• Title/Summary/Keyword: Well development

Search Result 17,950, Processing Time 0.054 seconds

Wearable Computers

  • Cho, Gil-Soo;Barfield, Woodrow;Baird, Kevin
    • Fiber Technology and Industry
    • /
    • v.2 no.4
    • /
    • pp.490-508
    • /
    • 1998
  • One of the latest fields of research in the area of output devices is tactual display devices [13,31]. These tactual or haptic devices allow the user to receive haptic feedback output from a variety of sources. This allows the user to actually feel virtual objects and manipulate them by touch. This is an emerging technology and will be instrumental in enhancing the realism of wearable augmented environments for certain applications. Tactual displays have previously been used for scientific visualization in virtual environments by chemists and engineers to improve perception and understanding of force fields and of world models populated with the impenetrable. In addition to tactual displays, the use of wearable audio displays that allow sound to be spatialized are being developed. With wearable computers, designers will soon be able to pair spatialized sound to virtual representations of objects when appropriate to make the wearable computer experience even more realistic to the user. Furthermore, as the number and complexity of wearable computing applications continues to grow, there will be increasing needs for systems that are faster, lighter, and have higher resolution displays. Better networking technology will also need to be developed to allow all users of wearable computers to have high bandwidth connections for real time information gathering and collaboration. In addition to the technology advances that make users need to wear computers in everyday life, there is also the desire to have users want to wear their computers. In order to do this, wearable computing needs to be unobtrusive and socially acceptable. By making wearables smaller and lighter, or actually embedding them in clothing, users can conceal them easily and wear them comfortably. The military is currently working on the development of the Personal Information Carrier (PIC) or digital dog tag. The PIC is a small electronic storage device containing medical information about the wearer. While old military dog tags contained only 5 lines of information, the digital tags may contain volumes of multi-media information including medical history, X-rays, and cardiograms. Using hand held devices in the field, medics would be able to call this information up in real time for better treatment. A fully functional transmittable device is still years off, but this technology once developed in the military, could be adapted tp civilian users and provide ant information, medical or otherwise, in a portable, not obstructive, and fashionable way. Another future device that could increase safety and well being of its users is the nose on-a-chip developed by the Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee. This tiny digital silicon chip about the size of a dime, is capable of 'smelling' natural gas leaks in stoves, heaters, and other appliances. It can also detect dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. This device can also be configured to notify the fire department when a leak is detected. This nose chip should be commercially available within 2 years, and is inexpensive, requires low power, and is very sensitive. Along with gas detection capabilities, this device may someday also be configured to detect smoke and other harmful gases. By embedding this chip into workers uniforms, name tags, etc., this could be a lifesaving computational accessory. In addition to the future safety technology soon to be available as accessories are devices that are for entertainment and security. The LCI computer group is developing a Smartpen, that electronically verifies a user's signature. With the increase in credit card use and the rise in forgeries, is the need for commercial industries to constantly verify signatures. This Smartpen writes like a normal pen but uses sensors to detect the motion of the pen as the user signs their name to authenticate the signature. This computational accessory should be available in 1999, and would bring increased peace of mind to consumers and vendors alike. In the entertainment domain, Panasonic is creating the first portable hand-held DVD player. This device weight less than 3 pounds and has a screen about 6' across. The color LCD has the same 16:9 aspect ratio of a cinema screen and supports a high resolution of 280,000 pixels and stereo sound. The player can play standard DVD movies and has a hour battery life for mobile use. To summarize, in this paper we presented concepts related to the design and use of wearable computers with extensions to smart spaces. For some time, researchers in telerobotics have used computer graphics to enhance remote scenes. Recent advances in augmented reality displays make it possible to enhance the user's local environment with 'information'. As shown in this paper, there are many application areas for this technology such as medicine, manufacturing, training, and recreation. Wearable computers allow a much closer association of information with the user. By embedding sensors in the wearable to allow it to see what the user sees, hear what the user hears, sense the user's physical state, and analyze what the user is typing, an intelligent agent may be able to analyze what the user is doing and try to predict the resources he will need next or in the near future. Using this information, the agent may download files, reserve communications bandwidth, post reminders, or automatically send updates to colleagues to help facilitate the user's daily interactions. This intelligent wearable computer would be able to act as a personal assistant, who is always around, knows the user's personal preferences and tastes, and tries to streamline interactions with the rest of the world.

