteopenic by a confirmative BMD study (WHO criteria) among the adult males showing apparent radiolucency on plain X-rays. The control group also showed an 8% prevalence of osteoporosis. These results suggest that males also are vulnerable to osteoporosis. Therefore, a BMD study should also be used for males, especially for the people showing lumbar vertebrae with radiolucent features.

• Journal of Appropriate Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.174-182
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• 2020

The permissible limit of ammonia concentration in drinking water recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) is 1.5 mg/L. However, in the case of groundwater in Kathmandu, Nepal, the concentration of ammonia fluctuates dramatically from 0 to 120 mg/L at different locations and groundwater depths (Chapagain et al., 2010). Such a high concentration of ammonia causes aesthetic problems in drinking water, such as bad taste and odor; hence, prior treatment is required. In Kathmandu, half of the population utilizes groundwater, which is also employed for drinking water, but owing to a lack of knowledge of household water filters, residents of Kathmandu tend to depend greatly on commercially available jar water than on the installation of a proper household filtration method. Thus, in our study, we employed adsorption and reverse osmosis (RO) as two of the most viable decentralized/household treatment options to address the issue of high contamination of ammonia in drinking water. We evaluated their performances from technical and the economic perspectives using synthetically prepared groundwater at varying ammonia concentrations (50 mg/L and 15 mg/L). Consequently, it was found that adsorption via ion exchange (IE) resin was a comparatively better ammonia removal technology than RO, with 100% ammonia removal even after regeneration; the removal by RO was limited to up to 90%. Furthermore, our study suggests that IE is the most suitable ammonia removal technology for places with lower water consumption (< 50 L/day), whereas RO seemed to be a cost-effective technology for places with higher water consumption, where the daily water demand exceeds 50 L/day. Lastly, these assessments suggest that installing a suitable household treatment system would be more efficient and sustainable from both technical and economic points of view than purchasing commercially bottled water.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.285-297
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• 2021

Globally, nuclear-decommissioning facilities have been increased in number, and thereby hundreds of thousands of wastes, such as concrete, soil, and metal, have been generated. For this reason, there have been numerous efforts and researches on the development of technology for volume reduction and recycling of solid radioactive wastes, and this study reviewed and examined thoroughly such previous studies. The waste concrete powder is rehydrated by other processes such as grinding and sintering, and the processes rendered aluminate (C3A), C4AF, C3S, and ��-C2S, which are the significant compounds controlling the hydration reaction of concrete and the compressive strength of the solidified matrix. The review of the previous studies confirmed that waste concretes could be used as recycling cement, but there remain problems with the decreasing strength of solidified matrix due to mingling with aggregates. There have been further efforts to improve the performance of recycling concrete via mixing with reactive agents using industrial by-products, such as blast furnace slag and fly ash. As a result, the compressive strength of the solidified matrix was proved to be enhanced. On the contrary, there have been few kinds of researches on manufacturing recycled concretes using soil wastes. Illite and zeolite in soil waste show the high adsorption capacity on radioactive nuclides, and they can be recycled as solidification agents. If the soil wastes are recycled as much as possible, the volume of wastes generated from the decommissioning of nuclear power plants (NPPs) is not only significantly reduced, but collateral benefits also are received because radioactive wastes are safely disposed of by solidification agents made from such soil wastes. Thus, it is required to study the production of non-sintered cement using clay minerals in soil wastes. This paper reviewed related domestic and foreign researches to consider the sustainable recycling of concrete waste from NPPs as recycling cement and utilizing clay minerals in soil waste to produce unsintered cement.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.19-29
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• 2022

The result of a questionnaire survey conducted on fishermen using coastal fish traps shows that fall accidents during trap dropping and pulling constitute the highest proportion of accidents at 42.1 %, whereas slipping accidents on the deck or stricture accidents to the body due to the trap winding device constitute 21.1 % each. In addition, 53.2 % of all surveyed subjects responded that trap pulling is the most dangerous task, followed by fish sorting 33.8 %, and trap dropping 9.1 %. As for the main items requested by fishermen for improving the trap winding device, 36.8 % indicated a method to easily lift the trap from the water to the work deck, and 31.6 % indicated a method to overcome the rope tension and prevent slip when pulling the trap to reduce the accidents. The small trap fishing vessel winding device proposed herein can increase the winding force by strengthening the rope contact area and friction coefficient via an appropriate contact angle between the driving roller of the winding device and the rope. When the contact angles between the driving roller and the rope are 1°, 5°, 9°, 14° and 19°, the rope tension showed a difference according to each contact angle. When the contact angle is 9°, the rope tension is the highest at 392.62 kgf. Based on these experimental results, a prototype winding device is manufactured, and 25 traps are installed on a rope with a total length of 100 m at 4 m intervals in the sea, and then the rope tension is measured during trap pulling. As a result, the rope tension increases rapidly at the initial stage of trap pulling and shows the highest value of 31.89 kgf, which subsequently decreases significantly. Therefore, it is appropriate to design the winding force of a small trap fishing vessel winding device based on the maximum tension value of the rope specified at the beginning of the trap pulling operation.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.379-391
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• 2022

