• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.13-19
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• 1995

A dual purpose robot automation system is developed for both arc welding and spot welding by one robot within a cell. The need for automation of both arc welding and spot welding processes is urgent while the production volume is not so big as to accommodate separate stations for the two processes. Also, space is too narrow for separate stations to be settled down in the factory. A spot welding robot is chosen and the functions for arc welding are implemented in-house at cost of advanced functions. For the spot welding, a single pole type gun is used and the robot has to push down the plate to be wolded, which causes the robot positioning error. Therefore, position error compensation algorithm is developed. The basic functions for the arc welding processes are implemented using the digital I/O board of robot controller, PLC, and A/D conversion PCB. The weaving pattern is taught in meticulously by manual teach. A fixture unit is also developed for dual purpose. The main aspects of the system is presented in this paper especially in the design and implementation procedure. The signal diagrams and sequence logic diagrams are also included. The outcome of the dual purpose welding cell is the increased productivity and good production stability which is indispensable for production volume prediction. Also, it leads to reduction of manufacturing lead time.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.226-233
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• 2023

In this study, we compared the performance of several refrigeration cycles using different refrigerants and utilizing the cold heat of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the liquefaction of carbon dioxide. The final conditions for the liquefied CO₂ were set to -20℃ and 20 bar. The refrigerants used included R404a, ammonia, propane, and propylene using a vapor recompression refrigeration cycle. For the refrigeration cycle, the CO₂ at room temperature and pressure was compressed in a two-stage compression process with an intermediate cooling stage using a refrigeration unit. To compare with the liquefaction process using refrigeration, we compressed the CO₂ to 8 bar in a single compression stage and cooled it to around -50℃ using the cold heat of the LNG before liquefying it. Results showed that using ammonia as the refrigerant required the least amount of compressor power for the liquefaction process, and the heat transfer area of the evaporator was the smallest when using propylene as the refrigerant. Using the cold heat of LNG instead of refrigeration using R404a resulted in approximately 69% less energy consumption.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.221-230
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• 2023

Objectives: The second wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Indonesia, during which the Delta variant predominated, took place after a vaccination program had been initiated in the country. This study was conducted to assess the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on unfavorable clinical outcomes including hospitalization, severe COVID-19, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death using a real-world model. Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study involved patients with COVID-19 aged ≥18 years who presented to the COVID-19 emergency room at a secondary referral teaching hospital between June 1, 2021 and August 31, 2021. We used a binary logistic regression model to assess the effect of COVID-19 vaccination on unfavorable clinical outcomes, with age, sex, and comorbidities as confounding variables. Results: A total of 716 patients were included, 32.1% of whom were vaccinated. The elderly participants (≥65 years) had the lowest vaccine coverage among age groups. Vaccination had an effectiveness of 50% (95% confidence interval [CI], 25 to 66) for preventing hospitalization, 97% (95% CI, 77 to 99) for preventing severe COVID-19, 95% (95% CI, 56 to 99) for preventing ICU admission, and 90% (95% CI, 22 to 99) for preventing death. Interestingly, patients with type 2 diabetes had a 2-fold to 4-fold elevated risk of unfavorable outcomes. Conclusions: Among adults, COVID-19 vaccination has a moderate preventive impact on hospitalization but a high preventive impact on severe COVID-19, ICU admission, and death. The authors suggest that relevant parties increase COVID-19 vaccination coverage, especially in the elderly population.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.146-155
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• 2023

Purpose: The starting time for probiotic supplementation in preterm infants after birth varies widely. This study aimed to investigate the optimal time for initiating probiotics to reduce adverse outcomes in preterm or very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. Methods: Medical records of preterm infants born at a gestational age (GA) of <32 weeks or VLBW infants in 2011-2020 were reviewed respectively. The infants who received Saccharomyces boulardii probiotics within 7 days of birth were grouped into an early introduction (EI) group, and those who received supplemented probiotics after 7 days of birth were part of the late introduction (LI) group. Clinical characteristics were compared between the two groups and analyzed statistically. Results: A total of 370 infants were included. The mean GA (29.1 weeks vs. 31.2 weeks, p<0.001) and birth weight (1,235.9 g vs. 1491.4 g, p<0.001) were lower in the LI group (n=223) than in the EI group. The multivariate analysis indicated that factors affecting the LI of probiotics were GA at birth (odds ratio [OR], 1.52; p<0.001) and the enteral nutrition start day (OR, 1.47; p<0.001). The late probiotic introduction was associated with a risk of late-onset sepsis (OR, 2.85; p=0.020), delayed full enteral nutrition (OR, 5.44; p<0.001), and extrauterine growth restriction (OR, 1.67; p=0.033) on multivariate analyses after adjusting for GA. Conclusion: Early supplementation of probiotics within a week after birth may reduce adverse outcomes among preterm or VLBW infants.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.29.1-29.11
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• 2021

