• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.65-74
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• 2021

With recent innovations in the ICT industry, the demand for wearable sensing devices to recognize and respond to biological signals has increased. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) spacer fabric was embedded in a single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) dispersive solution through a simple penetration process to develop a monolayer piezoresistive pressure sensor. To induce electrical conductivity in the 3D spacer fabric, samples were immersed in the SWCNT dispersive solution and dried. To determine the electrical properties of the impregnated specimen, a universal testing machine and multimeter were used to measure the resistance of the pressure change. Moreover, to examine the changes in the electrical properties of the sensor, its performance was evaluated by varying the concentration, number of penetrations, and thickness of the specimen. Samples that penetrated twice in the SWCNT distributed solution of 0.1 wt% showed the best performance as sensors. The 7-mm thick sensors showed the highest GF, and the 13-mm thick sensors showed the widest operating range. This study confirms the effectiveness of the simple process of fabricating smart textile sensors comprising 3D spacer fabrics and the excellent performance of the sensors.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.769-781
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• 2019

Dynamic displacement response of civil structures is an important index for in-construction and in-service structural condition assessment. However, accurately measuring the displacement of large-scale civil structures such as high-rise buildings still remains as a challenging task. In order to cope with this problem, a vision-based system with the use of industrial digital camera and image processing has been developed for long-distance, remote, and real-time monitoring of dynamic displacement of supertall structures. Instead of acquiring image signals, the proposed system traces only the coordinates of the target points, therefore enabling real-time monitoring and display of displacement responses in a relatively high sampling rate. This study addresses the in-situ experimental verification of the developed vision-based system on the Canton Tower of 600 m high. To facilitate the verification, a GPS system is used to calibrate/verify the structural displacement responses measured by the vision-based system. Meanwhile, an accelerometer deployed in the vicinity of the target point also provides frequency-domain information for comparison. Special attention has been given on understanding the influence of the surrounding light on the monitoring results. For this purpose, the experimental tests are conducted in daytime and nighttime through placing the vision-based system outside the tower (in a brilliant environment) and inside the tower (in a dark environment), respectively. The results indicate that the displacement response time histories monitored by the vision-based system not only match well with those acquired by the GPS receiver, but also have higher fidelity and are less noise-corrupted. In addition, the low-order modal frequencies of the building identified with use of the data obtained from the vision-based system are all in good agreement with those obtained from the accelerometer, the GPS receiver and an elaborate finite element model. Especially, the vision-based system placed at the bottom of the enclosed elevator shaft offers better monitoring data compared with the system placed outside the tower. Based on a wavelet filtering technique, the displacement response time histories obtained by the vision-based system are easily decomposed into two parts: a quasi-static ingredient primarily resulting from temperature variation and a dynamic component mainly caused by fluctuating wind load.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1281-1293
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• 2019

The rhizosphere is the active zone where plant roots communicate with the soil microbiome, each responding to the other's signals. The soil microbiome within the rhizosphere that is beneficial to plant growth and productivity is known as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). PGPR take part in many pivotal plant processes, including plant growth, development, immunity, and productivity, by influencing acquisition and utilization of nutrient molecules, regulation of phytohormone biosynthesis, signaling, and response, and resistance to biotic- and abiotic-stresses. PGPR also produce secondary compounds and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that elicit plant growth. Moreover, plant roots exude attractants that cause PGPR to aggregate in the rhizosphere zone for colonization, improving soil properties and protecting plants against pathogenic factors. The interactions between PGPR and plant roots in rhizosphere are essential and interdependent. Many studies have reported that PGPR function in multiple ways under the same or diverse conditions, directly and indirectly. This review focuses on the roles and strategies of PGPR in enhancing nutrient acquisition by nutrient fixation/solubilization/mineralization, inducing plant growth regulators/phytohormones, and promoting growth and development of root and shoot by affecting cell division, elongation, and differentiation. We also summarize the current knowledge of the effects of PGPR and the soil microbiota on plants.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.109 no.4
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• pp.361-370
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• 2020

Long-term observation of the life cycle of plants allows the identification of critical signals of the effects of climate change on plants. Indeed, plant phenology is the simplest approach to detect climate change. Observation of seasonal changes in plants using digital repeat imaging helps in overcoming the limitations of both traditional methods and satellite remote sensing. In this study, we demonstrate the utility of camera-based repeat digital imaging in this context. We observed the biological events of plants and quantified their phenophases in the northern temperate type deciduous broadleaf forest of Jeombong Mountain. This study aimed to identify trends in seasonal characteristics of Quercus mongolica (deciduous broadleaf forest) and Pinus densiflora (evergreen coniferous forest). The vegetation index, green chromatic coordinate (GCC), was calculated from the RGB channel image data. The magnitude of the GCC amplitude was smaller in the evergreen coniferous forest than in the deciduous forest. The slope of the GCC (increased in spring and decreased in autumn) was moderate in the evergreen coniferous forest compared with that in the deciduous forest. In the pine forest, the beginning of growth occurred earlier than that in the red oak forest, whereas the end of growth was later. Verification of the accuracy of the phenophases showed high accuracy with root-mean-square error (RMSE) values of 0.008 (region of interest [ROI]1) and 0.006 (ROI3). These results reflect the tendency of the GCC trajectory in a northern temperate type deciduous broadleaf forest. Based on the results, we propose that repeat imaging using digital cameras will be useful for the observation of phenophases.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.1003-1011
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• 2020

