• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.145-155
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• 2022

Purpose: Weight loss and deterioration in body composition are observed in patients with gastric cancer (GC) following gastrectomy. This study aimed to investigate the impact of residual stomach volume (RSV) on the nutritional status and body composition of patients with GC treated with distal gastrectomy. Materials and Methods: In total, 227 patients who underwent minimally invasive distal gastrectomy with Billroth 1 anastomosis for stage I GC between February 2015 and May 2018 were enrolled. Clinicodemographic and laboratory data were collected from the GC registry. The RSV, abdominal muscle area, and subcutaneous/visceral fat areas were measured using computed tomography data. Results: A larger RSV was associated with a lower decrease in the nutritional risk index (P=0.004) and hemoglobin level (P=0.003) during the first 3 months after surgery, and better recovery at 12 months. A larger RSV demonstrated an advantage in the preservation of abdominal muscle area (P=0.02) and visceral fat (P=0.04) after surgery, as well as less reduction in weight (P=0.02) and body mass index (P=0.03). Conclusions: Larger RSV was associated with improved nutritional status and better preservation of muscle and fat after distal gastrectomy.

• 열처리공학회지
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• 제35권3호
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• pp.121-129
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• 2022

Recently the growth of the renewable energy production has caused the flexible operation in LNG combined cycle power plant. Due to the rapid start and stop operations, large CrMoV castings used for turbine casings and valve bodies could be distorted and lead to replacement or welding repair. This study was performed to find out the characteristics of the repair welding for a damaged CrMoV casting steel. A typical field repair method (arc & TIG welding) was applied to making specimens. The degraded N2 packing head sample from the steam turbine was used. The evaluations of weldments were carried out in terms of microstructural characterization, microhardness measurements, tensile, creep-rupture and fatigue tests. Color etching was also applied for better understanding of welding microstructures. As the boundary between HAZ and base material was deteriorated by welding, it caused microstructural changes formed during PWHT and the shortening of the remaining residual life. By comparing the properties according to repair welding method, it was possible to derive what important welding factors were. As a result, arc welding method is more suitable for repair welding on CrMoV castings.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제43권1호
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• pp.19-30
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• 2022

The static strength and fatigue crack resistance of the aircraft skin structures depend on the materials used and joint type. Most of the commercial aircraft's skin panel structures are made from aluminium alloy and carbon fibre reinforced epoxy. In this study, the fatigue resistance of four joint configurations (metal/metal, metal/composite, composite/composite and composite/metal) with riveted, adhesive bonded, and hybrid joining techniques are investigated with experiments and finite element analysis. The fatigue tests were tension-tension because of the typical nature of the loads on aircraft skin panels susceptible of experimenting fatigue. Experiment results suggest that the fatigue life of hybrid joints is superior to adhesive bonded joints, and these in turn much better than conventional riveted joints. Thanks to the fact that, for hybrid joints, the adhesive bond provides better load distribution and ensures load-carrying capacity in the event of premature adhesive failure while rivets induce compressive residual stresses in the joint. Results from FE tool ABAQUS analysis for adhesive bonded and hybrid joints agrees with the experiments. From the analysis, the energy release rate for adhesive bonded joints is higher than that of hybrid joints in both opening (mode I) and shear direction (mode II). Most joints show higher energy release rate in mode II. This indicates that the joints experience fatigue crack in the shear direction, which is responsible for crack opening.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.1-6
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• 2022

Fine blanking is a press processing technology that can process most of the product thickness into a smooth surface with a single stroke. In this fine blanking process, shear is an essential step. The punches and dies used in the shear are subjected to impacts of tens to hundreds of gravitational accelerations, depending on the type and thickness of the material. Therefore, among the components of the fine blanking mold (dies), punches and dies are the parts with the shortest lifespan. In the actual production site, various types of tool damage occur such as wear of the tool as well as sudden punch breakage. In this study, machine learning algorithms were used to predict these problems in advance. The dataset used in this paper consisted of the signal of the vibration sensor installed in the tool and the measured burr size (tool wear). Various features were extracted so that artificial intelligence can learn effectively from signals. It was trained with 5 features with excellent distinguishing performance, and the SVM algorithm performance was the best among 33 learning models. As a result of the research, the vibration signal at the time of imminent tool replacement was matched with an accuracy of more than 85%. It is expected that the results of this research will solve problems such as tool damage due to accidental punch breakage at the production site, and increase in maintenance costs due to prediction errors in punch exchange cycles due to wear.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.109-116
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• 2023

