• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2015.05a
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• pp.217-217
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• 2015

The objective of this study was mainly to evaluate the water resources potential of Lake Tana Basin (LTB) by using Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). From SWAT simulation of LTB, about 5236 km2 area of LTB is gauged watershed and the remaining 9878 km2 area is ungauged watershed. For calibration of model parameters, four gauged stations were considered namely: Gilgel Abay, Gummera, Rib, and Megech. The SWAT-CUP built-in techniques, particle swarm optimization (PSO) and generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) method was used for calibration of model parameters and PSO method were selected for the study based on its performance results in four gauging stations. However the level of sensitivity of flow parameters differ from catchment to catchment, the curve number (CN2) has been found the most sensitive parameters in all gauged catchments. To facilitate the transfer of data from gauged catchments to ungauged catchments, clustering of hydrologic response units (HRUs) were done based on physical similarity measured between gauged and ungauged catchment attributes. From SWAT land use/ soil use/slope reclassification of LTB, a total of 142 HRUs were identified and these HRUs are clustered in to 39 similar hydrologic groups. In order to transfer the optimized model parameters from gauged to ungauged catchments based on these clustered hydrologic groups, this study evaluates three parameter transfer schemes: parameters transfer based on homogeneous regions (PT-I), parameter transfer based on global averaging (PT-II), and parameter transfer by considering Gilgel Abay catchment as a representative catchment (PT-III) since its model performance values are better than the other three gauged catchments. The performance of these parameter transfer approach was evaluated based on values of Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) and coefficient of determination (R2). The computed NSE values was found to be 0.71, 0.58, and 0.31 for PT-I, PT-II and PT-III respectively and the computed R2 values was found to be 0.93, 0.82, and 0.95 for PT-I, PT-II, and PT-III respectively. Based on the performance evaluation criteria, PT-I were selected for modelling ungauged catchments by transferring optimized model parameters from gauged catchment. From the model result, yearly average stream flow for all homogeneous regions was found 29.54 m3/s, 112.92 m3/s, and 130.10 m3/s for time period (1989 - 2005) for region-I, region-II, and region-III respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.42-49
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• 2019

Objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) is characterized by persistent airflow limitations associated with chronic inflammatory response due to noxious particles or gases in the lung. Iron deficiency is associated with chronic inflammation, such as COPD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship among iron deficiency, iron homeostasis, and inflammation in retired miners with COPD. Methods: The serum levels of ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor(sTfR), and transferrin saturation(TSat) as biomarkers for iron deficiency and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hsCRP) as a biomarker for inflammation and hepcidin as a biomarker for iron homeostasis were measured in 93 male subjects. Iron deficiency was defined as any one or more of (1) sTfR>28.1 nmol/L, (2) TSat<16%, and (3) ferritin< $12{\mu}g/L$. Results: Iron deficiency was found 28% of the study subjects. Median levels of serum hsCRP was significantly increased related to airflow limitation of COPD(GOLD 1, $0.09{\mu}g/dL$ vs. GOLD 2, $0.17{\mu}g/dL$ vs. GOLD $3{\leq}$, $0.30{\mu}g/dL$, p=0.010), and was positively correlated with hepcidin(p=0.009). Mean level of serum hepcidin was lower in COPD subjects with iron deficiency(p=0.004) and serum levels of hepcidin was negatively correlated with %$FEV_1$ predicted(p=0.030). Conclusions: These results suggest that high serum levels of hepcidin are related to severe airflow limitation or inflammation and can decrease iron availability, regardless of iron status.

• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.117-139
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• 2021

The way of change detection in which presence of a different item is determined between memory and test arrays with a brief in-between time interval resembles how visual search is done considering that the different item is searched upon the onset of a test array being compared against the items in memory. According to the resemblance, the present study examined whether varying the probability of change occurrence in a visual short-term memory-based change detection task can influence the aspect of response-decision making (i.e., change prevalence effect). The simple-feature change detection task in the study consisted of a set of four colored boxes followed by another set of four colored boxes between which the participants determined presence or absence of a color change from one box to the other. The change prevalence was varied to 20, 50, or 80% in terms of change occurrences in total trials, and their change detection errors, detection sensitivity, and their subsequent RTs were analyzed. The analyses revealed that as the change prevalence increased, false alarms became more frequent while misses became less frequent, along with delayed correct-rejection responses. The observed change prevalence effect looks very similar to the target prevalence effect varying according to probability of target occurrence in visual search tasks, indicating that the background principles deriving these two effects may resemble each other.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.167-174
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• 2021

