• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.122-134
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• 1998

In this review, we describe the electrochemical properties of spinel-type lithium manganese oxides $(Li_xMn_2O_4)$ and their failure modes encountered in 4 V lithium rechargable cells. The long-term cyclability (reversibility) of spinel electrodes is determined partly by the purity, size and distribution of spinel particles, and also by the microstructure of electrode plates. A proper selection of electrolytes is another important task in cyclability enhancements. In the spinel preparation, impurity formation and cation mixing should be minimized. The carbon content in composite cathodes should also be minimized to the extent where the cell polarization does not bring about adverse effects on cell performances. The binder content should be optimized on the basis of dispersion of component materials and mechanical strength of the plates. Cathodic capacity losses arising from solvent oxidation and spinel dissolution can be mitigated by using electrolytes composed of carbonates and/or fluorine-containing lithium salts. The carbon additives may be selected after a trade-off between the cell polarization in composite cathodes and the solvent oxidation on carbon surface.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2002

Large soft tissue defects around the knee joint are known to significantly diminish joint function. Severe soft tissue defects on the anterior aspect of the knee joint especially bring on significant joint motion limitation. Although simple split skin grafts can cover the skin defect, the progressing scar contracture of the grafted skin causes joint stiffness. One of the best solutions of large soft tissue defects around the knee joint is covering the defect with a good quality skin flap. Separated flaps with one vascular pedicle are good candidates for covering anterior and posterior aspects of the joint for example. Authors performed 12 cases of combined scapular and latissimus dorsi free flaps from 1984 to 2000. Among them, we experienced 5 cases of knee joint defect covering using the double free flap for coverage of the soft tissue defect with preservation of the knee joint function and satisfactory results. The system of flaps based on the subscapular artery and vein provides a variety of composite free flaps. The possible flaps that can be harvested based on this single vascular pedicle include the scapular and parascapular skin flap, the serratus anterior and latissimus dorsi muscular flap, the lateral scapular bone flap, the latissimus dorsi-rib flap, and the serratus anterior-rib flap. This combined flap is available for multiple tissue defects or complex defects because it can be incorporated with skin, muscle and bone flaps. A main advantage is the independent vascular pedicles of each component, which allow freedom in orientation of each components. Consequently it can be freely applied to any form of three dimensional defects on the upper and lower extremities. The combination of scapular cutaneous flap and latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap can be resurfaced for massive cutaneous defects on the extremities. We report the use of the combined scapular and latissimus dorsi free flap in five patients to reconstruct massive defects on the extremities with resultant improved joint function. There was no flap failure and minimal complications and disadvantages. The anatomy of this flap is reviewed and the indication and advantages are discussed. All of the five flaps survived and there was no scar contracture affecting the joint motion.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.611-620
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• 2016

In the construction of nuclear power plants, only 420 MPa reinforcing bars are allowed and, therefore, so many large-diameter bars are placed, which results in steel congestion. Consequently, re-bar works are difficult and the quality of RC structures may be deteriorated. To solve the steel congestion, 550 MPa bars are necessary. Among many items for verifying structural performance of reinforced concrete with 550 MPa bars, the 43 mm hooked bars are examined in this study. All specimens failed by side-face blowout and the side cover explosively spalled at maximum loads. The bar force was initially transferred to the concrete primarily by bond along a straight portion. At the one third of maximum load, the bond reached a peak capacity and began to decline, while the hook bearing component rose rapidly. At failure, most load was resisted by the hook bearing. For confined specimens with hoops, the average value of test-to-prediction ratios by KCI code is 1.45. The modification factor of confining reinforcement which was not allowed for larger than 35 mm bars can be applied to 43 mm hooked bars. For specimens with 70 MPa concrete, the average value of test-to-prediction ratios by KCI code is 1.0 which is less than the values of the other specimens. The effects of concrete compressive strength should be reduced. An equation to predict anchorage capacity of hooked bars was developed from regression analysis including the effects of compressive strength of concrete, embedment length, side cover thickness, and transverse reinforcement index.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.859-872
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• 2015

