• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.138-142
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• 2012

Background : Electrical burns are one of the most devastating types of injuries, and can be characterized by the conduction of electric current through the deeper soft tissue such as vessels, nerves, muscles, and bones. For that reason, the extent of an electric burn is very frequently underestimated on initial impression. Methods : From July 1999 to June 2006, we performed 15 cases of toe tissue transfer for the reconstruction of finger defects caused by electrical burns. We performed preoperative range of motion exercise, early excision, and coverage of the digital defect with toe tissue transfer. Results : We obtained satisfactory results in both functional and aesthetic aspects in all 15 cases without specific complications. Static two-point discrimination results in the transferred toe cases ranged from 8 to 11 mm, with an average of 9.5 mm. The mean range of motion of the transferred toe was $20^{\circ}$ to $36^{\circ}$ in the distal interphalangeal joint, $16^{\circ}$ to $45^{\circ}$ in the proximal interphalangeal joint, and $15^{\circ}$ to $35^{\circ}$ in the metacarpophalangeal joint. All of the patients were relatively satisfied with the function and appearance of their new digits. Conclusions : The strategic management of electrical injury to the hands can be both challenging and complex. Because the optimal surgical method is free tissue transfer, maintenance of vascular integrity among various physiological changes works as a determining factor for the postoperative outcome following the reconstruction.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.161-165
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• 2020

Background: Microstomia is defined as a condition with a small sized-mouth that results in functional impairment such as difficulty with food intake, pronunciation, and poor oral hygiene and cosmetic problems. Several treatment methods for microstomia have been proposed. None of them are universally applicable. This study aims at analyzing the cases treated at our institution critically reviewing the pertinent literature. Methods: The medical records of all microstomia patients treated in our hospital from November 2015 to April 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. Of these, all patients who received surgical treatment for microstomia were included in the study and analyzed for etiology, chief complaint, surgical method, and outcomes. The functional outcomes of mouth opening and intercommissure distance before and after the surgery were evaluated. The cosmetic results were assessed according to the patients' satisfaction. Results: Five patients with microstomia were corrected. Two cases were due to scar contracture after chemical burn, two cases derived from repeated excision of skin cancer, and one patient suffered sequela of Stevens-Johnson syndrome. The following surgical methods were applied: one full-thickness skin graft on the buccal mucosa, three buccal mucosal advancement flaps after triangular excision of the mouth corner, and one local buccal mucosal flap. Mouth opening was increased by 6.0 mm, and the intercommissure distance improved by 7.2 mm on average. Follow-up was 9.6 months (range, 5-14 months). Cosmetic assessment was as follows: two patients found the results excellent, three judged it as good. Conclusion: Microstomia has several causes. In order to achieve optimal functional recovery and aesthetic improvement it is important to precisely evaluate the etiologic factors and the severity of the impairment and to carefully choose the appropriate surgical method.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.85-91
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• 2023

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) occurs when abdominal pressure increases, such as sneezing, exercising, and laughing. Surgical and non-surgical treatments are the common methods of SUI treatment; however, the conventional treatments still require continuous and invasive treatment. Laser have been used to treat SUI, but excessive temperature increase often causes thermal burn on urethra tissue. Therefore, the optimal conditions must be considered to minimize the thermal damage for the laser treatment. The current study investigated the feasibility of the laser irradiation condition for SUI treatment using non-ablative 980 nm laser from a safety perspective through numerical simulations. COMSOL Multiphysics was used to analyze the numerical simulation model. The Pennes bioheat equation with the Beer's law was used to confirm spatio-temporal temperature distributions, and Arrhenius equation defined the thermal damage caused by the laser-induced heat. Ex vivo porcine urethral tissue was tested to validate the extent of both temperature distribution and thermal damage. The temperature distribution was symmetrical and uniformly observed in the urethra tissue. A muscle layer had a higher temperature (28.3 ℃) than mucosal (23.4 ℃) and submucosal layers (25.5 ℃). MT staining revealed no heat-induced collagen and muscle damage. Both control and treated groups showed the equivalent thickness and area of the urethral mucosal layer. Therefore, the proposed numerical simulation can predict the appropriate irradiation condition (20 W for 15 s) for the SUI treatment with minimal temperature-induced tissue.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.1003-1020
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to find the optimum working conditions for spot welding of wire Cu alloys to achieve high-level quality. The parts subject to spot welding are brush card assemblies, which are the main module of the electric movement method of the car seat. Methods: In this study, the signal-to-noise ratio(SN ratio) and the loss function [L(y)] are used as Taguchi method for dynamic characteristics. Results: The results of the study are as follows. First, the analysis of variance using SN ratio showed 6 significant factors(p = 0.1% or less) among 7 factors except press force. Second, the optimal design of the dynamic characteristics is the tip exchange cycle: 50,000 ea., the welding time is 110 ms, the pressing force is 11 kgf/cm2, the rise time is 40 ms, and the tip dressing is 3,000 ea., Tip angle is 12o and electric current is 1,800 A. Conclusion: The validity of the spot welding process of the manufacturer's brush card assembly was verified and proved to be consistent with the study results. The results of this study are expected to standardize the welding conditions and guarantee the quality level required by the customers.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.617-632
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• 2022

Tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) and voice prosthesis insertion following laryngectomy may fail to form an adequate seal. When spontaneous closure of the fistula tract does not occur after conservative measures, surgical closure is required. The purpose of this study was to summarize the available evidence on surgical methods for TEP site closure. A comprehensive search across PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and Cochrane was performed to identify studies describing surgical techniques, outcomes, and complications for TEP closure. We evaluated the rate of unsuccessful TEP closure after surgical management. A meta-analysis with a random-effect method was performed. Thirty-four studies reporting on 144 patients satisfied inclusion criteria. The overall incidence of an unsuccessful TEP surgical closure was 6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1-13%). Subgroup analysis showed an unsuccessful TEP closure rate for silicone button of 8% (95% CI < 1-43%), 7% (95% CI < 1-34%) for dermal graft interposition, < 1% (95% CI < 1-37%) for radial forearm free flap, < 1% (95% CI < 1-52%) for ligation of the fistula, 17% (95% CI < 1-64%) for interposition of a deltopectoral flap, 9% (95% CI < 1-28%) for primary closure, and 2% (95% CI < 1-20%) for interposition of a sternocleidomastoid muscle flap. Critical assessment of the reconstructive modality should take into consideration previous history of surgery or radiotherapy. Nonirradiated fields and small defects may benefit from fistula excision and tracheal and esophageal multilayer closure. In cases of previous radiotherapy, local flaps or free tissue transfer yield high successful TEP closure rates. Depending on the defect size, sternocleidomastoid muscle flap or fasciocutaneous free flaps are optimal alternatives.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.67-76
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• 2016

This study was conducted to examine the optimal environmental condition for promoting the growth of sowthistle as affected by light quality and photoperiod in a closed-type plant production system. Seeds were sown in 240-cell plug trays and then germinated for 3 days at a 24-hour photoperiod in a closed-type plant production system with LED lights (R:B:W = 8:1:1). Seedlings were transplanted and grown under 3 types of LED (R:B:W = 8:1:1, R:W = 3:7, or R:B = 8:2) and 4 photoperiods (24/0, 16/8, 8/16, or 4/20 hours) with $230{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ light intensity at a density of $20cm{\times}20 cm$. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design. Plants were cultured for 40 days un der the condition of $21{\pm}2^{\circ}C$ and $70{\pm}10%$ relative humidity after transplanting. Plants were fed with a recycling nutrient solution (pH 7.0 and EC $2.0dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$) contained in a deep floating tank. Fresh weight and dry weight of shoot or root, leaf length, and leaf area were the greatest in the photoperiod of 24/0 (light/dark) with RW LED. The highest number of leaves occurred in the photoperiod of 16/8 (light/dark) with RB LED, while the incidence of tip burn was higher in the photoperiod of 24/0 (light/dark) compared to the other treatments. Chlorophyll value was the highest in the 16/8 (light/dark) photoperiod and there was no significant difference by light quality. Chlorophyll fluorescence was the lowest in the photoperiod of 24/0 (light/dark) compared with other treatments. Therefore, in terms of economic feasibility and productivity for Ixeris dentata Nakai cultivation in a closed-type plant production system, the results obtained suggest that plants grew the best when kept in a photoperiod of 16/8 (light/dark) and light quality of combined LED RW (3:7).