This study aims to compare and evaluate the image differences between single and dual sources in applying a technique to reduce metal artifacts using dual energy CT. Discovery CT 256 (GE, USA) as a single source device and Somatom Definition Flash (Siemens Health Care, Forchheim, Germany) as a dual source device. The self-made phantom (pigs with medical titanium screws inserted) was quantitative and qualitatively evaluated under the same conditions by varying the dose under the same conditions using a dual energy CT. The evaluation method was compared by measuring SNR for metal artifacts (scattering, stripe) generated by metal inserts, divided around bones and around tissues. There was a difference in images in the method of reducing metal artifacts between single-source and dual-source devices. In a single source device, the linearized prosthesis by metal implantation showed a greater decrease than the image obtained from a double source device, and the surrounding tissue was well observed without interference from the artifact. In dual-source devices, scattering and stripe artifacts caused by metal inserts decreased more than on a single source device, and signals from adjacent tissues surrounding the metal implant were well observed without diminishing. If the examination is conducted separately between single source and dual source devices depending on whether the area to which the patient is intended to be viewed during the examination is adjacent to the metal insert or the total tissue surrounding the metal insert, it is believed that diagnostic helpful images can be obtained.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.237-247
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• 2021

Immune responses in the central nervous system (CNS) function as the host's defense system against pathogens and usually help with repair and regeneration. However, chronic and exaggerated neuroinflammation is detrimental and may create neuronal damage in many cases. The NOD-, LRR-, and pyrin domain―containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, a kind of NOD-like receptor, is a cytosolic multiprotein complex that consists of sensors (NLRP3), adaptors (apoptosis-associated speck like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain, ASC) and effectors (caspase 1). It can detect a broad range of microbial pathogens along with foreign and host-derived danger signals, resulting in the assembly and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Upon activation, NLRP3 inflammasome leads to caspase 1-dependent secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18, as well as to gasdermin D-mediated pyroptotic cell death. NLRP3 inflammasome is highly expressed in CNS-resident cell types, including microglia and astrocytes, and growing evidence suggests that NLRP3 inflammasome is a crucial player in the pathophysiology of several neuroinflammatory and psychiatric diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and major depressive disorder. Thus, this review describes the molecular mechanisms of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and its crucial roles in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.93-103
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• 2021

S&OP(Sales and Operations Planning) is an ongoing process of periodic planning, reviewing, and evaluation through the involvement of all key stakeholders. Within this process, performance is regularly reviewed and early warning signals are generated, so that the company can react quickly to changing market and operational environment. This paper presents a framework for effective S&OP for fair alignment, accountability, teamwork, visibility, and risk management. This framework focuses on supply chain information governance, level of information sharing through S&OP, role of S&OP as coordination mechanism, APS effectivesness as a planning tool and SCM performance. In addition, a brief case study on the operating characteristics of S&OP at three Korean firms is presented. Implications of the study finding are also provided. It will also make companies that are considering the introduction of S&OP aware of the importance of S&OP, which will provide practical guidelines for the introduction of S&OP.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.331-337
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• 2022

Raman spectroscopy is an optical technique that can identify molecules in a label-free manner, and is therefore heavily investigated in various areas ranging from biomedical engineering to materials science. Probe-based Raman spectroscopy can perform minimally invasive chemical analysis, and thus has potential as a real-time diagnostic tool during surgery. In this study, Raman experimentation was calibrated by examining the Raman shifts with respect to the concentrations of chemical substances. Raman signal characteristics, targeted for normal mice and cerebral tissues of the 5xFAD dementia mutant model with accumulated amyloid beta plaques, were measured and analyzed to explore the possibility of diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. The application to the diagnosis of dementia was cross-validated by measuring Raman signals of amyloid beta. The results suggest the potential of Raman spectroscopy as a diagnostic tool that may be useful in various areas of application.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2021

In order to acquire an image in a positron emission tomography, it is necessary to draw the position coordinates of the scintillation pixels of the detector module measured at the same time. To this end, in a detector module using a plurality of scintillation pixels and a small number of photosensors, it is necessary to obtain a flood image and divide a region of each scintillation pixel to obtain a position of a scintillation pixel interacting with a gamma ray. Alternatively, when the number of scintillation pixels and the number of photosensors to be used are the same, the position coordinates for the position of the scintillation pixels can be directly acquired as digital signal coordinates. A method of using a plurality of scintillation pixels and a small number of photosensors requires a process of obtaining digital signal coordinates requires a plurality of photosensors and a signal processing system. This complicates the signal processing process and raises the cost. To solve this problem, in this study, we developed a method of obtaining digital signal coordinates without performing the process of separating the planar image and region using a plurality of flash pixels and a small number of optical sensors. This is a method of obtaining the position coordinate values of the flash pixels interacting with the gamma ray as a digital signal through a look-up table created through the signals acquired from each flash pixel using the maximum likelihood function. Simulation was performed using DETECT2000, and verification was performed on the proposed method. As a result, accurate digital signal coordinates could be obtained from all the flash pixels, and if this is applied to the existing system, it is considered that faster image acquisition is possible by simplifying the signal processing process.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.1484-1491
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• 2020

Since the slot line transmits electric and magnetic signals through the slot, the size of the slot greatly affects the signal power loss. In order to have low loss, the slot line is mainly used at a high frequency of above 3GHz on a substrate having a high dielectric constant(er). This paper proposes the 4:1 impedance transformer using a slot line on TLC-30 laminate (h=20mil, er=3.0; Taconic) being a relatively low dielectric constant at a frequency of 1.85GHz. In the proposed impedance transformer, the dielectric resonator is arranged on the slot line to reduce signal loss occurring at the slot line. The proposed 4:1 microstrip-slot line impedance transformer fabricated using a (Zr,Sn)TiO4 dielectric resonator(er=38) has the transmission loss(S21) of -0.375dB and the reflection value(S11) of -27.6dB at 1.855GHz. This confirms that the slot line can be stably used even in a low dielectric constant substrate and a low frequency region by using a dielectric resonator.