Background: Golf is a popular sport involving overhead activity and engagement of the rotator cuff (RC). This study aimed to determine to what level golfers were able to return to golf following RC repair, the barriers to them returning to golf and factors associated with their failure to return to golf. Methods: Patients preoperatively identifying as golfers undergoing RC repair at the study centre from 2012 to 2020 were retrospectively followed up with to assess their golf-playing status, performance and frequency of play and functional and quality of life (QoL) outcomes. Results: Forty-seven golfers (40 men [85.1%] and 7 women [14.9%]) with a mean age of 56.8 years met the inclusion criteria, and 80.1% were followed up with at a mean of 27.1 months postoperatively. Twenty-nine patients (76.3%) had returned to golf with a mean handicap change of +1.0 (P=0.291). Golf frequency decreased from a mean of 1.8 rounds per week preinjury to 1.5 rounds per week postoperatively (P=0.052). The EuroQol 5-dimension 5-level (EQ-5D-5L) index and visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) score were significantly greater in those returning to golf (P=0.024 and P=0.002), although functional outcome measures were not significantly different. The primary barriers to return were ipsilateral shoulder dysfunction (78%) and loss of the habit of play (22%). Conclusions: Golfers were likely (76%) to return to golf following RC repair, including mostly to their premorbid performance level with little residual symptomatology. Return to golf was associated with a greater QoL. Persistent subjective shoulder dysfunction (78%) was the most common barrier to returning to golf.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• 제19권3호
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• pp.95-102
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• 2022

This retrospective study aimed to investigate whether there was a difference in the success rate of removal of residual thyroid tissue in patients with the same cutoff serum thyroglobulin (Tg) value-measured 2 weeks after thyroid hormone withdrawal (THW)-for different radioactive iodine (RAI) activities. We identified 132 patients with papillary thyroid cancer who were treated with total thyroidectomy and RAI therapy to evaluate the efficacy of three radioactivities of I-131: 1,110, 3,700, and 5,550 MBq. Serum Tg testing was performed 1 week before RAI treatment and 2 weeks after THW (pre-Tg); the cutoff pre-Tg level was below 10 ng/mL. Stimulated Tg levels were measured on the day of I-131 administration (off-Tg). After 6 months of treatment, we compared the groups for complete ablation, defined as no uptake on a diagnostic I-131 scan, stimulated Tg level of <1.0 ng/mL, and Tg antibody level of <100 ng/mL. Ninety-five patients (72.0%) achieved complete ablation, with 57.1% (8/14), 78.2% (68/87), and 61.3% (19/31) in the 1,110 MBq, 3,700 MBq, and 5,550 MBq groups, respectively. There was no significant difference in the complete ablation rates between the three groups. In the multivariate analysis, the off-Tg level was a significant predictor of complete ablation. RAI therapy with low radioactivity (1,110 MBq) seemed sufficient for ablation in patients with papillary thyroid cancer with a pre-Tg level below 10 ng/mL. The off-Tg level is a promising and useful predictor of complete ablation after initial RAI therapy.

• 한국수자원학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국수자원학회 2021년도 학술발표회
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• pp.420-420
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• 2021

상수도관은 시간이 경과됨에 따라 부식이 발생하고 이로 인해 관의 두께 및 강도가 감소하여 점차 상수도관의 기능을 상실하게 된다. 이러한 노후 상수도관은 누수, 적수 등 수자원에 막대한 경제적인 손실을 발생시키고 사람들에게 많은 불편을 끼친다. 현재 우리나라도 전체 상수도관 중 노후 상수도관이 많은 부분을 차지하고 있기 때문에 교체나 개선이 시급한 실정이다. 하지만 전체 상수도관을 교체하는 것은 막대한 예산이 필요하기 때문에 현실적으로 어려운 문제이다. 따라서 상수도관의 노후도 분석을 통하여 상수관망의 최적 교체 우선순위를 판단하고 교체를 실시하는 것이 필요하다. 본 연구에서는 노후도 분석에 중요한 관의 부식깊이와 잔존수명을 예측하고 신뢰성해석을 통해 파괴확률을 산정하였다. 이를 위해 Romanoff(1957)와 환경부(2002)에서 실측한 상수관의 관종에 따른 관두께 변화를 적용하여 해석하였다. 실측 자료를 통해 부식깊이, 잔존수명 예측 모델을 수립하였으며 이에 따른 관의 파괴확률을 산정하였다. Romanoff(1957)의 혼합강관과 주철관에 대한 실측 자료를 사용하여 상수관의 사용연수가 10년, 20년, 30년 경과됨에 따른 부식깊이와 관파괴확률을 산정하였다. 혼합강관의 경우 사용연수에 따른 부식깊이는 0.57mm, 0.92mm, 1.21mm으로 산정되었으며, 주철관의 경우 0.16mm, 0.24mm, 0.31mm으로 산정되었다. 또한 신뢰성모형을 직경 300mm관에 적용한 결과 최대 상수도압 15kg/cm²에서 혼합강관의 사용연수에 따른 파괴확률은 3.36%, 4.65%, 6.18%로 나타났으며 주철관은 1.36%, 2.50%, 2.68%로 나타났다. 환경부(2002)의 주철관에 대한 부식 실측 자료를 통해 상수관의 사용연수 10년, 20년, 30년 경과에 따른 부식깊이와 관파괴확률을 산정하였으며 초기 관두께 측정 자료를 통해 잔존수명도 예측하였다. 부식깊이는 1.02mm, 1.25mm, 1.41mm으로 산정되었으며, 파괴확률은 5.15%, 6.30%, 7.35%로 산정되었다. 그리고 잔존수명의 경우 부식률이 20%일 때, 잔존수명은 약 30년으로 산정되었다.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제46권3호
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• pp.385-401
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• 2023