  • PDF

Fragipan Formation within Closed Depressions in Southern Wisconsin, United States (미국 위스콘신 남부지방의 소규모 저습지에 나타나는 이쇄반층(Fragipan)의 형성과정에 관한 연구)

  • Park S.J.;Almond P.;McSweeney K.;Lowery B.
    • Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
    • /
    • v.41 no.2 s.113
    • /
    • pp.150-167
    • /
    • 2006
  • This study was conducted to determine the pedogenesis of dense subsurface horizons (denoted either Bx or Bd) observed within closed depressions and in toeslope positions at loess-covered glacial tillplains in southern Wisconsin. Some of these dense subsurface horizons, especially those occurring within depressions, show a close morphological resemblance to fragipans elsewhere, even though the existence of fragipans has not been previously reported in southern Wisconsin. The spatial occurrence of fragipans was first examined over the landscape to characterize general soil-landscape relationships. Detailed physico-chemical and micromorphological analyses were followed to investigate the development of fragipans within a closed depression along a catenary sequence. The formation of fragipans at the study site is a result of sequential processes of physical ripening and accumulation of colloidal materials. A very coarse prismatic structure with a closely packed soil matrix was formed via physical ripening processes of loess deposited in small glacial lakes and floodplains that existed soon after the retreat of the last glacier. The physically formed dense horizons became hardened by the accumulation of colloidal materials, notably amorphous Si. The accumulation intensity of amorphous Si varies with mass balance relationships, which are governed by topography and local drainage conditions. Well-developed Bx horizons evolve at closed depressions where net accumulation of amorphous Si occurs, but the collapsed layers remain as Bd horizons at other locations where soluble Si has continuously been removed downslope or downvalley. Hydromorphic processes caused by the presence of fragipans are degrading upper parts of the prisms, resulting in the formation of an eluvial fragic horizon (Ex).

Influences of Saliva Substitutes on Salivary Enzymatic Activity (타액대체제가 타액 효소 활성에 미치는 영향)

  • Kho, Hong-Seop;Lee, Sung-Woo
    • Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
    • /
    • v.34 no.3
    • /
    • pp.227-235
    • /
    • 2009
  • Many of the protective functions of saliva can be attributed to the biological, physical, structural, and rheological characteristics of salivary glycoproteins. Therefore, the development of ideal saliva substitutes requires understanding of the rheological as well as biological properties of human saliva. In the present study, we investigated the changes of salivary enzymatic activities by saliva substitutes and compared viscosity of saliva substitutes with human saliva. Five kinds of saliva substitutes such as Moi-Stir, Stoppers4, MouthKote, Saliva Orthana, and SNU were used. Lysozyme activity was determined by the turbidimetric method. Peroxidase activity was determined with an NbsSCN assay. $\alpha$-Amylase activity was determined using a chromogenic substrate, 2-chloro-p-nitrophenol linked with maltotriose. The pH values of saliva substitutes were measured and their viscosity values were measured with a cone-and-plate digital viscometer at six different shear rates. Various types of saliva substitutes affected the activities of salivary enzymes in different ways. Stoppers4 enhanced the enzymatic activities of hen egg-white lysozyme, bovine lactoperoxidase (bLP), and $\alpha$-amylase. Saliva Orthana and SNU inhibited bLP activity and enhanced $\alpha$-amylase activity. MouthKote inhibited $\alpha$-amylase activity. Moi-Stir inhibited the enzymatic activities of bLP and $\alpha$-amylase. The pH values were very different according to the types of saliva substitutes. Stoppers4, MouthKote, and Saliva Orthana showed lower values of viscosity at low shear rates and higher values of viscosity at high shear rates compared with unstimulated and stimulated whole saliva. Moi-Stir and SNU displayed much higher values of viscosity than those of natural whole saliva. Collectively, our results indicate that each saliva substitute has its own biological and rheological characteristics. Each saliva substitute affects the enzymatic activity of salivary enzyme and finally oral health in different ways.