Recent investigation into the integrity of nuclear containment buildings has highlighted the importance of developing an elaborate diagnostic method to evaluate the distribution and size of cavities inside concrete walls. As part of developing such a method, this paper presents a finite element approach to modeling elastic waves propagating in the containment building walls of a nuclear power plant. We introduce a perfectly matched layer (PML) wave-absorbing boundary to limit the large-scale nuclear containment wall to the region of interest. The formulation results in a semi-discrete form with symmetric damping and stiffness matrices. The transient elastic wave equations for a mixed unsplit-field PML were solved for displacement and stresses in the time domain. Numerical results show that the sensitivity of displacement, velocity, acceleration, and stresses is large depending on the size and location of the cavity. The dynamic response of the wall slightly differs depending on the existence of the containment liner plate. The results of this study can be applied to a full-waveform inversion approach for characterizing cavities inside a containment wall.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.211-216
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• 2022

In radiation therapy, accurate Quality Assurance (QA) is required to irradiate tumor tissue while minimizing damage to normal tissue. Therefore, a dosimeter that can accurately measure radiation is needed. The purpose of this study is to develop a highly efficient radiation dosimeter with high sensitivity by applying a particle in binder method that can reduce manufacturing costs and simplify processes to perovskite materials that are cheaper and simpler to manufacture. By evaluating the response characteristics to high-energy photon, the applicability of QA dosimeter to radiation therapy was evaluated. As a result of reproducibility evaluation, RSD at 6 MV energy was presented as 1.178% and 15 MV energy was presented as 1.141%. As a result of linearity evaluation according to linear regression analysis, R² values of 0.9999 were presented under each condition of 6 MV and 15 MV energy. It was found that the CsPbBr₃ dosimeter manufactured based on the results of reproducibility and linearity evaluation is highly applicable as a QA dosimeter in the field of therapeutic radiation. The CsPbBr₃ dosimeter manufactured in this study presented more than the standard performance in the evaluation of reproducibility and linearity, and it can be used as a radiotherapy QA dosimeter through improvement.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.9
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• pp.453-458
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• 2022

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious disease in which blood sugar levels rise abnormally because of failed insulin production or decreased insulin sensitivity. Although many studies are being conducted for the treatment or early diagnosis of DM, it is not fully understood how mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) abnormalities appear in patients with DM. Here, we induced iPSCs from fibroblasts, PBMCs, or pancreatic cells of three patients with type 2 DM (T2D) and three patients with non-diabetes counterpart. The mtDNA mutations were detected randomly without any tendency among tissues or patients. In T2D patients, 62% (21/34) of iPSC clones harbored multiple mtDNA mutations, of which 37% were homoplasmy at the 100% mutation level compared to only 8% in non-diabetes. We next selected iPSC clones that were a wild type or carried mutations and differentiated into pancreatic cells. Oxygen consumption rates were significantly lower in cells carrying mutant mtDNA. Additionally, the mutant cells exhibited decreased production of insulin and reduced secretion of insulin in response to glucose. Overall, the results suggest that screening mtDNA mutations in iPSCs from patients with T2D is an essential step before pancreatic cell differentiation for disease modeling or autologous cell therapy.

• Journal of Internet of Things and Convergence
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.61-69
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• 2023

In recent years, due to heightened environmental awareness, Electric Power Steering (EPS) has been increasingly adopted as the steering control unit in manufactured vehicles. This has had numerous benefits, such as improved steering power, elimination of hydraulic hose leaks and reduced fuel consumption. However, for EPS systems to respond to actions, sensors must be employed; this means that the consistency of the sensor's linear variation is integral to the stability of the steering response. To ensure quality control, a reliable method for detecting defects and assessing linearity is required to assess the sensitivity of the EPS sensor to changes in the internal design characters. This paper proposes a data-driven defect and linearity assessment monitoring system, which can be used to analyze EPS component defects and linearity based on vehicle speed interval division. The approach is validated experimentally using data collected from an EPS test jig and is further enhanced by the inclusion of a Graphical User Interface (GUI). Based on the design, the developed system effectively performs defect detection with an accuracy of 0.99 percent and obtains a linearity assessment score at varying vehicle speeds.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.113-127
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• 2023

