• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.541-554
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• 2023

The utilization of underground spaces in relation to tunnels and energy/waste storage is on the rise. To ensure the stability of underground spaces, it is crucial to reinforce rock fractures and discontinuities. Discontinuities, such as joints, can weaken the strength of the rock and lead to groundwater inflow into underground spaces. In order to enhance the strength and stability of the area around these discontinuities, rock grouting techniques are employed. However, during rock grouting, it is impossible to visually confirm whether the grouting material is being smoothly injected as intended. Without proper injection, the expected increases in strength, durability, and degree of consolidation may not be achieved. Therefore, it is necessary to predict in advance whether the grouting material is being injected as designed. In this study, we aimed to assess the injection performance based on injection variables such as the water/cement mixture ratio, injection pressure, and injection flow using UDEC (Universal Distinct Element Code) numerical program. Additionally, numerical results were validated by the lab experiment. The results of this study are expected to help optimize variables such as injection material properties, injection time, and pump pressure in the grouting design in the field.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.18-32
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• 2024

This study aims to analyze the summer human thermal environment in Jeju City's outdoor parking lots by measuring microclimate data and comparing pavement and vegetation albedoes and elements through computer simulations. In measured cases, results due to albedo showed no significance, but there was a significant difference between sunny and shaded areas by trees. The sunny area had a PET (physiological equivalent temperature) in the 'very hot' level, while the shaded area exhibited a 2-step lower 'warm' level. UTCI (universal thermal climate index) also showed that the sunny area was in the 'very strong heat stress' level, whereas the shaded area was 1-step lower in the 'strong heat stress' level, confirming the role of trees in reducing incoming solar radiant energy. Simulation results, using the measured albedoes, closely resembled the measured results. Regarding vegetation, scenarios with a wide canopy, high leaf density, and narrow planting spacing were effective in mitigating the human thermal environment, and the differences due to tree height varied across scenarios. The scenario with the lowest PET value was H9W9L3D8 (tree height 9m, canopy width 9m, leaf area index 3.0, planting spacing 8m), indicating a 0.7-step decrease compared to the current landscaping scenario. Thus, it was confirmed that, among landscaping elements, trees have a significant impact on the summer human thermal environment compared to ground pavement.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1006-1016
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• 2023

Objective: Computed tomography (CT) is an established method for the diagnosis, staging, and treatment of multiple myeloma. Here, we investigated the potential of photon-counting detector computed tomography (PCD-CT) in terms of image quality, diagnostic confidence, and radiation dose compared with energy-integrating detector CT (EID-CT). Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, patients with known multiple myeloma underwent clinically indicated whole-body PCD-CT. The image quality of PCD-CT was assessed qualitatively by three independent radiologists for overall image quality, edge sharpness, image noise, lesion conspicuity, and diagnostic confidence using a 5-point Likert scale (5 = excellent), and quantitatively for signal homogeneity using the coefficient of variation (CV) of Hounsfield Units (HU) values and modulation transfer function (MTF) via the full width at half maximum (FWHM) in the frequency space. The results were compared with those of the current clinical standard EID-CT protocols as controls. Additionally, the radiation dose (CTDIvol) was determined. Results: We enrolled 35 patients with multiple myeloma (mean age 69.8 ± 9.1 years; 18 [51%] males). Qualitative image analysis revealed superior scores (median [interquartile range]) for PCD-CT regarding overall image quality (4.0 [4.0-5.0] vs. 4.0 [3.0-4.0]), edge sharpness (4.0 [4.0-5.0] vs. 4.0 [3.0-4.0]), image noise (4.0 [4.0-4.0] vs. 3.0 [3.0-4.0]), lesion conspicuity (4.0 [4.0-5.0] vs. 4.0 [3.0-4.0]), and diagnostic confidence (4.0 [4.0-5.0] vs. 4.0 [3.0-4.0]) compared with EID-CT (P ≤ 0.004). In quantitative image analyses, PCD-CT compared with EID-CT revealed a substantially lower FWHM (2.89 vs. 25.68 cy/pixel) and a significantly more homogeneous signal (mean CV ± standard deviation [SD], 0.99 ± 0.65 vs. 1.66 ± 0.5; P < 0.001) at a significantly lower radiation dose (mean CTDIvol ± SD, 3.33 ± 0.82 vs. 7.19 ± 3.57 mGy; P < 0.001). Conclusion: Whole-body PCD-CT provides significantly higher subjective and objective image quality at significantly reduced radiation doses than the current clinical standard EID-CT protocols, along with readily available multi-spectral data, facilitating the potential for further advanced post-processing.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.90 no.6
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• pp.611-633
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• 2024