Effects of Treadmill Exercise on Alpha-synuclein Mutation and Activated Neurotrophins in Nigrostriatal Region of MPTP-induced Parkinson Models (MPTP 파킨슨 모델의 트레드밀 운동이 알파시누크린 변성과 흑질선조체내 신경성장인자 활성화에 미치는 영향)

  • Park, Jae-Sung;Kim, Jeong-Hwan;Yoon, Sung-Jin
    • Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
    • /
    • v.19 no.2
    • /
    • pp.73-88
    • /
    • 2009
  • Objectives : Neuronal changes that result from treadmill exercise for patients with Parkinson's disease(PD) have not been well documented, although some clinical and laboratory reports suggest that regular exercise may produce a neuroprotective effect and restore dopaminergic and motor functions. However, it is not clear if the improvements are due to neuronal alterations within the affected nigrostriatal region or result from a more general effect of exercise on affect areas and motivation. In this study, we demonstrate that motorized treadmill exercise improves the neuronal outcomes in rodent models of PD. Methods : We used a chronic mouse model of parkinsonism, which was induced by injecting male C57BL/6 mice with 10 doses(Every 12 hour) of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (30 mg/kg) and probenecid (20 mg/kg) over 5 days. These mice were able to sustain an exercise training program on a motorized rodent treadmill at a speed of 18 m/min, $0^{\circ}$ of inclination, 40 min/day, 5 days/week for 4 weeks. At the end of exercise training, we extracted the brain and compared their neuronal and neurochemical changes with the control(saline and sedentary) mice groups. Synphilin protein is the substance that manifestly reacts with ${\alpha}$-synuclein. In this study, we used Synphilin as a manifest sign of recovery from neurodegeneration. We analyze the brain stems of the substantia nigra and striatum region using the western blotting technique. Results : There were no expression of synphilin in the saline-induced groups. The addition of MPTP(1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) greatly accelerated synphilin expression which meant an aggregation of ${\alpha}$-synuclein. But, the MPTP-induced treadmill exercise group showed significantly lower expression than the MPTP-induced sedentary group. This means treadmill exercise has a definite effect on the decrease of ${\alpha}$-synuclein aggregation. Conclusions : In this study, our results suggest that treadmill exercise promoted the removal of the aggregation of ${\alpha}$-synuclein, resulting in protection against disease development and blocks the apoptotic process in the chronic parkinsonian mice brain with severe neurodegeneration.

Resorbability and histological reaction of bioabsorbable membranes (수종의 흡수성 차단막의 생체 분해도와 조직학적 반응)