The current study aimed to compare the pH, solubility value, and ion release capability of premixed mineral trioxide aggregates (MTAs) versus conventional pulp capping materials before and after setting. The following materials were used: resin-modified calcium silicate cement (TheraCal LC^®, TLC), resin-modified calcium hydroxide cement (Ultra-Blend^TM plus, UBP), and 2 kinds of premixed MTA (Endocem MTA^® premixed regular [EMPR] and Well-Root^TM PT [WRP]). The specimens of each material were prepared before and after setting and were immersed in distilled water. The materials' pH and solubility value were assessed. Next, three kinds of ion (calcium, sulfide, and strontium) released by pulp capping materials were evaluated via inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. In the after-setting group, the pH of TLC and UBP decreased. However, the pH of the premixed MTAs increased with time. TLC released a higher concentration of strontium ion compared with the other materials. Meanwhile, EMPR released a significantly high concentration of sulfide ion (p < 0.05). In the after-setting group, the 2 kinds of premixed MTAs released a significantly higher concentration of calcium ion compared with the other materials (p < 0.05). In the after-setting group, EMPR had a significantly low solubility value (p < 0.05). The Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by the Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction, was used in statistical analysis. In conclusion, resin-modified calcium silicate cement, modified calcium hydroxide cement, and the 2 kinds of premixed MTAs had an alkaline pH and low solubility value and they released various concentrations of ions after setting.

• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.269-277
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• 2022

With the recent development of the biological enzymatic reaction industry, lactic acid (LA) can be mass-produced from biomass sources. In particular, a catalytic process that converts LA into acrylic acid (AA) is receiving much attention because AA is used widely in the petrochemical industry as a monomer for superabsorbent polymers (SAP) and as an adhesive for displays. In the LA conversion process, NaY zeolites have been previously shown to be a high-activity catalyst, which improves AA selectivity and long-term stability. However, NaY zeolites suffer from fast deactivation due to severe coking. Therefore, the aim of this study is to modify the acid-base properties of the NaY zeolite to address this shortcoming. First, base promoters, Ca ions, were introduced to the NaY zeolites to tune their acidity and basicity via ion exchange (IE) and incipient wetness impregnation (IWI). The IWI method showed superior catalyst selectivity and stability compared to the IE method, maintaining a high AA yield of approximately 40% during the 16 h reaction. Based on the NH₃- and CO₂-TPD results, the calcium salts that impregnated into the NaY zeolites were proposed to exit as an oxide form mainly at the exterior surface of NaY and act as additional base sites to promote the dehydration of LA to AA. The NaY zeolites were further treated with KOH before calcium impregnation to reduce the total acidity and improve the dispersion of calcium through the mesopores formed by KOH-induced desilication. However, this KOH treatment did not lead to enhanced AA selectivity. Finally, calcium loading was increased from 1wt% to 5wt% to maximize the amount of base sites. The increased basicity improved the AA selectivity substantially to 65% at 100% conversion while maintaining high activity during a 24 h reaction. Our results suggest that controlling the basicity of the catalyst is key to obtaining high AA selectivity and high catalyst stability.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.833-840
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• 2022

Chronic inflammation has been shown to be closely associated with tumor development and progression. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) is composed of a family of five transcription factors. NF-κB signaling plays a crucial role in the inflammatory response and is often found to be dysregulated in various types of cancer, making it an attractive target in cancer therapeutics. In this study, CDC-like kinase 3 (CLK3) was identified as a novel kinase that regulates the NF-κB signaling pathway. Our data demonstrate that CLK3 inhibits the canonical and non-canonical NF-κB pathways. Luciferase assays following the transient or stable expression of CLK3 indicated that this kinase inhibited NF-κB activation mediated by Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) and Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), which are known to activate NF-κB signaling via the canonical pathway. Consistent with data on the ectopic expression of CLK3, CLK3 knockdown using shRNA constructs increased NF-κB activity 1.5-fold upon stimulation with TNFα in HEK293 cells compared with the control cells. Additionally, overexpression of CLK3 suppressed the activation of this signaling pathway induced by NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK) or CD40, which are well-established activators of the non-canonical pathway. To further examine the negative impact of CLK3 on NF-κB signaling, we performed Western blotting following the TNFα treatment to directly identify the molecular components of the NF-κB pathway that are affected by this kinase. Our results revealed that CLK3 mitigated the phosphorylation/activation of transforming growth factor-α-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), inhibitor of NF-κB kinase alpha/beta (IKKα/α), NF-κB p65 (RelA), NF-κB inhibitor alpha (IκBα), and Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2-Mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK1/2-MAPK), suggesting that CLK3 inhibits both the NF-κB and MAPK signaling activated by TNFα exposure. Further studies are required to elucidate the mechanism by which CLK3 inhibits the canonical and non-canonical NF-κB pathways. Collectively, these findings reveal CLK3 as a novel negative regulator of NF-κB signaling.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.60 no.3
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• pp.334-346
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• 2022