This study intends to investigate the response of multi-cell (MC) beams to flexural loads in which the primary reinforcement is composed of both metallic and non-metallic materials. "Multi-cell" describes beam sections with multiple longitudinal voids separated by thin webs. Seven reinforced concrete MC beams measuring 300×200×1800 mm were tested under flexural loadings until failure. Two series of beams are formed, depending on the type of main reinforcement that is being used. A control RC beam with no openings and six MC beams are found in these two series. Series one and two are reinforced with metallic and non-metallic main reinforcement, respectively, in order to maintain a constant reinforcement ratio. The first crack, ultimate load, deflection, ductility index, energy absorption, strain characteristics, crack pattern, and failure mode were among the structural parameters of the beams under investigation that were documented. The primary variables that vary are the kind of reinforcing materials that are utilized, as well as the kind and quantity of mesh layers. The outcomes of this study that looked at the experimental and numerical performance of ferrocement reinforced concrete MC beams are presented in this article. Nonlinear finite element analysis (NLFEA) was performed with ANSYS-16.0 software to demonstrate the behavior of composite MC beams with holes. A parametric study is also carried out to investigate the factors, such as opening size, that can most strongly affect the mechanical behavior of the suggested model. The experimental and numerical results obtained demonstrate that the FE simulations generated an acceptable degree of experimental value estimation. It's also important to demonstrate that, when compared to the control beam, the MC beam reinforced with geogrid mesh (MCGB) decreases its strength capacity by a maximum of 73.33%. In contrast, the minimum strength reduction value of 16.71% is observed in the MC beams reinforced with carbon reinforcing bars (MCCR). The findings of the experiments on MC beams with openings demonstrate that the presence of openings has a significant impact on the behavior of the beams, as there is a decrease in both the ultimate load and maximum deflection.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.261-273
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• 2024

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth performance, rumen fermentation parameters and bacterial community of post-weaning dairy calves in response to five diets varying in corn silage (CS) inclusion. Methods: A total of forty Holstein weaned bull calves (80±3 days of age;128.2±5.03 kg at study initiation) were randomized into five groups (8 calves/group) with each receiving one of five dietary treatments offered as total mixed ration in a 123-d feeding study. Dietary treatments were control diet (CON; 0% CS dry matter [DM]); Treatment 1 (T1; 27.2% CS DM); Treatment 2 (T2; 46.5% CS DM); Treatment 3 (T3; 54.8% CS DM); and Treatment 4 (T4; 67.2% CS DM) with all diets balanced for similar protein and energy concentration. Results: Results showed that calves offered CS had greater average daily gain, body length and chest depth growth, meanwhile altered rumen fermentation indicated by decreased rumen acetate concentrations. Principal coordinate analysis showed the rumen bacterial community structure was affected by varying CS inclusion diets. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the predominant bacterial phyla in the calf rumens across all treatments. At the genus level, the abundance of Bacteroidales_RF16_group was increased, whereas Unclassified_Lachnospiraceae was decreased for calves fed CS. Furthermore, Spearman's correlation test between the rumen bacteria and rumen fermentation parameters indicated that Bacteroidales_RF16_group and Unclassified Lachnospiraceae were positively correlated with propionate and acetate, respectively. Conclusion: The results of the current study suggested that diet CS inclusion was beneficial for post-weaning dairy calf growth, with 27.2% to 46.5% CS of diet DM recommended to achieve improved growth performance. Bacteroidales_RF16_group and Unclassified Lachnospiraceae play an important role in the rumen fermentation pattern for post-weaning calves fed CS.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.409-419
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• 2024

Climate change is already impacting sustainable water resource management. The influence of climate change on water supply from reservoirs has been generally assessed using climate change scenarios generated based on global climate models. However, inherent uncertainties exist due to the limitations of estimating climate change by assuming IPCC carbon emission scenarios. The decision scaling approach was applied to mitigate these issues in this study focusing on four reservoir watersheds: Chungju, Yongdam, Hapcheon, and Seomjingang reservoirs. The reservoir water supply reliablity was analyzed by combining the rainfall-runoff model (IHACRES) and the reservoir operation model based on HEC-ResSim. Water supply reliability analysis was aimed at ensuring the stable operation of dams, and its results ccould be utilized to develop either structural or non-structural water supply plans. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to assess potential risks that might arise during the operation of reserviors under various climate conditions. Using observed precipitation and temperature from 1995 to 2014, 49 climate stress scenarios were developed (7 precipitation scenarios based on quantiles and 7 temperature scenarios ranging from 0℃ to 6℃ at 1℃ intervals). Our study demonstrated that despite an increase in flood season precipitation leading to an increase in reservoir discharge, it had a greater impact on sustainable water management compared to the increase in non-flood season precipitation. Furthermore, in scenarios combining rainfall and temperature, the reliability of reservoir water supply showed greater variations than the sum of individual reliability changes in rainfall and temperature scenarios. This difference was attributed to the opposing effects of decreased and increased precipitation, each causing limitations in water and energy-limited evapotranspiration. These results were expected to enhance the efficiency of reservoir operation.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.88-104
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• 2024