  • Suk, Hun-Joo;Kwon, Suk-Hoon;Kim, Chang-Sung;Choi, Seong-Ho;Jeon, Dong-Won;Kim, Chong-Kwan
    • Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
    • /
    • v.32 no.4
    • /
    • pp.781-800
    • /
    • 2002
  • The major goals of periodontal therapy are the functional regeneration of periodontal supporting structures already destructed by periodontal disease. There have been many efforts to develop materials and therapeutic methods to promote periodontal wound healing. With the development of non-resorbable membrane, GTR has proved to be the representive technique of periodontal regeneration. However, due to various clinical problems of non-resorbable membrane, resorbable membrane was developed and it showed to be clinically effective. The newly developed Para-Dioxanone membrane has a characteristic of non-woven fabric structures which is different from the generally used membranes with structure of mesh form. In addition, Chitosan membrane has been developed to apply its adventage maximally in GTR. Although a number of different types of membranes had been clinically used, researches on absorption rate of membranes were inadequate and limited to subjective opinions. However, since long term period of resorption and space maintenance are required in implant or ridge augmentation, accurate verification of resorption rate is clinically important. In this study, we had implanted Resolut(R), Biomesh(R), Para-Dioxanone membrane and Chitosan membrane (Size : 4mm ${\times}$ 4mm) on dorsal side of Sprague Dawley rat, and sacrified them after 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks respectively. Histologic observation was carried out, and the following results were obtained by calculating the objective resorption rate. 1. In case of Resolut(R), external resorption took place initially, followed by internal resorption. Surface area are 5.76${\pm}$2.37$mm^2$, 4.90${\pm}$l.06$mm^2$, 4.90${\pm}$0.98$mm^2$ at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks respectively, and invasion rate of connective tissue to membrane are 31.6${\pm}$4.5%, 52.8${\pm}$9.4%, 56.4${\pm}$5.1% respectively. 2. Biomesh(R) showed a pattern of folding, relatively slow resorption rate with small size of membrane. Surface area are 3.62${\pm}$0.82$mm^2$, 3.63${\pm}$0.76$mm^2$, 4.07${\pm}$1.14$mm^2$ at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks respectively, and invasion rate of connective tissue to membrane are 26.1${\pm}$5.8%, 30.9${\pm}$3.4%, 29.2${\pm}$3.6%, respectively. 3. Para-Dioxanone membrane was surrounded by fibrous conncetive tissue externally, and resorption took place internally and externally. Surface area are 5.96${\pm}$1.05$mm^2$, 4.77${\pm}$10.76$mm^2$, 3.86${\pm}$0.84$mm^2$ at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks respectively, and invasion rate of connective tissue to membrane are 30.7${\pm}$5.1%, 53.3${\pm}$4.4%, 69.5${\pm}$3.1%, respectively. 4. Each fiber of Chitosan membrane was surrounded by connective tissue and showed external resorption pattern. It showed little invasion of inflammatory cells and excellent biocompatability. The resorption rate was relatively slow. Surface area are 6.01${\pm}$2.01$mm^2$, 5.49${\pm}$1.3$mm^2$, 5.06${\pm}$1.38$mm^2$ at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks respectively, and invasion rate of connective tissue to membrane are 31.3${\pm}$3.6%, 38.4${\pm}$3.80%, 39.7${\pm}$5.6%, respectively. Consequently, Para-Dioxanone membrane and Chitosan membrane are found to be clinically effective for their excellent tissue reaction and biocompatibility. Futhermore, the advantage of bone regenerating ability as well as the relatively long resorption period of Chitosan membrane, it might be widely used in implant or ridge augmentation.

The Effect of Inhibition of Heme Oxygenase-1 on Chemosensitivity of Cisplatin in Lung Cancer Cells (폐암세포주에서 Heme Oxygenase-1의 억제가 Cisplatin의 항암제 감수성에 미치는 영향)

  • Kim, So-Young;Kim, Eun-Jung;Jang, Hye-Yeon;Hwang, Ki-Eun;Park, Jung-Hyun;Kim, Hwi-Jung;Jo, Hyang-Jeong;Yang, Sei-Hoon;Jeong, Eun-Taik;Kim, Hak-Ryul
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
    • /
    • v.62 no.1
    • /
    • pp.33-42
    • /
    • 2007
  • Background: Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is known to modulates the cellular functions, including cell proliferation and apoptosis. It is known that a high level of HO-1 expression is found in many tumors, and HO-1 plays an important role in rapid tumor growth on account of its antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects. Cisplatin is a widely used anti-cancer agent for the treatment of lung cancer. However, the development of resistance to cisplatin is a major obstacle to its use in clinical treatment. We previously demonstrated that inhibiting HO-1 expression through the transcriptional activation of Nrf2 induces apoptosis in A549 cells. The aim of this study was to determine of the inhibiting HO-1 enhance the chemosensitivity of A549 cells to cisplatin. Materials and Methods: The human lung cancer cell line, A549, was treated cisplatin, and the cell viability was measured by a MTT assay. The change in HO-1, Nrf2, and MAPK expression after the cisplatin treatment was examined by Western blotting. HO-1 inhibition was suppressed by ZnPP, which is a specific pharmacologic inhibitor of HO activity, and small interfering RNA (siRNA). Flow cytometry analysis and Western blot were performed in to determine the level of apoptosis. The level of hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) generation was monitored fluoimetrically using 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate. Results: The A549 cells showed more resistance to the cisplatin treatment than the other cell lines examined, whereas cisplatin increased the expression of HO-1 and Nrf2, as well as the phosphorylation of MAPK in a time-dependent fashion. Inhibitors of the MAPK pathway blocked the induction of HO-1 and Nrf2 by the cisplatin treatment in A549 cells. In addition, the cisplatin-treated A549 cells transfected with dither the HO-1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) or ZnPP, specific HO-1 inhibitor, showed in a more significantly decrease in viability than the cisplatin-only-treated group. The combination treatment of ZnPP and cisplatin caused in a marked increase in the ROS generation and a decrease in the HO-1 expression. Conclusion: Cisplatin increases the expression of HO-1, probably through the MAPK-Nrf2 pathway, and the inhibition of HO-1 enhances the chemosensitivity of A549 cells to cisplatin.