Pebble matrix filtration (PMF) is a water treatment technology that can remove suspended solids in highly turbid surface water during heavy storms. PMF typically uses sand and natural pebbles as filter media. Hand-made clay pebbles (balls) can be used as alternatives to natural pebbles in PMF treatment plants, where natural pebbles are not readily available. Since the high turbidity is a seasonal problem that occurs during heavy rains, the use of newly developed composite clay balls instead of pure clay balls have the advantage of removing other pollutants such as natural organic matter (NOM) during other times. Only the strength properties of composite clay balls are described here as the pollutant removal is beyond the scope of this paper. These new composite clay balls must be able to withstand dead and live loads under dry and saturated conditions in a filter assembly. Absence of a standard ball preparation process and expected strength properties of composite clay balls were the main reasons behind the present study. Five different raw materials from industry wastes: Red Mud (RM), Water Treatment Alum Sludge (S), Shredded Paper (SP), Saw Dust (SD), and Sugar Mulch (SM) were added to common clay brick mix (BM) in different proportions. In an effort to minimize costs, in this study clay balls were fired to $1100^{\circ}C$ at a local brick factory together with their bricks. A comprehensive experimental program was performed to evaluate crushing strength of composite hand-made clay balls, using uniaxial compression test to establish the best material combination on the basis of strength properties for designing sustainable filter media for water treatment plants. Performance at both construction and operating stages were considered by analyzing both strength properties under fully dry conditions and strength degradation after saturation in a water bath. The BM-75% as the main component produced optimum combination in terms of workability and strength. With the material combination of BM-75% and additives-25%, the use of Red Mud and water treatment sludge as additives produced the highest and lowest strength of composite clay balls, with a failure load of 5.4 kN and 1.4 kN respectively. However, this lower value of 1.4 kN is much higher than the effective load on each clay ball of 0.04 kN in a typical filter assembly (safety factor of 35), therefore, can still be used as a suitable filter material for enhanced pollutant removal.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2017

Recently, flexible cages have been introduced in an attempt to absorb and reduce the abnormal load transfer along the anterior parts of the spine. They are designed to be used with the pedicle screw systems to allow some mobility at the index level while containing ROM at the adjacent level. In this study, a finite element (FE) study was performed to assess biomechanical efficacies of the flexible cage when combined with pedicle screws with flexible rods. The post-operated models were constructed by modifying the L4-5 of a previously-validated 3-D FE model of the intact lumbar spine (L2-S1): (1) Type 1, flexible cage only; (2) Type 2, pedicle screws with flexible rods; (3) Type 3, interbody fusion cage plus pedicle screws with rigid rods; (4) Type 4, interbody fusion cage plus Type 2; (5) Type 5, Type 1 plus Type 2. Flexion/extension of 10 Nm with a compressive follower load of 400N was applied. As compared to the Type 3 (62~65%) and Type 4 (59~62%), Type 5 (53~55%) was able to limit the motion at the operated level effectively, despite moderate reduction at the adjacent level. It was also able to shift the load back to the anterior portions of the spine thus relieving excessively high posterior load transfer and to reduce stress on the endplate by absorbing the load with its flexible shape design features. The likelihood of component failure of flexble cage remained less than 30% regardless of loading conditions when combined with pedicle screws with flexible rods. Our study demonstrated that flexible cages when combined with posterior dynamic system may help reduce subsidence of cage and degeneration process at the adjacent levels while effectively providing stability at the operated level.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.648-655
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• 2020

The firing pin of modern automatic rifles detonates the primer of loaded ammunition via a hammer. During this process, the firing pin receives an impact load and repetitive force throughout the life of the rifle. An endurance test of a rifle showed that the firing pin breaks prematurely at 96.26% of life. Accordingly, a case study was conducted through cause analysis and a reconstruction test. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy of the broken surface of the firing pin showed that a crack began in the circumferential direction of the surface, resulting in a fatigue crack to the core after repeated impact. Crack growth and fatigue destruction occurred at the end due to the repetitive impact and was estimated using a notch. For verification, a sample that produced a 0.03mm circumferential notch was broken at 64.25% of life in the reconstruction test. A test of breakage according to the notch types showed that a 0.3mm and a 0.5mm one-side notch were broken at 66.53% and 50.76%, respectively, and a 0.03mm six-point notch was broken at 85.65%. The endurance life of a sample firing pin with a rough surface and tool mark was examined, but an approximately 381 ㎛ internal crack formed. Through this study, failure for each notch type was considered. These results show that quality control of the notch and surface roughness is essential for ensuring the reliability of a component subjected to repeated impact.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.105-115
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• 2020

