• Development and Reproduction
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 2008

The efficient strategies to cope with unpredictable and/or harmful environmental changes have been developed by every organism in order to ensure its survival and continuity of it's own species. As a results, all living things on earth maintain dynamically internal stability via a process termed 'homeostasis' among physiological parameters despite of external environment changes. Stress is an emotional and physical response to threat homeostasis. Stress may have not only transient but rather permanent effect on the organism; recent evidence clearly show that prenatal stress could organize or imprint permanently physiological systems without any change in genetic codes, a process known as 'epigenetic programming'. In this review, a series of reproduction-associated events occurred in prenatally stressed male rats such as alteration in the structure of sexually dimorphic brain regions, modification of neurotransmitter metabolism, changes in reproductive endocrine status, and finally, disorders of sexual behavior will be introduced. The fetal brain is highly sensitive to prenatal programming and glucocorticoids in particular have powerful brain-programming properties. The chronic hyperactivation of fetal brain by maternal stress-induced glucocorticoid input will provide new program via increasing the neuroplasticities. This 'increased neuroplasticities' will be the basis for the 'increased phenotypic plasticities' rendering the organism's better adaptation to environmental challenges. In conclusion, organism who experienced 'harsh' environment in his fetal life seems to give up a certain portion of reproductive competence to make good chance of survival in his future life by epigenetic (re)programming.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.419-426
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• 2012

A transient, three-dimensional, two-phase flow analysis code, CUPID, has been developed in KAERI. In this work, we performed a preliminary analysis using the CUPID code to investigate the thermal-hydraulic behavior of the moderator in the Calandria vessel of a CANDU reactor. At first, we validated the CUPID code using the three experiments that were performed at Stern Laboratories Inc. To avoid the complexity to generate computational mesh around the Calandria tube bundles, a porous media approach was applied for the region. The pressure drop in the porous media zone was modeled by an empirical correlation. The results of the calculations showed that the CUPID code can predict the mixed flow pattern of forced and natural convection inside the Calandria vessel very well. Thereafter, the analysis was extended to a two-phase flow condition. Also, the local maximum temperature in the Calandria vessel was plotted as a function of the injection flow rate, which may be utilized to predict the local subcooling margin.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.333-349
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• 2013

As the capacity of spent nuclear fuel storage pool at reactor sites becomes saturated in ten years, long term dry storage strategy has been recently discussed as an alternative option in Korea. In this study, we reviewed safety-criteria-related research results on spent nuclear fuel performance and integrity under long-term dry storage and proposed the direction and the scope of future domestic research and development. Creep and hydride effect in relation to the embrittlement are known to be the major degradation mechanisms of the spent fuels during the long term dry storage. However, recent research results showed that hydride reorientation and hydride embrittlement are one of the most critical factors to the spent fuel integrity. Accordingly safety criteria of US and Japan for the storage system are basically founded on those mechanisms. However, in Korea, not only in-pile but out-of-pile experimental data have not been generated to understand fuel cladding degradation and to determine the criteria to ensure the safety. In addition, the transient behavior of the spent fuel during transportation also needs to be thoroughly examined. Therefore, various experimental research and development will be required to establish our own safety criteria for future long-term dry storage of domestic spent fuels.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.221-230
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• 2005

Catalytic wet oxidation of trichloroethylene (TCE) in water has been conducted using $TiO_2-supported$ cobalt oxides at $36^{\circ}C$ with a weight hourly space velocity of $7,500\;h^{-1}.\;5\%\;CoO_x/TiO_2$, prepared by using an incipient wetness technique, might be the most promising catalyst for the wet oxidation although it exhibited a transient behavior in time on-stream activity. Not only could the bare support be inactive for the wet decomposition reaction, but no TCE removal also occurred by the process of adsorption on $TiO_2$ surface. The catalytic activity was independent of all particle sizes used, thereby representing no mass transfer limitation in intraparticle diffusion. XPS spectra of both fresh and used Co surfaces gave different surface spectral features for each $CoO_x,\;Co\;2P_{3/2}$ binding energy for Co species in the fresh catalyst appeared at 781.3 eV, which is very similar to the chemical states of $CoTiO_x$ such as $CO_2TiO_4\;and\;CoTiO_3$. The used catalyst exhibited a 780.3-eV main peak with a satellite structure at 795.8 eV. Based on XPS spectra of reference Co compound, the TCE-exposed Co surfaces could be assigned to be in the form of mainly $Co_3O_4$. XRD patterns for $5\%\;CoO_x/TiO_2$ catalyst indicated that the phase structure of Co species in the catalyst even before reaction is quite comparable to the diffraction lines of external $Co_3O_4$ standard. A model structure of $CoO_x$ present predominantly on titania surfaces would be $Co_3O_4$, encapsulated in thin-film $CoTiO_x$ species consisting of $Co_2TiO_4$ and $CoTiO_3$, which may be active for the decomposition of TCE in a flow of water.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.1021-1026
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• 2012

