• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.115-137
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• 2003

This study aims to investigate the related variables of self-esteem and depression among the Korean elderly people living alone and examine the relationships or interactions between those variables. Participants were 676 elderly men and women who were at least 65 years of age(M=76.17, sd=7.60) and lived in Seoul, Korea. Three hundred seventy eight participants of this study were living alone. Participants completed questionnaires and psychological tests including: Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, Zung's Self-Rating Depression Scale, The Index of Activities of Daily Living(IADL), Social Support Index(SSI), and Life Satisfaction in the Elderly Scale(LSES). Main statistical designs were 2(gender)×2(residential types), Pearson-product moment and regression analysis. Results indicated that the elderly living alone recognized their health poorer, have lower economic status, and received less social supports than the elderly lived with others. The elderly men who had children were more likely to lived alone. And the elderly men living alone received less social supports than the elderly women living alone, and significant gender difference was found in the reason of living alone. The elderly men living alone had lower self-esteem than the elderly women living alone, while the elderly living alone showed more depressive symptoms than the elderly living with others. There were 2-way interactions both in self-esteem and depression by gender and residential types. There was highly significant gender difference in self-esteem only for the elderly living alone, and it was found that there was no significant difference in depression between elderly men living alone and women living with others. Regression analysis revealed that physical function and self-reported health are predictors of self-esteem, and physical function, self-reported health, and social support are predictors of depression for the Korean elderly living alone. These findings reiterate the role of physical function, social support, health in self-esteem and depession among the elderly and suggest the gender role for quality of life among the Korean elderly living alone.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics B
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• v.33B no.11
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• pp.140-149
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• 1996

Cursive characters are written on an economical principle to reduce the motion of a pen in the limit of distinction between characters. That is, the pen is not lifted up to move for writing a next stroke, the pen is not moved at all, or connected two strokes chance their shapes to a similar and simple shape which is easy to be written. For these reasons, strokes and korean alphabets are not only easy to be changed, but also difficult to be splitted. In this paper, we propose a curvature stroke modeling method for splitting and matching by using a structural primitive. A curvature stroke is defined as a substroke which does not change its curvanture. Input strokes handwritten in a cursive style are splitted into a sequence of curvature strokes by segmenting the points which change the direction of rotation, which occur a sudden change of direction, and which occur an excessive rotation Each reference of korean alphabets is handwritten in a printed style and is saved as a sequence of curvature strikes which is generated by splitting process. And merging process is used to generate various sequences of curvature strikes for matching. Here, it is also considered that imaginary strokes can be written or omitted. By using a curvature stroke as a unit of recognition, redundant splitting points in input characters are effectively reduced and exact matching is possible by generating a reference curvature stroke, which consists of the parts of adjacent two korean alphasbets, even when the connecting points between korean alphabets are not splitted. The results showed 83.6% as recognition rate of the first candidate and 0.99sec./character (CPU clock:66MHz) as processing time.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.23-29
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• 2017

The packaged optical fiber Bragg grating sensors which were networked by multiplexing the Bragg grating sensors with WDM technology were investigated in application for the structural health monitoring of the marine trestle structure transporting the ship. The optical fiber Bragg grating sensor was packaged in a cylindrical shape made of aluminum tubes. Furthermore, after the packaged optical fiber sensor was inserted in polymeric tube, the epoxy was filled inside the tube so that the sensor has resistance and durability against sea water. The packaged optical fiber sensor component was investigated under 0.2 MPa of hydraulic pressure and was found to be robust. The number and location of Bragg gratings attached at the trestle were determined where the trestle was subject to high displacement obtained by the finite element simulation. Strain of the part in the trestle being subjected to the maximum load was analyzed to be ${\sim}1000{\mu}{\varepsilon}$ and thus shift in Bragg wavelength of the sensor caused by the maximum load of the trestle was found to be ~1,200 pm. According to results of the finite element analysis, the Bragg wavelength spacings of the sensors were determined to have 3~5 nm without overlapping of grating wavelengths between sensors when the trestle was under loads and thus 50 of the grating sensors with each module consisting of 5 sensors could be networked within 150 nm optical window at 1550 nm wavelength of the Bragg wavelength interrogator. Shifts in Bragg wavelength of the 5 packaged optical fiber sensors attached at the mock trestle unit were well interrogated by the grating interrogator which used the optical fiber loop mirror, and the maximum strain rate was measured to be about $235.650{\mu}{\varepsilon}$. The modelling result of the sensor packaging and networking was in good agreements with experimental result each other.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.14-24
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• 2016