Purpose: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is primarily synthesized in the liver upon stimulation of infectious disease cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), and is used as a biological marker of systemic inflammation. Previous studies reported that hs-CRP is closely related to diet and abdominal obesity. Furthermore, a dietary score favoring the consumption of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains over meat and saturated fat reduced inflammation and decreased the prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity. Nevertheless, no studies have examined whether hs-CRP mediates the relationship between dietary scores and abdominal obesity, and research on the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI) is lacking. Therefore, the present study examined the association between the KHEI and abdominal obesity and the mediating effect of hs-CRP. Methods: In total, 17,770 adults aged ≥19 years were included in the study using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-2018. KHEI was developed to assess the overall diet quality of Korean adults. Multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses assessed the relationship between KHEI, hs-CRP, and abdominal obesity. The mediation analysis with the bootstrapping method was performed using SAS MACRO. Results: Among women, the odds ratio (OR) of abdominal obesity prevalence was lower in the highest KHEI compared to the lowest KHEI after adjusting for age, body mass index, educational level, income level, occupational status, marital status, household type, region type, alcohol consumption, smoking status, physical activity, total energy intake, and hsCRP (OR 0.744, 95% confidence interval 0.598-0.926). The association between KHEI and abdominal obesity was partially mediated via hs-CRP, and the mediated proportion was 68.7% in men and 38.1% in women. Conclusion: A substantial relationship was observed between the KHEI and abdominal obesity among females. Moreover, according to the KHEI, abdominal obesity may be mediated partially by hs-CRP.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.28-53
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• 2024

In general, high-level radioactive waste (HLW) generated as a result of nuclear power generation should be disposed within the country. Determination of the disposal site and host rock for HLW deep geological repository is an important issue not only scientifically but also politically, economically, and socially. Considered host rock types worldwide for geological disposal include crystalline rocks, sedimentary rocks, volcanic rocks, and salt dome. However, South Korea consists of various rock types except salt dome. This paper not only analyzed the geological and rock mechanical characteristics on a nationwide scale with the preliminary results on various rock type studies for the disposal host rock, but also reviewed the characteristics and possibility of various rock types as a host rock through deep drilling surveys. Based on the nationwide screening for host rock types resulted from literature review, rock distributions, and detailed case studies, Jurassic granites and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks (Jinju and Jindong formations) were derived as a possible candidate host rock types for the geological disposal. However, since the analyzed data for candidate rock types from this study is not enough, it is suggested that the disposal rock type should be carefully determined from additional and detailed analysis on disposal depth, regional characteristics, multidisciplinary investigations, etc.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.403-409
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• 2024

In this paper, the guidelines for the design of an Artificial Intelligence(AI) based Integrated Process Safety Management(PSM) system to enhance workplace safety using data from process safety reports submitted by hazardous and risky facility operators in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act is proposed. The system composed of the proposed guidelines is to be implemented separately by individual facility operators and specialized process safety management agencies for single or multiple workplaces. It is structured with key components and stages, including data collection and preprocessing, expansion and segmentation, labeling, and the construction of training datasets. It enables the collection of process operation data and change approval data from various processes, allowing potential fault prediction and maintenance planning through the analysis of all data generated in workplace operations, thereby supporting decision-making during process operation. Moreover, it offers utility and effectiveness in time and cost savings, detection and prediction of various risk factors, including human errors, and continuous model improvement through the use of accurate and reliable training data and specialized datasets. Through this approach, it becomes possible to enhance workplace safety and prevent accidents.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2024

In this study, EMC(Epoxy molding compound) waste from the semiconductor molding process is recycled and synthesized into silica nanoparticles, which are then applied as abrasive materials contains CMP(Chemical mechanical polishing) slurry. Specifically, silanol precursor is extracted from EMC waste according to the ultra-sonication method, which provides heat and energy, using ammonia solution as an etchant. By employing as-extracted silanol via a facile sol-gel process, uniform silica nanoparticles(e-SiO₂, experimentally synthesized SiO₂) with a size of ca. 100nm are successfully synthesized. Through physical and chemical analysis, it was confirmed that e-SiO₂ has similar properties compared to commercially available SiO₂(c-SiO₂, commercially SiO₂). For practical CMP applications, CMP slurry is prepared using e-SiO₂ as an abrasive and tested by polishing a semiconductor chip. As a result, the scratches that are roughly on the surface of the chip are successfully removed and turned into a smooth surface. Hence, the results present a recycling method of EMC waste into silica nanoparticles and the application to high-quality CMP slurry for the polishing process in semiconductor packaging.