This paper presents a numerical study on the rotordynamic analysis of a dual-spool turbofan engine in the context of blade defect events. The blades of an axial-type aeroengine are typically well aligned during the compressor and turbine stages. However, they are sometimes exposed to damage, partially or entirely, for several operational reasons, such as cracks due to foreign objects, burns from the combustion gas, and corrosion due to oxygen in the air. Herein, we designed a dual-spool rotor using the commercial 3D modeling software CATIA to simulate blade defects in the turbofan engine. We utilized the rotordynamic parameters to create two finite element Euler-Bernoulli beam models connected by means of an inter-rotor bearing. We then applied the unbalanced forces induced by the mass eccentricities of the blades to the following selected scenarios: 1) fully balanced, 2) crack in the low-pressure compressor (LPC) and high pressure compressor (HPC), 3) burn on the high-pressure turbine (HPT) and low pressure compressor, 4) corrosion of the LPC, and 5) corrosion of the HPC. Additionally, we obtained the transient and steady-state responses of the overall rotor nodes using the Runge-Kutta numerical integration method, and employed model reduction techniques such as component mode synthesis to enhance the computational efficiency of the process. The simulation results indicate that the high-vibration status of the rotor commences beyond 10,000 rpm, which is identified as the first critical speed of the lower speed rotor. Moreover, we monitored the unbalanced stages near the inter-rotor bearing, which prominently influences the overall rotordynamic status, and the corrosion of the HPC to prevent further instability. The high-speed range operation (>13,000 rpm) coupled with HPC/HPT blade defects possibly presents a rotor-case contact problem that can lead to catastrophic failure.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.52 no.10
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• pp.21-29
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• 2015

For higher reliability against component failures in railroad trains with many electronic sensors and actuators, a distributed control system with which all electronic components are connected via a network is being considered. This paper compares and analyzes various topologies of Ethernet network for a railroad train in the aspects of (1) failure recovery, (2) the number of ports per device, (3) the number of cable connections between vehicles, and (4) performance. Especially, the unique characteristic of a train system that the number of vehicles changes is considered through analysis. Various combinations of in- and inter-vehicle topologies are considered. In addition, we introduce a hybrid of star and daisy-chain topology for inter-vehicle connection when the maximum number of inter-vehicle connections is limited to reduce possible failures of inter-vehicle connections. Simulation results show performance comparison between different topology combinations; the hybrid topology is shown to enhance delay performance even with a highly limited number of inter-vehicle connections.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.393-398
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• 2010

Early pregnancy diagnosis of bovine is an essential component for efficient reproductive plan in farms because long term of non-pregnancy results in economic losses by failure of offspring production and low milk yield in dairy cattle. The major steroid hormones related with reproduction are known to be progesterone and estrogen in bovine pregnancy. To evaluate detection level of hormones in milk, plasma and milk progestrone and estrogen of Holstein cows was analyzed during artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer (ET). Progesterone concentration at 21 days postestrus was significantly different in plasma and milk between pregnant and non-pregnant cows. Estrogen concentration at estrus was higher in pregnant recipients than that in non-pregnant recipients. To analyze correlation between hormone levels and conception rates in Holstein, the conception and return rates were checked following AI, and the returned cows were on the track of pregnancy after consecutive AI. Pregnant cows following first AI were considered as high conception group while pregnant cows following third AI were rated as low conception group. Proportion of high and low conception groups in this study was 78.2% and 9.1%, respectively. Hormone analysis indicated that high conception group had higher estrogen level during estrus than low conception group ($26.45{\pm}3.32$ vs $19.017{\pm}2.97$). Progesterone level was not different between high and low conception groups during estrus but increased significantly after 21 days postestrus (21 day: $4.95{\pm}1.12$ vs $0.95{\pm}0.23$, 35 day: $12.47{\pm}3.82$ vs $2.41{\pm}1.21$). In conclusion, the pattern of progesterone and estrogen secretion in Holstein milk samples could be a good candidate for early pregnancy detection and selection of recipients during ET.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.45-50
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• 2012

Thoracolumbar orthosis has been used for the rehabilitation of the patients with senile kyphosis. Recently, a number of different thoracolumbar orthosis designs have been introduced but its biomechanical effectiveness still remain unknown. In this study, we compared the pressure distribution on the surface of the trunk and stresses on the orthosis in relation to changes in connecting frame designs (Type 1, one-connecting frame type; Type 2, two-connecting frame type; Type 3, all-in-one type) using finite element (FE) models under different motions of the trunk. The results showed that Type 3 distributed the pressure on the trunk most evenly followed by Type 2 and Type 1 and the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 was negligible. ROM was limited most effectively by Type 3 ($8.5{\sim}9.4^{\circ}$), followed by Type 2 ($11.3{\sim}13.9^{\circ}$) and Type 1 ($12.1{\sim}15.4^{\circ}$). The ratio between the peak von Mises stress and yield strength of each material remained less than 20% regardless of orthosis type indicating low likelihood of component failure. In conclusion, our study found that all-in-one type of orthosis was the most effective design for the conservative treatment of spinal deformity in terms of function and comfort.