Steel is becoming increasingly popular due to its high strength, excellent ductility, great assembly performance, and recyclability. In reality, steel structures serving for a long time in atmospheric, industrial, and marine environments inevitably suffer from corrosion, which significantly decreases the durability and the service life with the exposure time. For the mechanical properties of corroded steel, experimental studies are mainly conducted. The existing numerical analyses only evaluate the mechanical properties based on corroded morphology at the isolated time-in-point, ignoring that this morphology varies continuously with corrosion time. To solve this problem, the relationships between pit depth expectation, standard deviation, and corrosion time are initially constructed based on a large amount of wet-dry cyclic accelerated test data. Successively, based on that, an in-situ pitting evolution method for evaluating the residual tensile strength of corroded steel is proposed. To verify the method, 20 repeated simulations of mass loss rates and mechanical properties are adopted against the test results. Then, numerical analyses are conducted on 135 models of corrosion pits with different aspect ratios and uneven corrosion degree on two corroded surfaces. Results show that the power function with exponents of 1.483 and 1.091 can well describe the increase in pit depth expectation and standard deviation with corrosion time, respectively. The effect of the commonly used pit aspect ratios of 0.10-0.25 on yield strength and ultimate strength is negligible. Besides, pit number ratio α equating to 0.6 is the critical value for the strength degradation. When α is less than 0.6, the pit number increases with α, accelerating the degradation of strength. Otherwise, the strength degradation is weakened. In addition, a power function model is adopted to characterize the degradation of yield strength and ultimate strength with corrosion time, which is revised by initial steel plate thickness.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제48권3호
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• pp.131-143
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• 2023

Background: This study examined the detection limit of thyroid screening monitoring conducted at the time of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident in 2011 using a Monte Carlo simulation. Materials and Methods: We calculated the detection limit of a NaI(Tl) survey meter to measure ¹³¹I accumulation in the thyroid gland of children. Mathematical phantoms of 1- and 5-year-old children were developed in the simulation of the Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System code. Contamination of the body surface with eight radionuclides found after the FDNPP accident was assumed to have been deposited on the neck and shoulder area. Results and Discussion: The detection limit was calculated as a function of ambient dose rate. In the case of 40 Bq/cm² contamination on the body surface of the neck, the present simulations showed that residual thyroid radioactivity corresponding to thyroid dose of 100 mSv can be detected within 21 days after intake at the ambient dose rate of 0.2 µSv/hr and within 11 days in the case of 2.0 µSv/hr. When a time constant of 10 seconds was used at the dose rate of 0.2 µSv/hr, the estimated survey meter output error was 5%. Evaluation of the effect of individual differences in the location of the thyroid gland confirmed that the measured value would decrease by approximately 6% for a height difference of ±1 cm and increase by approximately 65% for a depth of 1 cm. Conclusion: In the event of a nuclear disaster, simple measurements carried out using a NaI(Tl) scintillation survey meter remain effective for assessing ¹³¹I intake. However, it should be noted that the presence of short-half-life radioactive materials on the body surface affects the detection limit.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제22권9호
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• pp.1481-1489
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• 2021

Objective: To construct a CT-based Fagotti scoring system by analyzing the correlations between laparoscopic findings and CT features in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients diagnosed with stage III/IV ovarian cancer who underwent diagnostic laparoscopy and debulking surgery between January 2010 and June 2018. Two radiologists independently reviewed preoperative CT scans and assessed ten CT features known as predictors of suboptimal cytoreduction. Correlation analysis between ten CT features and seven laparoscopic parameters based on the Fagotti scoring system was performed using Spearman's correlation. Variable selection and model construction were performed by logistic regression with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method using a predictive index value (PIV) ≥ 8 as an indicator of suboptimal cytoreduction. The final CT-based scoring system was internally validated using 5-fold cross-validation. Results: A total of 157 patients (median age, 56 years; range, 27-79 years) were evaluated. Among 120 (76.4%) patients with a PIV ≥ 8, 105 patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery, and the optimal cytoreduction rate was 90.5% (95 of 105). Among 37 (23.6%) patients with PIV < 8, 29 patients underwent primary debulking surgery, and the optimal cytoreduction rate was 93.1% (27 of 29). CT features showing significant correlations with PIV ≥ 8 were mesenteric involvement, gastro-transverse mesocolon-splenic space involvement, diaphragmatic involvement, and para-aortic lymphadenopathy. The area under the receiver operating curve of the final model for prediction of PIV ≥ 8 was 0.72 (95% confidence interval: 0.62-0.82). Conclusion: Central tumor burden and upper abdominal spread features on preoperative CT were identified as distinct predictive factors for high PIV on diagnostic laparoscopy. The CT-based PIV prediction model might be useful for patient stratification before cytoreduction surgery for advanced ovarian cancer.