CEO's Political Independence, Board Chair Separation, Executive's Expertise, and Performance in State-Owned Enterprises (공기업 CEO의 정치적 독립성, 이사회 의장 분리, 임원의 전문성과 성과)

  • Yu, Seungwon
    • KDI Journal of Economic Policy
    • /
    • v.35 no.2
    • /
    • pp.1-39
    • /
    • 2013
  • Considering the relationship between state-owned enterprise (SOE) CEOs and political circles, this study examines the performance impacts of CEO's succession type, board chair separation, and industry expertise and finance expertise of CEOs and outside directors. I propose the definition of political independence in SOE CEOs based on the independence in appearance that might affect general people's perception. It means that there are no relationships or circumstances that might affect SOE CEO's judgment, activity, and report. The definition is able to overcome the limitations of the prior research that could not discover the CEOs who were affiliated to political circles because the research just distinguished the CEOs following their pre-jobs. This study focused on the performance impacts of political independence impaired CEO as well as the CEO's impacts on the relationship between the performance and other corporate governance variables. I selected as dependent variables the average return on asset as operating income divided by total assets and the average customer satisfaction rate evaluated by Korean government during the first three years following the year of the events of explanatory variables. My theory and evidence from the various CEO's personal background and financial information from SOEs in Lee Myung-bak Administration and Rho Moo-hyun Administration suggest the following important things. First, the analysis based on whether or not a SOE CEO keeps political independence shows that a political independence impaired CEO made a significantly negative impact on customer satisfaction rate. Second, the separation between a board chair and a CEO in SOEs introduced by Korean Act on Management of Public Institutions made a significantly positive impact on customer satisfaction rate. However, the positive impact of the board chair separation was removed in a political independence impaired CEO's SOE. Third, outside director's industry expertise made a significantly positive impact on return on asset. However, the positive impact of the outside director's industry expertise was removed in a political independence impaired CEO's SOE. Fourth, the comparison between Lee Myung-bak Administration and Roh Moo-hyun Administration on the corporate governance and performance of SOEs shows that the ratio of political independence impaired CEO was significantly higher in Lee Administration and the ratio of outside director's industry expertise and finance expertise were respectively significantly higher in Roh Administration. Based on these results, I suggested a few policy alternatives for CEO's improved political independence and requirements for executive's expertise in SOEs.