Background: Resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) may aid in understanding the link between painmodulating brain regions and the descending pain modulatory system (DPMS) in fibromyalgia (FM). This study investigated whether the differences in rs-FC of the primary somatosensory cortex in responders and non-responders to the conditioned pain modulation test (CPM-test) are related to pain, sleep quality, central sensitization, and the impact of FM on quality of life. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 33 females with FM. rs-FC was assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Change in the numerical pain scale during the CPM-test assessed the DPMS function. Subjects were classified either as non-responders (i.e., DPMS dysfunction, n = 13) or responders (n = 20) to CPM-test. A generalized linear model (GLM) and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were performed to check the accuracy of the rs-FC to differentiate each group. Results: Non-responders showed a decreased rs-FC between the left somatosensory cortex (S1) and the periaqueductal gray (PAG) (P < 0.001). The GLM analysis revealed that the S1-PAG rs-FC in the left-brain hemisphere was positively correlated with a central sensitization symptom and negatively correlated with sleep quality and pain scores. ROC curve analysis showed that left S1-PAG rs-FC offers a sensitivity and specificity of 85% or higher (area under the curve, 0.78, 95% confidence interval, 0.63-0.94) to discriminate who does/does not respond to the CPM-test. Conclusions: These results support using the rs-FC patterns in the left S1-PAG as a marker for predicting CPM-test response, which may aid in treatment individualization in FM patients.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.89-113
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• 2023

This study aimed to identify heat wave vulnerable areas and discuss spatial typology and policy directions through spatial coincidence analysis of heat wave damage. By utilizing the climate change vulnerability assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Spatial Statistics Comparison Analysis, this study examined cities, counties, and districts in South Korea for five years (2015-2019), including 2018, when the heat wave was most extreme. It was determined that the number of heat wave days (exposure) was the most impactful among various factors for heat wave vulnerability. Sensitivity and adaptive capacity to heat waves were found to vary according to regional characteristics. The relationship between heat wave vulnerability and damage was categorized into four types through spatial coherence. Hot to Hot and Cold to Cold types have a positive relationship between vulnerability and damage, while Hot to Cold and Cold to Hot types have a negative relationship. The findings suggest that since different types of regions have distinct characteristics and conditions, policies and research for improvement should be directed to address each region separately. This study may be used as basic data for establishing heat-related policies in the future, as it categorizes regions by considering both heat vulnerability and damage and examines the direction of response by type.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.9-18
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• 2023

The rapid detection of bacteria in the oral cavity, its species identification, and bacterial count determination are important to diagnose oral diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria. The existing clinical microbial diagnosis methods are time-consuming as they involve observing patients' samples under a microscope or culturing and confirming bacteria using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) kits, making the process complex. Therefore, it is required to analyze the development status of substances and systems that can rapidly detect and analyze pathogenic microorganisms in the oral cavity. With research advancements, a close relationship between oral and systemic diseases has been identified, making it crucial to identify the changes in the oral cavity bacterial composition. Additionally, an early and accurate diagnosis is essential for better prognosis in periodontal disease. However, most periodontal disease-causing pathogens are anaerobic bacteria, which are difficult to identify using conventional bacterial culture methods. Further, the existing PCR method takes a long time to detect and involves complicated stages. Therefore, to address these challenges, the concept of point-of-care (PoC) has emerged, leading to the study and implementation of various chair-side test methods. This study aims to investigate the different PoC diagnostic methods introduced thus far for identifying pathogenic microorganisms in the oral cavity. These are classified into three categories: 1) microbiological tests, 2) microchemical tests, and 3) genetic tests. The microbiological tests are used to determine the presence or absence of representative causative bacteria of periodontal diseases, such as A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, and T. denticola. However, the quantitative analysis remains impossible, and detecting pathogens other than the specific ones is challenging. The microchemical tests determine the activity of inflammation or disease by measuring the levels of biomarkers present in the oral cavity. Although this diagnostic method is based on increase in the specific biomarkers proportional to inflammation or disease progression in the oral cavity, its commercialization is limited due to low sensitivity and specificity. The genetic tests are based on the concept that differences in disease vulnerability and treatment response are caused by the patient's DNA predisposition. Specifically, the IL-1 gene is used in such tests. PoC diagnostic methods developed to date serve as supplementary diagnostic methods and tools for patient education, in addition to existing diagnostic methods, although they have limitations in diagnosing oral diseases alone. Research on various PoC test methods that can analyze and manage the oral cavity bacterial composition is expected to become more active, aligning with the shift from treatment-oriented to prevention-oriented approaches in healthcare.