Since the head and neck region is densely located with organs at risk (OAR), OAR-sparing is an important issue in the treatment of head and neck cancers. This study-in which different treatment plans were performed varying the head tilt angle on brain tumor patients-investigates the optimal head elevation angle for sparing normal organs (e.g. the hippocampus) and further compares the dosimetric characteristics of different types of radiation equipment. we performed 3D conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT), intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and tomotherapy on 10 patients with brain tumors in the frontal lobe while varying the head tilt angle of patients to analyze the dosimetric characteristics of different therapy methods. In each treatment plan, 95% of the tumor volume was irradiated with a dose of 40 Gy in 10 fractions. The step and shoot technique with nine beams was used for IMRT, and the same prescription dose was delivered to the tumor volume for the 3D-CRT and tomotherapy plans. The homogeneity index, conformity index, and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) were calculated. At a head elevation angle of $30^{\circ}$, conformity of the isodose curve to the target increased on average by 53%, 8%, and 5.4%. In 3D-CRT, the maximum dose received by the brain stem decreased at $15^{\circ}$, $30^{\circ}$, and $40^{\circ}$, compared to that observed at $0^{\circ}$. The NTCP value of the hippocampus observed in each modality was the highest at a head and neck angle of $0^{\circ}$ and the lowest at $30^{\circ}$. This study demonstrates that the elevation of the patients' head tilt angle in radiation therapy improves the target region's homogeneity of dose distribution by increasing the tumor control rate and conformity of the isodose curve to the target. Moreover, the study shows that the elevation of the head tilt angle lowers the NTCP by separating the tumor volume from the normal tissues, which helps spare OARs and reduce the delivered dose to the hippocampus.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.161-175
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• 2008

The soil developed from volcanic ash in Jeju Island, Korea, were classified as typical Andisols. The soils had acidic pH, high water contents, high organic matters and clay-silty textures. The crystalline minerals of the samples were mainly composed of ferromagnesian minerals such as olivine and pyroxene, and iron oxides such as magnetite and hematite derived from basaltic materials. A large amount of gibbsite was found at the subsurface horizon as a secondary product from the migration of excessive aluminum. In addition, our study has shown that considerable amounts of poorly ordered minerals like allophane and ferrihydrite were present in Jeju soils. The contents of $SiO_2$ were lower than those of other soil orders, but $A1_2O_3$ and $Fe_2O_3$ contents were higher. These results are some of the important chemical properties of Andisols. The contents of heavy metals were in the range of $84{\sim}198$ for Zn, $56{\sim}414$ for Ni, $38{\sim}150$ for Co, $132{\sim}1164\;mg\;kg^{-1}$ for Cr, which are higher than the worldwide values in most of the soils. Some soil samples contained relatively high levels of Cr exceeding 1000 mg/kg. Mean reduction capacity of the Jeju soils was $6.53\;mg\;L^{-1}$ reduced Cr(VI), 5.1 times higher than that of the non-volcanic ash soils from inland of Korea. The soil reduction capacity of the inland soils had a good correlation with total carbon content (R = 0.90). However, in spite of 20 times higher total carbon contents in the Jeju soils, there was a week negative correlation between the reduction capacity and the carbon content (R = -0.469), suggesting that the reduction capacity of Jeju soils is not mainly controlled by the carbon content and affected by other soil properties. Correlations of the reduction capacity with major elements showed that Al and Fe were closely connected with the reduction capacity in Jeju soil (R = 0.793; R = 0.626 respectively). Moreover, the amounts of Ni, Co and Cr had considerable correlations with the reduction capacity (R = 0.538; R = 0.647; R = 0.468 respectively). In particular, in relation to the behavior of redox-sensitive Cr, the oxidation of the trivalent chromium to mobile and toxic hexavalent chromium can be restricted by the high reduction capacity in Jeju soil. The factors controlling the reduction capacity in Jeju soils may have a close relation with the andic soil properties explained by the presence of considerable allophane and ferrihydrite in the soils.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.11
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• pp.603-610
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• 2016