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2020.12a
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• pp.62-62
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• 2020

Ginseng is a shade-plant cultivated using shading facilities. However, at too low light levels, root growth is poor, and at high light levels, the destruction of chlorophyll reduces the photosynthesis efficiency due to leaf burn and early fall leaves. The ginseng has a lightsaturation point of 12,000~15,000 lux when grown at 15 to 20℃ and 9,500 lux at 25℃. This study was conducted to select the optimal light intensity of 3-year-old ginseng grown in blue-white film plastic house. The seeds were planted in the blue-white film plastic house with different light receiving rate (March 17, 2020). Between April and September, the average air temperature in the house was 20.4-20.7℃. Average soil temperature was 18.3℃-18.5℃. The chemical properties of the test soil was as follows. The pH level was 7.0-7.4, EC was 0.5-0.6 dS/m, OM was at the levels of 33.6-37.7 g/kg, P₂O₅ was 513.0-590.8 mg/kg, slightly higher than the allowable 400 mg/kg. The amount of light intensity, illuminance, and solar radiation in the blue-white film house was increased as the light-receiving rate increased and the amount of light intensity was found to be 9-14% compared to the open field, 8-13% illuminance and 9-14% solar irradiation respectively. The photosynthesis rate was the lowest at 3.1 µmolCO²/m²/s in the 9% light blue-white plastic house and 4.2 and 4.0 µmolCO²/m²/s in the 12% and 14% light blue-white plastic house, respectively. These results generally indicate that the photosynthesis of plants increases with the amount of light, but the ginseng has a lower light saturation point at high temperatures, and the higher the amount of light, the lower the photosynthetic efficiency. The SPAD (chlorophyll content) value decreased as the increase of light-receiving rate, and was the highest at 32.7 in 9% light blue-white plastic house. Ginseng germination started on April 11 and took 13-15 days to germinate. The overall germination rate was 82.9-85.8%. The plant height and length of stem were long in the 9% light-receiving plastic house. The diameter of stem was thick in the 12-14% light-receiving plastic house. In the 12% and 14% light-receiving plastic house, the length and diameter of taproot was long and thick, so the fresh weight of root per plant was 20 g or more, which was heavier than 16.9 g of the 9% light-receiving plastic house. The disease incidence (Alternaria blight, Gray mold and Damping-off etc.) rate were 0.9-2.7%. The incidence of Sclerotinia rot disease was 7.5-8.4%, and root rot was 0-20.0%. The incidence ratio of rusty root ginseng was 34.4-38.7% level, which was an increase from the previous year's 15% level.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.607-614
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• 2013

Nowadays, automotive manufacturers have developed various technologies to improve fuel economy and reduce harmful emissions. The ultra-lean direct injection engine is a promising technology because it has the advantage of improving thermal efficiency through the deliberate control of fuel and ignition. This study aims to investigate the development of a spray-guided-type lean-burn LPG direct injection engine through the redesign of the combustion system. This engine uses a central-injection-type cylinder head in which the injector is installed adjacent to the spark plug. Fuel consumption and combustion stability were estimated depending on the ignition timing and injection timing at various air-fuel ratios. The optimal injection timing and ignition timing were based on the best fuel consumption and combustion stability.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.649-654
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• 2012

Background Deep burns of the elbow lead to soft tissue necrosis and infection, with exposure of deep structures. Adequate wound coverage of this area requires thin, pliable, and durable tissue, while optimal functional recovery requires early coverage and functional rehabilitation. We have found 3 types of island flaps that provide reliable coverage for the elbow. Methods A retrospective study was performed on all patients who underwent flap coverage of an elbow defect at our hospital. The patients' data including age, sex, cause of injury, wound dimensions, timing of flap coverage, postoperative elbow motion, and complications were investigated. Results Between 2001 and 2012, 16 patients were treated at our hospital. The mean age was 53.3 years. Three kinds of flaps were performed: 9 latissimus dorsi flaps, 4 lateral arm flaps, and 4 radial forearm flaps. The average defect size was 183.5 $cm^2$ (range, 28 to 670 cm2). Wound coverage was performed at mean duration of 45.9 days (range, 14 to 91 days). The mean postoperative active elbow flexion was $98^{\circ}$ (range, $85^{\circ}$ to $115^{\circ}$). Partial flap failure occurred in 1 latissimus dorsi flap. Minor complications included partial flap loss (11.8%), hematoma (23.5%), seroma (35.3%), and wound infection (5.9%). Conclusions Flap selection for elbow reconstruction is determined by the defect size and the extent of the adjacent tissue injury. Elbow reconstruction using an island flap is a single-staged, reliable, and relatively simple procedure that permits initiation of early rehabilitation, thereby improving a patient's functional outcome.