Objectives: This study was conducted to compare the post-fracture survival rate of endodontically treated molar endodontically treated teeth (molar ETT) restored with resin composites or crowns and to identify potential risk factors, using a retrospective cohort design. Materials and Methods: Dental records of molar ETT with crowns or composite restorations (recall period, 2015-2019) were collected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The incidence of unrestorable fractures was identified, and molar ETT were classified according to survival. Information on potential risk factors was collected. Survival rates and potential risk factors were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier log-rank test and Cox regression model. Results: The overall survival rate of molar ETT was 87% (mean recall period, 31.73 ± 17.56 months). The survival rates of molar ETT restored with composites and crowns were 81.6% and 92.7%, reflecting a significant difference (p < 0.05). However, ETT restored with composites showed a 100% survival rate if only 1 surface was lost, which was comparable to the survival rate of ETT with crowns. The survival rates of ETT with composites and crowns were significantly different (97.6% vs. 83.7%) in the short-term (12-24 months), but not in the long-term (> 24 months) (87.8% vs. 79.5%). Conclusions: The survival rate from fracture was higher for molar ETT restored with crowns was higher than for ETT restored with composites, especially in the first 2 years after restoration. Molar ETT with limited tooth structure loss only on the occlusal surface could be successfully restored with composite restorations.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.789-802
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Habitual coffee consumption was inversely associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and hyperglycemia in observational studies, but the causality of the association remains uncertain. This study tested a causal association of genetically predicted coffee consumption with T2D using the Mendelian randomization (MR) method. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We used five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as instrumental variables (IVs) associated with habitual coffee consumption in a previous genome-wide association study among Koreans. We analyzed the associations between IVs and T2D, fasting blood glucose (FBG), 2h-postprandial glucose (2h-PG), and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C) levels. The MR results were further evaluated by standard sensitivity tests for possible pleiotropism. RESULTS: MR analysis revealed that increased genetically predicted coffee consumption was associated with a reduced prevalence of T2D; ORs per one-unit increment of log-transformed cup per day of coffee consumption ranged from 0.75 (0.62-0.90) for the weighted mode-based method to 0.79 (0.62-0.99) for Wald ratio estimator. We also used the inverse-variance-weighted method, weighted median-based method, MR-Egger method, and MR-PRESSO method. Similarly, genetically predicted coffee consumption was inversely associated with FBG and 2h-PG levels but not with HbA1c. Sensitivity measures gave similar results without evidence of pleiotropy. CONCLUSIONS: A genetic predisposition to habitual coffee consumption was inversely associated with T2D prevalence and lower levels of FBG and 2h-PG profiles. Our study warrants further exploration.

• Journal of the Korea Computer Graphics Society
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.13-22
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• 2022

In this paper, we propose a single framework based on the MPM(Material Point Method) that can represent the dynamic angular motion of the elementary particle unit. In this study, the particles can have various shapes while also describing linear and angular motion. As a result, unlike other particle-based simulations, which only represent linear movements of spherical (e.g. Circle, Sphere) particles, it is possible to express the visually dynamic motion of them. The proposed framework utilizes MPM, due to the fact that rotational motion can be decomposed and derived from large deformation. During the integration process of the presented technique, a deformation gradient tensor is decomposed by polar decomposition theory for extracting rotation tensor. By applying this together with the linear motion of each particle, as a result, it is possible to simultaneously express the angluar and linear motion of the particle itself. To verify the proposed method, we show the simulation of rotating particles scattering in the wind field, and the interaction(e.g. Collision) between a moving object and them by comparing the traditional MPM

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.218-228
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• 2023

Maintaining sea superiority through successful mission accomplishments of warships is being proved to be an important factor of winning a war, as in the Ukraine-Russia war. in order to ensure the ability of a warship to perform its duties, the survivability of the warship must be strengthened. In particular, among the survivability factors, vulnerability is closely related to a damage assessment, and these vulnerability data are used as basic data to measure the mission capability. The warship's mission capability is usually measured using a wargame model, but only the operational effects of a macroscopic view are measured with a theater level resolution. In order to analyze the effectiveness and efficiency of a weapon system in the context of advanced weapon systems and equipments, a warship's mission capability must be measured at the engagement level resolution. To this end, not the relationship between the displacement tonnage and the weight of warheads applied in the theater level model, but an engagement level resolution vulnerability assessment method that can specify physical and functional damage at the hit position should be applied. This study proposes a method of measuring a warship's mission capability by applying the warship vulnerability assessment method to the naval engagement level analysis model. The result can be used as basic data in developing engagement algorithms for effective and efficient operation tactics to be implemented from a single unit weapon system to multiple warships.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.36-50
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• 2023

Soil health can deteriorate through both contamination and remediation. Accordingly, revitalization processes are needed to reuse or recycle the remediated soil. The study was conducted to assess the changes in soil health parameters of heavy metals-contaminated soil during soil washing process. In addition, unit processes were proposed to improve the quality of the remediated soil relevant to its reclamation purposes, such as agricultural and forest lands. A total of 21 indicators were used to determine whether the soil health was degraded or recovered. The performance of 6 amendments in improving soil health was quantitatively evaluated according to their dosage and application duration. Finally, the experimental results were assessed by simple regression analyses to determine the statistical significance and relative performance of each amendment. The results indicated that 18 health indicators out of 21 deteriorated through the soil washing process. Based on the results, it is recommended that several effective amendments be complementarily combined and applied in real applications because use of single amendment does not likely improve the quality of remediated soils.

• The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.145-150
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• 2023

Non-uniform optical taper waveguides have been widely used as devices for high-efficiency mode coupling, as they are integrated with single-mode optical fibers or photonic crystal waveguides. In this paper, we present a new platform for chemical sensing and bio-sensing using optical taper waveguides with these characteristics. The principle of operation is based on the coupling efficiency and interference properties of optical directional coupler (DC) and multi-mode interference coupler (MMIC). First, the curvature characteristics of taper sections of DC and MMIC is explained, and the design specifications of optimized taper waveguide to increase waveguide sensitivity is selected. Next, the sensor response to the change in refractive index of sensing analyte is numerically analyzed. Numerical results show that as the length of couplers increases, the effective index per change in refractive index unit (RIU) of analyte increases, and that sensitivity can be tuned using taper DC and MMIC design techniques.