The transient mass transfer in a single droplet system consisting of 1-octanol (continuous phase)/aqueous succinic acid solution (dispersed phase) was investigated in the presence of chemical reaction, which is acid/anion exchange reaction of succinic acid and tri-n-octylamine (TOA). This succinic acid extraction by TOA can be considered to occur at the interface between organic and aqueous phase, that is, heterogeneous reaction system. The basic properties of the system such as viscosity, density, distribution coefficient, terminal velocity of droplet, and diffusion coefficient were measured experimentally or calculated theoretically, and used for theoretical calculation of characteristic parameters of mass transfer later. The effects of succinic acid concentration on the terminal velocity was negligible in the existence of TOA, although the terminal velocity increases with succinic acid concentration in the absence of TOA. On the contrary, the terminal velocity decreases with TOA concentration. While droplets falls through organic phase, the trajectory of droplets is observed to oscillate around its vertical path. A mass trnasfer cell was prepared to monitor the mass transfer behavior in a single droplet and used to measure the mean concentration of succinic acid inside droplet. The results are expressed with dimensionless parameters. Under 50 g/L succinic acid condition, the system with 0.1 mol/kg TOA showed that the molar flux decreases in proportion to the decrease of concentration gradient, while in the case of 0.5 mol/kg TOA Sh increases rapidly with time indicating the molar flux of succinic acid decreases relatively slowly compared to the decrease in concentration gradient.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.1119-1127
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• 2010

In this paper, the design and nonlinear simulation of a multistable electromagnetic microactuator, which provides four stable equilibrium positions within its operating range, have been discussed. Quadstable actuator motion has been made possible by using both X- and Y-directional bistable structures with snapping curved beams. Two pairs of the curved beams are attached to an inner frame in both X- and Y-directions to realize independent bistable behavior in each direction. For the actuation of the actuator at the micrometer scale, an electromagnetic actuation method in which Lorentz force is taken into consideration was used. By using this method, micrometer-stroke quadstability in a plane parallel to a substrate was possible. The feasibility of designing an actuator that can realize quadstable motion by using the electromagnetic actuation method has been thoroughly clarified by performing nonlinear static and dynamic analyses and electrothermal coupled-field analysis of the multistable microactuator.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1589-1595
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• 2014

Objective: Forkhead box C2 (FOXC2) is a member of the winged helix/forkhead box (Fox) family of transcription factors. It has been suggested to regulate tumor vasculature, growth, invasion and metastasis, although it has not been studied in cervical cancer. Here, we analyzed FOXC2 expression in cervical tissues corresponding to different stages of cervical cancer development and examined its correlation with clinicopathological characteristics. In addition, we examined the effects of targeting FOXC2 on the biological behavior of human cervical cancer cells. Methods: The expression of FOXC2 in normal human cervix, CIN I-III and cervical cancer was examined by immunohistochemistry and compared among the three groups and between cervical cancers with different pathological subtypes. Endogenous expression of FOXC2 was transiently knocked down in human Hela and SiHa cervical cells by siRNA, and cell viability and migration were examined by scratch and CCK8 assays, respectively. Results: In normal cervical tissue the frequency of positive staining was 25% (10/40 cases), with a staining intensity (PI) of $0.297{\pm}0.520$, in CIN was 65% (26/40cases), with a PI of $3.00{\pm}3.29$, and in cancer was 91.8% (68/74 cases), with a PI of $5.568 {\pm}3.449$. The frequency was 100% in adenocarcinoma (5/5 cases) and 91.3% in SCCs (63/69 cases). The FOXC2 positive expression rate was 88.5% in patients with cervical SCC stage I and 100% in stage II, showing significant differences compared with normal cervix and CIN. With age, pathologic differentiation degree and tumor size, FOXC2 expression showed no significant variation. On transient transfection of Hela and SiHa cells, FOXC2-siRNA inhibition rates were 76.2% and 75.7%; CCK8 results showed reduced proliferation and relative migration (in Hela cells from $64.5{\pm}3.16$ to $49.5{\pm}9.24$ and in SiHa cells from $60.1{\pm}3.05$ to $44.3{\pm}3.98$) (P < 0.05). Conclusion: FOXC2 gene expression increases with malignancy, especially with blood vessel hyperplasia and invasion degree. Targeted silencing was associated with reduced cell proliferation as well as invasion potential.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.72-81
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• 1992