There is a lack of knowledge and information on the understanding and application of the Process Safety Management (PSM) system, recognized as a major cause of industrial accidents in small-and medium-sized workplaces. Hence, it is necessary to prepare a protocol to secure the practical and continuous levels of implementation for PSM and eliminate human errors through tracking management. However, insufficient research has been conducted on this. Therefore, this study investigated and analyzed the various violations in the administrative measures, based on the regulations announced by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, in approximately 200 small-and medium-sized PSM workplaces with fewer than 300 employees across in korea. This study intended to contribute to the prevention of major industrial accidents by developing a facility maintenance web program that removed human errors in small-and medium-sized workplaces. The major results are summarized as follows. First, It accessed the web via a QR code on a smart device to check the equipment's specification search function, cause of failure, and photos for the convenience of accessing the program, which made it possible to make requests for the it inspection and maintenance in real time. Second, it linked the identification of the targets to be changed, risk assessment, worker training, and pre-operation inspection with the program, which allowed the administrator to track all the procedures from start to finish. Third, it made it possible to predict the life of the equipment and verify its reliability based on the data accumulated through the registration of the pictures for improvements, repairs, time required, cost, etc. after the work was completed. It is suggested that these research results will be helpful in the practical and systematic operation of small-and medium-sized PSM workplaces. In addition, it can be utilized in a useful manner for the development and dissemination of a facility maintenance web program when establishing future smart factories in small-and medium-sized PSM workplaces under the direction of the government.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.599-608
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• 2020

This study aims to investigate the performance and satisfaction of occupational therapists at the Dementia Relief Center for health care of the elderly in local communities, and to provide basic data necessary for role establishment by checking occupational therapists' tasks according to the priority. The subjects of this study were occupational therapists in dementia care centers in the Honam area and Gwangju Metropolitan City, who were surveyed via mail and e-mail. The survey had a total of 54 items covering the general characteristics of the therapists and current state of the centers (n=8), performance and satisfaction with the service areas and task content of the centers (n=45), and tasks that were considered important (one short-answer question). It was found that occupational therapists at the Dementia Relief Center were mainly carrying out the "Dementia Prevention Management Projects", which provided the programs for the patients, and they showed the highest satisfaction. Although the 'MMSE-DS' is occupational therapists' own area with high performance and satisfaction, it was not assigned to the occupational therapists at the Dementia Relief Center, indicating that the role was insufficient. The tasks related "administrative works and strengthening community capacities" showed low performance and satisfaction, but they are essential for the operation of the Dementia Relief Center and the management of the patients, so the plans to increase the occupational therapists' performance should be established. The categories of projects that occupational therapists consider important were also consistent with those they had to perform. It means the occupational therapists at the Dementia Relief Center recognized their unique roles. In this context, to establish the role of occupational therapist at the Dementia Relief Center, it is necessary to amend the operating guidelines based on the performance, satisfaction, and priorities of the projects, and to develop the curriculums and programs that can improve the tasks with insufficient performance and low satisfaction.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.419-426
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• 2021

Purpose: In the surgical treatment of pyogenic lumbar spondylodiscitis, screw insertion at the affected vertebra has been avoided because of biofilm formation, and the risk of infection recurrence. The authors analyzed the success rate of infection treatment while minimizing the number of instrumented segments by inserting pedicle screws into the affected vertebrae. Therefore, this study examined the usefulness of this technique. Materials and Methods: From January 2000 to June 2018, among patients with pyogenic lumbar spondylodiscitis treated surgically, group A consisted of patients with pedicle screws inserted directly at the affected vertebrae (28 cases), and group B underwent fusion by inserting screws at the adjacent normal vertebrae due to bone destruction of the affected vertebral pedicle (20 cases). The classified clinical results were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were treated via the posterior-only approach, so the affected disc and sequestrum were removed. Posterior interbody fusion was performed with an autogenous strut bone graft, and the segments were then stabilized with pedicle screw systems. The hospitalization period, operation time, amount of blood loss, EQ-5D index, duration of intravenous antibiotics, and the clinical and radiological results were analyzed. Results: In group A, the number of instrumented segments, operation time, blood loss, and EQ-5D index at one month postoperatively showed significant improvement compared to group B. There were no significant differences in the duration of antibiotic use, hospitalization, radiological bone union time, sagittal angle correction rate, and recurrence rate. Conclusion: Minimal segmental fixation, in which pedicle screws were inserted directly into the affected vertebrae through the posterior approach, reduced the surgery time and blood loss, preserved the lumbar motion by minimizing fixed segments and showed rapid recovery without spreading or recurrence of infection. Therefore, this procedure recommended for the surgical treatment of lumbar pyogenic spondyodiscitis.