This work studies the synthesis of birnessite (${\delta}-MnO_2$), a catalyst of oxidative-coupling reactions, from the powder of spent alkaline manganese batteries (SABP, <8 mesh) and evaluate its reactivity for 1-naphthol (1-NP) removals. Manganese oxides using commercial reagents ($MnSO_4$, $MnCl_2$) and the acid birnessite (A-Bir) by McKenzie method were also synthesized, and their crystallinity and reactivity for 1-NP were compared with one another. 96% Mn and 98% Zn were extracted from SABP by acid leaching at the condition of solid/liquid (S/L) ratio 1:10 in $1.0M\;H_2SO_4+10.5%\;H_2O_2$ at $60^{\circ}C$. From the acid leaching solution, 69% (at pH 8) and 94.3% (pH>13) of Mn were separated by hydroxide precipitation. Optimal OH/Mn mixing ratio (mol/mol) for the manganese oxide (MO) synthesis by alkaline (NaOH) hydrothermal techniques was 6.0. Under this condition, the best 1-NP removal efficiency was observed and XRD analysis confirmed that the MOs are corresponding to birnessite. Kinetic constants (k, at pH 6) for the 1-NP removals of the birnessites obtained from Mn recovered at pH 8 (${Mn^{2+}}_{(aq)}$) and pH>13 ($Mn(OH)_{2(s)}$) are 0.112 and $0.106min^{-1}$, respectively, which are similar to that from $MnSO_4$ reagent ($0.117min^{-1}$). The results indicated that the birnessite prepared from the SABP as a raw material could be used as an oxidative-coupling catalyst for removals of trace phenolic compounds in soil and water, and propose the recycle scheme of SAB for the birnessite synthesis.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.34 no.4 s.96
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• pp.327-336
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• 2001

Physical, chemical, and biological parameters were measured during the period from July 1993 to August 1994 near the Munui intake tower of Taechung Reservoir to evaluate effects of nutrients and suspended solids on algal chlorophyll-a and water clarity. Large amounts of precipitation during summer 1993 produced minimum conductivity ($88\;{\mu}S/cm$), minimum TN : TP (<40), and maximum total phosphorus (TP;$59\;{\mu}g/L$) and resulted in a chlorophyll-a peak ($79\;{\mu}g/L$) and minimum transparency (<1.5 m) among the seasons. At the same time, ratios of volatile suspended solids (VSS): non-volatile suspended solids (NVSS) were maximum (13.0),indicating that the reduced transparency was mainly attributed to biogenic turbidity in relation to phytoplankton growth. In contrast, severe drought in summer 1994 resulted in greater conductivity (>$120\;{\mu}S/cm$), water clarity (%gt;2 m), and lower TP and chlorophyll- a (<$10\;{\mu}g/L$) relative to those of summer 1993. Total phosphorus ($R^2=0.46$, n=59) accounted more variations of chlorophyll- a compared to total nitrogen ($R^2=0,29$, n=59). The mass ratios of TN : TP ranged from 39 to 222 and were strongly correlated with TP (r = -0.80) but not with concentrations of TN (r = 0.05). Ambient nutrient concentrations and TN : TP mass ratios indicated that seasonality of chlorophyll- a was likely determined by concentrations of phosphorus reflected by the distribution of rainfall. It was concluded that reductions of phosphorus during heavy rainfall may provide better water quality for the drinking water in the intake tower.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.213-220
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• 2006

