• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.82 no.6
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• pp.1556-1564
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• 2021

Purpose This study aimed to apply MR elastography (MRE) to achieve in vivo evaluation of the elastic properties of thigh muscles and validate the feasibility of quantifying the elasticity of normal thigh muscles using MRE. Materials and Methods This prospective study included 10 volunteer subjects [mean age, 32.5 years, (range, 23-45 years)] who reported normal activities of daily living and underwent both T2-weighted axial images and MRE of thigh muscles on the same day. A sequence with a motion-encoding gradient was used in the MRE to map the propagating shear waves in the muscle. Elastic properties were quantified as the shear modulus of the following four thigh muscles at rest; the vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, adductor magnus, and biceps femoris. Results The mean shear modulus was 0.98 ± 0.32 kPa and 1.00 ± 0.33 kPa for the vastus medialis, 1.10 ± 0.46 kPa and 1.07 ± 0.43 kPa for the vastus lateralis, 0.91 ± 0.41 kPa and 0.93 ± 0.47 kPa for the adductor magnus, and 0.99 ± 0.37 kPa and 0.94 ± 0.32 kPa for the biceps femoris, with reader 1 and 2, respectively. No significant difference was observed in the shear modulus based on sex (p < 0.05). Aging consistently showed a statistically significant negative correlation (p < 0.05) with the shear modulus of the thigh muscles, except for the vastus medialis (p = 0.194 for reader 1 and p = 0.355 for reader 2). Conclusion MRE is a quantitative technique used to measure the elastic properties of individual muscles with excellent inter-observer agreement. Age was consistently significantly negatively correlated with the shear stiffness of muscles, except for the vastus medialis.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.273-282
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• 2012

This study has estimated Gyeongju National Park's natural environment and cultural relic value in the same way and then been performed to compare the size of the value. Representative method to measure environmental property is contingent valuation methods, CVM. The variables and estimated models adopted for the calculation were same and the respondents were asked by distinguishing between the amount which they would pay to preserve the natural environment and that which they were willing to pay to preserve the cultural relics. As the result, WTP(Willing to pay), the amount that they were willing to pay to preserve the natural environment of Gyeongju National Park was 17,838 won per person and that to preserve the cultural relics appeared to be 316,248 won per person. Based on this, it was estimated that the value of the natural environment with which Gyeongju National Park provided annual visitors was 47 billion won and that the annual value of the cultural relics was 845.7 billion. If the natural environment and the cultural relics value elements are united, it can be estimated that the natural environment and cultural relic value got at the time of people's first visit to Gyeongju National Park is 334,086 won and that the annual value is 893.4 billion won. In this study, the value of the cultural relics has been estimated 18 times higher than that of the natural environment. This reason was that visitors judged that a total of 66 cultural properties including 11 national treasures, 23 treasures, 13 historic places, one historic sites and scenic spot and 18 local cultural properties, etc. which were distributed in Gyeongju National Park were worth far more than the natural environment. Based on the result of this study, the operating management plan of Gyeongju National Park should include a differentiated operation strategy through consultation with relevant experts by taking into account characteristics of the physical components.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.1319-1336
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• 2006

The successive round of talks oil Korea-USA Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has continued, and it also has the Intellectual property(IPR) unit. Until now, tile one of most disputing concerns in IPR unit through talks is the limitation of compulsory license of claimed invention. The US is urging to establish a safeguard for IPR, as similar measure of the US, to protecting the profit of the US enterprises through these on-going talks, it is more likely expected to take the offensive about infringement of the patent seriously. Based on the current circumstances, the provision strategy study is needed to obtain Korea inventors the first inventor defense under the US patent law system as well as understand the current Korea's patent law and its revision against that in the US. In patent Law, both nations with first to file system and first to invent system permit a prior user of an invention to continue to use the invention notwithstanding its subsequent patenting by another under being subject to certain qualifications and limitations, even though a patent by a later inventor is granted. Normally, the first inventor defense has been used to compensate the drawbacks of the first to file system. The US patent Law, however, adopting the first to invent system admits the first inventor defense. Therefore, pursuing counteract provision under consideration with Korean patent Law system and research environment along with investigating the reason why the US adopted its patent law system, the scope of right, and the new reform of Act. 2005 of the institute, which promotes the first Korean inventor to possess the defense right of the US, provides certain preparations for Korean companies against the expected offensive from the US ones under the US patent Law system.