Thyroid cancer, the most common cancer of endocrine neoplasms, has tremendous variation in tumor biologic behavior. There is no consensus about treatment mode to prevent recurrences despite of recent advance in understanding characteristics of thyroid cancer. So, we have made a clinical analysis and follow-up study of recurred 27 cases among 189 cases treated under the diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma in the department of surgery, Chonnam University Hospital from February, 1982 to February, 1992 to clarify our experience about the characteristics of recurred thyroid cancer. The results were as follow: According to the pathological classification of recurred thyroid cancer, recurrence rate was 11.6% in papillary carcinoma, 15.6% in follicular carcinoma, 37.5% in medullary carcinoma, 66.7% in undifferentiated carcinoma, respectively, and the mean recurrence rate of thyroid cancer was 14.3%. The recurrence rate according to age was 28.6% in 8th decade and 17.9% in 4th decade. The recurrence rate according to sex was not singificant(15.6% in male: 14% in female). The mean period to relapse was 4 years 6 months in papillary carcinoma, 2 years 5 months in follicular carcinoma, 2 years 1 months in medullary carcinoma, 2 years 6 months in undifferentiated carcinoma. The recurrence rate according to previous operating methods, such as performing lymph node dissection or not, mode of thyridectomy, type of lymph node dissection was statisfically non-specific. Common recurrent sites of papillary and follicular carcinoma was cervical lymph node and remained thyroid tissue. Medullary and undifferentiated carcinoma was noted in multiregional or systemic involvement Reoperation was performed with complete resection of recurred or metastatic mass, such as radical neck dissection or mass extirpation from involved organs as possible. The postoperative complications were 2 cases of horseness, and 1 case with hematoma, transient hypocalcemia, wound infection, and pulmonary insufficency, respectively. 5-year survival rate was 85.5% in papillary carcinoma, 66.7% in follicular carcinoma. 50% in medullary carcinoma, and 50% in undifferentiated carcinoma. We concluded that recurrence in thyroid cancer give a reconsideration to previous conservative therapy and more extensive surgical procedures for thyroid cancer including lymphatic dissection are recommanded to prevent recurrences in selected cases if possible.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.20 no.3 s.63
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• pp.65-70
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• 2006

From the beginning of the construction stage, the fire protection regulation for the nuclear power plants conforms to the design requirements for the acquisition of the license permit. This regulation is based on the plant status of the normal operation, but it is not enough to be used as an application standard for fire protection at the transient mode of the plant and the outage time for refueling as well as for the plant decommissioning. While the advanced fire protection requirement that has been developed in America recently suggests the performance-based requirement and management rule applicable to the overall life time of the plant, it simply represents the conceptual application. It means that it can not be treated as appropriate standards because it does not deal with the qualitative and quantitative approach in specific ways. By the way, with the use of the performance-based fire risk analysis, the dynamic behavior of the heat and smoke at the fire compartment of the nuclear power plants can be analyzed and the thermal effect to the safety-related equipment and cables can be evaluated as well. At this paper, it suggests the ways to change the applicable fire protection regulations and the required evaluation items for the fire risk resulted from the plant configuration change with an intent to introduce the state-of-the-art quantitative fire risk analysis technology at the domestic nuclear power plants.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.760-767
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• 2020

Sustainable growth of hydroelectric power plants is expected in consideration of climate change and energy security. However, hydroelectric power plants always have a risk of water hammer damage, and safety assurance is very important. The water hammer phenomenon commonly occurs during operations such as rapid opening and closing of the valves and pump/turbine shutdown in pipe systems, which is more common in cases of emergency shutdown. In this study, a computational numerical model was developed using the MOC-FDM scheme to reflect the mechanism of water hammer occurrence. The proposed model was implemented in boundary conditions such as reservoir, pipeline, valve, and pump/turbine conditions and then applied to simulate hypothetical case studies. The analysis results of the model were verified using the analysis results at the main points of the pipe systems. The model produced reasonably good performance and was validated by comparison with the results of the SIMSEN package model. The model could be used as an efficient tool for the safety assessment of hydroelectric power plants based on accurate prediction of transient behavior in the operation of hydropower facilities.