  • PDF

A Study on the Interdependencies of Payment and Settlement Systems in Korea (우리나라 지급결제시스템의 상호의존성에 관한 연구)

  • Yi, Junesuh;Kang, KyeongHoon
    • KDI Journal of Economic Policy
    • /
    • v.32 no.2
    • /
    • pp.171-216
    • /
    • 2010
  • With the payment and settlement systems becoming more and more complex and interconnected, the issue of their interdependency rises as an important academic issue as well as a policy topic. This study examines causes, forms, and risk management of interdependencies of payment and settlement systems in Korea, and presents their current situation. By way of simulations using BOF-PSS2 developed by the Bank of Finland, we quantify the effects of an operational disruption on the payment and settlement systems so as to figure out the degree of interdependency. As a result, the secondary round effect reaches up to ₩13.6 trillion a day, which amounts to 7.8% of the daily settlement value. Furthermore, if we also consider the amount of direct operational disruption, the volume of operational disruption occupies 22.3% of total value of the daily settlement, evidencing that the interdependencies of the payment and settlement systems in Korea is enormously widespread. The secondary round effects are found to be more severe with security companies rather than with banks, and to be more depended upon when it is perceived rather than it actually happens. In case that we expand the liquidity to include cash holdings and deposits as assets, the secondary round effect dramatically decreases in all types of financial institutions while foreign banks account for more share of all the secondary round effects increases. Based on these results, we suggest various policy tasks and directions to improve the risk management of settlement systems: expansion of off-setting settlements, introduction of a new settlement system for securities transactions, rapid provision of liquidity to financial institutions, more effective monitoring on participant institutions, and intensified information sharing and cooperation among the systems.

  • PDF

The Acquisition, Construction and Common Use of Modern and Post-modern Document DB in the NAK, NIKH, and AKS (근·현대 지역사료 수집, DB 구축 및 공동 활용 - 국가기록원, 국사편찬위원회, 한국학중앙연구원을 중심으로 -)

  • Kang, Soon-Ae
    • Journal of Korean Society of Archives and Records Management
    • /
    • v.8 no.2
    • /
    • pp.39-60
    • /
    • 2008
  • This paper deals with the four aspects of the acquisition, construction and common use of modern and post-modern document DB in the NAK, NIKH, and AKS. First, The concept of Korean regional history includes provincial history, local history and regional history and as far as modern and post-modern history is concerned, the concept of regional history is on expansion. Second, National Archives of Korea has been systematically collecting and managing modern and post-modern regional history records in compliance to Public Institutes Records Management Law, enacted in 1999 and currently is in charge of handling public records of 373 central government administration offices, 514 regional government offices, Office of Education, universities and of other public agencies. National Institute of Korean History is working on a ten year project from 2004 to collect the scattered modern and post-modern regional history records and to classify them regionally and thematically. The Academy of Korean Studies has been collecting modern and post-modern regional history records and collection was initiated by Modern History Research. Those records that are collected from 1997 and 2005 are mainly from the liberation period. Third, characteristics of Central Archives Management System and Nara Records Portal System of NAK, Korean History Database System of NIKH and of The AKS' Korean Provincial Culture Electronic Encyclopedia are elaborated. Fourth, establishing 'Modern and Post-modern Regional History Records Council' as an affiliated organization of National Archives Management Committee is recommended, NAK leading the council and promoting further cooperation. In this section, an emphasis on allotted tasks of three institutes in order to achieve technology development for digitalized resource sharing, to improve on contents and to promote public and international use is placed as well.

Protection for sea-water intrusion by geophysical prospecting & GIS (해수침투 방지를 위한 물리검층과 GIS 활용방안)

  • Han Kyu-Eon;Yi Sang-Sun;Jeong Cha-Youn
    • 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
    • /
    • 2000.09a
    • /
    • pp.54-69
    • /
    • 2000
  • There are groundwater trouble by high-salinity yield inducing sea-water intrusion in Cheju Island. It is used groundwater-GIS(Well-lnfo) in the maintenance and management of groundwater in Cheju Island to grasp groundwater trouble area and cause of high-salinity yield. For 16 wells certain to yield high-salinity, we logged specific electrical conductivity(EC) and tried to get hold of freshwater and saltwater relationship. As result of distribution of $Cl^-$ by depth, it is showed up groundwater trouble by high-salinity yield in the east coastal area and the partly north coastal area. The reason of high-salinity groundwater yield are low-groundwater level by the structure of geology and low-hydraulic gradient etc. There is necessity for management to development and use of groundwater in the high-salinity area, special management area.

  • PDF