In year 2003, a soybean(Glycine max) sample showing severe dwarfing symptom was collected from a farmers' field in Cheongsong in Korea. The results from the diagnosis of the sample by RT-PCR revealed that it was infected by Soybean dwarf virus(SbDV), SbDV-L81. This study could be the first report of the occurrence of the virus in Korea. To further characterize the virus, the partial nucleotide sequence of the genomic RNA of SbDV-L81 was determined by RT-PCR using species-specific primers. The sequences were analyzed and subsequently compared to previously characterized strains of SbDV based on the pattern of symptom expression and vector specificities. The intergenic region between ORF 2 and 3 and the coding regions of ORF 2, 3 and 4 were relatively similar to those of dwarfing strains(SbDV-DS and DP) rather than those of yellowing strains(SbDV-YS and YP). Likewise, the result from the analysis of 5'-half of the coding region of ORF5 indicated that SbDV-L81 was closely related to strains(SbDV-YP and DP) transmitted by Acyrthosiphon pisum. These data from the natural symptom and the comparisons of five regions of nucleotide sequences of SbDV suggested that SbDV-L81 might be closely related SbDV-DP.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.110-116
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• 2004

The over-expression in E. coli of the pHLN1-SO(＋) and pHLN2-80(－) plasmids cloned an insecticidal crystal protein (ICP) gene (crylAal type) from Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki HD 1 was investigated through in part, the deletion of -80 bp promoter and an alternative change of cloning vector system. Two recombinant plasmids were constructed in an attempt to analyze the over-expression of the ICP in relations to its gene structure possessing only -14 bp ［Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence of -80 bp promoter］. Also, anther two recombinant plasmids similarly cloned the icp gene in a different vector system. The amounts of ICP produced from the recombinants were measured by SDS-PAGE and confirmed by Western blot analysis. One clone, pHLRBS1-14 clone in which only the SD sequence in the inverted orientation icp gene appeared, was more evident than the pHLRBS2-14 clone in which only the -14 bp SD sequence of the right orientated icp gene was shown to exist. The pHLN2-80(－) clone produced more ICP proteins than the pHLRBS1-14 clone. In the two clones, pHLNUC1-80 right-oriented icp gene and the pHLNUC2-80 clone inverted-orientation icp gene in a new different vector, the pHLNUC2-80 produced more ICP proteins in E. coli system. These results indicate that the P/ac promoter, the inverted icp gene insertion and -80 bp promoter (-66 bp part of the icp gene promoters), were concerned with the expression of the icp gene in the recombinant plasmids. In addition, the expression mechanism might result from the disruption of the transcription-suppressing regions in the promoter regions.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.365-373
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• 1998

Purpose: The conventional gamma camera is not ideal for scintimammography because of its large detector size (${\sim}500mm$ in width) causing high cost and low image quality. We are developing a small gamma camera dedicated for breast imaging. Materials and Methods: The small gamma camera system consists of a NaI (T1) crystal ($60 mm{\times}60 mm{\times}6 mm$) coupled with a Hamamatsu R3941 Position Sensitive Photomultiplier Tube (PSPMT), a resister chain circuit, preamplifiers, nuclear instrument modules, an analog to digital converter and a personal computer for control and display. The PSPMT was read out using a standard resistive charge division which multiplexes the 34 cross wire anode channels into 4 signals ($X^+,\;X^-,\;Y^+,\;Y^-$). Those signals were individually amplified by four preamplifiers and then, shaped and amplified by amplifiers. The signals were discriminated ana digitized via triggering signal and used to localize the position of an event by applying the Anger logic. Results: The intrinsic sensitivity of the system was approximately 8,000 counts/sec/${\mu}Ci$. High quality flood and hole mask images were obtained. Breast phantom containing $2{\sim}7 mm$ diameter spheres was successfully imaged with a parallel hole collimator The image displayed accurate size and activity distribution over the imaging field of view Conclusion: We have succesfully developed a small gamma camera using NaI(T1)-PSPMT and nuclear Instrument modules. The small gamma camera developed in this study might improve the diagnostic accuracy of scintimammography by optimally imaging the breast.